Projects Model A question

I absolutely love Russco's blue coupe! I am building my 30 to be similar. I plan to box the frame and run split front bones and a banjo rear. I read that he z'd the rear of his frame 3 inches to lower the rear and his frame shows below his car. My question is could I keep the frame straight and just channel the car to get it where I want it to sit. Not looking to have my tires over the quarters or anything but want it to sit more like Russco's.



Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

cut trunk floor and kickup 3 inches

 

If I step it up and channel it will it not make the spring really high in the trunk floor?


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

The Model A frame ends at the center of the rear wheel opening, and the high arch rear spring inside the arched rear cross member already sticks up into the trunk. If you "Z" it the spring/crossmember will indeed be higher up in the trunk area. If you channel the whole body everything is up into the interior which isn't too bad if you're under six feet tall, but if you chop the top also it gets real tiny in there.

 

I cut my frame at a 45* angle and put the long point of the back end even with the short point of the front end, then welded and " plated" the whole thing.This keeps the wheelbase at stock length.This is going in a "31 A coupe. I also made my own spring set-up with a low arch spring that still leaves 4" of travel.This put the back end down about 4 ". I put in a 4" drop front axle with 24" dia. tires / 29" dia tires in back.This brings the whole car down and creates a "rake" at the same time.I did have to modify the subframe in the back end, but it wasn't too bad a job (4 1/2 " angle grinder with a thin kerf disk).I still have to finish the project, and the road will tell how things went, but I think it'll work fine; if not , I'll do it again.It's a learning process, but it's interesting figuring it out. Good Luck! Mike from Mass.

 

I am flattered you like my coupe so much, its not really that big of a hump in the floor. I used the Hump from a sedan on the trunk floor of the coupe. I'll try to find a picture of the hump/trunk floor.

 

RUSSCO- your coupe is my desktop image at work. you hit the nail on the head with that one. I look at it everyday. Do you have any pics of your car with a 30 or 31 radiator shell on it.

 

And note the beauty of that quick change in Russco's ride like we discussed elsewhere!

 

Thanks, again I'm flattered. I got lucky that it turned out as nice as it did.
I don't have any pics with the "A" grille because it only had the 32 grille while I had it.

Notch, I found a couple pictures of the subframe modification and frame step, and one of the trunk floor finished, but its carpeted but you can get the idea.

 

Russco's coupe is / was an inspiration for many of us here, myself included.

The way I dealt with getting the rear low was somewhat unconventional but really effective and fairly easy and totally reversible.

I took the rear spring out and cut the top of the crossmember out and re-arched it upward 2".
Essentially channeling the rear of the car over the spring 2". This took very little time, only required longer U bolts, and to the removable sheetmetal panel in the trunk I just welded in a little box hump type deal.
I did very very minor modification to the rumble seat spring structure for it to fit.

My reasoning was I knew later I would move the body to a deuce frame and didn't want to cobble up the subrails if it wasn't necessary.

 

That, along with a T spring and 750 rears gives this tire to wheel well height.

 

That's Ingenious!

 

channel it, if you have no interest in comfort.

 

Another option is to use a spring behind rearend. Lenghten the frame 7 and a half inches use the spring behind rear and get pretty much the same results. Look on my profile page and you'll see a pic of my coupe.

 

Thanks Russco, I just wanted minimal invasive surgery

 

Thanks A Rodder, i often wondered why it couldn't have been done that way

 

Thanks for the info and the pics. Gives me something to think on.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I lowered the rear of my A by, using a 37' spring which has much less arch and removing a combination of short and long leaves until it was as low as possible but did not bottom out. Result is same ride height as "A Rodder", but stock uncut trunk. Add a contoured block above the spring to make up the arch difference and you can use the stock u-bolts.

Everything can be put back the way it was if you change your mind later.

You can also lower it a good bit just by removing leaves from the A spring. Stock spring is way too stiff for modern roads anyhow.

 

I z'd the frame on my Model A the width of the frame, about 3" and still leaves you a usable trunk. This is the second Model A I have done this way, Tardel Book "How to build a V8 A " is a good reference.

 

Spring behind on my A Tudor:

 

I followed the Tardel-Bishop book. Z'd rear frame with 4" drop in front. I hesitated to cut the frame,but it was easy once I started.

John

 

A ROD, what did you make the cuts with ... whiz wheel?

 

Here's another take on the spring behind setup. I'm using this on the '31 truck I'm building. Should drop it about the same as the Tardel Z. It'll get a C-notch over the tubes then fully boxed.

 

High speed cut off wheel, or what I call a hot saw.
Makes easy controlled cuts.

 

Nice tires. What are they?

 

Just some cheapo 7.50x16 bias ply truck tires that I grooved up to look like old dirt trackers.