Billy, I understand your approach, trying not to increase the amount of work so the project doesn't become overwhelming. After looking at the picture of the car vs the artist's rendering I can see what 31Vic is getting at. While I don't agree with the sectioning comments, adding 3-4 inches to the front fenders behind the wheel arches is fairly easy and would: 1. help your packaging problems, 2. help the ride and handling and, 3. make the car look great, like the artwork. The front arches in the artwork look much better - a welcome improvement over the sad looking stock versions. Here in California there has been an Anglia gasser running for years that has the front end stretched 6-8". It used to be called "Pinocchio". It looks so natural that you scarcely notice the stretch unless it's parked near a stock length Anglia. I think your Nash would be similarly enhanced without losing it's identity if you just added 3-4". The front fenders will be getting a lot of surgery anyway. That's the "thing" about posting your project online, you will get comments, but in the end, it's all your taste, your call.
Of course, I completely understand the point. But the last thing I would do would be to chop the front end off and add 4 inches then think s**t that looks awful. Exactly why I need to see it on my size wheels and tyres with the arches tacked into the fenders and decide if I'm happy or not. I've seen God knows how many cars lengthened, shortened, chopped, sectioned, in various areas that look horrendous. I think you need a very good eye on it in the flesh to make that call and decide exactly how much!! Funnily enough have you ever seen the marketing posters for when it was rebranded the metropolitan 1500? With a front end that looks suspiciously longer than stock in the artists render!!!
It was pretty common back then for the artist's rendering to be a beautiful car, compared to the "real thing". You now have a lot of suggestions, it will be interesting to see what you come up with. It's a challenging project.
Some very good points being made there . I'll take a guess that the rockers are puffed out to clear the too wide side rails of the frame. Would have been so easy to cut them off the frame and reposition rather than change the shape of the body. Billyboyl...you mentioned earlier you have a dropped axle that the spring fits. Why not use the dropped axle with the transverse spring and the create a DROPPED crossmember to get your height back? If its a 4" dropped axle you will get an additional 4" under the engine with the lowered crossmember. Maybe that could work for you. Personally I'd be going with a set of parallel leaf springs...but thats just me. ; )
Guys, it's an artist impression for some inspiration not an accurate cad drawing!! I posted for suspension advice not for insults one good fabricators chassis build. No the rockers are not puffed out to accept the top wide outer rails. The chassis has been built to the body. As for whether I section it, stretch it or God know what. I will do whatever it takes to make the proportions right. I never said the chassis is too nice to chop up in favour of building a car that looks right. I said I want to be certain I'm making the right decision before I chop the hell out of it then regret it. And as for talk of 'excuses' what the hell are you on about. I'm building MY car, I'm not an employee working for you who has screwed up. The dropped tube and lower the crossmember is a good option. Any further advice and constructive criticism will be well received and appreciated. But you can shove blatant insults up your a**e. Let's end it there shall we with them and remember that we are all here because we love badass wild cars, trucks, and God knows what else!!
Since I couldn't tell the difference, I just removed all of my addition, contribution, thoughts. There was no intent to offend you.
Back in the late 50s,Jack Simon of Dallas,Texas built a Metropolitan gasser using a Latham blown small block Chev.stock wheelbase.and was rather hard to control at speeds. Too bad Jack has passed away or I would put you in contact with him Second question I've always wanted to know from you engineer type guys...Just how hard is it to drive a train?
Would have been good to hear from him. Blown small block would be wild in stock wheelbase. It's shorter than a sit up and beg pop from memory!! The front axle on my has been shoved a few inches forward already albeit probably nowhere near enough to make much difference!! It will never get much more than the mild 302 that's in it. I'll put your question down to good old American humour and keep focussed on my suspension!!
If it were mine, I would consider a four cylinder engine. Probably a Chev iron duke. I'm not as much of a Ford fan as you. It would probably cure most of the clearance problems, & could be built for plenty of horsepower for that little thing. Plus, it would be even more odd, as compared to other gasser builds. But, I know how it is when you have a certain vision for a build. I like it, a bunch. I'm sure whatever you decide, it will be awesome when done.
I have a question. Good fabrication: what exactly is that? Is it well made joints? Good welds? Nicely done plating over butt welded areas? The answer to that is yes on all accounts and your frame seems to have all that in spades. No disrespect to the builder intended at all. The only thing I see that is going against you in this is some poor planning in the initial stages and now a resistance to go back and make the alterations that could make your completion of the car a lot easier and give you a better final result. You have to admit your rockers do seem bulged out a bit and you did say you bought the chassis so I just figured you were having issues fitting it to the car. Sorry! Also...I would run that upper cowl loop if it isn't in the way. Every bit of frame stiffness will help. In all honesty I think your front suspension should be redone completely if you intend to use the car. Long parallel radius arms, a tube axle and a high mounted spring on a tall vehicle is gonna be a bit dicey to drive in my mind. The top heavy effect is gonna really put stress on all the front end joints when the car tries to articulate into driveways etc as well. Thats why I suggested leaf springs...to free up the binding AND give you the room you need to drop the engine. Coilovers would be simpler but wouldn't really change the binding effect that stiff suspension naturally has. Gotta remember, it's already bound up out back with the ladder bars, so you have very little give anywhere at all with the same style front suspension. BTW...why a high Panhard bar AND a diagonal link on the rear suspension...and how long is that pitman arm on the steering box!?!? Is that the arm the steering box came with?
It would be an easy decision for me, Don't buy a chassis that needs to be modified a lot to work ,just build a chassis that works with what you have. I would start over ,,two springs ,dropped axle will give you tons of room for starter ,steering ,headers ect. It isn't that hard to build one just takes time and patience. The metros I always liked were the ones that all the front sheet metal was taken off and a front engine dragster frame under it. They looked cool ,and would be easy to do.
Cool little build, but to be historically correct, it won't be a "Gasser" - Too short a wheelbase (Nash's were 85", and the minimum was 92", with a special exemption for Anglia's at 90" in the later years) and no Open or Convertible type bodies (Although If I remember that was later changed, you could run a convert but Only with the top up) Still a cool build, just not really a Gasser - it would probably had to have run as an Altered back then.
I am probably missing something here, but parallel leafs seem to be the answer in my opinion. Very cool project and here's wishing you the best with it. b-t-w; Street Rodder (I think, it might have been some other magazine) had an article 10-20 years ago on a black Metropolitan with a small block Chevy. If I remember correctly it had a blower on it. The writer got to ride in the car and it nearly scared the pants off of him. He commented that at 150 mph the little car was still pulling hard when the driver let up. Perhaps someone here has or can find the article. All of my old magazines are in semi-permanent storage.
The Jalopy Journal
