Thread: New guy from Central Illinois

Tweet

Hi. I am new to the forum and to hot rod building. Plenty of automotive background and now that the kids are raised, I am ready to start. Own 2 Model T's and a few future projects in the barn. First is 1930 Chevy Sedan that I want to make a hot rod out of.........First Question.......Should I be looking for a small truck Chassis/engine for a base for this body?? No idea where to start. Thanks!

First welcome to the club! Glad to have you here! Next, do you have an idea of what "type" of ride you want to end up with? If you search thru the galleries above you can find all sorts of rides and when one of them "tickles" your interest, try to identify why or what parts you like. After a time you'll start to develop what you want your to look like when it's done. Some-one round here says "plan the work and work the plan"! Personally, I'm not a fan of "re-fitting" a later model chassis under a car. But then it's not mine is it!

A 30's chassis is pretty simple and if your not going for big horsepower, your present chassis may be up for some upgrades and save you a lot of work!

Hope it helps!?!?

Generally speaking the small truck chassis can be a simple swap to get an older body on the road.... the down side is usually while the chassis is close it is usually not close enough to really be and look right. Most are often a bit too long or to short and too wide to locate the wheels properly.

So you either live with something that doesn't look quite right or you go thru the effort required to shorten/legnthen and narrow the really fit the body, then go about building proper mounts to bolt the body and fenders to. Depending on how good your original frame is it is often easier and cheaper (in the long run) to upgrade what you already have.

Welcome to the madness! For what it's worth, I agree with Mike (both of them!!). If your '30 Chebby is complete I would be looking at boxing the frame, either fully or partial depending on where you're headed with the build. While I can see the logic of taking something like a S10 chassis & powertrain for a base it's too "non-traditional" for me. Also, resale on the "hybrids" is not so good from what I've seen. If your '30 chassis is too far gone then my approach would be either repop rails (assuming Chevy's are out there...), looking for a OEM style aftermarket chassis, or building from scratch. But as Mike1 said, "...it's not mine, is it!" Post up some pictures of your stable of projects when you can! We love to kibitz!

Welcome to CHR! You already have a good start on your Sedan, you registered here! Great bunch of guys with like 15 gazillion combined years of experience, and probably nothing you could ask about building a Hot Rod that someone one here won't come back with a "been there, done that" learning experience and how they worked through it.

The old Chevy frames aren't the best in the world, but with proper reinforcement and some good suspension they work great--as for the small pickup frame, as Mike, Mike and Roger said it can be done but by the time you're done you've got as much time and effort making it fit as you would in a brand new set of rails or building with what you have. Whichever way you decide to go on the chassis remember the first rule.....keep the process of building it fun!!!!!

Thanks everyone for the replies. My 30 chassis is really very intact. Even to the point that I have not ruled out an original restoration like I did my Model T's but I'm missing some engine parts and the tranny case is broken and I really want to build a Rod. Still debating with myself on that. Roger, what is meant by "boxing out the frame?" From what you guys are saying I think I would certainly stick with my present frame. Is it feasible to affix a later model front suspension and rear end to my 1930 frame? Thanks for all the help. Im gettin pumped up.

Originally Posted by Vray

Thanks everyone for the replies. My 30 chassis is really very intact. Even to the point that I have not ruled out an original restoration like I did my Model T's but I'm missing some engine parts and the tranny case is broken and I really want to build a Rod. Still debating with myself on that. Roger, what is meant by "boxing out the frame?" From what you guys are saying I think I would certainly stick with my present frame. Is it feasible to affix a later model front suspension and rear end to my 1930 frame? Thanks for all the help. Im gettin pumped up.

The OEM frame is a "C" channel with the open side of the "C" to the inside of the rails. Boxing simply refers to cutting a piece, or pieces of nominal 1/8" sheet steel to mirror the outside profile, and welding that to the inside of the "C", closing the box for strength. Mine was fully boxed with the back ends bobbed and closed in and the front ~10" left open, which I later boxed myself, fully closing in the front rails, too. You'll want to stitch weld the boxing plates to prevent warping your frame. Does that explanation make sense?
It is definitely feasible to attach updated front suspension components to your frame, either IFS or a repro dropped I-beam, depending on the look and handling you want. Look at Pete & Jakes or Speedway for ideas.

If memory serves me correct, the old Chevy frames are 10ga., just a bit under 1/8"... I'm a big fan of the Independent Front Suspension, others here prefer the look of an I-beam like the original. Either way can give you a quality disk brake system, discs on the rear are easy, too. I like a narrowed 9" Ford on the rear with coil-over suspension and triangulated 4 bar, others have gone to the 3 link rear to free up a bit of space for exhaust over the housing.

Best advice I could offer is to sit down and decide the look, or "theme" you want on the car, then plan carefully to purchase the parts that will compliment your central theme. The more time spent planning things out leaves fewer surprises during the course of the build.

And, 2 rules that hold true on every project;
1. It's going to take longer then you thought
2. It's going to cost more then you thought

Welcome to CHR.. Useing the stock frame is byfar the easiest way to go....I built a 32 using the stock frame. I added a Ford 9" out back and a Mustang 2 in the front. both were very easy with the body removed. I had the same problem with my 32 it was a complete car with everything to make it run. I had it about 6 months before one night walking out to the shop and choping it 4"s that started the project.

Thanks for the boxing explanation....makes perfect sense. I'll try to get some pics up of what I'm working with and always open for suggestions. Thanks guys.

These are pictures of my 32 frame it was boxed and added a frame inside the orignal.

built this back in the 80s

"I had it about 6 months before one night walking out to the shop and choping it 4"s that started the project". I like that. Thanks for the pics, Charlie. That helps.

Welcome and good luck. I agree with the guys. With moderate power levels a stock boxed frame will be fine. My dads 27 roadster sits on boxed stock model a rails and he is running a 331 Ford stroker in it. You will be fine. Welcome again to this fine forum. Don Jr.