Backdating the 32 ford frame

[Bullybeef]

So in the beginning there was the mongram 32 ford roadster. To some if was the beginning of a great start for a traditional 32 ford. All the best period parts to show how it started. Now we move further along and revell has stepped up with a nice set of frame rails but the underpinnings are a little more modern. Then the advent of the ohv engine comes along and more strength was needed so hot rodders added in some strength from the 40 ford frame x bracing. 
I have another project started on another section of the forum and I wanted a stand alone frame for that piece. So I start with a glue bomb frame, first remove the molded in floor pan and the fuel tank, the off come the engine mounts, add in the 40 ford x frame and we are starting to get somewhere.

The frame itself needs a lot of cleanup so we will be addressing all the damage and making it look presentable for the next steps: suspension and engine mounts.

Follow along and let’s have some fun

[customline]

Well you got my attention, Bil.  From where did you "lift" that '40 X member?  It's a beauty.   I know it wasn't an AMT.

Edited January 2, 2024 by customline

[Bullybeef]

22 minutes ago, customline said:

Well you got my attention, Bil.  From where did you "lift" that '40 X member?  It's a beauty.   I know it wasn't an AMT.

It’s from the be Revell 40 ford standard coupe Jim, it’s needs a tinch shortening at the rear and a tad narrowing at the front. 

[OldNYJim]

This will be a cool one - following!!

[Bullybeef]

Just a little more frame cleanup to do, mounted the rear subframe mount for the rear buggy spring, also from the revell 40 ford kit, carefully measured so that the axle will sit exactly where it needs to. 
the rear suspension will consist of a center section/third member from the revell Mickey Thompson challenger 1, one of the nicer quick change rears imo. The bells will be from one of the many iterations of the Revell Tweedy Pie( this one is “T” Bucket from 1983) this kit also has a nice suicide front end that I may use as well, the front crossmmember and frame horns are a little meh!

 

[Bullybeef]

So after searching back through my “Started” threads I came across this and my creative juices started flowing again, so I poured myself a cup of brain lubricant and started falling down the rabbit hole of the internet searches. Why not add a stock frame to the mix as well. I sent a couple of messages to some of the forum members and inquired about some stockish parts that might be close enough to serve the purpose. Im still in the compile and source the bits part of the search.

I have resurrected the parts that I had accumulated for the frame backdating, as well as some new fodder for the stock frame. 
I’ll leave this off today with my source materiel pics of a stock frame.

more soon! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Excellent reference pix of a stock frame. Thank you.  

[Richard Bartrop]

Yes, thank you for some great reference material.

[Bullybeef]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Excellent reference pix of a stock frame. Thank you.  

Best the ole interwebs could gag up for me!

 

[Bullybeef]

I’ve done some size comparison the the old AMT blobtastic frame and it appears that it both narrower and shorter, so the notion of robbing the center cross frame may not be as a simple soloution as I’d hoped it would be. 
Don’t worry these frames are not the sacrificial ones I’ll be using! 
Further sleuthing on the interwebs has also drawn up a third option for a frame that I may pursue down the road!

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/fabricating-a-pavement-hugging-early-ford-chassis/

Edited August 30, 2024 by Bullybeef
Added pic from link!

[Ulf]

 

Very interesting, good pictures. A gentleman in the same town as me backdated a Revell frame 25 years ago with parts from AMT's Victoria chassis, it became very weak so he glued the body floor into the frame a bit against his original idea. He shaped the side of a hobby knife blade and managed to drag it along the inside of the frame rails to give the illusion that the frame was not boxed. A very nice build in the end which unfortunately has only been shown at a vintage car club.
I tried to buy one of the front axles that he cast in silver but unfortunately I did not get it.

Edited August 29, 2024 by Ulf

[Bullybeef]

18 minutes ago, Ulf said:

Thank you, that’s a great addition to the discussion! 

[Muncie]

Thank you for posting - it's very helpful.

 

and here is Westcott's 1932 chassis diagram for the modifications to install a Model A body 

J:\Wescott Catalog\Catalog Illustrations and Photos\Frame Diagrams\FrameDiagram1929Hiboy.vcd (wescottsauto.com)

 

[Bullybeef]

Time to start hacking! First victim is a rather clean AMT Vicky frame, we are harvesting the center cross brace. Also harvested a pair of late model A front crossmembers as well as a rear crossmember! 
time to hack up a Revell 32 frame now, first we will add some bracing to maintain the frame rails positions. Next we start cutting out what we won’t need. 
going by the dimensions of the amt frame vs the revell frame the center bracing will be too narrow. I’ll attempt to replicate that piece. 
More soon!

As always all comments are welcome! 

[Ulf]

Exciting, all the world's modelers deserve an easy-to-build state of the art stock 32 Ford ?

I made a quick sketch of the tool that I told you about in previous posts. The white rectangle is the frame rail in profile and the tool is the steel gray. The frame that I was shown was certainly not milled out but the small edge really gave effect, an illusion of an open C profile.

 

[Bullybeef]

@Ulf that’s a neat idea for a tool! It’s a long weekend here in Canada, so I’ll most likely be attacking all of my projects with verve, vigor and gusto!  I know the k member is going to take some head scratching. I’ll have some progress a bit later. 

[Bullybeef]

Some pics of the “before” the cleanup begins!

Model A front crossmembers. Model A rear buggy spring. AMT 32 ford K member(center).

Revell 32 frame devoid of floor pan and front cross member. This will be the basis for our stock frame. Now it’s time to clean up all the parts and start laying out where the new/old crossmembers will sit. 
The rear cross member from our first frame will change to the buggy spring mount as we plan to use a quick change on that one. 

[Ulf]

I have saved some pictures of the underside of an original car from the web but I am a little hesitant to post these, English is not my mother tongue so trying to read what applies is no idea.

[Bullybeef]

5 minutes ago, Ulf said:

I have saved some pictures of the underside of an original car from the web but I am a little hesitant to post these, English is not my mother tongue so trying to read what applies is no idea.

Please feel free to post them! More reference materiel is always welcome. 

[Ulf]

I find the spare tire tub very interesting, early editions of AMT's 32 roadster have 5 or 6 wheel fenders. It’s a four cylinder car.

Edited August 30, 2024 by Ulf

[Bullybeef]

Well it’s been a morning of sanding and filing and test fitting but we are close to having both frames almost into the shooting primer stages. The k member is still underway, had to add some putty so that I can get the correct shape for the center hole. I’m going to let these pieces sit for the glue and putty to cure!
Now back to another bench squirrel infestation. 

[Paul Payne]

Great reference material! Have fun in Styrenistan!

[Ulf]

It is difficult with these 32s, they have been rebuilt and unimaginable many new ones have been built with fiber glass and newly made sheet metal bodies. What did they really look like from the beginning?
I photographed a hiboy with original sheet metal body in the 90s, the owner had been very careful not to transform the body and the backrest was not against the body for example.

[Bullybeef]

2 hours ago, Paul Payne said:

Great reference material! Have fun in Styrenistan!

I always do! I’ve searched the forum and there was never a completed thread on making a stock frame, I’m doing my best to have a complete with references to the parts needed. 

[Bullybeef]

And moving right along both frames are curing from glue and putty, hope to get some primer on them before the weekend is over. Then I can move onto running gear, the goal is to have at least one of them as a complete roller.