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32 and 33-34 ford pickup fender question

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by falconsprint63, Dec 14, 2009.

  1. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    Hi all

    I'm building a 33/34 ford pickup--it's been in and out of the family since 1971. look for full details and build posts to follow, but for now I need some help. here's the scenario.

    I have purchases a new set of ASC rails to replace the old ones. I've assembled the chassis using an ASC dropped 32 front cross member and reclaimed 35-40 x member. I'm using 32 spreader bars at each end for dimensions (I know I could have just gone with the duece frame, but I wanted the extra 6 inches of wheelbase. as an fyi the rear is parallel sprung using 31 chevy front leaf springs and out front I've got a dropped 32 heavy with a reversed eye model A spring and split 40 bones. (to finish the teaser details--it will eventually have a cad 390 between the rails).

    my question, though, is sheet metal related. I'm planning to run the truck full fendered (it's also chopped and channeled) with a 32 passenger grille and hood. I hung the 33/34 front fenders to check cross member alignment (32 and 33/34 are positioned different by an inch and some change) and grille positioning. The braces and at least 1 truck fender hole seem to be shared with coupe holes that came in the rails BUT the apron on the fenders overhangs the frame rails by a good 1.5-2 inches. Is this normal? I thought the fender terminated at th end of the frame? can someone with a true fendered 33/34 verify this for me? If I just move it back where I think it should be it creates a myraid of other issues

    Also, does the fender apron overhang to the inside of the frame rail? it just doesn't look right but I realize some of this my be a result of my change in original chassis dimensions

    Those of you with 32's what the overall apron lenghts from the front of the fender to the first notch at the rear of the fender--I'm wondering if the coupe is shorter here. I'm well aware of the other differences and I'm sure the are 33/34 pu fronts.

    also, the running board mount directly to the bottom of the frame? meaning the trailing edge of the fender should align with them, not drop below correct?

    thanks in advance for your thoughts, comments and photos.

    matt
     
  2. DICK SPADARO
    Joined: Jun 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,887

    DICK SPADARO
    Member Emeritus

    Hold the welder.... cardinal sin, failed to read assembly instruction sheet 345.62 section b-1......The 32 frame is 23 wide in the front and 40 at the rear. The 34 frame is 25 3/4 wide at the front and 44 at the rear. If you used 32 spreader bars on the 34 frame you have made the frame to narrow... The next question is to you do you have 32 parts or 33-34 Pickup parts because they are different and no 32 fenders do not bolt on a 3/34 pickup and vice-versa. The 33/34 PU front fender braces mount in the same holes as the car fender braces and form a triangular bolt pattern, if only one hole lines up then there is another issue. If you have 4 hole mount front fender braces those are 32's. Sorry but its time for pictures to identify you parts and problem..
     
  3. bubba67
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 1,842

    bubba67
    Member
    from NJ

    Matt, I don't know what the problem is but I have a 33 pickup chassis in my garage if you need measurements or something. Jim
     
  4. I'll try and find a few pictures. I think my 33 is the same as a 32. All my metal is from the same truck except the repop running boards from speedway 32 and the rebuilt rear fenders.
     

  5. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    to clarify a bit. sorry I can't grab pics now--dark out.

    I understood from the get go that the 32 and 33/34 were different both in width and lenghts. I had frame specs on hand for both models with I frankensteined the chassis up over thanksgiving. I figured since I was planning to run a 32 car grill and hood and since I was building from scratch I'd just build to that width plus the 32 crossmember got me another inch or so of drop-that was the theory.

    Dick, thanks you've already answered one question. car and truck share the same mount ponts for the fender brace--now I know the fender's in the right place. the front fender and fender braces are truck (three hole mount wit the dogleg in the braces, fenders have the little bump out on the apron for the rivets that's absent in the 32. same with the boards--they're truck boards--washboard style and longer than 32's. that being said, with the fender brace in place and fender itself clamp mounted the sheet metal overhanges the front of the frame rail by a bit. is this normal on the 33/34? I've heard that sometimes the hole placement gets "off" on the ASC rails in production--could that be a the source of this problem. seems to me fender should end at the edge of the frame, not extend beyond

    this my be by problem, but my assumption was that since both the front fenders and the boards mount to the chassis the only thing affected should be how far the cab overhangs the boards. in theory the front fenders and boards should mount as normal, just the rails are closer together right?

    thanks again for your thoughts. I'll try to grab some pics after work tomorrow for visual clarification assuming the weather holds out for me.

    matt
     
  6. DICK SPADARO
    Joined: Jun 6, 2005
    Posts: 1,887

    DICK SPADARO
    Member Emeritus

    The sheet metal area that bolts to the top of the frame rail over hangs the front edge of the rail some where around 1/2" to 3/4". The splash apron flange curls around from the bottom to match up with the fender and complete the fit. I still think you are asking for problems. Even thought the reference points, front to rear, of the fenders and running boards are the same you run into a problem with the rear fenders. They are going to stick out wider as their registration is based upon the width of the box.. Since you narrowed the frame using the 32 spreaders the, this pulls in the overall width dimension of the running boards and now makes the width of the rear fenders wider than the boards. Even though the boxes are the same the curvature of the rails is different. If you wanted a dropped front cross member why didnt you just purchase the dropped 34 front cross member, you just weld tabs on the top for the 32 radiator mounts. Also note that the stock 32 hood is longer than the 33/34 hood so its just not a bolt on. Another small issue relates to finishing the PU, neither the 34 headlite bar or the 32 headlite bar will fit with out alterations. If you already have the Wescott frame spec sheets you should really look at the body mount positions and compare before getting to far into this..its not that it cant be done its the aggravation making all these changes that takes up so much additional time building you dont see much progress.
     
