Hot Rods Extending a 30/31 model A' pick up cab?

The ratio/percentage of the original lengths of the 3 sections are nominally: Cowl 27%, Door 62.5%, Rear 10.5%.
To keep things looking as they should, you need to extend each section accordingly. Let's do the math for 6" overall.
Cowl: 6" x 27% = add 1.62"
Door: 6" x 62.5% = add 3.75"
Rear: 6" x 10.5% = add 0.63"
As you can see, the rear section is where the least needs to be added, but is commonly where the whole lot is done because it is a lot less work. If you are only going to do one section, do the doors (4") and call it good.
The best results don't come from cutting corners........ pun intended.

 

Yeah Daryl starbirds grandson Cody did a lot of the body work. He did a hell of a job.

 

1st order of business is understanding the issues, then knowing how to address them. Are P/U doors unique to trucks only or do other models carry the same front A' pillar characteristics to utilize the donors front section and then complete the stretch with the original pick up doors?

 

Steve the 30-31 truck shares the same doors as the Tudor. I was thinking on the 32-34 truck you can gain room by adding a passenger cowl to the truck. As the passenger cowl is 2 inches longer then the truck and firewall can stay in the same place. It’s foot room for me when driving the truck in long trips 6 plus that can get uncomfortable . By using the passenger your foot room is larger and are sitting back farther..

 

That's another great idea. And if I could locate a pair of donor doors it would also help in getting in and out with 2 or 3" added. It would probably fool a lot of people and make my driving that much better. Thanjs

 

Steve you really need one door to section a few inches out of the center. I do have another extra cab with a extra door . Then use a shortened 33-34 truck bed and really make guys scratch their heads .

 

I wonder what a cab would look like using Vickie doors and cowl?

 

The problem with Vicky doors and cowl is it has a slant windshield and flush doors like a 32. Plus the window height is shorter on a Vicky but would just be a bit more cutting lol.

 

'28-'29 Model A closed-cab pickup doors are actually '27-'28 Model T doors. The cowl posts are hybrid T/A. Same length as Tudor doors, but taller.

The unverified story is that there were leftover T doors, and this was to use them up.

 

Why not Lengthen AND Raise the Height of the doors, and then raise the height of the cowl and back panel


Take a look at LOUDPEDALs 1930/31 coupe known as the Green Grenade. He did this to a coupe and created an amazingly well proportioned hot rod.


https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/question-for-loudpedal-a-coupe-body-mods.41921/


Notice that he did not lengthen the cowl or rear quarters, just the doors. It really gives the car that aggressive ready for action look.

 

Find some photos of trucks you like, print copies, and cut them up and tape them back together. You'll find out pretty quick if you can make it look right (to you, the only one that matters).

 

Hello,

My brother and I bought an old Model A coupe for our official first hot rod build. We got the 4 banger started, cleaned up the whole car, made it road worthy and went off for a ride in the neighborhood. But since he was driving and I was sitting in the passenger area, if felt cramped for a couple of teenagers. His goal was to have a Model A with an SBC motor to compete against/with his friend that had a black 34 Ford 5 window with a big Oldsmobile motor in place.

But, as we kept driving around the local neighborhood and beyond, he mentioned that adjustment in the seats was not good. So, he mentioned going to look at small foreign car bucket seats that were fully adjustable. Our measurements showed that if the small sporty car bucket seats were installed as far back as possible, there would be a lot more room for us to stretch out and have a daily driver that is comfortable.

No body mods necessary. But as we developed the need for a truck to haul the bigger stuff we could not get in the trunk of any of the available cars, we again looked to a Model A truck. But, that was worse than the coupe. So, we were stuck for a larger cab truck we could afford and still be comfortable in the daily drives. It was a moot point as within the month, he sold the running Model A coupe and his 51 Oldsmobile sedan to buy a new 1958 Impala, 280 hp 348 motor for his next hot rod/drag racing adventures.

