I was looking at Wesott's frame diagram for putting a Model A body on a 32 style frame and they show a flat top rail to account for the height/placement of a grille shell. However that got me to thinking about all the other Model A's on real 32 Ford frames over the years that obviously didn't have a flat top rail, but the graceful upper sweep of a stock frame. So what was the traditional method then for getting the grille shell to be the right height?Dropping it down between the rails? Sectioning the grille shell? Something else? The reason I ask is that I am putting together the plans for building a custom 32 style frame and after looking at the stock frame measurements vs. the modified Wescott style frame diagram, I am wondering what would look best or be the smarter way to plan ahead in the building process. What are your thoughts or experiences?
Just be sure the grille shell is lower than the top of the cowl. Glad your project is moving along. Bob
Thanks! Does that mean that the grille shell just sat lower? Did that look "right" to have a stock height shell hanging down lower? I gotta go scour the old mags for pics...
I built a 29 on 32 rails with a 32 shell, I cut about 2'' from the sides to get it down to the height of the cowl.
I'm using a stock '28 grill shell on my '28 tudor on '32 rails, but will compensate for the deuce frame's up-sweep by installing the front crossmember against the bottom of the frame rails. This will limit how much I can lower the front end, but it should ensure the grill top is just a little lower than the firewall.
tell ya how i figured it out (have yet to do it but this is my plan). i'm an autocad nerd so before i built my car and designed it all first. found a nice high resolution scan of the tudor sedan body from the ford model a book. then i took the wescotts diagram and imported then all into autocad. i basically drew everything up like i was making a copy over a light table. placed the body on the frame and viola, i had a model a tudor sedan on (flat) '32 rails. i then extended the existing hood line forward to the point where it would meet the grille shell so as to maintain the same hood "slope". from there i measured down and now i know that my '32 grille shell should be 25 1/4" high from the top of the frame. now i need to figure out how the grille shell should be orientated vertically in relation to the cowl ie parallel, leaning forward or leaning back. fwiw my hood length will be 30".
Ha! Guess I should have stuck with AutoCAD back in high school... that would be WAY more accurate than fiddling around in photoshop!
I have done 2 30/31 bodies on 32 rails and on both I used 2 inch shortened Walker radiators and cut the sides of the deuce shell to fit. Both cars had good hood lines.
I'm building a '29 Sedan on Jim Weimer '32 rails, unpinched. I have an Essex grille I want to use, I'll basically wing it and modify it as necessary to look right.
If your 32 Ford grill is not too low it is too high. Think about it and step back and look. Not just 5 feet but 20 or 30 feet back. Just looking at my avatar and my grill is too high.
That's my ultimate pet peave with '29 on '32 rails cars... Rootlieb even makes a hood for a stock height, uncut '32 shell on a '28 '29. The freekin' hood sides to top panel joint runs uphill... AAAARRRRGGGG! That's as wrong as salami ice cream! Even a stock '28-'29 shell needs an inch or so when the whole works is mounted on a deuce frame, otherwise it sticks out like a soar thumb. Someone above mentioned stepping back about 20 or 30 feet. That's an absolute nessesity, but good old masking tape acn be a good friend in this case, too. Trim a bit off the shell, drop it on the car, stretch a couple of strips of tape where the hood will (or should) go, then step back and look. Much easier with the visuals.
Great info here FWIW Walker also sells a 32 rad w/3" haircut. But have been told that 2" is the most typical....guess the 3" has a little more wiggle room.
grille shell height/placement: tradition vs. pre-planning <HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1>Guys mocked things up and stepped back and looked at them "back in the day" too. Those great looking iconic cars from the past didnt just happen by accident.
Seeing this pop up made me think abou the most important part I forgot in my inittial post - DONT BUY THE RADIATOR BEFORE THE MOCK UP! Mock it up, make it perfect, THEN build or buy the radiator to fit the shell. It rarely works out well the other way around. There are so many cars running around where this is just not right. If you bought the radiator up front, because it's expensive, ya gotta run it. Trust me the other way around works better.
Hot damn... For once I got the right one. Never heard that 3" is a better fit for a 28 - 29....I just thought a little room was better than not> thanks
I went the other way. I reversed sectioned the body 2 inches and used stock height grill shell and radiator:
I trimmed about 2 inches off the sides of my shell and used a Brassworks radiator that was made special for an A on duece rails.
ditto....on my 30. kept shell stock length, just cut the sides up about 2 1/2" and it puts it right where I wanted it...and I like how the bottom of the shell is in front of the axle too.