It just looks...'Ravenous'! Raven, seriously: To mount the body, best to use a cowl hoop, then an inner perimeter frame, (sorta like a 1.5" diameter 'roll cage' body structure) Every place you want to attach the body, 'glass a metal plate (1/8" X 2" X 4") but before 'glassing the metal to the steel, grind the steel side and apply a thin skin of Bondo. (Fiberglass resin will NOT adhere soundly to steel. It does for a while...then, Surprise!) So, locate the places for the plates. Weld the plates onto the body sides of the inner structure. Attach the body to the plates. Bolt the whole assembled body/inner frame to the chassis rails. This worked for me on a '32 frame (Gennie) that I attached a Mr. Roadster '27 roadster body to, this body had NO flooring flanges, just a perimeter body shell. Body was a parallelogram, left side was 1" ahead of right. Left it outside in the warm California sun, behind my shop. 2 days later I could 'pull it straight'. Remember that fiberglass itch like it was yesterday...grumble, grumble... Turned out nice, though. I changed the 'glass firewall to a Gennie '27, and fitted the cowl over it. Firewall stayed standing with body off. All the wiring components were behind firewall, passenger side. Lift the body? Just disconnect taillights' wiring. Everything else stayed with the frame/firewall, including the dash.
Mike, What you’re suggesting is somewhat close to what I was thinking but without the glassing involved. My plan is to build a ‘cage’ that welds to the frame and then bolting the body to a cowl hoop and a mounting plate behind the tub and covered by the turtle deck. I want the frame, cage, and assorted components all as one unit with the body as a ‘skin’ that drops onto it. Think Grasshopper. r Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Yeah, Raven...Just make sure of plenty of 'surface' where mounting to the 'plate' These glass bodies spiderweb, crack, and tear from just regular driving. I'm sure you have it planned... I have a pic in hand, a photo, 3-1/4" X 4-1/2". Only pic I was ever successful posting on the HAMB was my avatar, and that's the Romeo Palemides 2-piece wheel on the r.f. of my F100! - and my Wife posted it!
Do you have a ‘smart’ phone? You could take a picture and text it to me... r Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I believe it’s about 105.5”. I know it’s just a tad shorter than my 27 T roadster. Here how it stands right now, it’s a roller. Found enough 1” square tubing to start building the inner frame “k” member and supports, so very soon I’ll be removing the body and sending the engine to the machine shop across the street so they can clean it up for me. r Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Scrounged around and found pieces of steel from an office cubical and made a toe board out of it. Only had to make on bend on it. r Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I don't think I've used office furniture chunks on my cars before. But I have pieces from a riding mower, farm machinery, and a hide-a-bed in my 32!
Instead of the firewall hoop...I would make an aluminum plate firewall that mounts to the frame. Cut the fiberglass firewall out, but leave a 2” wide flange of the fiberglass firewall so you can bolt the body to the aluminum firewall. Mount the rest of the body like suggested by Atwater Mike...or see my post #140 below!
If he was going to do that he could just make the entire fire wall a mid plate as well. But seeing as he wants to lift the body off over the cage work I don’t know that it would be worthwhile. Maybe if he was running hanging pedals then he could drive it sans body real easy but I don’t know that there’s room over that 394 and really he could mount masters on a plate mounted to the cage anyhow
I would like to build a race car inspired T, using an alum. plate firewall mount, like I described above. Then cut the body in half lengthwise and then connect (bolt) the halves together with a flange at the rear of the body and the cowl/dash. Then make mounting brackets off a steering column hoop/roll cage to bolt the 2 halves of the body for the body mounting. Way easier to remove the body with a cage if the body is in 2 halves!
I've thought of doing something similar, but have the dash/cowl top separate (easy to hide the seams when the top overlaps) and have the left and right halves separate at the back middle. This would allow the dash to remain and have the car 'naked' or be able to remove the cowl/dash for wiring and troubleshooting.
Sorry to hijack - Mike, I've never seen these wheels before, very cool! Are they actually two-piece cast mag or aluminum? Steve
Kick ups on my 27 R P U to fit tight to the body. Flame cut sides and capped front and rear. The rest of the frame is 2" X 3" tubing. R P U body but I made the aluminum 25 type turtle deck.
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