Thanks guys Damn that's actually really nice I could see it being done with pie cuts and x member trimming shouldn't necessarily have to hack it all up Some advantages would be : longer wheelbase, engine setback and wider track for better handling, and front/rear kick ups for height drop
You say that the '34 frame has a Mustang 2 front end. What does it have that you actually want? Maybe buy it to trade for what you really need?
Awesome except for the reveal it looks every bit as good as a '32 It's painted, it has front and rear axle/suspension, brakes, fully plumbed, stainless tank etc. they just pulled the body off a running hot rod...yes that is also an option but the more I look at it the more I like it...
I think that frame has had lots of work to fit under the A. Built my A frame out of 2x4 tubing, with a repro front crossmember and horns in a weekend.
I’ve seen this car in person to say that is just a 34 frame is disingenuous That car looks to have late frame up to the firewall and then model a rails forward of that , wheelbase looks around 105” I would say ... the car looks neat, but it is REALLY FAR from just ploping a model a body on a 34 frame and that will just like a clown built it
I see your from Canada so I understand the cost of buying replacement parts from US vendors. If the 34 chassis is a good deal why not remove the suspension and drivetrain and install it in the model A frame? You can clean up and sell the more desirable 34 frame, and you end up with a car that actually fits together properly instead of butchering a model A body and 34 frame and losing interest halfway in. Good model A frames are still a dime a dozen around here. The last one I bought I paid $100 for and it came with a rearend/springs/ front fenders, side aprons and 2 18" 32 ford rims. It had been listed for sale for 2 months and no one wanted it. Sent from my SM-G950W using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Could be the angle of the photo but that thing looks fucked, which is probably why it is being replaced
I'd like the car low... of course the traditional way was to Z the model A rails and a dropped axle but another and also traditional way was to use side rails that have kick ups like deuce or chevy rails another popular one was Essex rails this what I would prefer any way the old pics of racing scenes I have seen many chev/essex railed cars running a transverse spring up in the arches which drops a car alot....also as I said I prefer the engine have a set back it's a look I prefer over grille hanging out front like a tractor it also helps with handling as does the lower center of gravity a lot of guys seem to be overlooking the positive aspects ...what about an 8 mile high riding up on a haywagon stock frame look is going to be so cool? or cheap to rebuild?... let alone fun to drive? That frame was done all I had to do was pinch it and go...i'll keep looking for that elusive good deal on a stock frame let you guys know which comes first a running car or my 70th birthday
Yep , looks perfect Changed my mind... great idea... go for it almost turnkey....just a couple pie cuts..... be driving in no time
From where I'm sitting {2 feet from the screen} it looks like the frame was widened to fit the MII crossmember in between the rails. I might be wrong, but that looks like an OE crossmember cut out of a 70's stocker. -Dave
Tell us how you really feel about a hypothetical question I posed....I guess you missed the front fenders in the background how the hell do you bend a frame without damaging the front fenders pushbar etc.?? maybe he was trying some Duke boys stuff? or maybe he built another frame? it's easier than cutting off all the streetrod shit and starting over...thanks for your thoughtful analysis though
It has been done especially in the early days of V-8 frame swapping... as the diagrams in post #2 show the dimensions arent that far off. Lets not forget the almighty deuce frame also needs some pinching and tweaking to fit
well if you look at my first post you'll see that i'm a traditional rodder and the set up is far from trad so not my first choice. I'm losing interest in the seemingly endless search for trad parts at reasonable prices and thought it might be fun to use something already built to save a lot of time and effort and get me back behind the wheel so I can remember why I like cars in the first place. You may not relate to that since you have a car on the road but it's been over 10 yrs for me....
yes, we all like traditional hot rods, that is why we are on this site. My point is a 34 Ford chassis for $800 is an unreal and very low price. You could buy it and sell it for several times the purchase price, then buy those traditional parts you want. Real bargains don't last long, someone will scoop it.
This thing will take the same brakes as any other Ford banjo rear end. You should not have trouble getting this stuff. You must be digging in the wrong place. The only thing you run into with these is if your yoke stuff needs replacing; that stuff is harder to come by. There are no repop R&P's for these to my knowledge. Otherwise, it's just a Ford Banjo Rear End. You can put any 39-48 rear plates, spindles, & drums on them. If there are active street rodders in your area, they probably scrap this kind of stuff all the time so keep your eyes on your local CL. Whatever V8 Bones you can get your hands on would be a good place to start but I would suggest a set of the longer 40 rear bones so you can shorten them if need be. You are going to want to consider a torque arm too. For now, you can mock up with flat bar, angle iron, or tubing to keep things together. It's too bad you're as far away as you are because I have a bunch of this kind of stuff. I got a lot of it looking for cleanouts and stuff like that. When you're rescuing stuff from the scrap heap you can get a good, big pile of rusty legos for short money.
If you absolutely can't find an A frame to start with; it's not a big deal to make a nice duplicate A frame out of 10 gauge 2 x 4 tube. Taper the fronts and make some horns out of 8 ga plate (leave them open so they look real). Stack the rails in the back for a 4" Z, use an original A rear cross-member, cut one side out of a piece of 1/4 x 2-1/2 square tube for a nice flat and low front cross-member. Used to take about a day to build the perimeter frame. You can always sneak in an inch or two longer in the rails if you need them to fit your engine including a fan. Cut the outer flanges with the spring hangers off one of the those junk A rears you mentioned, trim them up and bolt them on your rear axle. Then get it up on some right sized rollers, hang your mill in place, fab some front mounts, then make a center cross-member out of 3/16 x 1-1/2 square tube to suit your trans mount, add a couple legs of the same tube to make it into a K member, since you have the open drive banjo, I would consider making some ladder bars similar to Pete&Jakes. No need for fancy tools, a welder, torch, drill, and grinder will get you there. Just take it one step at a time, instead of letting the big picture overwhelm you.
Thanks @RICH B that's a real keep it simple approach and some great advice but you've opened a can of worms here lol...so do I use the carrier bearing from the truck? the driveshaft of the donor truck was two piece. I'll have to shorten it to fit the A frame dimensions but I keep wondering if I should have a front driveshaft, the carrier then another section with a slip-joint like the factory? or is it possible to use only the section with the slip joint?
What transmission (hopefully not some truck 4 speed) is in your plans; but what ever; a one piece shaft is all that is necessary for the length of an A.
yeah unfortunately it's the truck 3 spd. so I'm probably going to have to run the carrier bearing unless (I was thinking) the piece that has the slip joint is the same length as what I would need and runs straight to the pinion ...??
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