Projects 34 Chevy Sedan Project

Hi

I'm about to start work on my 1934 4-door master sedan. The body itself is in good condition with very little rust, even the floor wood isnt bad.

My plan is to build it into a rod with no fenders, 2" chop, 3" channel (to hide the chassis rails. This is my 1st chop & channel, the 36 Ford that I did before was just a straight re-build, so I am currently thinking through everything that I plan to do, and even though I've been reading everything that I can find on the subject, but I've still got a few questions that I hope you guys can help me with:

Chop: When you weld the roof pillars after the chop, how do you prevent the wood from burning? Also, do you strengthen the inside of the door & pillars with plates after rejoining the roof? because obviously you have a cut in the wood even though you have welded the sheet together on the outside.

Channel: At the rear end of the Chevy chassis you have that steel plate gas tank cover/cross brace (see Pic). Now when I channel the floor 3", what happens to that plate? will it be higher than the rear lip of the body? Do I have to modify the rear end of the chassis? I'm trying to visualise what happens when the body drops 3" at the back, but I'm hoping someone has done it and can post a pic or 2?

Grille: Obviously I've gotta lower the grille 3" as well. Can I do the grille/radiator drop by relocating the lower radiator support bracket? It sits right on the front cross member, and also its directly above the front I-beam. Or do I just get a shorter radiator?

Maybe a 3" channel is too much. What would you guys recon is a good drop to hide the chassis rails?

The front left chassis rail is bent inwards, so do I have to get the chassis onto one of those straightening racks at a body shop? Is there an easier way?

I'm really excited about this project, the 4-door is great for me because I can get the kids/mob in the back and I've always wanted a car with suicide doors for some reason.

Fire away..
Steve

 

Here are a few links that I've bookmarked for my Chevy build that may answer some of your questions or at least provide some perspective of the task.

31ratcoach's '29 Sedan

Ghost28's '28 Sedan

1934 Fisher Body Service Manual

Replacing Wood with Steel

1933 Chevy Coupe Build

1933-34 Coupe Chop Pt1

1933-34 Coupe Chop Pt2

John56h's '33 Coupe Build

HRP's '33 Coupe Build

HRP's '33 Coupe Build cont.

Blown34Coupe's '34 Olds Coupe Build

Thrasher34Olds' '34 Olds Coupe Build

H.A.M.B. Chevy Post

 

Thanks Kreepea_1, some very good links there!

I took a long look at that rear end chassis cross brace/tank cover this morning and I can modify it to allow for the body-drop.

I saw some nice ideas for the rear end on retropower link you sent. (pic)

Cheers
Steve

 

Here's a few more that didn't paste in the previous post:

JimSibley's '33 Coupe Build

Roof Filler Panels

'34 Coupe Filled Roof

H.A.M.B. Chevy Post - 1

H.A.M.B. Chevy Post - 2
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H.A.M.B. Chevy Post - 3

 

Thanks

I'm going for this look:

 

That ModelA is not channelled. It is on a 32 frame.

 

Update:

I got hold of a 1982 Jaguar XJ6 and removed the complete front & rear suspension components, as well as that brake system, booster, etc. The plan is to remove the IRS from the Jag cage & mount it on two crossmembers with a plate for the 4 diff mounting bolts. The pic shows test fitting, so that I could measure up for the crossmembers. I was also trying to see how low I could get the chassis, or how high I could mount the jag irs. There is a limit due to the location of the coil-over shocks and the frame rails. The jag IRS is just 50mm (2") wider than the original chevy axle when measured from flange to flange. Note the offset drive on the diff.

 

Updated & pics: Fitted the lowered parallel front leaf springs. Cross braced the body & removed the old floor. Channeled the body over the chassis (4"). Rear suspension still only tacked in place. Aligned the body on the chassis. Shortened the rear chassis rails. Now busy with the new floor framework. Lots of measuring and checking and more measuring, then welding. Progress is slow going, but I'm really enjoying it. Will do the 2" chop after the new floor is done and the door are back in place.

Steve

 

Nice progress, Steve! I was wondering how the car would sit over the Jag IRS and whether you would have to cut into the wheel wells. Do you have any closeup shots of the finished IRS install?

 

Kreepea: At the moment the Jag IRS is still in its original 'Jag cage' and only tacked in place for alignment/ride-height purposes.I will be taking it out of the cage and mounting it on 2 cross members between the chassis rails. There will also be 4 stabilizer bars holding it in place to counteract torque & yaw. I am re-making the wheel wells anyway, as the old ones are pretty shot.
I'll post some pics of the mounted Jag IRS when I've mounted it.

