Thread: trans tunnel doner ??

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my steel duece body im getting doesnt have front floor , so im thinking of how to make a trans tunnel and have it look good my idea is to get a junk yark car and cut the tunnel out so it is a perfect form , not a battered piece of metal that i may produce , any ideas on what cars have a low trans tunnel that also tapers off ???

I thought of doing the same thing in the '39 Dodge truck, seemed like a logical thing to just go to a junkyard with my generator and sawzall and cut out a closefitting floor and weld it back in. My Kid talked me out of it and says it will be just as easy to bend up some 18 gauge to be an exact fit and weld it in, and after thinking about it, he is right. The chances of finding a floor with exactly all the little bumps and curves I would have needed are slim, and I will get a custom made one this way.

JMO,


Don

I usually build mine using a slip roller (wrapping it around a post will work too), two plastic mallets, and a sandbag. At my age, think I should have an English Wheel and planishing hammer!!!!!

Anyway, start with a template made from posterboard, trace it on the steel sheet, cut it out and start fitting.... Not that technically difficult, but it is very time consuming to get a good looking one. (that you will cover with carpet anyhow!!!!) Got to make it presentable from the bottom side, too....

im sure if i find a shape some where i can get a sheet of metal and breat it till itlooks like the contour of a tunnel i just thought the cuttin of a floor maybe a good idea

Originally Posted by godspeed32

im sure if i find a shape some where i can get a sheet of metal and breat it till itlooks like the contour of a tunnel i just thought the cuttin of a floor maybe a good idea

If you can find one that would match the contour and height you need, it would be a great idea.... Maybe one of the smaller cars with limited footroom might be a good place to start looking?????

What's wrong with the one Brookville makes?

brookville says that i have to make my own tunnel ?? i was a little taken back by that but that is what im told so i guess i will see what i get in june ..

I have a brand new Rodbod tunnel you can have free (just pay for the cost of shipping, which from Washington might be a bit). Note that it is just the trans tunnel, not the entire floorboard. I removed it and made my own because it was too tall and took up too much foot room for my taste. The new one was easy to make, bent it over a 5 gal paint bucket and used cardboard patterns. Let me know if interested.

hello can you send me a pm with a email i can get a hold of you ? im interested ...

Sorry but pm is beyond my limited computer ability. If you post your email address I will respond & try to include photos (that I do know how to do).

Okay, I went into my user area and added pm (I think) but still don't see how it is sent. What am I missing?

Originally Posted by godspeed32

im sure if i find a shape some where i can get a sheet of metal and breat it till itlooks like the contour of a tunnel i just thought the cuttin of a floor maybe a good idea

Why don't you try and make one? It's very rewarding if you do accomplish it, you can always go the junkyard route. It may take 2 or 3 tries but what you will learn will help you in anther areas. The other thing you can do is go to a community collage and take a course in sheet metal work and use all their tools plus learn allot. Just a suggestion

Originally Posted by new 32 roadster

Okay, I went into my user area and added pm (I think) but still don't see how it is sent. What am I missing?

Click on godspeed32's username in the upper left hand corner of one of his posts. A window will open that will let you send a PM.

im going to end up making my own floor , but i thought it was a super nice offer to give what would have needed but im gonna run into the same issue n32 did , being we both have 4 speeds

Just make it out of posterboard first, it's a lot cheaper and easier to work with then sheet metal. Once your pattern fits good, transfer it to the sheet metal and cut it out. For putting the bend in for the tunnel, the tank off your mig welder or oxy-acetalene torch will work fine if you don't have a slip roller.... Just takes a bit more manual labor.