ive got a 29 model a that I'm putting on a 32 frame I got from blackboard hot rods and I know you have to cut a bunch off of the stock subrails to get it to fit but I'm just not sure how much and if the remaining stock subrails are supposed to sit flat on the new rails or if I'm missing something that I should cut out. I believe what's keeping it off the frame rails is the center crossmember that runs in line with the rear door jamb...do I need to cut this out so it sits flat? Thanks for any help it's greatly appreciated.
Lots of guys would shape a piece of wood to fill the gap between the flat bottom body and the curved top frame. It come out real thin and is barely noticeable once the body is bolted down.
You should be able to keep the body crossmember by the doors. You may need to clearance the backside of that crossmember on the bottom side. I'm doing a 30-31 coupe on a 32 frame and had to trim that spot on mine. I did the mini channels at the front body mount. Used a level on the bottom of the frame where the running boards would normally mount and set the body at the same level.
I'm in the middle of this myself with a 31 coupe. I would not recommend cutting that crossmember. Few things to consider. Steadfast makes a kit to do this conversion. Big help. I cut the sub rail about 6" behind the B pillar to use the kit. I'm also using wood mounting blocks although some guys don't use them, I don't want to risk cracking the body down the road. First get the body bolted down, put on the doors and get them lined up. You'll need to brace the body before you go any further, once you cut the crossmember, the body gets like a wet noodle in the rear. If it's a coupe, put on the trunk lid to check alignment before welding in a new sub rail. Lastly, check out the Helmuth Brother's coupe thread. Here a few pics of mine, hope that made sense. These bodies are very flexible. Had to pie cut the end of the rail to get it to fit the rear end flat Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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