Hot Rods Need help getting started

Never ask for a lost title, what you need is called duplicate title

 

Thanks, I’ll try that route

 

Duplicate is $13 in OK...

 

Personally, I would build the original chassis. There's a lot of reasons, one is it has your numbers stamped in various locations, but there are many more....

 

I am all ears if you’d like to share those other reasons sometime

 

I will say I would keep the original chassie/frame and if space is a issue take it apart and just keep the rails. As said it has the numbers and so I would keep it as long as you have the car.
It is easier to build a hotrod and being your first one with another chassie like a aftermarket one when your Z-ing the front back and channeling the body. Build a rolling chassie and just on the body and you’ll see where to cut and chop.
I Know back in the day when we channeled a car , you would weld / bolt a L bracket to the A and B post about 4 to 6 inches up and cut out all the cross braces /rails on the body and drop her on. In fact my roadster still has the nubs of the sub or crossbrackets on the subrails and they slid the body ..

 

This channeled "A" coupe has plenty Head and Leg room. I'm 6'2" and had the privilege of sitting in this car.

 

I know this is a roadster but chassis is the same.
This is not channelled. But I did cut frame in the back and installed a dropped front axle. Good luck bro, ask, ask, ask, we are here to help. You can check out many build threads on here too.

 

There are ways to maximize head & leg room in a channeled A, so you will be comfortable driving it. The '30 coupe in my avatar sets on a 6 1/2" Z'd A frame. It was in great condition as I suspect yours is. I channeled 1/2" more than the width of the frame (about 4"). All in doing the Z and subframe and new floors was less than $700. I raised the rear fenders, mini tubbed the wheelwells and modified the fender mountings and altered the aprons, running boards and front fenders. My goal is to make all these modifications not so obvious.
My only suggestion is to take all you learn from this site and come up with your definite plan before doing or buying anything. There is a limitless amount of knowledge on this site as I have come to learn. Don't rush into anything before having all the pertinent info. I know folks who spend many years accumulating parts. Either they don't want to compromise their vision of what their build is, or they are being thrifty. Usually a combination of both. Feel free to PM me with anything I might be able to help with.

 

X2!

 

First, nice car, it looks solid and pretty straight.
what you are talking about doing is sometimes referred to as "east coast style" which loosely is unchopped and channeled. A super nice look IMHO, but a ton of work... expensive work if you can't do it yourself or have a really good fried that can do it.
Second, If this is a "money is no object build" I envy you and say work on it and/or spend on it until you have what you really want. But you will be in the tens of thousands of dollars before you know it...
Or, you could do what others have said and leave the body stock, leave the fenders on it, put a V8 in it (a buick nailhead, or something non SBC, or even a flathead). Get it running and driving and then see what you like and dislike about it (They are easier to stay motivated about and working on if you're diving them), then decide what you want to do to it. Who knows, you may end up building it 2 or 3 times in your life.
Building it this way will make it easier to work on it yourself, you will gain a ton of knowledge and get to know your car intimately.
Of course I am biased...lol. Here is mine and a couple I really like.

 

Went to get the title work done today and didn’t quite have all the paperwork we needed. Left with a list of what’s needed and already have everything we need to go back. Probably try again on Monday.

I was just outside and walked past the car, started looking at the engine and saw what appeared to be the dipstick. Pulled it out and much to my surprise, dang thing still has oil in it.

I also was able to turn the fan by hand, but the belt wasn’t turning along with it.

 

So yours wasn’t channeled? Have any more pics of it?

 

Get it finished up and take it to The Congregation in Charlotte next year....
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=44383

 

At the very least I would try and get it running. Then you can fart around with it and ruminate on how you exactly want to build it.

 

Hey welcome to the HAMB Woodman. I really like your instincts on where to take this. That this is your first hot rod and you have picked cars with a great look as examples. I have a 30 coupe and am planning a similar build. Check out Irontrap garage "pagoda city coupe" on YouTube. He also does an essential youtube tutorial on how to do a simple bulletproof channel on a Model A on Eastwoods channel. More inspiration grabbed off the inter webs:

 

Be very careful when turning the engine with the fan. The fan was one of the weak points and if you cause a crack it will eventually fail sending the blade through the hood. Most Model A guys run a reproduction fan made from aluminum. You need to be careful because the older aluminum fans were of poor quality and also subject to failure.

