The subrails on my '31 coupe rotted long ago and were replaced with some roughly hewn angle iron. I need to fix that but since the car is channeled over a wide frame, I can't bring myself to buy and chop up a $350 set of new subrails. The most complex and visible shape, of course, is in the door openings. Has anyone come up with a novel method of fabricating their own? I searched but couldn't find. I'm thinking brake press sheet with notch/bend/weld/grind to get the correct curvature. Pics are appreciated.
I've seen guys use rectangular light tube as a substitute but originals always seem to look best. I had a model T that needed a sub frame and found one on ebay from memory, so it was original and not expensive to buy. Check out craigslist, ford barn or swap meets as well as I'm sure a decent set will come under $350.
I was in your shoes and ended up finding a decent subframe that I was able to repair before chopping up. That said, when I do this again, I will make my own and here’s how I will do it. We will start off ASSuming all panels are already repaired and bottoms are not rotted out. Once you have the entire body MINUS subframe you will need to mock everything on a flat surface and internally run bracing wherever is needed so as to ensure squareness and good gaps/lines. Once everything is secured you can then start to build the substructure TO the in place body. I would NOT look at all those subframe contours on the original frame and let that intimidate you. Just do what I’m suggesting and you’ll be totally fine especially if this is being chopped and channeled. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Someone did a thread a few years ago using the light rectangular tubing (on a 32 frame) but it should work on an A frame just as well. I hope so because my 31 Victoria had a wood subframe/sub rails that I want to replace with tubing. Check 31 Vicki with a Hemi's build thread as I think he fabbed his own subframe for it.
Man, at least you Model A guys have the luxury of turning down repop subrails! I don't know of anybody even making Model T subrails for 26/27. If I did, I wouldn't have scratch built mine.
Do you like and want to keep the channel ? ... if so, use some subfloor scraps and box them to make the section that shows when the door is open... like some '60's trucks did stock... I have some scraps, but put out a request and you will find some closer to home...
This may also help you depending in which direction you may choose to go. This was posted somewhere previously and I just decided to keep it for reference.
Have a local metal fab shop bend up a 90 out of 1/8" and then cut and modify them to fit the contour of the body. The one leg of the channel will span the gap between the body and frame and sit on the top of the frame rails. The other will be the height/dept of the channel on your car. You can then build cross rails of your desired style. A good brake or that metal shop could bend up hat channel like stock or you can use straight channel as well. I did a video on the basic process at work on my coupe a few years ago. Shows the process a little better than I can describe!
A plasma cutter makes it look so easy... the right planning makes it look so good... I didn't hear him mention it, but one might locate the cross channels to align with where the seat bolts will be located... drilling a couple new holes to bolt the body down is a gravy job...
Good tips here. IronTrap, I was so impressed with the Pagoda coupe floor build that I saved it as a go-to document. My issue is that I won't have any lower structure on body perimeter to butt/weld/fit to the vertical leg of your inverted L. I also have some wide gaps between body and frame. So my thought is to form a Z the height of the channel. The lower horizontal leg will run up to the lower edge of the body. I also need to replace all lower edge sheet metal at the same time. I may have to add another L where the patch panels meet the Z. My biggest issue is what to do at the door opening. I need to replicate stock subrail curvature and perhaps the rounding break at the outer edge. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
30 years ago a buddy told me that to channel a hot rod body ; I should have a sheetmetal shop bend me some Z's... piecut to match the A and B pillar angles... weld... I found that ; the skins are close to the frame width at the cowl, you may have to bend the horizontal strip from your patch panel up and against the inside of it's outer skin... carefully set the body onto the lower flange and trace the outside skin of the body onto it... trim the lower flange 1/8" inside of the marks... lets you weld the inner fold of your patch panel to the trimmed flange edge of the "Z" and not have it show... careful with trimming the A and B pillars, you want them to have a good weld to the "Z"... .... before you do anything do your door hinges and pins ...get your doors right... weld braces to keep the body lines lined up... you can't shim the cowl later as the Z won't flex...H I H...
don't want to part with the full length subrails... . I showed them to give a perspective... should find scraps like these close to home.. .tudor and pick ups have a different angle than coupes [see cuts]... coupe doors are 27.5" long, tudor and truck are 29.25"...guess both would fit...
