I lost interest in finishing my 30 sedan on deuce rails a few years ago and recently came across a decent 30 coupe body missing one door and am thinking about swapping the rear clip to change my sedan project to a coupe. I want to keep the cowl because I have a 32 firewall and cowl vent installed and like the idea of sedan doors which is 1 3/4 inch longer than coupe doors to give a little extra room inside. My question is, has anyone ever seen this done and was it noticeable? Did the proportions look ok?
Here's a few pics of a pretty popular car...the Green Grenade. It was built with sedan doors. If you look at the circle I put on one of the pics, you can see the small piece that was added to the front of the coupe top because the sedan doors are longer. There's a lot going on with this car like anti-section, mega chop, 32 wheel wells, 32 frame etc. but it gives you something to think about. Here's a link to the original builders album on this car. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/media/albums/the-green-grenade.3176/
Wouldn't that also throw off the wheelbase? Can't really slide the body forward, and the rearend won't line up in the wheelwells anymore, unless you extend the frame.
If I can make it look half as good as this one, I can't wait! Having the extreme chop makes the door look longer anyway so I'm surprised that it doesn't look out of proportion at all.
It's on a 32 frame so I'll have to set it wherever it needs to be to center the rear wheels in the wheel opening. 32's have a different wheel base than model A's anyway.
The anti section really makes cars with longer doors look great. It involves lowering the lower body line a couple of inches...that's why the proportions look so right. Here's a couple pics I had saved in case you're not familiar with this. This coupe has sedan door also. I believe it's a "Hilton" build if memory serves me correct. You're absolutely right about the '32 frame. Model a wheel base is 103.5" --- '32 is 106". Just center the wheel wells over the rear end and put the front cross member wherever you want. If you want to use a stock hood as the GG did, you'll have to get the front cross member in the right place...otherwise, build a custom hood.
Or ignore the "spammy" post above and learn about it here on the HAMB and build it yourself. Here's a link to the build of that hilton coupe . It's the thread where the pics of the "anti-section" I posted above came from. (post #182) http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/another-model-a-build-by-hilton.763109/ The HAMB used to be about building your rod, not buying it.
Heres the very first post about the above mentioned car, the body was originally started by Mike Paul and the inspiration all goes back to the Green Grenade, me and Mike talked alot about his car and ideas, he didnt want as heavy as a chop but all other same aspects, he got a big start on it then had me come over and help with him the chop and reshaping of the quarter windows, and more work on the anti-section, i spent weekend there. Mike ended up stalling on the project and never got any further than the last pics on the below post. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-prevalent-model-a-coupe-build-thread.257584/ TITUS
Thanks for the added info, Titus. I knew that thread existed but could never find it. I really miss the old HAMB...the one that guys like you made great!
Cool, thanks for the compliment, ive always just posted stuff ive been working on, helps give other peoples ideas for theirs, cause thats just where i came from too, paying attention, watching what other people do, getting good ideas from pics then doing it!
Here's another Hilton Hotrods sedan door build side by side with the above mentioned car........I might ad that the black car now has a new wicked Ross Racing Engines built 6x2 Desoto Hemi......with a proprietary custom hyd roller camshaft.... As well as many other custom internal pieces......,,which is also detailed in the new Rodders Journal......along with 3 other unique Badass Model A's. I just posted a pic to show how it can look in a finished form..... Not a rusty "patina" look that some are fond of........ There have Spam sandwich........ "An education is not free"
Hey goatoper how much HP /TQ did that wicked 6x2 Hemi make with one of your proprietary custom hydraulic roller camshafts?
I built a home-made fiberglass Model A Coupe body back in the late 80's from pieces that I could scrounge ,which included a Sedan door. So, here it is ... still driving it.
I don't have the file where I'm at today.... So I'm not quoting numbers ..... But we did wake that little Desoto up
Cowl vent in this one that's getting a 4-71 Blown nailhead that's in the works right now..... Adds another type look
So how does it add leg room being that it is flat? a model A originally bulged outward, if anything youve lost legroom, in the pic above those are the original model A lower firewall feet side, so really you have the same amount of foot room, just no bulge outward above the foot area so nothings really changed. Ive never been a big flan of the 32 firewall idea in a model A, if a guy would use the entire cowl band area with the bead etc etc i think it could be pulled off alot better, but in my eyes a model A firewall is a model A firewall, nothing wrong with it in the first place. The typical reason for the firewall getting cut out is engine clearance, if building a new car from scratch i usually push the crossmember forward a little so no firewall change is needed. Im also not a fan of 32 roof headers in model A coupes, models As are just supose to have visors. In the end the way i look at it is, if you want it to look like a 32 get one! and that can go back to the Anti-section too, its a ton of work, not totally necessary, i think model A coupe chopped the correct amount on a 32 frame can hold some bitchen proportions. And to answer the original posters Question, stay away from a heavy chop and the proportions will stay good.
I should have said vs reversing it......as far as the look or engine placement.... We all have our own opinions on what looks good.......we agree on one thing.......Never take the visor off
I grew up searching for anything that I could find for a 32 and never thought I could actually find one that I could afford so I always look at 32 features that I can put on a model A. I have a 32 now but I don't have the budget to do another one so all my other cars are Model A's that have either a little (or a lot) of 32 flavor. With that being said, I have a good 32 front top section that I could use but I agree, a Model A looks best with a real visor.
The Model A body is not as tall at the cowl as a 32 is. When you use a 32 frame and a Model A body, the top of the grille shell is taller than the top of the cowl. It makes the hood line go up hill. When I built the Green Grenade, I didn't want the hood to travel up hill. So I raised the body until the hood bridged correctly from the grille shell to the cowl. This left a big gap between the frame and the body. I solved that by anti-sectioning the body. That was the only reason I anti sectioned it. Not for some preconceived aspect of proportion. Also in that same vein, I used sedan doors because that's what I had, not for added foot room (which is less than 2 inches). As long as we are giving opinions, I like the black car a lot, although it appears the grille shell is higher than the cowl.