31 body on 32 Kiwi Konnection rails. mocking the whole thing up. instead of recessing the firewall 2" i cut it out to move it back 2". this is the first 31 on 32 rails transplant i've done. so if you can tell me what areas i need to look out for i would appreciate. in one of the pics it looks like the firewall is hanging down to low. looks like it's not level. what do you think? might need to go up 1 1/2". thanks
It looks good. Visually the only thing that really bothers me is the rear hairpins. If your dead set on using them in the back, I would have them mount directly to the frame (like the fronts) not off those tabs. And functionally there questionable mounted to a tube axle in back, they will not allow the body to rock and roll...eventually braking something.
the back end.....also how many have gone for a test drive without a motor and wheels? or frame for that matter. come on don't be shy we've all done it. VROOOOOM VROOOOOM
I wouldnt move the whole firewall back.. the curves on the firewall bulging slightly forward of the cowl are one of the best things about 30/31's, dont lose that! just do a neat cut out.check out coupe-de-cabs ongoing post for a nice example of a chopped up 31 firewall. A slight 'channel ' by sectioning the bottom feet of the firewall will drop the body over the rails a tiny bit and leave no gap below the doors..was it C9 who did this? anyway its pretty self explanatory. looks great...Ill do a 31roadster on 32 rails one day.
it would have looked much cooler with that olds engine i bought from you hard to tell how it really sits regarding the frame/vs firewall as there is no firewall on those pics but otherwise i really like the stans and wheels etc, your onto something there... helps the eyes with a mockup to have a radiator/grillshell on also,
It is shaping up real nice. One little detail I saw on one of Rudy's cars was pie cutting the bottom of the cowl to fit the frame. I think he only took out about an inch and most people (including me) probably wouldn't have even noticed. But now I do and it is a nice subtle little detail
Sits really nice I think, guess I'm with Nimrod about the rear hairpins though... But besides that it looks just fine!
I would move it up an inch and a half at the cowl like you said. So you can see the deuce "beauty mark" well. That's half the reason for using the 32 rails isn't it? going through this on my coupe right now. I think that Rolf did a great job with his body mounting. There is another guy on here(name escapes me right now) that has done an excellent job with his model a on deuce rails. Woody
very nice choice of parts, I am totaly jealous I would try to mount the hairpins so they mirror each other, I like the front mount so I would mount the rear the same I also like the body on top of the '32 rails, showing the entire side of the frame, or maybe drop the body over the top inch or so and trim the bottom of the cowl to follow the same sweep of the frame indent moving the stock firewall back works for me, I don't know if I like the hacked up look, especialy when the distributor gets trapped one more thing, the motor may need some serious chunk of induction on top of it, it seems so low and small, I think it needs some height. all minor stuff, you have the makings of a very cool car there
I'll tell you what I think..... I think It looks fantastic....and I wish mine was as far along as your is!.... ......and yes I go Vroom Vroom...just haven't taken a picture of it.
Looking really nice. Like they said i would change the rear and use split bones instead or a Pete and Jakes type ladder bar setup. From the looks of it I would go ahesd an c-notch the rear frame at the rearend. By the looks of it it will bang when you get it all together. When putting my truck together I had about 4 inches ride height. After I put it back together I had about 1 1/2 inches. Ride looks awesome. Did you set the body straight on or did you pinch the frame?
yea, i gotta agree with Paul here... i've never been a fan of slice n dice'd firewalls. . .nudged around for room is good, but notched or cut for mill clearance kinda makes the firewall look like an afterthought
I agree with lowsquire 200 percent here. Or try and find a 32 firewall - and fit it. that would be the slickest option if you ask me - I ended up recessing mine and like it.
A couple of pics for comparison. Note the Deuce frame impression that follows the fender is further forward due to the body being back a ways. The front crossmember is in the stock Deuce position. The body as it sits has a 105" wheelbase. The hood top measured down the middle is 32 3/8". (A stock 30-31 A hood is 31 5/8") The other pic shows where the body sits on the frame longitudinally speaking. Referring back to the first pic, note the 32 windshield posts. An easy swap on these cars. The last pic shows what has to be done to adapt the 32 WS post to the 31. A little grinding to allow some leanback and some weld fill after the angle is correct. This is the chopped 2" WS post. Other than the grinding & welding, nothing else need be done to adapt the 32 WS post to the A. It's a simple bolt-on using the A pieces which are the same as the 32 pieces.
thanks for the input. a bit of history. the guy it was bought from said the body was channeled back in the 40-50's. so the corner support for the firewall is missing. C9... i like the lip how the lip of the frame is more noticeable on yours. this one seems to be covering it a bit. it's going to be running a 32 tank in tha back as well. i Zed the frame about 3" down to allow the tank to fit. Bobby from THEM has the same car and the same look. this just a tad different details. this the only pic i could find on the net. i can't scan the ones i'm going off of.
That part came out ok on my car. Looks like you have a mini channel going on that covers more of the frame dimple. It looks good. Your body may sit about the same place - longitudinally speaking - on the frame as mine does. You can't see it in the pic I posted, but my car's firewall has a 4" recess. Legroom is fine, in fact there's more than I need. I'm 6' tall with a 32" inseam fwiw. Not knocking anyone's opinion on firewalls, recessed or not. Build em as you like em and as required by the engine/trans combo in use. Recessed firewalls were commonly done back in the day, specially if the car saw any dragstrip use. Even so, most guys were hesitant to cut into firewalls, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do. Take a look at DRD57's wheelbarrow firewall on his 30 coupe. Go here:http://www.donshotrodpage.net/Project-30/Firewall/Page01.html It's a good article and remains true to back in the good ol daze stuff. I don't know if you've been following any of the mid-90's Dodge Caravan seat posts, but here's what the two p***enger seat looks like in my 31. (You may find a three p***enger seat in the middle of a van. Many times owners pulled the true middle two p*** seat and moved the three p*** seat forward. You can section the three p*** seat to fit and in fact that may be a good way to go on a coupe. Do a search for some of Rolf's articles on his A coupe.) All that's required is to remove the stock bottom seat rails and fab up some new - and lower - ones. The 2nd pic shows how far back the seat is for me to fit correctly. It still has 3-4" it can go back.
C9... do you have a full shot of your car and any mock up pics. really interested how you mounted the body to the frame. the Kiwi Konnection frame has mounting nuts welded on the inside of the frame. not sure if i can use those mounting bolts or fab up some brackets for the body. how did you do yours? thanks about the seat idea. i have followed along a bit on Rolf's car. his floor is way diiferent than what i'll be doing. floor wise.
Think so? I found it to be very comfortable. Tilting it back helps in the comfort dept. Imho anyway. Maybe too, yours is somewhat flat which could drive your ***** straight down onto the seat and not allow the seat back to carry some of your weight. Fwiw - the seat is 5" off the floor proper in front and 1" off the floor proper in the back. Floor proper meaning not up on the hat channel floor/body reinforcement.
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