Just finished up a 1967 dart gt. So I went out and bought a 1930 ford model A coupe body. It has been chopped 3 inches already. The job was a crappy chop so I will have to redo that in the future. I have myself a 4 inch dropped I beam axle with disc brakes. Planning to use an overdrive a833 that I have sitting on shelf. Undecided on engine at this point. Thinking gen 1 hemi, flathead or nailhead. Watching the classifieds. Thinking of going 8 3/4 axle then I can swap pots with the dart. (Unlikely ever will but I already have a 3.55 sg)
Picked up a subfloor to copy and get measurements Now the first decision. I was originally planning to copy a model A frame. Then the daydreaming started. Now I decided to build my own 32 ford frame from a tech thread I found here So I found a blueprint of a 32 ford frame. Blew the side profile up and printed it on 16 pages. Taped them together and copied on to 1/4 inch plywood I had sitting around.
Now the fun begins. I picked up a plasma cutter cheap from the classifieds. Went and bought a sheet of 10 gauge steel. Traced my pattern and cut out the profile I do have do the body reveal line. Stay tuned
Now the overhead view Armed with blueprints I started to lay everything out on the floor. Put cowl on a piece of plywood Layed the subfloor down Traced the cowl and subfloor lines on to the plywood and setup where the framerails will be.
Did not accomplish much the last few days but I did get the top profile cut out of plywood. I also cut out one piece from steel today Next week may have a bit more progress
Clamped the sides all together and started grind them all so they are all exactly the same. Now the body reveal. Clamp down and beat it with a hammer. Don't forget a left and a right ;-)
Looks like I am going nailhead. Picked up a 401 nailhead with a trans. No plans to use the slushbox. Looks like I may have to make my own scattersheild to mate my a833 to the nailer
I don't think you want to totally copy 1932 frame blue prints for an A body,..I think most guys alter the the Duce rails ( looking down from above) to fit the shape of the A body....I am sure you can find further information on here....good luck and enjoy!
Is that front end Vintage Parts brand or similar? If so, do a search for Hoffman on here. You'll find plenty. Parts/brands under the Hoffman Group umbrella should not be used on real cars. But they are cheap. There's another thread today where this has come up. Use this: at the top of the page.
It's pinched at the firewall. Otherwise a direct copy Front end was bought from a local guy No clue on brand but it does have a similar speedway logo cast into it. Just missing the s Yes I bought one from speedway before but sold it before I ever used it because I didn't think I would ever build a model A when I bought the dart. The wife has already claimed this one because i have the dart. She even has colour picked out and rims and tires :-D
Wescott's Auto Restyling puts out a "pinched" print for an A on '32 rails... back page of the older catalogs... IMO ... pinch the rear a little too, so the A wheelwells will clear the outside of the frame rails... otherwise you must trim or pry the wws to clear... no pix.
Yes I had that print in front of me but the measurements were not adding up. The rails would of been wider than the cowl
Also 1932 frames are made for a 106" wheelbase... model As are 103.5"... if you run the stock hood you must slide the rearend forward 2.5" ... if you run the stock '32 rear suspension the cowl will move back 2.5" requiring that the frame be pinched even more ..... HIH
Hood? Hot rods have those? Yes aware of the wheelbase difference. Reason it's called hot ridding. Welders torches and bfg' s make everything work
Ran out of mig wire. So I was disassembling the 401 nailhead. 2 stuck pistons and one seized wrist pin. Lots of gummy greasy oil. Block will need an overbore and a complete rebuild.
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