Thread: Are all Model A chassis the same?

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If you want to get it really low, you have to Z the frame, front and rear. That is, put a kick up on both ends (usually higher in the rear) so that the center part, under the body is lower, and you don't have to channel it so far.

You would do it like the picture below.

Don

That might be the better way to go, that way I can still keep the k-member or x-member in place, but also have the floor low enough to drive relatively comfortably.

You can set the ride height anywhere you want by Z-ing the frame on one or both ends. You can also get a low front by using a tube or I-beam axle with quite a bit of drop. If you want to channel the body over the frame, however, the critical height is the amount of headroom inside - floor to ceiling. Remember, the frame comes up inside the body - particularly the X-member. I would set the ride height first, then determine how much headroom you'll lose by channelling the body. Then you can determine how much to chop the top.

I think you had asked a question awhile ago about what books might be good to read. I can't think of any offhand, but authors like Tex Smith, Don Montgomery (I think that is his name) and others all have books out about how to build hot rods and sometimes traditional rods.

If you have a Barnes and Noble Bookstore or similar in your area, go there and start looking at some of these. There are certain standards that never change from car build to car build, and once you understand these, it will make your hunt and build much easier.

I have always felt that the perfect first car for a rodder to get his feet wet in is the old standby T bucket. It is not everybody's idea of the ultimate car, but they have a lot going for them. They can be relatively easy and cheap to build, there a a million of them out there in various degrees of completion, and you can learn basics that will apply to every other car you build. I just feel they are great entry level cars, and can even be done well beyond that level, as money and skill increase.

JMO,

Don