Hot Rods What's wrong with my roadster's proportions?

I bet a few minutes by someone using photochop could help things out a bit. To me it looks like it just needs to be a little lower all the way around, taking into account the camera lense trickery from the garage pic. The outside the garage pic brings things in much better. I'll admit that initially I did not understand retaining the apron, but with the other posted pics and searching, it quickly grew on me. Keep up the good work here.

 

Make a 7.00 x 16 cardboard or plywood mock up and see what that looks like back there.
Or borrow one for a look see.

The sidewall height to rim diameter ratio makes or breaks it sometimes.

 

Two things come to mind and part of this is a matter of taste.

Number one the apron makes it look as thick as a brick. I personally never liked them that way. I think that sectioning it would help or for me loose it all together.

second and this is my pet peeve is that the rear wheels are not centered in the wheel well. May haps it is not an issue with most but in my mind the wheel well reveal should show the same gap all around the tire on a high boy.

 

Comparing the outdoor and garage photos, look at the space between the cowl bead and the front edge of the apron, and the space between the rear edge of the apron and the tear-drop shaped thing. It looks like the body was moved forward (or the apron rearward) and the rear edge of the apron has been trimmed.

 

Retaining the apron, but modifying it is an oxymoron to me. Generally, I'd think the apron would've been left on to save time/labor or out of indecision in the old days. To leave it, and try to modify and perfect the look doesn't seem to make sense, it is messing with the proportions of the body by adding actual heighth, and an illusion of stubbiness. Of course, this is MY opinion, and that is YOUR car, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

The apron was moved rearward and the excess was cut off in front of the rear wheel. The teardrop thing is where the exhaust exits.

 

The reason I left it was, I don't like the way Model A hiboys on stock A frames look when the chassis is exposed. It creates another problem by making the car look spindly and top heavy. The Bishop/Tardel roadster solved this by routing the exhaust next to the frame and right below the body. I'm running a full hood/sides so I needed something to cover up the chassis. I guess I could have just put it on a deuce chassis and skipped this whole mess

 

I agree, I still have the fenders and I'm going to bolt the rears back on and make sure everything is centered.

 

Looks like you need to use a Deuce grill and radiator and fit a V8 Flat Head in it. The camera is making it look different than it really is. J. M. H. O.

 

Wrong! Please don't start chopping up the firewall or moving the radiator around. The flatty will fit in the stock engine bay. Ask me how I know.

Looking at the pictures of the car before you trimmed the aprons, the only things I see is the fact that the rear axle is too wide, and the front tires are too tall for my taste (but they are close). I'd shorten the rear axle to the dimentions of the stock A axle. I just used the stock A axle in the ones I've done. Remember: a REAL A-V8 uses most of the stock Model A stuff...

 

Kris, I know you thought the front tires were too tall, but have you seen this pic I put up this morning? 6.00X16's on the front and hood sides seem to have taken care of the chunky look. Its a 1938 rear axle, is that a lot wider than a Model A?

 

I think that looks great.... I love an A with the side aprons!

 

The Model A axle is shorter. I don't know how much shorter, but it's enough to make a difference IMHO.

 

The last photo showing the hood sides on and the 600x16 on the front is testament to the fact this roadster has nailed the look IMHO.
Have faith in what you're doing and keep going

 

You weren't suppose to cut them!!!!! It's simple unbolting look with bolt holes & all.

 

Man I like your car!!! That rear wheel still looks a little out of place but that thing is definitely something to be proud of!!!

 

Yep and a lot of the cars at the lakes in the late 40's and early 50's that you saw with the skirts had the fenders laying next to the tool box and floor jack in the pits while the car was raced waiting to be bolted back on for the drive home after a day or weekend of racing.

I don't much care for the skirts left on look but when they are shortened it makes the car look too fat in the middle The black roadster in one of the photos above has a lot better flow to it with the stock length skirts.

 

These two pictures were taken from very different angles in relation to the car. You can see almost the entire right front wheel in the lower picture but you can hardly see any of the right front in the upper picture. You can't really draw any conclusions by a comparision of these two.

 

On a model A, the front half of the rear fender mounting edge has a larger radius than the rear half. To center the rear wheel accurately, block up the chassis at the ride height. Unbolt a rear wheel, lean it against the rear brake drum. Roll it back and forth until it looks centered. Mount the rear axle at that location. I did this after completion model A hi-boy roadster. I moved the axle ahead 1" and think its looks perfect. I ended up with the axle housing centered under the front edge of the vertical 1 1/2" wide rib of the inner fender body panel. The hood length, measures 31 1/2" in length down the center. I hope this helps you.

 

The wide angle lens is what's screwing with you, anything shorter than 50mm focal length will exagerate perspective. Get as far back as you can and then zoom in to fill the frame.
Leaving the aprons on, and especially shortening them will add visual 'height' to the body, contributing to the perceived 'chubby & stubby' look.
As you're using them to cover the void between the body & rails, why not section them an inch or two as you've mentioned? Maybe that wouldn't have been done 'back in the day' very often (but I'll bet someone did!). When it's done no one will notice, they'll just tell you what a great looking car it is without being able to put their finger on why...

 

I've 'chopped' them them heaps here, but I think it looks a lot sleeker.
I see a lot of people saying aprons were only left on 'cause they were harder to remove than fenders. Maybe if you thought of them less as 'aprons' and more as 'donor panels to make frame rail covers with'?

 

I hate aprons Thats just me,Otherwise than the rear tire,Probably angle pic was taken ,In paint or both the same color It will look awesome.Ill throw an idea out there though,What aboout starting the apron where the chrome cowl bead is ....Looks good and you should be proud,

 

I was thinking the same thing it looks like the radiator is too close to the firewall

 

Replace the aprons with 2 torqe tubes for exhaust!!!!