Charlie Stephens

 

Here are some simple examples with general costs - obviously this could go anywhere, but just so you have an idea.

My buddy built his ‘30 A as a full-fendered car, original (or at least pretty old) paint, nice rebuilt Flathead, C6 trans, rear end from a Ford Comet (or something like that), did everything but the engine build himself. Boxed the original frame. I think he’s in the $20-25,000 range including purchase of the original car. He’s an experienced builder.

I went for an early 60s-flavor build with my ‘31 A. I bought a pretty nice running car to work from. Sold the rolling chassis and all sheet metal except the body. I went with a 348 Chevy, 700R4 trans, Ford 9 inch rear. I decided against using the original frame and had a frame built. I painted the car. I paid for the frame and suspension (Dagel Hot Rods frame, Pete and Jakes suspension), the rebuilt engine, and a used trans. I did everything else myself (engine mounts, flipped and modified firewall, filled the cowl, body and paint, and the list goes on, etc.). I’ll be in this for a bit over $40,000 before I’m done (soon!). Thought I could do it for 30.

Again, just some basic planning info.

 

Hey, welcome to the HAMB, you have a great idea of what you want and a lot of people forget that these old hot rods were built by guys just like you, learning as they went, hammer down east coast style !

 

Well as the old saying goes, anyone can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up.
Family heirloom? Even though it was grandpa's car and dad's car did it ever run and be a part of family activities and in old family photos? Or did grandpa drag it home on a rope, stick it in a shed where it stayed until dad moved it to his shed and then you moved it to your shed? Just because it was in the family for years doesn't make it an heirloom. If family members have long standing memories of grandpa's old Model A and riding in it it might be a family shit show if you drastically alter it. If that isn't the case head on as no doubt several of us would offer up a handful of cash for the fenders, running boards and some of the other pieces you aren't going to use to put money in the hot rod kitty.

That said, before you get to far go out to some shows or other events and find cars that are built pretty close to what you plan and talk to the owners and tell them that you have that you are planning to do a similar build on and ask to sit in their car. I say that because I know of at least three chopped and channeled coupes that were sold within months after they were finished because the owner could not drive them comfortably including one that the guy spent five years building but had never sat in a similar car. He drove it to one show and was so uncomfortable driving it that he sold it a few weeks later to someone who had fallen in love with it.

Last sit down and evaluate your skills and abilities. That includes the ability to generate the funds to pay someone else to do some of the steps you may not be able to. Even though some guys on here think it is a sacrilege against the hot rod gods to pay someone else to do some of the work we wouldn't have members with hot rod shop of which we have several if someone didn't pay to have work done. That doesn't mean that they have to do it all but taking it to a competent shop that is fully capable of doing the channel and maybe the chop and getting to the state where you can do the finish work may save you a serious amount of time and headaches on the build.
The go simple the first time concept isn't all that bad though. I drove down the road behind a friend's Model A coupe that is full fendered yesterday and that car is powered by a Vega 4 banger. It belongs to a guy who owns one of the go to engine building/machine shops for hot rods in the area plus being about the last independent shop that sells speed parts and he can honestly have any engine he wants in that car. It wheels along pretty nice though. I'm not suggesting a Vega motor but you don't have to have a big V8 to have serous fun.

 

Welcome!
I suggest a copy of Vern Tardel’s excellent book Hot Rodding Your Model A
might be a good starting point. I think Rodders Journal still sells them.

Although Vern deals with a sedan, it all pertains to your Granpa’s sweet Little coupe as well.

Best of luck. Have fun!
Art

 

This one skipped Dad and came straight to me. My immediate family have no ties to it or memories of it. Grandpa used to tell me that he took grandma on dates in it and all that stuff, but it’s not something anyone has built a shrine to. I have no issues chopping it up to make it how I want it and I’m sure he wouldn’t either. He always talked about “fixing it up” but never really told me what he meant by that. Knowing him, it would be the absolute minimum to make it run and drive in a somewhat reliable manner and that would be the end of it.

 

Hey @Woodman4, thanks for posting the beginning of your adventure.

