"30 Roadster on "32 rails ???

I'm in the process of building a '30 roadster on '32 rails and I'm getting ready to modify the rear portion of the body to fit. Does anyone have pictures of what they did to make this a clean work that looks like it was meant to be? Oh, and if anyone wonders or doesn't know me, this a FORD.

 

What's it have to be, tech week?

 

I'd be interested in knowing, too.

 

Maybe it's never been done before.....

 

i think C9 put up some good pictures on how he did it
i believe on the 30/31 you channel the front of the cowl a little as its wider then the 32 frame....then cut out the rear subrails and drop it down over
I'd bet if you just set the body ontop of the frame as-is you'd see where the cuts need to be
thats how i did my 28
drop it on and start slicing till it looks like a hot rod!

 

PM Dirty31 . Hes got some good picts of his.

 

Do yourself a big favor and order "How to Build A Traditional Ford Hot Rod" by Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel. It sells for about $20 on Amazon/Borders etc. It tells and shows you virtually everything you need to know. HTH

 

I would like to know also. I plan to use a full 32 frame and gas tank under my 30 coupe. No doubt I could slice and dice till all fit well, and I can make it look good also. I feel that past experiences of others can save me and others time as well as busted knuckles and make an otherwise time consuming job less painful. I think this is why we are here, right?

 

I'd like to see this too
got most of the makin's for one of them myself,
just need the frame..

are you planning on keeping the rails full length with '32 tank,
or you gunna bob the rails?

'32 rear cross member and spring, or??

 

I was told that the 32 rails had to be pinched a little to fit properly??

 

Is that in the rear or all along the ch***is??

 

Like everything else, there are lots of ways to accomplish this. It is all in how you want the car to look. The first picture is the original frame in my Lazy 8. This is a highboy that is pretty low just by a simple z in the frame. Another way is the more modern highboy where the frame contour follows the body line. The other picture is a brookville frame made specifically for an A. Lots of cutting and welding to make it this way.

 

are you planning on keeping the rails full length with '32 tank,
or you gunna bob the rails?

No, I cut the rear off the rails. They are pinched. I'm also modifying the wheel wells so they don't turn in 2" in the front to follow the rails better, more like a '32 wheelwell.

 

There is a yellow 30-31 roadster thats been around Springfield MO. for years that is as nice a job as I have ever seen. Maybe somebody in the area can help.

 

I thought I had pics of mine in that area but cant find them. My cameras at work but I could take some this evening. Mine is a little different because of the rumble seat and tank, meaning yours may be easier. I didnt pinch my frame. I trimmed the subrail in the kickup area leaving about 1/2 inch of subrail on either side, this of course will vary from car to car. Then I built a boxed section over the 32 rails out of 16ga that I welded to the remaining subrail strip, tied that into the rumble floor and made provisions for a body mount underneath on each side. My rumble floor made this a pain though.
Does that make any sense?

 

I'm getting ready to do the same thing but the floor of my body was thrashed so I have to build subrails to fit.

I was under the impression that all you had to do at the back of the body was cut out the subrails over the rear frame sweep and drop the body over the frame? I'm pretty sure that's what it said in the Bishop/Tardel book...

So are you wondering about how to do the trunk floor area or the subrails or is something else going on?

 

Dug,
I think you should do it exactly like Rolf's car ,as it is awsome in every respect.
B

 

The body I have was channeled in it's previous like so there were no sub-rails in the rear. I have to reconstruct them. Before I reinvent the wheel I was hoping to see pictures of what other people have done.

 

If you visit my site www.martsrods.com and look for the links to the "Old Rusty" buildup i did a similar job. In my case, though, it was different because I had to make my own floor and subrails. I believe a 31 roadster body will just about fit an unmodified 32 ch***is.
Mart.

 

You don't have to pinch the front frame rails.
When you get the body slid back to the right point on the frame you'll end up with a 105" wheelbase and a 32 3/8" long hood top.
The hood top measurement taken down the center and with the radiator and grille shell to the extreme front of the front crossmember radiator mounting bolt slot.

The front crossmember is an A re-pro and in the same place as a stock 32.

The 32 re-pro frame is spaced the same front and rear as a 32 is.
The rear frame horn's were bobbed after the initial frame build.

The side-view pic showing the body on the frame and the notch in the front lower part of the wheel well has yet to drop another 3/4" over the rear of the frame.

You will probably have to cut the frame as shown in a pic in a following post and spread the frame rails out 3/4" on each side.
Judge this distance by what's required for the frame rail to sit parallel with the inside of the wheel well.

The guy's who bring the frame rails out to match the body contours are usually 29 A on 32 rails builders.
Not a good look in my opinion, far better to let the body d**** over the frame than have the frame's height added visually to a small car that should not look like a Fat Mama cruising down the road.
Roadsters are small cars and should not look bulky.

Then again, some guys like Fat Mama's so who am I to judge....

 

Note that only the top and bottom horizontal part of the frame rail is cut.
The vertical 6" or so area is not cut.

You probably don't need a backing piece - 1/8" x 1" strap - welded in since the saw kerf isn't pulled open very far by the frame going out 3/4".

I dd it anyway, bu it's adequately supported by a good weld and the boxng plate.

 

You are too kind...

 

Take a look in the tech archives for a post on making hood sides I did.

Key thing is you'll need a 2" shorter than stock 32 radiator to end up with a good hood line flow stylistically speaking.

Be sure and notch the front frame rails and "C" the rear frame rails.

A good trick I wish I'd done on my 32 is to install the re-pro A front crossmember low in the frame to get a good hood line flow.

Most - including me - put the crossmember up high in an attempt to get low.

You would be surprised at what a difference an inch makes in this area.

If you need to go lower there are other ways to do it.

Both the 32 and 31 on 32 rails roadsters have reasonable road clearance and I have no problems going places with the 32 and expect the same will be true with the 31.

Some of the cars I see nowadays that are being built super low are pretty useless for the most part.
Ok perhaps for the 2 mile drive to the Saturday night rod run and hanging out, but for a real world car to go places in, they don't cut it.

I know, a few out there are thinking BS cuz they have a pal who goes lots of places with his so-low-it-can't-run-over-a-sailcat car without getting fur on the oil pan.

Nuff said....

 

Doug, here is a direct link, maybe you can find something useful:
http://www.cl***icroad.com/modelA/body.htm

 

What the hells a sailcat?

 

Sailcat, roadkill ,flattened and dryed to frisbee spec.s

 

I learn every day here.................

 

Doc, don't feel too bad, w/no onomatapia how were you supposed to know? (I hadn't a clue! )
Yours was one funny post, however!

 

Dug,you know how to build these old Fords !
Let's see some pictures of the roadster project.
e

 

Ya, but it doesn't hurt to pull my head out of the sand for a look around at how other people have done the same thing. I'll see about the picture thing.