Theres one running around the Detroit area...He works at Wheel2Wheel performance. Its a very reputable build shop. His is done very well. I noticed it , but its didnt look bad by any means. I think he widened his 4 inches.
I've been thinking about doing this to my rusty pile of parts too, maybe stretching the doors and cabin a few inches also, different nose and rearend also...crazy ideas... kinda of a 12EEE Model A
The one that I saw looked alittle odd. Model A are not very long to start with and when it is widened it will look even shorter. Neal
My 29 seemed pretty tight in the foot area and i had it against the flatty as far as i could get it. Was wondering if it could get wider without ruining the looks. Wasnt looking for really wide like 4 or 5 inches, just like 2 inches or so. Thanks for the replies. dusty
I'll second that. Definitely check out metalshape's roadster. Damn good to see you back here and talking hot rods!
yeah i'm workin on a 30 coupe kinda right now, (when she has $) its chopped 4 3/4 " ( 2 wide tapes and one thin) and widened 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch tapered. just the widening makes it look chopped more than it is. the body ( an old drag coupe severely channeled but was unchopped) was the perfect candidate cause there was no floor to cut. It will set around a '36+ frame thats been tortured to fit the extra inch+ allows just enough more width on the frame, plus it looks more to me like a 32, big butt. I would definitely not widen it more than 2 inches, especially up frront. The body looks way better but it is alot of work. (sometimes the subtle changes are better) model a coupes always looked a little wrong at the rear to me, kinda like most teenage girls... tp aka zibo oh yeah i'll get pics there not on this computer
I had been invisioning this myself, I was thinking of widening the body instead of pinching a 32 type frame, so far just been imagining it, but would love to see some pics of other 30 / 31's that have had this done. I thought about using a 32 firewall, but decided I wasn't willing to pay the price people are asking for those things! Dan
Dusty, good to see you on here again, thought maybe you had fallen off the face of the earth? As far as doing this, If it can be done with taste, your the man! Later.
Maybe 10 years ago DIRT Motorsports proposed a new class of racer running vintage type fiberglass bodies. The catch was they had to run a full-width cage, so the bodies had to be widened. They had a couple done, one with a 33-34 Ford body, I forget the other. UGLY AS SIN that way, they just looked goofy. So goofy the class never took off, in fact. Could have been 20 years ago, now, too, it predated the dwarf and legends cars by a few years. 2-3 inches max, more than that and you'll screw up the proportions.
I can't imagine that 2 inches added to the width would be that big a visual difference. But 2 inches would add a lot of interior room. More than that might change things too much, but 2 inches mess up the proportions? No way! Guys do plenty of other things that DO ruin the porportions, like radical chops and ridiculously low channel jobs and you guys love it! Guess my eyes are different.
Thanks again for all the replies guys. I think it can be done tastefully if you dont get carried away with the width. Is there a way to photoshop it width ways? I know there are a few good photochoppers here. Is there a place here on this new board to search for photos like metalshapes roadster? dusty
Well...... mine's been widened 12" (let the ragging begin...) I bought it as a project 2 years ago from a guy who had the work done at a shop in Grandview. It is a combination of a 49 Chrysler Windsor and a 29 A body. Wasn't my idea, but it works! Best part is it has the inline Spitfire 6, which is fairly unique for a hotrod. The body was widened to fit the frame, and the frame was shortened to fit the body. Nice thing is I can fit the wife and both kids! I'm sure it's an "abomination" by pure bread standards, but it's totally unique, and that's what fascinates me. I'd post a pic, but i'm at the Grandparents, on the way to Arkansas for the weekend. Maybe later if this thread continues. Or not if I catch a bunch of heat! Anyway, sketch it on paper, or have somebody do it for you like N8inks, and decide for yourself. Personally, I'm tired of going to shows and seeing the same 32 roadster in different colors. Push the boundaries a bit!
SWEET... How much wider did YA GO ! MAn that car looks great ... DId you built the top... how does the top attached to the winshield. who's tires are those..? MORE piC MORE PIC's ... Did I mention YOUR CAR LOOKS AWSOME(period).
Dont know why I never thought of doing that to the 29. It looks like it was done very well. Thanks for all the posts. dusty
I guess thats why you have the handle Metalshapes, that is one bad A. The 28/29 cowl is the most beautiful of Fords designs yet somehow I think yours looks even better chuck
Wow...Thanks guys. Here are some construction pics ( small & scanned...Sorry ) The Body is made out of a Sports Coupe Rear ( from B pillar back ), 2Dr Sedan Doors ( Cut down in height and mated to lengthened Roadster inner door panels ) , and a Roadster Cowl. The width & contours are pretty close to stock from the A pillar back, but the Cowl is wider at the Firewall. The way I did that is, I put the Doors in the Stock place for a Roadster Door ( eventhough its a lot longer ), and opened the cowl out on the door hinges untill it was wide enough to accept the '30/31 Firewall. I made my own Cowl top panel because I wanted it to go straight from the Windshield area to the top of the Grille Shell ( '28/29 curves up towards the Windshield...) The Body is also farther foreward than it would be on a stock '32 Chassis, because I wanted the reveal line on the side of the Rails to end exactly at the edge of the Cowl ( where the hood side would end, if it had one ) That shortened the Engine compartment, and I lengthened it back out by using the front of Model A Frame Rails ( different taper, and better looking Frame Horns...)
Great constuction pics. Is that a fiat abarth I see lurking in the back ground? Can we see more picks if it is still around? Thanks chuck
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