Thread: General Guide??

Tweet

rspears,
Nevermind the question about the roller chassis. I just read your post again and saw that you said to purchase the Premium Roller.

Originally Posted by rspears

I bet I spent a month trying to decide on my wheels & tires to get the right (in my eyes) stance, and I went to several shows where I looked more at tires than cars.

Roger, I remember those days very well, I still have all the pics of tires/wheels that you sent me.

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Some people have even cut round circles out of plywood to simulate the diameter of the tires they plan on running and using those for mockup.

Don

Don, are you making fun of me again?


Due to the angle used when taking the pic it's hard to see the difference in the diameter of the front and rear. I cut the fronts at 24½" and the rears at 30¾".

BTW kcs83, this is an N&N '32 body that Roger referred to earlier.

Mike


01-22-10 wood wheels (Large).JPG

Roger those N&N rollers look pretty nice and the price is good for what they include.

I was thinking the same thing. I am just wondering what all the roller chassis includes.... They don't have a spec sheet on their site. Does anyone happen to have one or should I contact them to get the info??

Originally Posted by stovens

Roger those N&N rollers look pretty nice and the price is good for what they include.

Yessir - the base roller has P&J Ibeam front, hairpins, vega box, triangulated 4-link rear w/coilovers, brakes plumbed, MC installed & pedal hung, motor mounts and tranny crossmember. For $1000 more you get the front axle, spring, hairpins, batwings, tie rod & panhard/sway bar chrome up front; and in back the 4-link and coilovers chromed - best $1000 you can spend, for sure. I did several options, like door handles, trunk handle, splash aprons ('33), etc and option prices are very reasonable. Bodies are tops, fully reinforced with 1" square tube structure. Like I said, you can't find better folks to work with, period.

Thanks Roger. Do you recommend upgrading to IFS? Or is that not really necessary?

Originally Posted by kcs83

I was thinking the same thing. I am just wondering what all the roller chassis includes.... They don't have a spec sheet on their site. Does anyone happen to have one or should I contact them to get the info??

It's not really a spec sheet, but if you look on the "32's" Page and read the details in the pricing it spells out the parts & pieces that are included (no chrome on the "Standard Roller" - you paint everything: (Link) 32s

Original style frame rails with front and rear cross members.
Dropped Front Axle assembly.
dropped tube axle (plain)
spring
spindles
shocks and mounts
tie rod, drag link
4 bar or hairpin system with bat wings (plain)
Fully installed brake system, front and rear plumbed. Engine, transmission, steering and master cylinder mounts installed. Brake pedal included. 9" Ford rear with axles. Triangulated 4 bar rear.

Then the Premium Roller tells you the chrome pieces:

Chrome Pieces Included:

Rear 4 Bar
Front 4 Bar
Dropped Axle
Rear Coil Covers
Bat Wings
Spring Perches
Lower Shock Mounts
Drag Link

Call Duane and tell him Roger in KC promised you special treatment

Originally Posted by kcs83

Thanks Roger. Do you recommend upgrading to IFS? Or is that not really necessary?

My personal preference for a hiboy is old school I-beam front, but that's just me - I like that look, and mine tracks and rides fine for me. Not sure if Duane has an IFS option or not. Might have to do a chassis from someone else, and take it to Duane for his body like Mike did - TCI Chassis, N&N body.
Here's where I started:Followed Me Home, '33 Build

Doing a Deuce highboy makes a lot of sense and will also solve a lot of problems for you. For one, the wheelbase is a little longer at 106, which also means more room in the engine compartment. The body is also a little roomier than the earlier T or A bodies, and the extra width between frame rails affords more room for a transmission, pedals, muffers, etc.

If you have the budget by all means start with someones roller chassis. It will put you so far ahead and allow you to concentrate on things like installing the driveline and body. There are so many parts available to build a 32 that you will have no problem finding what you need.

What you have to do first though is decide exactly what final look you are after and buy the components that will give you that look. Wheels and tires are a major part of attaining that look, so you will want to be very selective there...........the wrong wheels and tires can really make an otherwise cool car not so cool.

Don

Also look at the size of the doors---some are easier to get in and out---suicide doors are hinged at the back and open from the front---I like them on the 33's that I have done--did a 32 5 window, it was pretty small but the owner was pretty tiny--

A note about the lengths of different years---they lengthened them another 6 inches in 33--

Get a cataloque from different builders , they will show some diagrams and sizes

Thanks guys. I will be getting in contact with some builders here soon and getting some more in detail information.

I do have the money saved up to buy a roller chassis so it's looking like I will be going that route. Just need to decide whics one. I need to decide on the final look I want like everyone has mentioned before I make the big leap.

All of this info is really helpful and has started to put things into perspective a lot more. Thanks guys.

if buying a roller for a high boy--study tire/wheel combos for what you like because they will be one of the main items people look at and the rear end needs to be right width for the wheel back spacing

In todays market place you may end up with 17 inch rear 15 fronts--to get the tire/wheel, big/little look

Jerry,
I was just looking at some wheels and determined the exact thing you mentioned as far as the big/little look. I was thinking 17 rear and 15 fronts. I like the low profile look on tires so I may go bigger yet. What size tire do you recommend?

I don't like the lowwwww profileso much and there aren't many nice size tires in 15s these days but there is some decent profiles in the 17s---you'll just have to look at the shows---take a small digital camera and take pics of tire/wheel combos and then the whole car profile. The pics of the cars in my gallery are with 15 rears

KCS83, like Jerry says you should not let anyone tell you what size tire & wheel to use. It is pure personal preference and one of the most important decisions you will make in your build. For a traditional street rod I followed the guidelines that you want between five and seven inches of "drop" from back to front - I used 30" tall rears and 24" tall fronts, after looking at hundreds of combo's. One thing to consider is brake caliper clearance - I went with 15" wheels (15x10" and 15x4"), and I had to grind the outside of my rear calipers to fit inside the wheel. Also, like Jerry says it's harder and harder to get 15" tires - mine came from Coker at a premium price. Coker bought the BFG molds for the P285R70x15's, which have been one of the tires of choice. In hindsight I would have gone at least 16's in back, or even 17's for wider choice of tires in the future. For me, I cannot abide the super low profile "rubber band" tires on a traditional rod - just not right for my eyes. I might go 50 series profile, but not any lower numbers for me....