The reason many are urging you to start simple is that we see a lot of first-timers show up with grand plans, only to disappear quickly. They jump into the deep end and drown. Everyone wants to see you stick around and carry this cool car through to completion.

My suggestion is start out by modifying the stance of your car using the simple and cheap methods that hot-rodders have used for decades. This will immediately transform the look from buggy to hot rod. Then you can step back and decide if that look on your car will make you happy, or if you need to get more radical (z-frame, channel, etc.) Pictures are great for inspiration, but nothing beats checking out how a modification looks on your car in your driveway.

1. Get rid of the stock buggy wheels and install a set of 16-inch wheels--’35 wires, or later. This will lower the car and give it an aggressive look. Search for threads on “rubber rake” for ideas on tire size front and rear. Start with cheap used “rollers” so you’re not investing big bucks in tires you might want to change later.

2. Remove several leaves from the rear spring. Your stock spring probably has 12 leaves; bring it down to 7. Or better yet 5. This will lower the rear considerably. (Look up how to do this safely; you’ll need a spring spreader.)

3. Install a drop axel up front. This can be a 4” drop axel from a vendor, or simply retrofitting a ’33-’34 axel that has a 1”-2”drop from the factory (sometimes called a “gentleman’s drop.”)

4. You can get front springs that will lower the nose even more (reverse eye, etc.).

There are a lot of great looking hot rods out there where the above is all they did. Trying this won’t take long and won’t cost much (in the overall scheme of things). And the work won’t be wasted, because most if not all of it needs to be done eventually anyway. So you might as well start there.

Best of all, it will be fun and help you establish a “working relationship” with the vehicle.

 

That’s a great car to start with, looks like the main body is in great shape. Like someone else said don’t throw anything away. There is plenty of info on here to help you modify the stock frame but it’s really hard to beat the nice chassis that the Boling Bros are producing. If you like the stance I think you’d be able to speed up the construction considerably and the price is right.
Don’t mention any modern engine/trans on here or you’ll get shut down but we all understand using what you have. That’s hot rodding.
Channeling a Model A isn’t that difficult but remember to weld in plenty of bracing so the body alignment doesn’t get too far out of whack. It’s really hard to correct if the doors don’t fit later.
As for paint, don’t be afraid to grab a few random fenders or hoods and try it yourself. It’s not rocket science just attention to detail, using good materials and practice. As a guy who’s built a lot of chassis and headers I’ve gotten the most satisfaction out the paint jobs I’ve done! There’s just something special about seeing that color and shine and knowing you did it.
Good luck and keep posting!


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Thanks for the info. I think I may go this route to start with, if nothing else it will let me get my hands on it and “get acquainted”. If I could make it look cool without z’ing the frame I’d be in on that. I think for that to happen though the fenders are going to have to stay, at least from what I’ve seen. And if I do that, then I may be back to thinking it looks cool, but it would look cooler the way I have it in my head. Luckily I’m not in a hurry, at least not yet.

 

After you get it running here's a good article on lowering from my Hot Rod feed. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/mod...CC2BEF68661271AFE5F6C2D0017449FD22FC1828E6546

 

Walt, my brother and I chopped and channeled a near perfect '32 Ford roadster. Pretty much turned it into scrap metal. What do you think is going to happen if there is a Saint Peter, and if, when I die, I have to explain about my part in killing that car?

 

I'd put a Windfield Head, Cam, and downdraft carb on the 4 banger and drive it, next put a roof on it to keep the rain out, next scuff it and primer it white, yellow, grey or black primer.

 

Great car @Woodman4 , I applaud you for tearing into this old car. It's time for a new lease on life. You want cool without a lot of z-ing, this is my favorite all time A model. It belonged to @Russco here on the HAMB. it's a beautiful, understated, perfect build. Shows you don't have to get crazy to pull off perfection. Good luck.

 

Whatever you decide to do with it, it can be intimidating if you spend too much time thinking about the condition of the car now vs how you want it in the end. Break it up into smaller pieces that by themselves are easy to handle. For example, pulling the body off the frame is not difficult, but the suspension and frame become much easier to work on. One axle at a time, one door handle at a time, one cylinder at a time. The individual items aren't that bad.