hi everyone , I been working on my hot rod , well I been getting closer to putting in a engine , the car I am putting in is a model a tudor{1930} with a stock frame that I boxed and the motor I will be using is a 389 Pontiac I accuired from my neighbor it came out of his moms car he said it would mean a lot if I used it , so heres my question if I added about 5inches just ahead of the first bolt holes that hold the cowl down that would end a lot of my problems ,and yes I wish I would have thought of that before I boxed the frame , would anyone see a problem with this , thankyou very much
People stretch frames all the time. Proportions usually look weird though. And if you're planning on running a hood and fenders....well, good luck with that.
don't do it! like crankhole said, the proportions look crappy. id look at possibly setting the motor back into the firewall or reversing the firewall to give you a little more clearance
You could flip the fire wall and go with an electric fan to gain a few inches. Possibly mod the rad mounts to skoot the rad forward 1/2 and inch, you might be able to get away with that. You have a tudor so worst case, sit in the back and bring the engine all the way in!
Please don't do it, it won't look in proportion. Bolt you body down to the frame and mock up the engine in-situ with radiator after removing the firewall and then go from there. Friends cars all have the firewall modified for a SBC or SBF but be careful on setback as it does cramp the foot well area. Nothing is insurmountable and can be worked around when necessary. A Pontiac engine is physically larger than a SBC. I couldn't locate any specifications but this will give you an idea. http://www.carnut.com/specs/engdim.html Chevy 262/400 SWP Length 27" Height 27" Width 22" Weight 575lbs Chevy 262/400 LWP Length 28 3/8" Height 27" Width 22" Weight 575lbs Pontiac 350/400 Length 29" Height 31" Width 27" 650lbs Pontiac 455 29.50 Length 32" Height 33" Width 27" 650lbs You'll need this for a T400 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/switching-slim-jim-trans-to-350-or-400-trans.610091/
The 389 will fit, with some firewall work as already posted. See the attachment above for a good visual.
Or use a steel wheel barrel to recess the original firewall. I always liked the way it looked and the repurposing of parts. Works well in a model A
I stretched my frame 5" ..... Looks way out of purportion. ....... Recessed firewall was not an option for me. I'm 6'5"
Ya, set your motor back 5" in the firewall so you can't get to the Dist. That makes a lot of sense. I stretched mine 6" just to get some firewall space, run a early dist and a manual fan. I HATE electric fans on Hot Rods! Looks like Crap eh? By the way I also used a complete 39 front axle to bring the wheel base back to Stock. And, I removed the stock Dent in the Firewall for the Banger motor. I really screwed this one up. The Wizzard
Thanks TagMan. That's pretty much dead on square to the door. I think it helped not to stretch the wheel base, just the Frame. The Wizzard
I like a long hood. That kind of goes along with putting a monster engine in a small car. Maybe it would look weird on a '28-'29 A because of the way the cowl curves into the small hood, but '30 should be fine. The rake and stance also impact how the proportions look together. A longer hood gives you the proportions of a chopped top without having to do the chop or sacrifice headroom. I'm convinced that the chopped-top look came from trying to make stubby Fords look more like bigger luxo-coupes. That look is validated by old illustrated adds that accentuate a long sleek hood and a low roof profile. The one thing I always wondered was if the marketing department thought people would be more willing to buy a long, low, car; why didn't the engineers build them to look that way in the first place?
I added 5" to my frame also and used the spring-in-front axle set up that moved the axle back, what, 4 " or so.
yes I am going to stretch it ,I am 6 ft 7 so I think this is my best option , hard to imagine what I would do without you guys , thankyou all so much
I must say,That coupe looks GREAT! I have a 389 with tri power in my 29. It has a recessed firewall and Home built, 32 style Frame. So it would have been easy to stretch. So they do look good both ways. Thanks for posting Ron...
Holy cow, 6'-7"...you should have said that in the first post, so there would not be many people saying to set the motor back in a recessed firewall... You will appreciate any saved space near the pedals. I just dodged a bullet today when my 6'-2"+ son tried my "latest"modified pedal setup in my 32. This was my 3rd attempt to get it as good as possible, so he can drive it comfortably. He says it's perfect, which I did not expect. I have an early Olds Rocket that have an extended bell, so the bell does cause space loss. On the two guys that went with a stretched frame and compensated with the old time spring ahead....that's pretty darn crafty/ creative....just like them old days....
Please don't add that much, '30 A has a 103.5" wheelbase, '32 is 106", 2.5" bonus... '30 firewall sticks out 2" more than the cowl skin, the w/b difference and a flat firewall buys you 4.5"... on a stock A wheelbase a reversed f/w would buy you 2.5" to 5" by itself depending on trimming... measure twice cut once.
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