I want to channel my 30 Model A enough to hide the frame. I had a 4x4 piece of angle made to do the channel as in the Eastwood video. If I set the channel on top of the sub frame, just inside the door jam, I gain an inch, which puts me at a five inch channel. This seems to make the cab height too low. I was also wanting to do a three inch chop. Has anyone done a channel and chop at these dimensions? Can you still drive the car without rubbing your head on top?
Head clearance wont be problem. Comfort will be. Take the seat out sit on floor and see how it feels.
pad the floor where you put your ass, pad the rear where you rest your back. Climb in and adjust steering wheel angle, adjust your pedals for max comfort, if you can live with it, go for it. Quick release steering wheel will help too.
@Willywash ......I am not advocating, or disagreeing with your channel. But if the piece you had made has too much drop at 4", how about trimming the 'drop side' by an inch and get the body drop where you want it? Ray
If after the channel it's too low, the chop will make it that more uncomfortable. Personally at 58 YO, I can't, nor want to, sit on the floor with my legs out, just to have a cool looking car. I'm cool w/o the car
Couple things: explore if your left knee might be between the door and steering wheel—if a small diameter wheel will be required, steering gets hard. Headroom will be okay but consider how much the header panel will be in your line of sight and resulting traffic light visibility (how’s your neck?).
I guess I could drive the car with my head outside the side window. But, I don't think that would be the look that I'm going far. Does anyone have a pic with a five inch channel with a three inch chop?
4 inch channel 2 1/2 chop streched 8 inches. fiberglass still uncomfortable Sedan you can move seat back but still makes it rough on the legs. Minimal seat height gets uncomfortable. Still duck to look at stoplights. Won't own another channeled car or truck. Driven 7600 miles this past year. I'm 5 10 tall 200 pounds. Of course i'm also 53 . Maybe in my 20s it would be better.
I had a 31 coupe with "frame-even" channeling and roughly a 4 inch top chop. Im 6f1" and it wasnt the most comfy position, aspecially for the legs, but it was ok I guess. Just needed a legstretch now and then on long trips. Used a bomber seat with adjustable frame but had it all the way back.
My car 1930 Coupe is chopped 4.25” and channeled 4”. I’m 5’9” and can drive the car with no vision issues. You have to stay back at lights because you can’t see them if you’re up on the line. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
The ergonomics of hot rods is another thing I find extremely interesting. My researches up to now suggest that a seating position pretty much on the floor requires a lengthwise space of at least 55" and a clear interior height of at least 36". This is for myself, and I'm perhaps an inch taller than you. Any lower and you're into the kind of feet-up seating positions you'll find in a lot of modern racing cars, and need even more length. One of the main causes of driver discomfort and fatigue is a seat which forces you to use your legs to keep your butt from sliding forwards. For this reason the seat bottom cushion needs to be tilted up in front. The angle between the bottom cushion and backrest of the seat shouldn't be more than 100°-105°. Consider how you'll get in and out. You'll definitely need grab handles in strategic places – make them both comfortable to grip and sturdy enough to take more than your weight. On my DD I'm finding myself propping myself on the open driver's door to get out. My wife expects me to break the door off any day, but as it's taken my weight before it should keep doing so. I think I've been gaining a bit of weight, but not that fast! Your doors might also be too small, after the chop and channel. Early cars often have the A-pillar further back than modern ones, but then you'll be moving the seat back, so the small gap between the front jamb and the front of the seat might actually become easier to negotiate, provided you can get your back past the rear jamb and your head under the roof at the same time. You might find yourself sliding your head in last of all. Already quite early coachbuilders began experimenting with pulling the tops of doors up into the roof to deal with this on low cars. I can't remember seeing it done on a chopped/channelled coupe, though; I'd be interested to see a historic example.
to avoid tilting seat I have had foam added to leading edge of seat that helps bring knees up which makes it a bit easier to operate pedals
I've got a Model A roadster channeled 4"; if I go through it again the body is coming back up on top of the frame where it belongs.
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