I have a old tudor body that I am looking to make into custom car. It needs so much body work and stiffening with tubing that I wondered has anyone has turned back section into a lift up gate? There are plenty junk mini van guts out there?
It would be similar to sedan delivery, only the door would open up, as opposed to opening to the side.
I need a top! Think out of the box Great idea. I may have posted this in wrong section my apologies. I read the guidelines me bad.
A guy here has a tudor with a tailgate/liftgate. It was done more that 50 years by a farmer who used gate hinges. Its crude and not really a good idea. A sedan delivery door allows you to walk right up to the floor of the car. Much better. No reaching over the tailgate and dragging your load onto a weak tailgate. Edit: your profile mentions that your car is a ratrod. No wonder everyone is busting your balls
Instead of a full lift gate, how about splitting it in 2, lift window and a tailgate to sit on. Delivery style. Done well it could be cool
Sold a ‘31 fg sedan delivery project and came damn close to doing what you’re talking about. Hydraulic lifts from any mini van will do the job. Hinges needed some more thought. Go for it and post pix.
Probably need a WHOLE lot more substructure in the upper rear to pull it off with the entire back opening upward.
Don't take it too hard, some of these guys are in the running for asshole of the week and trying hard to win. Better phrased might be that you are thinking of putting a Sedan Delivery style door on the back of your Model A body but are thinking about setting it up to lift up rather than swing out. Either way be it lift or swing you would have to do some serious fabricating and reinforcing on the back of the body. There isn't much back there after you cut the section out to make the door. A guy I know who is one of the go to performance engine builders around here has had orange Lexan windows and roof insert in his yellow Model A for years. Assuredly not a rat rod but it does roll to a slightly different drum beat than your run of the mill hot rod. It is just a bit too different for most guys though.
You can still be traditional and think outside the box. Don’t let small mindedness hinder original creativity. I’m building this Packard utilising old and new parts . It won’t be a rat rod or a streetrod but I still got kicked off one site for bending the “rules” too far. Done well, there are no rules except “ keep a good eye.”
It could be done. you would need reinforcement on the roof section where all that weight would hang go to the wreckers and look at minivan tail gates and see how it’s done. might work well, might be easier to fix what you already have. I like the idea, would make for a crap ton of cargo space and easy to get to post some pics of what your dealing with, some very skilled metal smiths here might be able to guide you on the best route to take.
I've messed around with several Model A's. The back panel totally unbolts and it don't weigh anything. Some of you guys know I don't think like normal people so the general idea don't bother me at all. Of course there is an easier fix. There used to be a Co. called Gibbens Fiberglass (Oh my God, what did he say) that made a bolt in Sedan Delivery back unit. Came complete with side window block off panels. The trick here for the lift panel is going to be how do you seal the vertical edges when in the closed position? Because there isn't a flat spot on the rear body panel at all I would probably go clear to the soft insert tack rail for the Hinge point. Damn, this quarantine down time really Fuc-s with your mind don't it?
You should probably build exactly the same car that everyone else here builds. You can choose engine (from the list), wheels (from the list), color (from the list), and interior (from the list). When you are done, you can drive it to the show, and park it in the section of the identical cars, of your year, make, and model. Be careful not to get into the wrong car when it is time to leave. The owner of that car will have his feelings hurt, that you think his car looks exactly like yours (even though it does). Except don't do any of that. Build what you want. The failure of others to recognize your vision is a defect, but only on their part. Just don't build, or use the RR term. Those are fighting words, and should be. Those cars get attention by the wrong people, for the wrong reasons. I get that people think that they are cool. I don't agree. They attract the attention of lawmakers, who rightly see the dangerous nature of their construction, and want to do something about it. If they succeed, it will affect everyone who modifies a car. Now, as for off-beat modifications, it has all been done. There is nothing truly new under the sun. Folks here will say that certain things were never, ever done, until you show them a picture. Then they will say that they were not commonly done, until you show them 30 pictures. Then they will say that they never made it into magazines, until you show them those, too. You can even drag out the barn-finds of those exact cars, that still exist, and they will attack the aesthetics. Then they will personally attack you, and ask for your threads to be taken down (and often succeed). Traditional here is only what the board owner, and the moderators say it is. If it does not fit their definition it is not welcome here. It might suck, but those are the rules. Push too hard, and you can get banned. Whatever you do, make it safe, and do a complete, professional-quality job.
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