So, I'm not only new here, but this is also my first build. Money is tight, so it's gonna be a LONG process lol. The car? 1931 Ford Coupe. It was my uncles. He died in 93 when I was 9, and I got the car. 24 years later, I'm ready to start working on it. Here's its status as of now: chopped 3 inches. Rag top filled in with fiberglass. Fiberglass rumble seat lid. Custom built frame. Rumble seat gone, and replaced with fuel cell and battery. Has a 402 with dual quad edelbrocks (that's seriously all anyone remembers about the engine lol), TH350 trans, and 9" narrowed rear end. By the way, someone will have to give me pointers on how to post pics lol
Well, I just downloaded the app I can just get pics off my phone. Very easy lol Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Dan, I don't think your A is chopped 3 inches, in fact it doesn't appear to be chopped at all. Maybe you meant that it was channeled 3 inches?
I don't know what channeling is (I'm curious to know). But I measured the window opening and compared it to an original 32. 3" difference. I was originally told it was a 6" chop but I could definitely tell it wasn't that low Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Why would you compare your top height with a 32???You have a damned model A ? completely two different cars
This is my first build. I'm going off whatever I can. I understand the 32 is a model b and the 31 is a model a. The guy who did the chop said he thought it was a 4" chop, but couldn't remember for sure. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Dan, Do you have any experienced rodders near you? If you could get some good info on where to get what you need, parts wise. Your abilities re fab, welding, bodywork, frame boxing or is that a tube frame If you have a club near you, someone might advise you, help you, barter lbr, or pay for labor. A small block may be the way to go if any prob with the BB. 1st rod low budget, keep it simple, think ahead, measure twice,, dont know ask, check out cars you like,, have a plan,, Dingle Sent from my SM-G550T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Some great advice right there. There's a hot rod and restoration shop I actually found out about on here in Rockwell City IA (about 10-15 miles away). Gonna be looking them up soon. The frame is "rectangular tube" as far as I can tell. My dad said it's the original frame, but it very much isn't lol. Far as others around me, most either go rat rod or original. I kinda wanna go traditional styling hot rod with a touch of newer technology (led lights, nice stereo, etc). For the engine, I got a 327 that'll go in if the 402 don't work, but so far everything looks good on it Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Hmm... you sure seem to be able to tell a lot from a picture. Comparing pics of unchopped and 3" chops to pics of mine, not even using the history of who chopped it etc, I'm gonna say you are wrong. It ain't important though, so I ain't gonna continue arguing with you Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
If your car has been chopped, it was a total waste of time taking out a 1/4 inch. Stocker for reference: Ask a lot of questions. There are restoration guide books available for Model A's which will help you understand a lot more about these cars. A simple Google search will turn them up. Even if you are not restoring one, it's always a good idea to have an understanding of what it is you are modifying. Chopping means taking out roof height. Channeling means lowering the body over the frame (like yours.) 1932 Fords were Model 18. The four cylinder versions (less made) were referred to as B's, which derives from the engine designation.
Hi. Not trying to sound harsh but it is YOU that seems to not know what you have. Your photo is clearly of an un chopped 31 coupe. We CAN tell from that photo that it is in chopped. Your car sits lower to the ground now than original due to the wheels & tires not being original. Look at the photo of the black original that X38 posted. Those original wheels were something like 19" - 21" and the overall diameter of wheel & tire is something like 3" - 5" smaller overall diameter than what is now on your car which makes it sit lower to the ground. Your wheels & tires appear to be 14' - 15". Also in that photo of the black 31 look at the bottom of the door line compared to the top of the frame. If that line on yours is lower on the frame your coupe has been channeled. Whoever is telling that they chopped your coupe is either dumber than a brick OR lying to you OR has your coupe mixed up in their memory with someone else's OR has no clue about the difference in a chop compared to a channel. It is kind of hard for me to tell from the angle of your pics but is the bottom of the body sitting several inches below the top of your frame. Some people CHANNEL a car by cutting out the floor pan and re welding it higher in the body. Then when body is put back on the frame the height of the overall body is lowered by the amount of channel (raising of floor pan) allowing the body to sit lower on the frame. Good luck with your build. Do not give up on us as we are not trying to bash you or your ride. Only trying to get you to understand just what you actually have. Jimmie
Jimmie, I'll have to do some actual measurements to be sure, as I don't know what the stock bottoms look like. The frame does sit higher than the bottom of the body. I wanna get this issues solved for absolute sure, not just random folks trying to judge a pic or "remembering" from 25 years ago (hell, the guy who worked on it is long gone by now lol. So my question is this: how tall are the windows on a stock model a? And how tall from the bottom of the floor to the bottom of the body? It'll be a week before I get a chance to make it over to it to get any work done Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Hi again. I do not have one here to measure and it will be next Wednesday before our next domino evening in my friends shop. I see his rides all the time. He has around 8-10 of the model A's in various years and body styles, all running & driving. The only one of these he has that has a modified body is the Dovetail Speedster that he built from assorted parts. All the rest have original bodies. Perhaps someone else can measure the door window opening height and the frame fit height for the bottom of the body (distance from top of frame or some other given point to bottom of body) for You sooner than I can. Jimmie
That would be awesome. Like I said, it'll be next week before I get around the car again, so we got plenty of time Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Dan,,you seem to want to argue with everyone that posts here..AND YOU ARE THE NEWBY.. GO BACK AND COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE...Then post this on the main board NOT in the INTRO forum pages..Duuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh
Well, I wasn't asking any questions etc. I was simply INTRODUCING myself. Seems everyone else posting here are the ones wanting to argue etc. When I have questions, I will search the forums, or if I can't find my answers, I'll ask with a new thread. When I have updates on my build, I will post them for those interested in my progress. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Everyone just needs to chill. It's completely understandable that you as a new guy to this hobby have a million questions and apparently have been given some incorrect information along the line. Looks like you have the makings of a pretty cool hot-rod. It is in fact a 30-31 Model A and yes, we can in fact tell from pictures if the car has been chopped or not. In this case.....not. And it appears to have been channeled over the frame, perhaps the 3 inches that someone referenced to you. As ol-nobull explained, channeling involves raising the floor or creating "channels" in the floor to allow the car to sit lower on the frame. Make no mistake here, there is a lot of work ahead to bring this car to completion and as others have mentioned, you would be wise to align your self with other local hot-rodders and learn as much as you can, not only about your own car but, traditional hot-rods in general. Some of us old geezers can be a little tough on youngsters so don't let any criticism get you down. We just want to try to keep you on the right track..................Don.
Quick update: got it running driving and stopping. Still a long way to go, but this car hasn't moved on it's own power in 24 years! Gotta figure out a fan, probably a new radiator that'll cool it better, and new tires and general safety items (brake lights, turn signals, etc) to be able to drive it legally, but it's a project lol Hears a couple pics right after my first drive (out the driveway and back lol) and the other is with my dad (his brother is the previous owner of the car. He died in 93). Was gonna share the video of it's maiden voyage, but i couldn't get that one figured out Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Dan, I am a newby here too. I read through this thread and thought to myself, "Damn, Im glad I didn't ask any questions!" I come from collecting pre war bicycles and motorcycles and have spent tons of hours on various forums. The people on these forums are experts but they are brutal. However, if you get 2 of them telling you the same thing then you can just about bank on it. Congrats on getting her running and stopping. Anywho, good luck with your non-chopped, channeled rod Kris
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