Steve

 

Update - Body:
After struggling with what to do with the rear tail panel (specifically the lower part that kicks-out just above the fuel tank cover panel) , I came across a 33 Chevy sedan, being built by Retropower in Texas, that had been trimmed to the perfect dimensions. The look was spot-on and I contacted Michael Riley to find out more. He was very helpful and sent me some pictures of the rear end of their 33 and gave me advice on how much to trim off. Take a look at the Retropower site at www.retropower.com. This is Micheal's 33 Chevy sedan:



Here are some pics of my 34 taken before & after trimming the rear panel. I am in the process of welding in the sheet metal, and will post some pics when it's done.

 

do u have still have the fenders ?

 

Uh, he is in SOUTH AFRICA!? You better have a damn good hookup for shipping!

 

Speedman - Just sold them a few days ago to a local chap, sorry.

Tman - I have stuff shipped here from the US quite often (Bob Drake, Summit, etc) and it's not too bad, although not sure about the other way around.

Steve

 

Phone calls and shipping out of the states cost us a fortune. I have shipped to overseas HAMBers in the past.

 

Managed to get more work done on the sub-frame today, even though its hot as hell in the workshop (38 deg C). Still have some work to do at the front of the footwells, but that will happen when the body is off the chassis.
Made up the base/mounting for the fuel tank (still needs metal straps over the tank) & started on the frame to chassis mounting points. Still trying to figure out what to do with the rear ends of the chassis rails..

Probably need another session or two on the subframe & then I'm going to take the body off the chassis and put it on a separate dolly so that get to work on the rear suspension.
Steve

 

Well it's been a while since my last update, but I have managed to get quite a bit done in the last few months. Work, travelling & family commitments keep getting in the way, but I suppose that's the same for everyone.

Completed the new channeled floor (except the part where the pedals come through). The body is now on a separate wheeled dolly getting attention from Alex. He is a bodywork guy who helps me 3 days a week.

Finished installing the rear suspension cross-member. Mounted IRS and torque bar mounting points.
Engine: mounts welded in, engine is in & ready to run, plug wires fitted, earth cable, fuel lines run (hope to start it next week!)
Radiator: fitted & plumbed (still want to have the filler cap moved to the original location in the grille shell)
Trans: Th350 fitted, rear trans x-member & mount fitted. Kickdown cable fitted, trans cooler fitted & cooler lines run.
Lake headers fabbed from kit & fitted (still considering whether to have them coated). In the process of making up some baffles.
Wheels: nubs fitted for baby moons (took me forever), blasted, epoxy primed & sprayed
Brakes: Master cylinder & booster fitted (busy with brake pedal linkage), vacuum line run.

Still a ton to do, but I'm keeping my head down and plugging away.

Here are some pics (in no particular order)

Dak

 

Another reason it's taken so long, is that I've just finished totally rebuilding my pop's 36 Ford coupe.

From this:





To this:




I know the color isn't traditional, but he loves it. He is 74 and drives the crap out of it!
Dak

 

That's cool what you did for your pops, your car is coming along nicely, keep going.

 

...what/where did you get those wheels?...they are cool.

 

Great progress on your car and nice work on your pop's 36. That's a sweet looking ride.

 

The wheels on the 34? They are older BMW 3 series steel wheels that have been widened at the back and reversed at the front.
They were the only ones that would match the bolt pattern of my hubs. I had to make my own nubs for the caps, using ss round head bolts .

The wheels on the 36 are from wheel vintiques. They come with a chrome outer and a primed inner section, which you then spray to match your scheme. I got them via Summit, as Wheel Vintiques doesn't ship to my neck of the woods.

Dak




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Getting closer to finishing all the work on the rolling chassis.

 

Some pics of my IRS from underneath.

 

Guide headlights arrived!

 

Nice Job!
' glad to see you've stayed with it.

 

Hanging all 4 doors is a pain in the ass! Had the hinges rebuilt with new pins & bushes, so there's no slop in the hinges now. I'm getting pretty close on the door alignment, but it takes time and lots of adjusting and readjusting. I recreated the GM threaded rod door tensioner from looking at pics in old chevy manuals. This works well and helps pull the lower trailing corner of the front doors in. Will take pics of this & post later. Fitted internal door releases which work surprisingly well with the bear claw latches.


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Wow, checked out your pics in your album yesterday, then found this thread today. Just what i've been looking for, for my 34 build. Very nice, thanks. Subscribed.

 

Hi Jeff, I replied to your post in the Bowties group a few days ago. Nice to meet another Southern Hemisphere builder


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Steve,
The 34 is coming along great! I like the look.
Tom