channeling advice needed

[willowbilly3]

While I am nowhere near ready to start this project I am still trying to get everything engineered in my head. I am gathering parts for my first prewar car, a 28-29 roadster pickup. I plan to step the frame down in front of the cowl about 4 inches or the width of the stock A frame. I would also like to channel the body just enough to make the frame disappear. Also I am planning to build a lengthened tub using a touring or sedan back section and probably some major reworked doors, maybe even T roadster doors with a filler panel under them (if the ones I have coming will have a contour I can work with.
So now I don't know what I will use for a subframe, possibly a fabricated one.
My big question is how to do a clean job of channeling. I went through all the tec articles and found nothing. Most of the cars I have actually looked at seem to be kinda butchered. I did see one old roadster done with heavy wall 2x2 tubing from the cowl back to save floor space which is a major consideration.
Any help or references would be appreciated.

[heyitsnate]

kinda pathetic that there's 4 pages of "are rat rods getting popular" and nobody replies to your question.as far as the channel i could send you pics of mine,although it's not a model A. bttt for this

[willowbilly3]

Yeah, I can find magazine and tech articles up the wazoo on chopping and every other aspect of building a rod but nothing on channeling. I just want to get some ideas and see how other guys do it. Maybe most of them are such a butchered up nasty mess underneath that they don't want any one to see.
Thanks for the offer of pics, I would apreciate a look at yours.

[Slag Kustom]

2x2 is to weak to use as the main rails. i would cut the stock frame off and notch some 2x3 to fit in. then make up some 1/8 boxing plates for the fromt. have an 1/8 hat channel bent up to make suports for the body to mount to the frame. make a sub floor out of 3/4 box tubing

[Slag Kustom]

pic of the floor in my 30 pick up

[Chaz]

http://people.montana.com/~kaparich/Channel.JPG
Every car is a bit different, but the process is pretty much the same. Get your frame up on its wheels, and cut away the floor of the car till it drops cleanly over the frame. Then block up the body till you get just the attitude you want on your car.
Then start laying 1x1 square tubing across the franerails to the body on both sides. After messin around like this for about half a day , the most convenient attachment points become apparent. Then, start your welding of this network of square tubing.
This is all pretty intimidating the first time you try it, but it is really not all that hard.

[Slag Kustom]

in the pic above you can see the hat channels made for above the frame rails and the 3/4 box tubing for the sheetmetal floor

pic of the cab corner and bottom of the body the bottom of the doors match up with the rockers and bottom of the frame i am going to also make a belly pan for the truck to finish off the bottom

[willowbilly3]

Thanks guys, that gives me some good idea of where to start. I have a bit more of a challange as I am kindof building my roaster body as I go but I think the basic idea of proping it all up over the frame as it sets will still be my starting point to lay out a subframe. I will have to come back in and make a tunnel tho because of the stepdown in the frame. I will try to post a picture of the truck that has provided more inspiration than any other.

[willowbilly3]

OOPS wrong pic, that was the inside.
I'm thinking cowl steering and not quite so much drop on the rear and of course a flatty instead of sbc. And even tho I love the aircraft rivited interior, I will be a little less crafty and more traditional with padding.

[AnimalAin]

Some time ago (maybe 70s) Tom McMullen had a project car with extensive body work. It was a Deuce Fordor, and channeling was one of the (several) body mods covered in the series of articles. Not sure, but it may have been when he was still with Popular Hot Rodding? Or in the early days of Street Rodder.

OK, maybe not that helpful, but probably easier to find than a 1954 copy of Hot Rod......

[willowbilly3]

thanks guys, I don't rally know how to access those old magazine articles, are they available on a website somewhere?