I just bought a 1939 Mercury chassis , not restored but cleaned up painted , rebuilt flathead , over all pretty darn nice and original , My Plan , I want to put a 34 three or five window coupe body on it , same wheel base , 39 is about 4 inches wider , I've already had one person tell me it can't be done , But my dream ride won't die that easy , Just from the info I have supplied , what comments , help , suggestions can you guys give me , my biggest draw back at this point is I don't have a body yet , it will end up being a glass body because that is what I can afford , I really need some direction here , thanks , Vern
Why Not ? it's hot rodding isn't it ? , I could spend thousands on a 34 frame , but I already have this one I want a 34 so I have to figure the most economical way to do it , not the easiest .
You just don't do stuff like that. There are unwritten rules of things to do and not to do and this would be one of them!
The back of the merc frame would land outside the body because it's too wide. UP front, the original 34 chassis had the front spring on top of the axle...merc axle was behind the spring. The merc spring would land right where the 34 grill resides. Plus, the 34 front frame is very tapered and only about 20 inches wide at the front....the merc doesn't taper and would [again] sit ouitside the 34 body. I'd sell that merc chassis and put the $$ toward a 33-34 chassis. There is one right now in our classifieds...needs some love on the bottom of the frame rail but it looks pretty good. This, from a guy who built my own 34 coupe.
It’s only metal. Gonna require some frame surgery. If you’re asking it might be a little advanced though
What everybody is saying is that the look and stance of a 33-34 Ford is in the foundation. Bout impossible, and I did say about, not completely, without the correct foundation.
It’s more than the wheelbase, it’s about engine location,ect...a friend put a 34 pickup together out of scraps this way it looked good .... but he had the skills and a good eye more than likely you are going to have to shorten torq tube to ge motor back to the firewall where it should be then the x member would change, pedals will be a wrong location, your going to have to pus front cross forward the floor won’t fit the frame contour ect ect it’s not a simple drop body on deal with all that fab work might as well buy a new pr of 34 rails at $700 too
model T's thru to 32 body's sit on top of the frame rail. 33/34/ model 40's are the first year that ford "channeled" the body, so the floor is still at frame height, but the bottom of the body, the doors, and the rockers are midway down the frame rail. shown quite nicely in rocky's photo. in 35, frames got wider, longer, and became basically the same until 41. so as many have said above, why the fuck would you want to fight with the obvious fact that it dont even remotely fit? new bare rails are available, your frame is worth something to the right guy, sell it, buy some rails and build or buy some cross members. also, i hate to burst your bubble, but stillrunners, that looks like a perfectly good waste of a nice rp body imho
How about laying up your own Fiberglass body, to fit your frame? It would cost less than the Ford body, fit "like it was made for it", and be truly unique. http://www.home-built-cord.com/Page4.html How does the "Vern Lee Special" grab you? Something like this would be great!
I had this one for a while. It was on a 35-40 ford frame. I don’t know if 39 mercury chassis is the same as ford or not. I didn’t build it but it worked. It was channeled WAY deep, and on the wrong chassis but I bought it anyways because the body was really nice otherwise. The very first thing I did was get a 34 frame. I had to buy the entire lot and pile of stuff to get the 34 chassis the guy had.
This is an example of the kind of thing that happens when you use the wrong frame. A'34 ford has a 112" wheelbase. '39 Merc is 116"...so at the very least, you have to make up that 4" at the cowl...because the rear wheels have to line up with rear wheel wells. As you see...stuff like this just doesn't work
I dont know guys rob lee in Omaha put his model A on a 42-6 chassis and it looks killer. Granted he cut it up 6 ways from Sunday but I mean you “could” do it. Personally I’d take the axles, drive train, wishbones, torque tube,steering and center cross member and pitch the rails. buy some box steel for the rails and build a new chassis. The amount of welding rob had to do to make that look as gorgeous as it does was monumental
“Just from the info I have supplied , what comments , help , suggestions can you guys give me” Probably not everything you wanted to hear , but you did get everything you asked for. Can’t knock the Hamb for that!
After I think about it a bit, if I was going to contemplate this job, I'd prolly completely disassemble the merc's frame. I'd build it back, using custom or model A crossmembers front and back...might have to shorten the rails and I'd try to reuse the Merc's "X" member. If I had to I'd borrow a 33-34 body to set up my body mounts, set the engine, place the suspension etc etc. It'd be a big job but I know what it's like to be bucks-down. Rob Lee's A-coupe is on a 40 ford frame???? Here it is. He really must have cut that frame up to the max but he's known for doing that kinda stuff.
It could work, I remember seeing a picture of a '34 frame sitting on top of (I think) a 35-40 Ford car frame, the kickup shape in the rear is very similar, and the X in the center of the frame is a nice starting point. But like Rocky said, you'd have to take the frame apart, cut it up and weld it back together in the '34 configuration. You'd be able to use the spindles and wishbone up front but you'll probably need a different crossmember, axle and spring, the rear you could use but you'll likely have to shorten the enclosed driveshaft. The frame would need to be shortened overall, and probably pinched. It definitely could be done with enough effort. A frame table and a lot of frame building experience would be a must, but could be done. I'd rather have a radically reworked '39 Merc chassis under my '34 than a pair of those repop rail stampings held together by round tube crossmembers.
After I bought his 1924 T Firetruck - I stayed after the RPU in the garage - never thinking I'd get the call as he had a couple of boys he was still working with. Got the call one evening to come and get it - see the lettering on the side ? It says F u....think the boys painted it and that's why I got the call. It was built that way in the mid 60's with full fenders and extended running boards. Sold my 1941 Panel to fund it and then sold it to a HAMB'r to fund my 1930 Cabriolet...that motor ran......
Come to think about it, my ol buddy, Steve didn't have a frame for his '29 roadster. Steve disassembled a 46 ford frame [ has a KILLER rear kickup] and modified it to work under this narrow body. It's not done in the photo but you get the idea...
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