Hot Rods The Unibody Roadster Dissected

A while a go people were asking about my '28, and I promised to take some pics once I had some time.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314324&highlight=metalshapes+roadster



My goal was to get the total height of the car at or under 4', with a reasonable ground clearence.
And it needed to be comfortable enough for me to take it on longer drives, if I wanted to ( I'm 6'2" )

So building a regular Highboy was out, there just wasn't going to be enough space...

I found a bit more space by using Sportscoupe Quarter Panels ( that gave about 7 or 8" more interior space because the cockpit goes back farter than a Roadster does )
That meant I had to section them a bit to make them line up with the Roadster Cowl, and I had to make my own doors out of 2Dr Sedan skins & Roadster insides ( lengthened )

But that still wasn't enough, so I dropped the floor down so it was flush with the underside of the Framerails ( aftermarket '32 )



Here is a pic looking down.



And one without the seat.

 

I've always thought that idea made sense, and wondered why more people didn't do it. Looks really cool dude.

 

Neat! Is there any other bracing that connects the floor to the sides?

DOH! Didn't see the other link til now, sorry. Still is there more inner bracing around the cowl? Looks really solid, even after the tow.

 

Ah, how to get more leg room for looong legs without loosing style on the vehicle.
I like the way you ran the exhaust under to the car to the back, that adds a touch of class in it's self.

 

hmmm, looks like it's coming apart for............ paint?

 

I always loved this creation. Someday I hope to see it in person.

 

I really like the bead pattern you did in the floor. Right and to the point, nothing extra. Great job on the whole car, really!!

 

Well put and I agree!

 

Since the Framerails are 6" tall, and the subrails are at least one more inch that gave me more than 7" extra interior space.

This pic is of the pass side foot well, and inside of the right Frame Rail.





The driveshaft tunnel is connected to the rear bulkhead





And in front to the Firewall

 

Also, the Tunnel is closed off underneath, to give the Spine some extra strength.

But its stepped up so the Exhaust pipes have a channel to run through.



They stick out about 1/2 of the diameter to give them a chance to cool, and to have a "soft" barrier in case I hit something.
( I 'd rather mess up an exhaust pipe than rip up the underside of my car...)

 

Thanks for taking the time to post! VERY cool.

 

But where the driveshaft tunnel goes into the trannytunnel the underside is open to give the Transmission the space it needs.

 

The only two Crossmembers are the ones that hold the Buggy Springs for the front & rear suspension, so there was no strong point to hang the rear off the Tranny off.
( 3 if you count the one that holds the front of the engine...)

So I used a early cast aluminum Scattershield, that uses '55/6/7 mounts.



And the engine mounts are '55 to '57 Chevy as well...

 

The gastank mounts from underneathand is completely shielded from the passenger compartment.
( once I make a little cover over the pick up tube...)



It sits on the right hand side of the car, just in front of the rear axle.
( the best place for weight distribution, center of gravity, and safety )



I made it out of Mild steel sheet, it has baffles, and its coated on the inside against rust.

 

Its 17.5 Gal,and it fills through the trunk...

 

Thanks for the comments, guys.

ElP, no... Not for paint yet.
It will get paint, but not now.

I just wanted to do a couple of things to it ( the rear settled a bit too much, so I want to pick it back up, etc.
And check a couple of things, since its been on the road for 8 or so years...)

 

thats awesome! nice work

 

WOW!! VERY clever! I LOVE it!!

Silly question... what lap belts are you running??

 

The Battery sits on the left hand side, behind the seat.
And goes in from the top.

 

This is truly one of the nicest cars I have seen. And by far one of my favorites. Alex is definitly a master cratsman. I've got a piture of me standing by it. I'm 6'1" tall, and the roof line is just over waist high.

 

Deist with the Surplus style Latches.

 

The whole interior/framing layout looks very similar to my MGB.
Coincidence?

 

No, not really...

I looked at a lot of cars.

Brit, German, Italian, etc...

 

Rear suspension.

The '57 Ford rear axle is mounted to a pair of '36 Bones, that I kept as long as possible.
( I wanted a bit of flex because I was not able to have them pivot under the car, and the pivot points had to be on the outside of the Rails )

In line with the A Pillar/ front of the door seemed like a nice spot...



I made them follow the curve of the Frame Rails by Heat Shrinking them.
( an O/A flame, a bucket of water & a rag, and a day per siide... )



The pocket for the pivot point attaches the Framerail to the Boxingplate, and its oval so I can get a Cotterpin in...

 

Sideways movement is taken up by a Panhard Bar.

I kept it as long as possible, and low for a low Rollcenter.





And I lengthened the Shackles, so the rear spring isn't fighting the Panhard Bar.

 

The only place the mufflers could go was on top of each other, behind the rear axle.

 

Never saw all the details in the same thread Alex, looks good. I am a tad torn on my Tudor, got some ideas that would be a hybrid of your uni and a stock frame body. We will see.

 

ditto....I have always been intrigued by the conversations I have overheard about your car Alex...thanks for posting this up!

--reed

 

Thats about it...

Because the Body is welded to the frame, and the extra strength from the spine, the car is really stiff.

It makes the suspension work very well, and there is very little cowl shake.
( the Koni shocks dont hurt either... )


Future plans are to finish off the last little bits of Fab Work.
And pull it apart for Paint & Upholstery.

And I think I want to change the rear suspension.
It has held up nicely, but now that the car has Racefab Horsepower, I think it needs to be beefed up a bit.
( put less stress on the '36 Bones )

Here are some more detail pics...

The character line in the Rails ends exactly at the edge of the Cowl.



The Draglink drops down,



So I made an adjuster in the middle.



Little detail on the Doorjamb...



Model A Framehorns
( I like those a lot better than '32 Framehorns )



Shockmount
( modified Truck Steeringarm )



Temp Gauge.



Engine.
( 327 with a mcCulloch Blower )

 

Nice job. That's essentially what I did on my track roadster. I'm 6'2" also and space was hard to come by. I only regret that I didn't lengthen the cabin as you did. It's still a little cramped. The cowl on mine is about crotch high and the top of the windsheild is belly button or so.

Charlie