I have a 27 sedan with a 292 Y block and I am ready to start laying out the frame. Hoping for some insight on the frame setup. I am looking at some of the Wescott Auto model A dimensions and it is showing a wheelbase of 103 1/2". Is this the length I should be looking at to build this frame? If I put a 8" Z in the rear should I alter my overall wheelbase? Based upon the 27 sedan overall length where should I put the Z in the frame rail? I have the frame horns on the front and then the Z in the back and using a 40 front spring on the rear behind the Ford 9" out of a late 50's thunderbird. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Craig
Read and read well, after reading three or for times, read it again. For me, this is one of the most valuable threads here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150434 Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
The only downside to putting a T body on an A frame (stock 103.5 wb) is that the engine room ends up being a little short. I have a 27 roadster on a stock A frame and the sbf goes a good 4 inches into the firewall to get pulley clearance at the radiator. As you probably can see on your body, the T's have a firewall that protrudes outward quite a bit and I have even cut mine completely off and made a flat one, but I still had to tunnel the engine somewhat. If you are not limited by things like wanting to run fenders I would suggest you make your frame with some extra room in that area. The car will also ride and handle a little better with some extra wb. Don
Thanks for the tip no fenders on this beast so that is not a limitation. I can make the frame rails any length to accommodate the yblock and the 27 sedan. I am also putting a old ford 3 speed behind the yblock. I will check out the link as well. I have done a ton of reading on here and will not claim that I have read it all. Any and all thoughts are great!
My standard advice to anyone building a car from scratch is to set the body on blocks of wood at the ride height you think looks good. Next, block up the motor you will be using in front of the firewall so the heads/distributor/etc have a little clearance. Now you can get out your tape measure and determine how long the frame needs to be to give you fan to radiator clearance. I also like to prop up some reasonably close to what I will be running tires and wheels and then sit back for a long time in a chair, staring at how it looks to me. Sometimes I even build a temporary frame out of 2 x 4 lumber as it helps me visualize how the real one will look and spot any potential clearance issues. The 2 x 4's are cheap and easy to modify and move around until you get just what you are looking for. Don This wooden frame isn't mine but I liked how he did it and saved this picture. Sure saves a lot of mistakes being made in steel.
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