Didn't really know how to document my minimal progress. Seems I've been doin a lot more headscratchin than fabricatin,....tryin to visualize a path to get what I want. Got some "stilts" fabricated which allows me to move the frame about under the body and visualize where and how much to nibble. You see in this pic, the frame is located a good 4+" below the body's sub-rail. What this illustrates, right off the bat, is how much of the tank extends beyond the body. Unacceptable in every way! I'd toss in the towel if I couldn't come up with something visually acceptable. Also a given for me is an outside tank with provision for a submerged fuel pump,... like the 32 tank from Tanks. What I have discovered is the rear body mounting bolt location, and the knuckle that I so cleverly crafted, is the first limiter to sliding the tank forward. And ironically, the corresponding detail in the sub-rail is nibbled away in the process of adapting the frame. So,....next order of business is removing the offending knuckle which will allow the tank to slide forward a good 2-2.5" before the flange gets close to the coil-over. We'll see how that looks
Not sure how I missed this update but I can clearly see why you want the tank moved forward. I like the stilt idea, much more fabrication but if they were adjustable you could really play around with situating the body to the frame. I guess you can also do that by jacking the frame up too. Either way keep swinging at it Bill, it's looking good!
Just another thought, will the tank look like it's sticking that far out if the body was sitting lower on the frame? Or if the rear frame horns were kicked up a bit to get the tank closer to the body?
I think I've got it! As suspected the coil-over is the limiter to moving the tank forward, and I've reached that point even before spending any more time or mental energy building a new crossmember. So,...I wacked off the offending knuckle and that got me 3 inches of forward movement of the tank. Of course I will trim the frame so's the spreader bar is nestled against the tank. Jacking the frame until the tank hits the bottom of the body begins to get "the look". It's very close to duplicating the relationship as on a 32 Sedan. Still have to relieve the body sheet metal by at least 4" in order to raise the frame up to meet the Model A sub-rails. Note the proximity of the tank flange to the coil spring, about 1/4". The tank ain't goin any more forward.
I plan on doing a gas tank conversion like that on my Model A. I know they look great on full fendered, but I suspect they will be good for open wheel too. A tank too small is a giant pain.
Well boys, I'm guilty of serious procrastination! Since last posting I've expended an inordinate amount of time thinking. Just couldn't picture how to resolve the tank issue. The above pic illustrates what I was thinking and I have "pulled the trigger", ordered the "below the deck panel" from Brookville and started cutting. Discovered the forward part of the wheel well was about 3/4" narrower than the frame so had to do a little cut and tuck in order for the body to drop over the frame. Now I'm beginning to get the look I'm after. I'll integrate the Brookville part with the original Model A channel that when complete will be located a good 6" higher on the body eliminating more of the Sedan "tuck" and as a result covering more of the tank,...approaching the appearance as on a 32 Roadster/Coupe. Note also how much of the frame that will be wacked off.
Feelin pretty good about how this is going. The loaded diaper look is still there if you're looking for it but from a normal viewing height and the distraction of the tire, a taillight and bobbed frame, no one will notice. I've found that the sub rails are more complex and rusty than I thought. I probably said, too often, that plopping an A on 32 rails takes more thought and finessing than most realize. I'm going to replace most of those sub rails and addressing that will yield about a 3/4" more channel.
This Alliance vendor has the shortcut for subrails, although I'm sure you can do the needed engineering. http://www.steadfastmfg.com/products
More subrails info here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...hassis-sub-rail-kit-by-steadfast-mfg.1119479/
Finally, the view I had imagined is becoming real. The box section, actually two channels, was the connection to the subrails, tying them together and providing the the foundation for the body mounts. You can see the rust in the distance, typical of much of the structure from the "B" pillar back and necessitated some reconstructive surgery. The following images illustrate a confirmation of my idea, i.e., that patching in a partial 32 Roadster/Coupe panel will move the termination of the rear sheet metal rearward several inches, covering more of the 32 tank. The finishing of the modification will be a sheet metal challenge for this hack.
The pics imply the look of a Victoria bustle but,....that's a panel beater challenge I'm not up for and would be "overkill" re nesting the 32 tank. The plan is to cutaway most of the '32 sheet metal to within 1/4" of the detail bead line traversing the panel, leaving that detail tilted forward where the Model A equivalent was tilted to the rear. That mod along with the raised location of the body termination yielding 2-3 inches more coverage of the tank.
And, at the cowl, The goal is to raise the foot and nibble away at the sub structure to allow the cowl to drop down over the frame,....ultimately achieving a 1/2 to 3/4 inch channel. All that fiddle fuckin around to get the straight/flat section of the A sub rails down onto the straight/flat section of the 32 frame.
Just to letcha know I'm still alive. The A has landed flat on the 32 frame. More in a few days. Nother pic better lit and w/o the stilts.
That looks perfect! Measure twice cut once? I was definitely waiting for an update and a side profile pic.
Finally,.... sucked it up and put the welder to work. Got the body mount at the cowl figgered out, bolted down and welded. That establishes both the amount of "channel" (about 3/4") and the rear wheel well location. I have bent-up some hat sections to rebuild the modified and rusty sub-rails. They will establish a new floor height, now elevated about 3/4". After visiting with a friend, I decided to correct and update the drawing below. The horizonal flange(s) of the "hat sections" are trimmed off at the red line. That's so's the remaining portions of the sub-frame will drop down to the 1" rubber body mount blocks.
Bill... Looking at your floor reminds me directly of the late Bill Burnham, and his '29 Highboy. I was building a '29 Highboy on gennie '32 rails, and asked Bill about his floor height...(recall his 6'4" height, I was 6'1") Instead of telling me 'how he'd dropped his floor', he stated he had raised it 1-1/2"! "Oh, Contraire!" said I, considering his lengthy frame...6'4" and compacting living space! Bill went on to say the 406 FE had somewhat altered his previous plans for floor height. I then installed my floor on modified hat structures 3/4" above original plan. No problem...my seat pad got thinner... Your sedan's 'profile' is envious. 'A' sedan properly mated to '32 rails is "Mona Lisa-ish". Classic.
Cool Mike! Thanks for that. 'Tho I started playing with cars in '53 and did a little building and street racing, I diverted to a more mainstream lifestyle by '63. Never lost the interest but other priorities prevailed. Been back into it now since about 2000 and feel like a real neophyte. So much to learn from those who've been into it for 60-70 years. Finding out that many of the details I'm discovering and struggling with are the same that blokes have been addressing for decades.
Fun to follow along on this one. My winter project is a 1931 Vicky on a 32 frame. I'm planning on a 1 1/2" - 2" channel on mine, so neat to see how this is going.
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