Thread: Another stupid newbie question

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I just found your site and I must say this has given me the most info of any site I have been on yet. Keep up the good work, I just got (2) 1940 Chevy truck cabs and am planning on make 1 ratrod out of them, I have the roof chop figured out but when you say chanelling the body does that mean just putting the frame up more into the body or does it mean actually taking a section out of the body between the bodyline and the bottom of the cab?

Is there anything that could make my life easier with chanelling the body? I want to get this as low as possible and keep as much drivability as possible

Welcome to CHR
I beleave that today chaneling involves removing rockers and maybe some of the door bottoms also moving the frame up into the body. Back when, it did mean removing a section through the belt line. My guess is it can be anyway you want it. After all its your car(truck). Got any pictures???

Being from Canada picture something that 99% of people would walk away from when they found it, and that is basically what I have. The reason I am going with the rat-rod look is because all i have for it is a cab and doors,,no frame, box, or front sheet metaL

How much do you usually take off the bottom of the doors?,,I saw a couple of trucks on e-bay that i really liked the look of but it is getting the right stance, look and rake that has me wondering.

My other question is about the frame, to keep it simple I was thinking of a 2wd S-10 frame, but I am worried about the frame being too wide for the truck my second plan was to go with a original frame because I would like to keep the straight axle in the front but have been warned they are terrible to drive

You're both mixing up two separate customising processes. Sectioning involves taking a horizontal slice from the body below the beltline. Channeling is simply dropping the body down over the frame rails, keeping the body dimensions intact. Usually this means cutting the floor out and reinstalling it higher up in the shell. sometimes a bit of a channel job can be done by redoing the body mounts.

A 1940 Chev pickup axle will steer all right if it's in good shape. New king pins will usually fix a straight axle. '49-'54 Chev car brakes and hubs fit, giving you 5-bolt wheels.
The S10 frame will fit inside the body, I think, but the front wheels are too far back to get the look I think you're after. The engine is between the front wheels, rather than being mostly behind them like most rods. Plus it's butt ugly.

Seems I was misinformed again, It seems that there are (2) cabs but 1 is a 1940 Chevy truck and 1 is a 1940 or 41 ford truck. The Ford cab seems to be more solid and but if I chop the top would't I need a section to put in the top of the doors and to fill in the roof to get the right lines.

When I read the post by R Pope I realize that is what I didn't like about alot of the rat-rods that I am seing online,,,the wheels are too far back in the front, you need to rally set them ahead to get them to look right.

I see the Honest Charley Speed Shop truck is a 40-41 Ford,,,and that is the exact look I am looking for. does anybody know any websites with any of the pics of that truck?

How much do you usually take off the bottom of the doors?,,I saw a couple of trucks on e-bay that i really liked the look of but it is getting the right stance, look and rake that has me wondering.

When you channel a body, you don't take anything off the doors. You cut out the floor and notch firewall so the whole body will slide down over the chassis. It takes some fabrication experience to get it done. Probably not the first job a new rodder should try.

My other question is about the frame, to keep it simple I was thinking of a 2wd S-10 frame, but I am worried about the frame being too wide for the truck my second plan was to go with a original frame because I would like to keep the straight axle in the front but have been warned they are terrible to drive.

Using the S-10 frame is not simple. With the steering assembly in front of the front axle, it makes it very difficult to fit to older cars. Assuming it's not rusted to pieces, the original frame is great. Get new kingpins put in the front axle, and you're good to go. There's nothing wrong with a good straight axle. You can buy a kit to install Mustang II parts and make it an IFS if you want. The parallel leaf spring suspension in the back works very well also.

if I chop the top would't I need a section to put in the top of the doors and to fill in the roof to get the right lines.

When you chop a top, you chop the doors to match. I have to tell you, though, a 1940 chop isn't easy because of the slant of the front windshield. It takes some pretty sophisticated cutting, welding and metal fabricating skills to chop a '40.

The metal fab isn't a problem with the body, it is just where and how much to take out, don't want to have to keep doing it to get the right look

If you can do the metal fab, then it's a matter of planning, measuring, measuring, measuring (did I say measuring?). . . and then cutting. Tex Smith's book "How to Chop Tops" is worth its weight in gold for a first timer.

Amazon.com: Tex Smith's How to Chop Tops (Hot Rod How to): Books: Leroi Tex Smith,Rich Johnson

O'Toole's book is good also.

Amazon.com: Chopping Tops: Practical Hot Rodder's Guide: Books: Larry O'Toole

You'll learn more in those two books than you will with a hundred questions here - although I'm not discouraging you from asking.

Just posted this on another chop question, but here it is again.

Before you do a lot of cutting, make some black and white copies of a picture of your project and chop it with a scissors and scotch tape, first...

An old Kustomizers trick, still works for me!!!!