Hot Rods Model A hot rod back half

So I am moving from leaf spring rear suspension to coil overs and new rear frame setup. With my current setup, do I run the new rails from the front face or from the top of the existing rails? I need clearance between the diff and the new rails so if I go from the front face, I’ll need to run angles, if I mount from the top, I may have enough clearance between the diff and the rails. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


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A 32 ford frame is quite deep in that area, maybe about 7 inches or so, and it sweeps upwards toward the rear to provide clearance over the axle. But from your pics I'm not seeing anything remotely reminiscent of a 32 Ford frame, more like 31 / Model A, and a butchered one at that, or a repop or facsimile in box section. There appears to be a main rail at the bottom, an upstand again of box section, a removed rear pointing box section rail that's been removed, and what looks like a newly installed cross brace. It looks like it was a very poor attempt at a Z as is typical at the rear of Model A's to get them to sit better. Side pics from underneath would confirm, or disprove this. It's not a part of a car that you want to get wrong, primarily for safety reasons. What are the dimensions and wall thicknesses of the assorted sections?

Chris

 

scrap that mess and start from scratch

 

Getting itchy just looking at that.
Stop, look at what a real frame looks like and duplicate it, AFTER you remove the fiberglass body. Whatever was done there is scrap. You can't realistically build a frame with the body on it.

 

I'm inclined to agree Chris. It looks like someone was trying to save money using scrapends. But just like with plumbing, every joint is one more possible failure. You'd be better off running new uprights made of one piece of tube on each side, instead of the multiple pieces you have now, and a crosspiece that runs all the way across, joining the uprights, instead of with little boxes at the ends like you've got.

 

Dagel Street Rods frame for my ‘31 A.

 

Also, you should get a book or two on the topic, they will help a lot. Tex Smith's Hot Rod Chassis and Larry O'Toole's Street Rod Engineering are books I go back to again and again!

 

Thanks a bunch for editing your thread title (that originally said 32 Ford) and thus making me look like a fool in my response. Best of luck.
Chris