Hi everyone... was reading a few threads about pinching a 1932 frame for a Model A and why it should or should not be done. Is there a thread already that shows step by step or explains in detail how the pinching is technically done and which tools are recommended? This would be pinching for both the cowl and the rear. How is the frame actually pulled in? Ratchet straps, pull ram, come along? Will the frame bend with no heat? How far up and down the frame flanges are relief cuts made and how far apart?
There is another option. Either the body or the subrails are modified. That might just be for roadsters. Hopefully someone with a better memory will chime in.
not worth the trouble on a stock frame. take the tightest area on the car and make it smaller to please a street rodder. fuck no.
They're pinched different for the 28/9 & 30/31 Model A; also different pinch for coupe vs tudor. There is a 'elective' pinch at the very front for aesthetic reasons at the radiator shell mounting. There's couple other subtle changes that can be done to get the look, what I'd suggest is to go thru some build threads and have a look at Rolling Bones' builds. Spend a lot of time doing research and once you settle on what the finished product needs to look like many on here can explain what you need to do to 'get there'. Once you settle on the plan, you can't change it.
Everyone has an opinion on this. I've done a few deuce frames for A's and unless the customer insists have found the 30/31 bodies work well on a stock dimension frame that's been pinched 1 3/4 at the front horns and just let the cowl section come in with the pinch and some easy body mods. I do usually squeeze the frame at the cowl for a 28/29 body along with the front pinch. At the back I usually leave the frame stock width as many of my customers have ran stock 32 gas tanks. There are many ways of doing this. I'd study several shops methods before I made a final decision.
Krylon32...the body is a 31. I didn’t think about pinching just at the front horns. The last pinch I did it was at the cowl. The back will require a pinch; I’m not going to run a stock 32 tank. For the rear frame pinch, and even the front pinch, which method do you prefer and how would you go about it?? Thanks!
My 27 roadster was built in the early 50's and the body was split at the firewall and jacked out to fit a 32 frame.
I pinched my 32 frame to fit a 31 coupe body. Used chain tensioner, welded on a tab inside the frame and yes had to use heat. All this was done on a frame table. Pinch at the cowl was about inch and a quarter I think, then I pinched at the rear about 5/8” before the rear crossmember. The K member had to be narrowed but the rear crossmember did not. Second photo shows the chain tensioner set up, I only did one side at a time. At the cowl, because the pinch was coming in, it only required a slice top and bottom, which had to be filled after the pinch. Same with the rear. Right before the front crossmember I had to put V notches to allow the frame to move together. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks Ralph... I did the same thing with welding in a tab and pulling the frame in, but I made the mistake of not cutting relief cuts in the frame like you did. I also failed to pull in each side one at a time like you mentioned. I heated the frame up but it was so hot that I stretched the boxing plates on the inside. Just trying to get some opinions on how folks are doing these pinches. I think the frame I have now is trashed and won’t to do it right the next go around. Did you leave the rear crossmember in place while pulling in the rails on the back? When you pulled in one side at a time, did you have an anchor point of some sort welded to the table to pull against? Thank you sir! Adam.
From a guy that's "just learning" about the early iron stuff...............WHY do you 'pinch' the frame in the first place? And does just an inch here and a 3/4 inch there REALLY do anything to "THE LOOK"? Is it to let the body of the car drop down over the frame rails more?! (imagine me scratching my noggin!) 6sally6
Hey 6... in my opinion, yes it does do something to the look. Now, whether it’s a look you like or not, that’s for you to decide. I looked at my A before and after the pinch and it looked completely different. The pinch does allow the body to drop over the frame more without major modifications. I guess if you are going for that look you have decide if you want to spread the firewall or pull in the rails. I’m scratching my noggin trying to figure out how to pinch it RIGHT...both in the front and the rear.
Ran a '28 truck front crossmember [thicker], then pulled the rear in about 1/2"... this brought the 2 cowl body bolts on top of the '32 rails.. the offsets for the hood are on top of the rails, but the skins are outside, I will run a stock hood... I also installed the front crossmember back 1.25" [half the difference in wheelbases].. this and the reversed firewall lets me run the stock hood... just something to think about...
103-15/32" A 105-____" Deuce? (all used up, ask Cad-lasalle why!) He pieced five (5)! together to make the last 3-winder. Early day stock cars & ice racers.
No need to pinch the frame for a model A. On my car I just narrowed the crossmembers a little bit front and back to work better with the A body.
Yes definitely anchored to the frame table and only pull one side at a time. Take lots of measurements before and after. No I did not have to do anything to the rear crossmember. Let me also state that I originally was going to build a fiberglass 32, so the frame was completely set up for a 32 body. Then I found a good 31 steel body and that’s why I changed everything. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Since we're on the subject. I scanned this from Hot Rod History The Story of The Dry Lakes. Great pictures in this book. This 28-29 frame and several others shown in the book from the late 40's and early 50's looked to be pinched. Check out how the windshield posts are chopped. This looks like it was a really nice car to me.
Hey 51... how is the body overhang? I’ve thought about just shortening the front and rear crossmembers. If you go 14.25 inches towards the front from centerline of the rear axle, the frame needs to be 42” from outside to outside. Stock 32 frame shows to be 43”. I would imagine that losing that inch would mean 1/2” overhang on both sides. Haven’t checked to see if that will work with the mini channel.
Add a decent X-member and maybe split the firewall to widen the Model A body so it fits the 32 frame better. This is how HAMBER 'Flop' did it.
hey h95, I never had one... using rectangular tubing to connect my coilovers and panhard… the '32 rails were 42.125" at the bolt hole before the kick up... after i tacked the rails into a perimeter frame...with what I did I had to trim 3/8" from each upper rail to bolt the TANKS '32 tank between the '32 rails... because I am running a stock '31 hood I needed to run the A's 103" wheelbase... so I split the 2.5" difference and moved the front crossmember rearward 1.25" and the rearend will move 1.25" forward.... perimeter frame.
Thanx but......................When you set the body down over the rails, isn't that channeling? OR.....is this something different? 6sally6
Well, when you channel you are actually removing the ends of the body channel. The body channel would otherwise block the body from sitting deeper in the subrail. By removing the ends of each body channel, the body will sit lower on the rail due to the rail having somewhere to go. So you are setting the body down over the framerails, but the body will only go so far... unless you channel...to get it lower.
Eye-eat!......thanx fer clearing that up. Channeled means you gotta trim the bottom of the body after you slide it down over the frame. Pinching the frame just lets the body scoot down lower over the frame but not enough to warrant trimming the lower body. 6sally6
Channeled is what allows the body to sit lower. In the case of a Model A, you aren’t trimming the bottom of the body. You are removing a section of the body channel that runs perpendicular to the frame.... where it connects to the subrail. The subrail is what runs parallel to the frame and is directly above it. It must be done before dropping the body down over the frame. Pinching brings the frame in so it is more directly located right below the subrail. In this picture, pinching would bring the frame towards the right.
I will double check Monday as I have been measuring for '33 and '30 beds and may be confused... will post the results for very rear and over the axle...
When you said you pulled the rear in 1/2”... that was with no rear pinch... just a shorter rear crossmember?
Did not cut the rails... set them up so they work with my '30 cowl, this is where they ended up... outside to outside of the rails ; 42.125" at the cab back... 39.250" at the apex... 39. 5" at the tail...HIH.
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