Projects Hot rod on an original T frame

I appreciate all cars, but if I had to peg myself, I'd say I was a shoebox guy... Always have been, even before I knew it.

Not withstanding, the gears in my head are always turning, and sometimes the bug to build something out of my comfort zone bites pretty hard.

I dont know a damn thing about Model T's.
The funny thing about that is that I'v been "collecting" T parts for 20 years. Not an impressive collection by any means... A rusty frame, a front axle, a few suspension parts, and a POS cowl. I think there's a door and a wheel out there in the garage also. I never intended to do anything with them, it's just when I heard of a T part that someone wanted to get rid of, I always steped up and took it.

Having been recently inspired by the "rebuilding a plymouth flathead 6" and also by the supercharged hudson 8 in a bucket,,,,, Well, I'v been thinking.... Thinking that the bug is biting me.

So, someone school me on what I can do with what I'v got.

How "buildable" is a T frame? Does it make a decent foundation for a Rod?

I'm thinking of a flathead inline 6 mated to a T-5 running back to a modern rear end.

For the body, my cowl would make a decent foundation for a home made woodie.

What say you guys?

 

Model T frames are for stock Model T's only.

 

Make one out of rectangle tubing.

http://www.the-antidote.com/one/1chass01.htm


The stock T frame is pretty flimsy.

 

Not that much diff between T and A frame. T motor/tranny assy weighs more than A motor/tranny assy.

Depends on the motor you use, how much you reinforce/box

 

I think the A frame is 1" taller, which makes a big difference is stiffness.

 

Go for it!!!! I think this is a great idea. I have myself been planning a hot rod using a flathead straight 6 or 8.

If you use a flathead with a very square shape, like that Plymouth 6 in the other thread, or a Pontiac straight 8, I think you will have rod with a very distinctive engine.

Hot rodding is all about using what ya got, so go for it.

You will probably need to reinforce the T frame. Consider running a tube, front to rear, below the T side rails.

ASCII art:


This is the stock frame from the side:

=================================


This is the frame with the reinforcing tube plus a few vertical uprights:

=================================
\_______|_________|__________|______/

The tube would only need to be 2 or 3 inches from the stock frame rails, but it would provide a significant strength increase and you probably would not need to box the stock frame.

 

One should never use an original "T" frame for anything other than a restoration/speedster. The time/effort/money involved in reinforcing the frame to work isn't worth it when you would be way ahead with just using rectangular tubing instead.

 

+ 1 for rusted nut.

 

Model T frames aint nothing like model A frames ! I wouldn't use T frame for a go-cart !

 

This is GMCBUBBAS

 

Yeah, if you put them side by side you can see a big difference. Use tubing.

 

This is some wrong info, Model T frame looks like a bed spring!! I won't use it for anything but a stocker.Get yourself some Total performance plans & make your own.
Or buy one of theres un welded.
jimV

 

The original "T" frame, it is boxed and it has been since 1962. It also has a 37 tube axle with split bones. This car goes against any thought of car building and it has been a great car driving down the road.

 

A Mopar flathead weighs about the same as a SBC (600 pounds dry). It has 100 HP and gobs of torque - I'm fairly sure you would twist a T frame, even if it could handle the weight. But reinforced, sure, why not? Depends on your frame-reinforcing materials and skills. If you can scrounge up some tubing as discussed upthread, it could work.

 

Theory, or experience? What went wrong with the one you built that didn't work?

 

That car is HOT!

 

Sound dangerous. Throw the T frame in the scrap pile and build your own with some 2x3 tubing or get an A frame and box it.

 

???

 

t frames used vanadium steel. box section tubing is mild steel, by the time you are done farting around with mild steel tube i dont think you would be too far ahead. old boy hadfield rencently did a T based HA/GR car and a T coupe with an ardun, both on original chassis

 

This has been covered a couplt times here-

You would probably be better off using tubing. While Henry did use stronger stuff, it's STILL a pretty flimsy set of rails- put it on jacks on the four corners and then take one out...

Rather than trying to box the thing, you can make a nice frame out of 2x3 OR 2x4 (TT trucks had a deeper frame than passenger cars) tubing, then go about placement of axle/engine/tranny mounts and the possibility of a X member, etc.

 

Bollocks - my T Model Ford has a 1921 One Ton Truck frame that has been boxed, zeed and pinched. It has a 26 Body and a 1957 347 Pontiac motor with F1 brakes and 30's Ford suspension.

If I can do it in the UK it should be an absolute piece of piss in the US of A.

 

Wade-a-minit! Nobody said anything about a TT frame They ARE good but a bare Model T frame laying on the floor will twist like a pretzel if you pick up one corner

 

In 1959 I was a dumb kid and used a T frame on my 241 Dodge powered Bantam. In 2008 I would never do that again, or even an A. When I dropped the hammer you could see the car flexing. To flimsly for my taste

 

A T frame is fine for a T rod with a mild drivetrain. Once boxed it is as good or better than a 2 x 3 tube chassis. If you plan on running a strong drivetrain a larger frame would be best. I have a boxed T frame under my 27 tudor, its held up for years, with different engines. I'm going to build a 2 x 4 tube chassis for it now because the T frame isn't long enough or stout enough to hold the FE that I have planned.

 

i have a model t roadster that i restored from the ground up to orginal.when i go over rough conditions you can feel the whole thing move around including the body.when henry ford designed the t roads were not good.it was made to give for the conditions.the tt truck frame is bigger but also a lot heavier and longer.the front x member also isn`t wide enough to use a model A spring. model t springs aren`t as wide as the a`s and can`t hold the extra weight as well as the A which everyone uses with a dropped axle.till you get done all the modifications you`ll wish you would have use square tube and started from new metal.thats what you`ll basically will have when it`s done.modelt`s are straight rails.when i built my model A pick up i used a stock frame and boxed it.it was alot of work.blasting the rust off,checking to see if it was square,plugging holes that weren`t needed,and welding plates trying not to wrap it among other things.at times i wished i`d bought a vendor frame but now i can say i built it along with the x members.it handles the mild sbf great.

 

don't junk it, send it to me.....

 

I believe that the Ratican-Jackson-Stearns blown Olds powered Fiat A/A was built in 1958 on a set of T rails and the car survives today. The upper cage structure was updated in the '90s, but if you look at the rebuild photos found in this article, http://www.cacklefest.com/Stearns.shtml the frame wasn't even boxed and while there is a lot more structure in the cage now there wasn't that much in the beginning. That should say something about the strength of the lowly T frame.

We are basing our HA/GR chassis on a set of T rails, http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189651 but I don't think our 218" '34 Dodge flathead 6 will be putting out near the horsepower or torque of a blown Olds.

 

Rusted nuts said it well , But a re-construct using "T" chassis needs a lot of though befor one begins the project. 1 1/2x 3'' -- 3/16 thick isn't
much to work with

 

When I was in High school in the 50's and broke I built my first T bucket using 2 model t frames to build a boxed set of rails. A lot of welding then grining smooth from the firewall foreward. It's a whole lot easier to use tubing

 

Just a thought................did anybody read Royalshifter's post?