Has anyone used a "double C-channel" deuce frame?....

Double c channel frames, I'd use it in a heartbeat ! As far as safety and crumple zones , I don't think many hotrods or any could survive a head on crash at 50 plus mph, I wouldn't even want to see the carnage , it would be fugly !

 

If you think about it, Henry Ford had flex in his early cars because the dirt roads were so bad. A rigid frame and ch***is would have been unbearable on a dirt road. That's why a Model T rides so well on modern pavement. My owners manual for my 1907 Maxwell boasts about the flex in the frame as a driving plus.

Bottom line, Henry Ford cared about comfort not crumple!

If you want it, buy it!

 

this has been my thought as well, just make sure you dont hit another hotrod, or brick wall. part of driving an old car is dealing with the terrors ***ociated with it.

 

An unlearned 'know-it-all' had a pair of OT front fenders ('80s Chev) and was about to cut the crumple dimples out to repair them...I suggested he leave them alone, they're supposed to be there.
His answer was predictable. I laughed.

 

On a different note,I would wonder about moisture trap between the channels being a zone for rust and corrosion as it wouldn't dry as readily?

 

Yep it's only double strong till it rusts 1/2 way thru

 

naturally occurring crumple zones, thats ford thinking.

 

i saw similar with someone welding angle iron over the crumple zones on a chev truck bonnet, (theyre there to stop/minimise decapitation in the event of a frontal)

 

In any case if you are looking for safety in an 1932 designed car or even one designed to look like a 32, you are deluding yourself and should look elsewhere for automotive safety.

 

You can make the rails as rigid as you want... Most all of the" flex" you guys are worried about is torsional twist... In which case most the duty falls on the crossmembers ... In most 32 fords you have a little 10 ga. Spring cross then about 3 feet or more before another structural member... I say anything more than standard boxing procedure is overkill and adding weight for no reason... Those things are seriously heavy!... Also a lot of those frames are 1 1/2" longer I believe

Unless its super cheap I'd go with kiwi konnection or a p&jakes if you want the store bought route