  7. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    finally some pics! had tech problems with the camera. look at the brace mounting and fender mounting then the overhand on the front. is this normal. I found some other pics that suggest the overhang I'm seening on the apron towards the engine side was probably to compensate for the differnce in width's between front crossmembers. I'll post that too for reference. any thoughts appreaciated

    matt
     
  8. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    forgot to add these for additional reference. couldn't resist throwing in a pic with the boy child making car noises atop the chassis. get um started early!

    matt
     
  9. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    to address a few of the last points. box is a custom stamped piece that the previous owner had fabricated. I can only assume it's the stock width, but I'd figured there may be some allignemnt issues coming down the pipeline. fortunately the new box isn't assmembled yet the pieces are waiting to I can tweak if I need to. to add to the mess my intention is to runn 31 chevy rear fenders (what my dad ran originally in 74/5--because a buddy pulled them from his coupe--plus I like the body line at the rear bottom edge they're about an inch narrower than the stock 34 pu fenders (if I can trust speedway's dimensions).

    As for the crossmember, hindsight is 20-20. I assumed at the time since I was running the passenger grille that that would be an earier option. I almost considered going with a straight crossmember but went with what I had.

    as for the body, I figured I'd just tweek it as needed to make the hood work. my thoery here was build from the front backward. my boards aren't that good and I expect I'll be fabbing custom ones anyway.

    headlight bar not an issue. using the pictured 28 willys overland units. swap meet find back in the day--bolt right to the factory holes and look cool to boot.

    thanks again for the thoughts. sometime after christmas I'll do a post with the car's history/early pics and the build so far. given my tight budget this will be a long slow process. I collect parts for a while (2 years to this point) then have a flurry of activity. I'm nearing the point I have to start collecting again.

    thanks again to anyone who can give some guidance.

    matt
     
  10. TimDavis
    Joined: Sep 4, 2005
    Posts: 718

    TimDavis
    Member

    Looks like you have used shiny new '32 spreader bars in '34 rails. The entire frame is too narrow, front to rear.
     
  11. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    correct. new 32 spreader front and along with 32 crossmembere. but the fenders mount to the chassis. I'm not worried about their relationship to the cab at this point just making sure the fenders are mounted in the right place on the frame rails themselves. and if you look at the #5 picture in the first section the overhand off the front of the framerail doesn't look right to me. I'm just trying to make sure the fender's in the right place on the frame rail. thoughts?
     
  12. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,627

    The37Kid
    Member

    Nice project, does the narrowed chassis help with the channeled cab? I always enjoy reading Dick Spadaro's replies and tips, his knowledge makes him the guy to buy parts from.
     
  13. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,396

    krylon32
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Nebraska
    1. Central Nebraska H.A.M.B.

    The fender braces you have are correct for truck, plus the fenders look correct. The overhang looks about right, it's different than a 32 when the horns come out to the end of the fender. The running boards almost look like 1 1/2 ton truck?
     
  14. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry


    that's the info I wash shopping for. It just looked wierd to me, but my reference was 32 fenders that.

    not sure exact source of the boards--they were a cheap swap meet purchase--I got them in a lot of stuff and hung onto them to use as mock-up's and templates for the new ones.
     
  15. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry


    thanks. this is my first full chassis build--I've boxed and added compnents before but the original frame was too far gone. My goal is to do it right this time because I plan to pass it down to my kids some day.

    I don't know that the narrower chassis helps with the channeled cab per se--haven't mounted it yet. it was more a product of what I had available--the 40 x member was free and I bought the second hand front and rear spreaders CHEAP.

    Hope Dick checks back in now that pics are up.

    matt
     
  16. rainh8r
    Joined: Dec 30, 2005
    Posts: 792

    rainh8r
    Member

    The fenders for the 33-34 pickup and the 33-34 BB trucks are different too. The BB fenders are a bit wider at the rear, tapering forward. The BB's used a straight rail frame and the pickups didn't.
     
  17. As long as you are at it, what about "rear" fenders? Are the the same between 32 and 33-34? If they are different can they be made to work?
     
  18. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,396

    krylon32
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Nebraska
    1. Central Nebraska H.A.M.B.

    The rear fenders appear the same but there is a slight difference where they bolt up on the frame in front. At that point the 32 frame is 43.5 inchs wide and the 33/34 is 44. The little extension that fits under the edge of the box is slightly wider on the 32 fender than on the 33/34. No big deal they can be made to work. Also some late 32's and the 33/34s had a rear brace that the early 32s didn't have.
     
  19. toxictom
    Joined: Jan 14, 2008
    Posts: 366

    toxictom
    Member

    didnt know exactly what your problem is, but i can see you`ve found my webside with this `34 pu i`ve build.car has chopped fenders,because the cab is channeled . here are more build pict. maybe this helps a little bit....:)
     

    Attached Files:

  20. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry

    thanks everyone. I got some pics off post that answered my question and then some. stay tuned in the next few week for the beginnin of a thread about the build.
     
  21. falconsprint63
    Joined: May 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,358

    falconsprint63
    Member
    from Mayberry


    I looked at your pics and they confirmed what I got off post. When you cut the fenders did you have to cut the braces too? I"m assuming you did, but it didn't show in the pics.

    thanks

    matt
     

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