Technical Build: The 60's Style T build

this is the entire saga of my little hot rod build,
it has been condensed to only include the actual build posts
and takes place over two separate time periods
the first was a little over two years ago and lasted a little more than two weeks,
and the second thrash was about eight months ago and again lasted about two weeks.
I guess that means this is either a one month build,
or a two year build...

so without further ado...

here's a quick and dirty hack job for ya

take one bed, the crustier the better,

 

mark quickly, use a straight edge if you have to,

 

use the fastest method of metal separation available,

 

grind the edges so they kinda match up,

 

start tacking,

 

continue tacking and beating on it to work it into alignment,

 

trim the totaly worthless swiss cheese away,

 

finish welding, grinding and beating on it,

 

check the fit,

 

I drug the frame out and got it up at a good working height and started laying out the cuts,

I am pinching the frame just behind the firewall and pie-cutting and straightening it at the stock pinch just behind that.

I am also stepping the frame 3" just forward of the rear of the body.

here we go,

 

made my cuts for the pinch and pulled the frame together with a couple bar clamps.

when I got it where I wanted it I braced it with some square tube stock.

 

then I made a couple pie cuts and using a clamp and heavy tube as a staight edge I pulled the stock pinch out of the frame and tacked it.

 

next I made a pattern to transfer to the frame for the cuts at the step, I am Z ing it by making two pie cuts on each side, this will give me a 3" step but will shorten the frame by about 4-3/16"

something to consider..

 

ok back at it, I made the forward cuts first,

 

rolled it over, bent it to close the cut, tacked it and made the second set of cuts, rolled it over again, bent it to close again and tacked it too.

 

today I lowered the rear spring mount, narrowed the rear cross member, streched the frame and channeled the body.

none of this work is complete, I want to make sure everything fits before making it solid.

first I made another pattern, this time of the rear cross member to figure out where to make my cuts to not only reduce the height of the spring mount but also to narrow the frame.

the cross member will be 2-3/4" lower and 5-1/2" narrower, this will make it possible for the frame rails behind the body run parralel to each other.

 

then I transfered the layout to the cross member

 

I cut the section free, removing the two pieces and ground the edges clean

 

I am making two pie cuts right at the point where the frame tapers,

this will allow the frame to be pulled together at the rear

 

I pulled the ends together squared them up and ran some more bracing.

 

then I removed a few strategic rivets, squared the cross member sections to the rails and tacked them in place

 

then with clamps and straight edges I pulled the pieces together and tacked the removed section back in place

 

as I said in yesterdays installment the way I stepped the frame although clean did reduce the overall length by about 4-1/4".

I want the car to look longer and lower not just smaller so I am adding a 9" section which minus the lost length from yesterday means the frame will be 4-3/4" longer than original.

I am adding this piece at the firewall where I had made the pinch yesterday.

 

here is the frame sitting on the suspension, I am planning on puting the spring behind the axle so the front gets moved forward, I think all this translates to about 113" wheel base

 

again

 

here's the body and bed sitting on the frame

 

and another

 

and here is the body with a 4" channel

 

and one last picture to show that there is room to sit without having my knees in my chest or looking like I'm sitting on top of it.

 

part four, day four of my Modified

I wasn't gunna werk on the thing today but I couldn't help myself

here's how I split my '36 Ford front wishbone.

I rolled the frontend outside