Great info guys! I'm in the same situation myself. Thought about what others have suggested, have some L`s bent up for it. I would like to find the very back sub rail with about 18" of side sub rails to go with it. Been watching ebay but most pieces I come across are coupe and not tudor...
Y'all have laid out a good approach. I haven't had any luck finding decent subrails but I have a thought. The body currently has an L along the lower perimeter and is temporarily supported by plates welded to the bottom of the frame as shown. I'm thinking I'll add these plates at the cowl, A and B pillar and right ahead of the wheel well. I can gusset them for stiffness and tie the body down at the plates in a semi-unibody approach. So the load path would go through the vertical body structure, down through the perimeter L and into the frame brackets, hopefully keeping load off the body panels. I could add a Z from L angle to top of frame to close out the gap. I just need to figure out what to do at the door opening. The doors are currently shortened; I'll remove the 4" filler piece that's runs between the door jambs. How would the body hold up to this approach?
Probably not strong enough. But would (metal stud top hat) do? It seams to have the same profile as the cross members . Just a thought.
I'll have a nice set of coupe sub rails that are cut off just in front of the rear wheels. Still working on getting them out within the next coupe of weeks. Pm me if your interested.
what do you want for it ? I wish they sold subrails that stop at the wheelwell [for an axle kick]... they sell the rear not the front... I am at 04210 thank you...
they are nasty....only pic I have [snow] but see the rust in the crossrail and on the subrails... .fellow hamber has the rear cross panel 2" tall... repop..... came with his roadster...
I had a 4x8 of 1/8" bent into hat channel the same size as ford. On 50% of them i had the edge flange enlarged to 1". This will allow me to cut curves to fit the contours of the body. You could weld some 3/4 or 1/2" to the curves to hook the bottom hems of your panels, like on the model Ts. I plan on buying some 2x2 or 2x3 x.125 tubing to replicate the raised areas that start at the B pilars and go rearwards. Not sure why anyone would be negative on using tubing. If it's a finished car you would never know.
This something I will have to deal with, with own build. I am putting together a 29 Coupe/Cabriolet hybrid and I have more than enough floors from all the different bodies and panels I have collected, including most of a 29 Coupe floor. I am thinking of taking it down to my local steel supplies store to see what the have in stock that might be able to be modified into subrails. As for the cross rails, I am thinking of hammer forming them over two lengths of box tubular RHS welded together. I will post up some images if I have any luck.
As long as you have reasonable outside edges on the stock sub frame everything else can be remade in a sheet metal shop and welded in. All the cross channel rails can be replicated quite easily. Even outside edges could be fixed with some weld in patches. Obviously, new sub rails can be had from places like Snyder's and they also sell a rear half length if required as well as the cross channel rails if you want exact replacement stuff.. Otherwise replicate the whole darn thing with rectangular tube and salvage your door opening pieces and cut then off and re-weld them to your new home made sub frame.
I converted the metric measurements to the nearest 1/16th. However, the measurements that worked for my 1930/31 coupe did not match these. Something about 30-31 coupe subrails being wider by an inch.
A buddy showed me his leftover "subrails" they were 16 ga. [z] bends... top horizontal sits on the frame, vertical is the depth of your channel... the lower horizontal can be trimmed to let the body sit on or beside it... HIH.
Here's how I ended up doing my channeled version. I fabbed a 16 gage zee that was welded to the cowl support structure, A pillar, B pillar and even the wheel well. Then I welded in the door opening portion of original subrails I got from HAMB'er Mike Paul.
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