Technical A question for 33 - 34 Ford guys

When recessing the firewall, why do most people leave the cowl side panels full length?

Is there a reason for this?

 

here is a great example of what I am questioning. Why not trim the cowl side panels the same length as the firewall?

 

Looks better that way to my eye, I've seen it both ways

 

I've seen 33-4 cowls modified every way you can imagine. But I like the sides left stock. It is hard to improve on the factory styling of a 33-4. and that includes the cowl.

 

I will be picking up a 34 Ford tomorrow with the fire wall sides cut, I kind of like the look , I will post photos when I get the car back to my shop. Larry

 

On a '34 the hood sides are held down at the rear in a slot cut into the cowl -- cutting the cowl sides would possibly remove this feature. I think if a guy didn't need the slots the firewall/cowl area would look better cut flush.

 

As usual, it comes down to personal preference. I much prefer as little cutting as you can get by with. I love every square inch of the 33-34 bodies and don't want to loose one single feature. The firewall is one of the best looking panels on the car. I just repaired an old beat up one just to hang on the wall. Tim

 

it looks stupid to me to with those useless wings there. They are also in just the way. There's a few different ways to design the cuts and establish a flow of lines, some look better than others.

Now here's my thinking on why its really done like that with the wings. The reason is if you cut the wings off, the firewall is a royal pain to get back in and attached. It all needs reworked and that portion of the car needs redesigned. The easiest way is to cut out what you need for the motor and then fill the hole. Study one, think about cutting, do the layout and then it becomes very apparent why they are left there- its too much work to do it right.

As far as looking better with wings, that is the single solitary straight line on an otherwise very graceful car that flows with elegant curves. There's a bunch to see here -http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/do-you-have-33-34-ford-with-a-chrysler-hemi-i-wanna-see-your-firewall.843281/#post-9336555

 

I have always liked the look of the stock cowl sides, so leave them when recessing the firewall, as in my 33 five window project.

 

I like the extensions, although I am sure when Edsel designed the 33-34 he meant for the hood to be closed so they were a no issue til someone yanked the hood off one. I passed on a couple of cars with the firewall recessed when I was looking for mine. Here is a really really crappy photoshop of what I think you are asking.

 

Be a real G and lop it off like this one!
All buidness!

 

They also make a good place to have heater hoses, ac lines, wiring and such run up to the back of the dash and not be seen. jmtc, John

 

That's not a deep or wide recess.
Some leave a 8" deep knife edge hanging there

 

In my opinion,when the cowl sides are cutoff and a flat firewall installed the body begins to look like some of the fiberglass bodies currently in production..Are they in the way? Yes,depending on the engine and sometimes concessions have to be made but if you don't have to,why cut them off?.Part of the reason many choose to have original Henry steel cars is to keep all these little details intact as much as possible. Otherwise,why bother with a steel car only to cut off all the stuff that make it a real Ford? Instead, you could buy a glass body with smooth firewall,no cowl sides or cowl vent,filled roof,hidden door hinges etc,etc...

 

SO, if I am ready this right, there is no reason other than cosmetics, that the side panels need to stay.

seems easier to trim the whole side panel instead of finishing off an inside edge.

and thanks for the link @31vicky with a hemi

 

You could also use a '35-'36 pickup firewall which would give you some setback, look stock, and end all this foolishness about cutting up a perfectly good looking cowl. You will want to remove the door hinges and handles next because they break up the flow!


Tee hee, tee hee.
My work is done here.
Cheers,
Stewart.

 

You're not helping Stewart
@limeykid

My 8ba really doesn't fit the engine compartment, and it looks like I need to move the firewall to fit.

 

At the risk of sounding harsh, I just don't think you trying hard enough .
How come this dum forrinor could get a good ol SBC to fit in my '33 without cutting the firewall, and use the stock hood and grille shell.
I think you need some of the flathead gurus on here to tell you the magic combination of parts to make an 8ba fit in front of an uncut firewall. Surely it must have been done before?
Cheers,
Stewart.

 

I like u

 

a SBC is shorter overall than a late flatty @limeykid
I could switch the entire front of the engine over to the old style stuff, and cam swap and distributor, blah blah blah, but I don't wanna.
Note the red coupe pictured above with the entire cowl cut back is a late model flathead. I've had the engine in the chassis many different ways, and it just doesn't fit well at all.

screw it, where's my LS motor.....

 

Sooo you would rather hatchet the firewall than unbolt a few accessories ?

 

My recessed firewall.

 

here's a few shots of my 8ba motor in my 33 coupe..Stock rad and grille,stock firewall..I used a 59ab style cam,front cover and distributor..The McCulloch supercharger top pulley is longer than a stock generator otherwise it would have room for stock 33- 34 fan.Also,the rad is in the original location and the hood fits.

 

I wanna see the hood on it.
In that picture, That radiator doesn't look like its leaning back near enough and it looks like the top tank comes thru the line of the hood. Bottom may be in correct factory location but it appears to be parallel with the cowl wings and nearly vertical. It should be parallel with the line of the hood seal at the cowl. The radiator should lean back about 3" from plumb. That's why the top tank is not square.

 

If only it was that simple......
cam and lifter change to 59AB style, oh ya, can't use my fuel pump either, new timing cover, so there goes the distributer, need a clam style one, new crank pulley, then new water pumps. Can't run the alternator/generator in the stock location, need to drop it off to one side, so now I can't run a fan, or maybe just change the intake to a single carb........

If all it took was a water pump change, we wouldn't be talking.

oh yeah by millersgarage posted Aug 17, 2014 at 3:24 PM

 

Before you start hacking things up take a look at what I did to my 34.

A little while back I messaged the firewall to fit my Caddy motor. But yet I didn't want to cut the firewall to make it obvious, wanted to retain the factory look of the stock firewall. So here is what I did, I apologize I did noi take pictures during this process so I will try to explain. I separated the spot welds that held the firewall to the cowl sides. Scribed vertical lines from the cowl side to the top of the firewall on the tray portion to the crotch where it makes the bend to the vertical. Now I scribe a line in the crotch connecting the previous lines. Cut along those lines and separated the firewall from the cowl. Now measure from the top cut down 1" or so; and remove that material. Save the strip that was just removed. Cut it in half and attach to the vertical sides where the cowl side spot welds were removed, extending the legs. You have just recessed the cowl about 1 inch return the firewall back to the cowl. Here are some after the fact pictures, hope you can understand what I did. Here is a shot, this firewall has been recessed about 1 1/4". following pictures show details of how to do.

 

here is a couple pics of the motor in place

 

Here's two

 

you could always do this





this is what it looked like when I got the body. I added back the factory fire wall and the did the work above.

 

Any one that hacks the sides of a 34 firewall, should not own a 34. Just my opinion.