Projects Another A coupe Build

I would like to start out by thanking everyone that has posted either photos or build threads on 30-31 A coupes mounted on Deuce frames! Especially Kennedy and C9. With out your influence this project might not be started yet.

I picked up this coupe body in 1979. I originally started to build it as a Pro-Street semi race car. My plans were to tub the rear ad a roll cage and go fast!

Well as things typically happen Marriage moving family etc ground the project to a halt. In the mean time I drove a T-bucket then traded it for a 36 Tudor Family rod. The coupe sat in the barn waiting. Thanks to the HAMB I was inspired to drag it back into the light of day.





I started gathering parts to build a frame by purchasing a set of Dearborn Rails from Roadstar. THanks Rudy!



I started by making templetes for to cut out the boxing plates.



We then mocked the frame to check for width.



Then we set the body on to get a feel for the overall look.





My Buddy had a shell and deuce hood side so we mocked it together and ended up here.

Plans call for a 327 small bolck maybe with tri-ppower Beam axle hairpins wheels are still under idea status.

As we make progress I will add photos and construction info.

Enjoy
Tim

 

Looks good Tim!

 

Thanks for the pics. I am also working on a 30-31 A coupe. I am not sure if I should go with the A frame or deuce rails. Looks good and I can't wait to see the update pics. Congrats and good luck on the project.

 

Nice piece Tim.............any other treasures out in that barn of yours?

 

Tim,
Looks good. Thanks for the pics! I am building one too (31 Coupe on 32 Rails) in my patio!! Sucks not having a garage but you gotta do what you gotta do. I am glad to see you are bringing the ole girl back to life. Glad you aren't going the tubbed route anymore. But, then again its your car and you should build what YOU want. Keep Posting! Looks like it will be a fun project.

Aloha,
rustfarmer

 

Glad to be some help! Got anymore questions just let me know i'll try my best to help you out. Looks like shes going to be a killer!

 

You got the right idea!!!!

 

one of my favourite cars is an A on 32 rails, especially a choped 30-1 coupe.

I can see its going to look good.

 

Looks like a great foundation to build upon! How many inches did you take out of that top? Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

Top was chopped 4 1/2 inches when I was 20 years old. It was my first chop. Did it all by myself and gas welded back together. There are a few spots I ned to split and better align but it is square and solid.

Thanks to all for the kind words. I will post as progress is made.

Tim

 

looks like it should be another cool ride .

 

since you need rear wheel wells...why not put in '32's.
I have always wanted to do that.Then the frame will follow the wheel wells,instead of tucking up behind it.Just a thought....

 

I put model A's back in mine and cut them to follow the frame (like the 32's) then bent the lip back around on the bottom , if you already got the patch panels you can do this.

 

I never get tired of looking at A's and this site has more on them than any other. I hope to complete my frame this month then install the engine,tranny and body in April. When it's worthy I'll post a pic or two. Good job and keep the ball rolling, my guess is that you will finish it this time.

 

Hey look's like what I started out with cept Mine came w/a frame& wheels now runs & drives

 

That car looks great. Can't wait to see more.

How much do the Dearborn rails sell for if you don't mind me asking?

JH

 

I purchased them from Roadstar. I paid $700 and picked them up. The quality of the dearborn rails is fantastic.

Tim

 

Well 20 plus years ago this one had a frame and I had it on the road albiat in ruff shape. But IT will ride again...

 

My plans call for fabricating my own wheel wells. Once I get the frame together and the rear end set we wil figure out how much we want or need to tuck them in. I will probably put a stock looking bead in them but that is still up in the air...

 

I finally got a chance to get back to the shop. What with kids and flu season.... Anyway We are slightly channeling the coupe body over the frame.





The problem we have is that the stock profile deuce rails have a different radius than a Model A body. So as the frame fits front and rear it leaves a 1 1/2 inch overhand by the rear edge of the cowl tapering back to the rear door edge.



We have the channel depth set close to where we want the body to sit. This solves two issues. First it eliminates the gap that occurs from placing a Model A on top of the rails. Second it diminishes the the visual width of the rails with out hiding the reveal. We plan to massage the profile of the rails to better match the curve of the coupe body. We will do this by making some cuts in the top and bottom of the rails and bending them to achieve the desired radius. As we do this I will take photos and add them to the post and do a tech post as well...

Tim

 

That's a cool idea. Hardly noticeable, but will be a really nice touch. I look forward to seeing the pics.

Woody

 

Today we attacked the frame rails. As I said earlier we are channeling the body slightly. This leaves a large difference in the radius between the stock deuce rails and a model a body. To correct this we first made a profile templete of the body.



We then made a line inboard of this line to get the cut line we want for the new frame profile.



We then cut the plywood on the new line.



This gave us a profile templete gauge to re-radius the frame rails to match the body. You can see how much difference there is before we started to cut and fit.



Our next set was to make a cardboard templete of the frame rail. We made slices into the cardboard to allow us to alter the radius to match the new templete of the body.





this is how much they vary.



We used the cardboard to mark the frame rail where we needed to make the slots to bend it outward.



As both sides were the same we took measurements from the first rail and transfered to the second. That way we were sure that the cuts would match side to side.

Here is a handy tip. Buy a cloth measuring tape from a fabric store. It will allow you to get accurate measurements over curved surfaces such as the frame rail tops with-out the kinks and bends that you get with a steel rule.





We next cut slots into the top and bottom of the rails at the marks we determined would allow us to blend the rails to where we wanted them.



Using a 4 ton porta power we moved the rail width outward to match our profile gauge. We only needed to apply heat to the front slot that crossed the front kick-up in the reveal. All the other cuts moved fine with outthe need to heat the rails. This helps in keeping the warpage down.





When we were satisfied that the rails were where we wanted them we tacked the slots together using a copper backer to prevent burning the rail and it allows us to fill the slot with-out a filler piece. The gap is less that a 1/4 inch wide so we used a mig welder.





After we get the slots all welded and dress the welds we will trial fit the body to make sure all our hard work was worth it. I think it will be........

 

Nice build, glad you kept it and got fired up again. Good tips on the frame modifications.
Skot

 

Great looking work. The quality of craftsmanship on this forum amazes me.
Very creative approach to your frame fit. Keep us posted PJ

 

Thanks, I had thoughts over the yaesr of selling but am glad I didn't...

Tim

 

PJ,

I will add to this post as I make progress. Thanks for the kind words. Next tech week I will make the frame mods a tech post...

Tim

 

Nice work! Glad to see this one coming along. I'm sure that it will look great with the body sitting on it.

Woody

 

Cool!!! Stay on it and you will be rolling in no time

 

Nice start Tim. I especially like the mild channel, show off those deuce rails! I know with this much eye for detail this is gonna be a very cool build to follow.