Customs T frame

I have just got a set of prints from a t bucket place on line and I'm needing some advice I am building a 26 t coupe and was wondering if this frame is long enough it is 101 inches? If not what kind of length am I looking for? I am wanting to post pics of the finish car I like but cant see the frame thanks

 

depends on your suspension too. suicide front? spring in front of behind on your rear? most modifieds have a really short wheel base, 90" give or take.

 

This is the stance I want. Could u tell kind of frame or something close thanks

 

And does it have to have a kick up in the back?

 

You have a lot of planning to do before you decide on frame length.
Easiest and best thing to do is mock up the body with the engine etc and make a decision on front suspension style to give you a reliable measurement. Location of your spring in relation to the axle is very important in all this. Don't forget to consider rear suspension layout as well so you can decide on the correct kickup height and crossmember style.

 

I would go with 106" like Spirit Ts are.

 

Based on the picture you have included, you just need a factory replacement '26 chassis to achieve the same ride height and stance as in the picture.
Depending on if your planning on using a stock hood or not, and what engine, you may want a longer than stock wheelbase if your going to go hood-less.
Glenn

 

A HotRod, I don't agree. It looks as though it's fairly close to stock length in the rails, but it does have a suicide perch on the front. that's going to add 2-3" on the front segment of the frame. I can't quite tell from the pictures, but it looks partially channeled over the frame.

What it comes down to is this, Hackerbuilt gave you the very best advice out there. Figure out what you want for an engine, for a front end, (by the way, this car has a spring over type) and wheels and tires, and mock the whole thing up. Put it at the ride height you want, where you want the engine to sit and most important, where you want the wheels and tires to sit, then measure what you came up with. IMPORTANT!!! Do this somewhere where you can step back about 40 feet and take a good long look at your efforts!!! I can't stress this enough. I usually drag a rocking chair out to 40-50 feet, and spend an evening looking at things. Move what ever doesn't look good right now before you commit to measurements.

Now, that car above has a fairly slight kick in the frame back, and I'm guessing about four inches or so. The front cross member is sort of a "fish nor fowl" kinda deal in that the radiator sits on top of the cross member instead of behind it like a typical T-Bucket cross member would, yet it has the suicide perch. I'd go another route myself. I'm going to guess that you would come up with about 104 or so as a very nice wheel base with the spring over, and a few inches longer with it behind the axle.

You might jump on the early section of my thread, "The Bucket of Ugly, a de-uglifing thread" and read through the first ten pages or so. We talked lots about what makes a "T" based car look good and bad.

 

My Roadster is on a modified A frame and is 109" wheel base. Gary

 

To add to Hacker and Louver's posts; Once you have the drivetrain, suspension, wheels, body blocked into place, you can build a mock frame from 2x4's. Circular saw, box of deck screws and a cordless drill. Sounds crazy, but this will allow you to position crossmembers, figure out your kickup, body channel, etc.
You then have a 3D model and can transfer all the dimensions to your rectangular tubing and build your frame.

 

As Chip and others have said, the tried and true method of mocking up all of the components always works. You can shuffle the parts fore and aft, and change body angles for the desired look. I like "Hot Rods" idea about making a prototype frame out of wood. I always step back a ways, and study it pretty well before you cut any steel, as Chip stressed. . This one is a "Track Roadster" I am starting on at present, using the above method, it's set at 100" wb.

 

A stock length model A frame makes a nice basis for a 26-27 T build. If you're checking out other peoples build threads for ideas, check out what guys are doing with A frames as well, the 26-27 T fits on them like a glove, that's what mine has. I don't think a "T bucket" frame is right for a '26 coupe, buckets tend to have the rear axle centerline way too far forward to line up in the wheelwell of a coupe, and I'm not a fan of suicide axle mounts way out front either.

My '26 will sit on top of this frame, although mine is a roadster with an earlier turtle deck, so the spring behind rearend would throw off the wheelwell alignment of a coupe.

 

Thanks guys for all the info. I will start mocking up today weather permitting! In sure I'll be back with more questions. Thanks again for all of the replies

 

When I built my full fendered 26 T coupe I started with a Pro Street T-Bucket frame. I had to add three inches to the length. I took a stock T frame and laid it next to it and made a mark for every bracket so everything would line up just like the stock T frame would.