Well the last two bodies I was going to buy fell through. So once again I am without a project. I had my heart set on an open fender project to showcase a front axle I was building but I just can't find a cab that will look right. I know they are out there but my problem is I am 6'5" and 340lbs. I take up more "personal space" than most people. So I may be looking for a bigger cab from the late 40's to mid 50's. My big issue with running this era of cab is usually at the firewall where the rear of the front fender bolts on. There is almost a pocket in the firewall for it. I know it can be patched but to me it just never looks right even with a patch. So with that long rant, does anyone have any opinions on a cab that looks good running fender less and has the size for a big guy? (I like the dodge cabs of the late 30's to mid 40's but I think they are too small)
40's and 50's trucks don't lend themselves to be built as hi-boys,they generally come off looking like circus wagons. Your a big guy so you really should think about a coupe or sedan. HRP
I agree that they look like circus wagons. I can fit in 40's Fords and 50's Chevys fairly well. But everyone builds them. I have been different my whole life and would like to reflect that in my ride lol. I may have to go full fender and save the axle for something else so I can show it off. I am not looking for a car of sorts. I have a 73 Riviera that should lay frame this year and a 64 Lincoln Continental that I want to get to paint this year as well. So I really had my heart set on a truck lol
Build a RPU (roadster pick up) or a extended cab truck maybe out of a 20s/30s 4 door sedan with the back doors area/section removed and back halve moved forward. Something like this ,This one may have started out as a coupe?,but you get the idea.
What about getting a nice cowl, and grafting it to a 40s 50s cab? Sounds a bit out there, and maybe getting into RR territory if not done right, but wouldn't be hard to do, ask the Photoshop boys to see what they could come up with.
I do like that. Someone around my town actually took and used all 4 doors and put a box on it to make a crew cab. It looks pretty cool. The only problem is the width of the cab. My shoulders are 26 inches so I don't fit in lots of tight spaces lol.
I saw that old early 59's Chevy I think on here that the guy races. I think it's on an s10 frame and it's been narrowed and shortened with widened fenders. That was a pretty cool looking truck. I had always though about doing that but without narrowing the cab.
A Dude your size, and wanting something different; how about a full fendered COE, or a late 40's-mid 50's non Ford/Chevy pickup such as Stude. The REO pickups look cool. FWIW, going fenderless on anything after 1934 usually just doesn't "work" and looks dorky. Sure, a few examples of builds have been pulled off, but it takes a ton of work.
How about something like a a 50's big truck can like a white or Mack. The hood sides are totally above the fenders, so the lines would be good. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Motor_Company#/media/File:White_Road_Tractor_1948.jpg
being a big guy too , I wanted a truck but they are cramped ( had several old chevy farm trucks ) but I found a 2 dr 50 a body and being 6-4" and wear a size 56 suit jacket because of my shoulders I find it nice and comfy like my Late model truck .
Are you looking for a closed cab? If so, look to 26 to 34 Tudors and Fordors and trucks. (You won't get much love for the 40's/50's cab on an early frame running fenderless on the HAMB. There are other forums for those.) If you don't need a roof, look at Touring cars and Phaetons. You can take the back of a T touring, for instance, and widen the cowl to line up to it and have a bucket fit for a big guy. I've got something like this mocked up in my shop right now but I'm going to narrow the back rather than widen the front. I think the rear section was somewhere approaching 50-something inches give or take (I really can't remember). Here's my pile of junk to which I refer, my feet won't reach the pedals in the "stock" seating position:
Have you considered building your own roadster type body? No roof means no headroom problems. You can build all the leg room you want. Guys are doing this by narrowing and cutting down tailfin bodies of the fifties or you could build a Roth style fibreglass body. This is easier than it used to be, by using urethane spray foam and carving it into a mold then covering with fibreglass. You don't even need opening doors.
Late 40's and early 50's truck cabs really aren't that much bigger. A person of your stature would look ridiculous and be quite uncomfortable in my '51 F-1. I think lowbudget is on the right path. Find a Model A 2 door sedan and shorten the back some. Add a truck box and you have a nice 5 window PU that should fit you pretty well.
These are all awesome ideas. I never guessed I would end up leaving even more confused than I came in lol. I had thought about no roof and toyed with the idea of building something unusual *cough cough* like an old Willys C2 jeep. But I am leaning towards the model A with a box. I had thought about building my own body but I either had too many bad ideas or not enough good ideas lol. I may see a bought test fitting myself in an old 2dr model A.
I believe, during the war, in the US, that a lot of A's and other cars were converted to "trucks" because they got more gas rations that way. I haven't seen much of that around in my area, there seem to me mostly Doodlebug tractor, Compressor, and Powerplant conversions in New England. But it might be something you want to look around for pictures of for inspiration. I'd even suggest you start out with an AA chassis if you can. I'm pretty sure any A body can be made to fit pretty easily. If you get the proportions right, you might even be able to drop a Tudor on a full length AA frame uncut with filled wheel wells and put a bed behind it.
I forgot to put in its a GM a body CAr not A body ford .. its a 50 2 door Pontiac Chieftain (American version w/straight 8) , but the body dimensions are supposedly the same for the Chevy framed Canadian versions . as for picture no I do not have any as of this time.
This is totally out of left field, but since the terms "unique", "COE", and "Willys" showed up above, though separately. I'll offer a shameless plug for the project I am selling that includes all those things in one heap. It's a rare factory model, but it's rough enough to provide license to do build it into whatever you can dream up.
Are you planning on hauling anyone? If you build a sedan/extended cab truck thing and you're worried about width, why not make it center steer and sit in the middle? You'd have to plan the controls carefully.
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