Technical 1932 Frame Pinching

Ok

 

This picture shows it pretty well, there is no pinching or bending these are stock contour rails. I narrowed the rear enough that when the back of the frame kicks up it was inside the wheel well. Front was narrowed as well till I thought it looked good.

 

@51box could you share a pic of the wheel well area please

 

When faced with a decision like this, I always ask myself what a young man in the 40's or 50's would have done. Narrowing the crossmembers, would have been achievable for a creative guy with a hacksaw. Pinching is a Street Rodder thing....

 

Damn 51box, that car looks awesome! Holy shit. So all you did was narrow the front and rear crossmembers and doing that tucked in the frame rail where it kicks up in the back and where it sticks out at the cowl. I wish I knew that a few years ago. Did you mini channel the body to tuck the frame up in the subrail? I’ve alredy done that so I’m curious if that changes anything. I need to go in about 1” total on the rear to suck the frame up in the body...that sound about right? Same for the front. I’m going to go the cardboard template route with the body to check the contour of the frame.

 

On my '28 Tudor/'32 frame marathon project:
1) I made a plywood template of the body's lower edge; @oj welded the rails & x-members to match its contours perfectly.
2) At the firewall, the body's stock wood blocks are removed & lower feet cut off, so the body rests on the top feet.
3) In back, I cut off the rear frame horns just aft of the rear x-member, then fabbed up new 16 ga. subrails that follow the frame contours.
Hope this helps.

 

Body sits on top of the frame, pie cut the bottom of the cowl sides to allow the body to sit down flat.

 

Did you have to pie cut the bottom of the cowl like 51box or just cut the feet off? Saw that picture of your template awhile back and plan on doing the same. Awesome idea. Yes it does help, thank you!

 

Can you get away with cutting the firewall feet off and bringing the frame rails in like Just Gary instead of pie cutting the cowl and also bringing the frame in? Figure since mine is a 31 it’s a little wider. In doing so, will there be too much body overhang?

 

Since nobody is going to say it, isn't pinching going to hurt ?

 

I just cut the bottom feet off. The '32 frame angles up 2 degrees and meets the top feet. Here's a pix of the passenger side:

More pix here:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/introducing-my-fuel-coupe-styled-tudor.132127/page-3

 

Rolling Bones pinch there frames , not a street rodder thing , there cars are BAD ASS

 

Hey Gary, glad to see a few pictures of your avitar, nice work on the rear sub rails, I'm a red oxide kinda guy