Jnaki

Later, we still had the need for a tow truck and parts runner. But as time moved on, we also moved on to the next level of our teenage activities.

So now with the computer age, a simple extended photo would show how much extra would be needed to stay within the parameters of style and allow comfort.


A better proportioned look and not a squeezed in look.

Computers do wonderful things, but it is the extra work to get the real underpinnings correct and to make sure they work well. Or at least have air shocks or extra support. YRMV

 

I am also in the planning stage. I will try to mock it up and if it doesn’t work we will try to convince the family it is yard art. I am 6 ft and starting with a butchered 1930 tudor body, which apparently has the deepest cowl and the longest door. No channel for me, will see about a chop. The back of the cab will need some work as I don’t like the swoop in the bottom of the tudor body. The box will be custom. In the picture I am sitting on a boat seat. There will be more room to drive if the dog stays on her side.

 

That looks nice with the doors stretched it still look factory made ( Post #26 ). The add on behind the B post does not look right in my humble opinion.

 

I say, add 2 inches to the doors, and 1 inch to the cowl and cab. This will increase the room overall, without drastically changing its proportions.

 

I'd consider a lot of things, but finding the initial truck of 32, 33 or 34 seems to be more difficult
that the actual lengthening of the cab and its parts. Earlier in the post Continental John had
teased me by possibly offering the green truck with a running 53 engine - but that's more of a tease
than a reality , and I'll continue looking for a complete & driving flathead project that can eventually
be modified to accommodate my l-o-n-g legs. I appreciate the years of wisdom offered here.
The computer & photo shop program will help greatly. Thanks, Steve

 

Start with a 4 door or Tudor and shorten to your requirements. The bodies are usually cheaper , especially if missing the rear doors

 

Hello,

The whole idea is to get more room for comfort driving. An extended cab certainly would solve the overall dimensions and give plenty of room. But, from an outside prospective at the extended cab, it does not stay within the original Model A truck cab style. A “big” extension would make the “butt end” too big and out of proportion.

The larger, better proportions in design...

The version on the left is relatively stock, but it does need something. So, a short top chop and shortened bed still keeps the proportion, yet it makes the Model A truck look stock appearing. Only those totally inspecting the mods would criticize the larger door and shortened bed. But a longer bed looks too lengthy and hangs over too much. Room for the slight enlargement has to come from somewhere, so the bed gets shortened and the cab technically, moves back a few inches with a wider door and top.

Jnaki

The idea came from a different truck modification that I saw being done for a huge guy, around 6’6” and he did not fit in the stock cab. So, the builders extended the doors and lengthened the cab roof just a tad to give the space necessary for a comfortable driving position. The plus/loss came from the shortened bed. The other option was to modify the pedal position to move it farther into the motor compartment if there is room. Most of the time there is no more room, so the only way to go is back to toward the bed.
YRMV

I got an inspiration many drawings ago. An open roadster with your 80% legs might be a challenge. Most roadsters were a little cramped as the generations grew Also, "sitting" in in our society. Even back in 1960, my brother and I had thoughts of a Model A roadster pick up for another project, but realized two brothers would not fit without altering/extending the seating area back into the shortened bed.

We were both large for our age and I grew to almost 6’1” and I needed comfort for short or long distance driving. For us, it was a project we liked, but things just moved on in a different direction. The shortened bed was still big enough to haul parts and motors, if needed.

There is only so much room modifying the seats and pedals without compromising driving comfort. Extended arm driving versus cramped bent elbows and the steering wheel intruding on comfort, is no one’s idea of cool cruising. Or safety for that matter… here is an orange Model A drawing I have been tossing around for ideas, over the years. Drawing is much easier to see the changes necessary.

For some reason, I added a cab top, then an RPU top and it looked awful, so it had to stay extended cab open roadster style for the RPU. The color also goes along with the big weekend Thanksgiving holiday colors that soon turns to red and green.