'32 Un-Channel Journey

L

leeport

Junior Member
I am about to start unchanneling my '32 5w. The subrails are mostly gone. The floor is there from the seat pan back, the seat pan is there, but its completely rigged. The car was last modified in 1963.) The lower B pillar and lower A pillar mounting places where they bolt to the floor/subrail are missing the lower 4" or so.

I have a pristine original frame and a very good original firewall, and original gas tank. I know that the firewall sets the height of the body in the front, but what about in the rear? Where do I set the body there?

I was thinking about ordering the entire subtrail/floor assembly already welded to save headaches but I would like to keep as many original pieces as I can. I think the seat pan and back floor are salvageable.

Am I right in thinking that once I have the body on the firewall, and the rear mounting point located, then that will determine where my A and B Pillar mounts are to be? Is that right?

How many mounting points to the subrail are there on the entire body itself?
 
I am not familiar enough with the duece to be able to help much but it looks like you will need to get all the information you can find. I know the model A cars pretty well and they have key point attachments of the subrails to the body in the rear section. If you have a lot of corrosion back there then you will be flying blind without some key measurements. If your floor & subrails are carved out, you will need something to replace what you don't have anyway so the idea about getting the repro parts from United Pacific is not a bad idea. You may have to buy stuff you don't need in order to get what you want out of it but you can sell what you don't need on flea-pay. You will need all the hardware for body to frame attachment too. When you set the body on with a firewall in place, you will have to get good fit of the doors and alignment of the body lines so some of it might be trial and error if you don't have a complete body to compare it against. I would want to use as much original stuff as I could too but there is getting to be less and less good stuff out there and especially for the 5-window coupe. Rebuilding what you have can work if you have the skills & tools but some things just are not worth all the extra trouble if they are too far gone and decent replacements are available. It looks like a lot of the stuff is available but I've never dealt with United Pacific so I can't vouch for the quality.

I also should add, on projects like this, you should do as much fitting of body parts as you can before you complete final attachments with welding, riveting, or bolt up. It doesn't hurt a bit to use sheet metal screws, clamps, and what have you to get as far along as you can with fit. Little screw holes and tack welds & such can be easilly fixed after every thing fits up well.
 
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This would be quite a project to document, then post the photos here:) and on the HAMB:eek:.

The HAMBers will love it, really they will;).

Good luck with your project.
 
Take a look at UPAC's catalog of 5 window parts, there are some items there that will make your job easier.
 
I cant find it in my heart to buy anything from UPAC. Made in China. Chinese parts on a Henry Ford '32 coupe is a hard thing to imagine. I am going to look at Brookville first and make sure it's Made in USA. If they dont have what I need, I'll make the part if I can. Third option is have someone else make it for me. But I do agree that there are many parts I will need.
 
The easiest repair is to use the sub floor assembly from United Pacific dont worry about where it is stamped.. The Brookville subfloor is based upon roadster rockers and are not the same as 5w, so you would be doing extra work replacing them. Krylon is correct to set the rear body height it is easiest to use the rear fenders as a guide mark.
 
UPAC stuff is SUPER high quality regardless of where it is made. If you are concerned about original look, you will be far better off buying the UPAC stuff an opposed to making the Brookville stuff work...
 
Just for the record, United Pacific is made in Taiwan, not mainland China. BIG difference, as the quality of these automotive parts are now of much higher quality than in past years. As the 'replacement' panels...pick-up doors & fenders of the past were really bad, but now, being such a big market, the fit is good. BTW...most, if not all accident re-placement sheet metal is 'aftermarket' and pushed by the insurance companies for a cheaper cost. On my daily driver 'American' car, I had to pay the extra $$ to obtain original equipment fender....insurance co. did not want to pay this extra. I have been to Asia many times in my business, so this info is first hand....been there, done that. As long as the quality, especially in the initial mold making is controlled in N.A....we are usually good. My 2 cents.
 
DICK SPADARO said:
The easiest repair is to use the sub floor assembly from United Pacific dont worry about where it is stamped.. The Brookville subfloor is based upon roadster rockers and are not the same as 5w, so you would be doing extra work replacing them. Krylon is correct to set the rear body height it is easiest to use the rear fenders as a guide mark.
Click to expand...

Yeah!! Don,t worry where it's stamped:mad: Pete
 
We fought pretty hard to save the Nationalist Chinese from both the Imperial Japanese and the CHICOM forces not to mention what we did for the South Koreans. If you have a problem with Tiawan then you better quit using half the tools & equipment you have since most lathes, milling machines, and a lot of steel products come from there. I had relatives that fought in the PTO during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam so think about that before you poopoo The Nationalist Chinese folks. They are not a lot different than we are now days and some of there stuff is damn good stuff. They make it as good as we ask them to.

Now if it's from CHICOM then I can see a problem.
 
I agree with rotorwrench. Thinking that Taiwan and mainland China are peas in the same pod is grossly unfair to the Taiwanese. Sadly, the average American's knowledge of what happened in China in the 1937-49 period is largely overshadowed by major events elsewhere.
 
Well I'm just a plain idiot!! I like to see American people working!! And as usual I have nothing to contribute!! carry on!! Pete
 
prpmmp....everyone has a bit to contribute....one piece at a time, and yes, we all want to see more stuff done right here at home. In my company, I am redesigning products in a manner that it is feasible to have it manufactured here and be competitive to anywhere in the world. It's all in the design. Now, as far as finding out usable dimensions on locating leeport's predicament...how can we do this....I have a perfect original '32 5W right here with me. The lower part of the body, looking from the side, has the 'smile' curvature...so, how & where do we get a reference dimension to properly locate 'something'. Possibly the back lower portion of the ( panel just above the gas tank ), and work from there. I'll look into this...any ideas...anyone....Robert
 
Robert makes a good point. If the rear fenders are relied on, their attachment point is forward of the kick up in the frame for rear axle clearance and yet a critical clearance point is well back from there behind the kick up, namely that above the gas tank which is partially inserted underneath the body.
 
He's a start....the 5W is on the second floor ( ok, lift ) so cannot measure at the moment, but my Roadster is on the floor, being worked on. I have an original frame, gas tank, and the body is sitting on the frame welting. Although everything on this car is original, the Roadster body is a Brookville ( can't win them all ), but should be good enough for a measurement. From the back of the car, the distance from the center of the lower part of the body is approx. 5/8" above the gas tank. Soooo, having the back panel in place, all else should follow. leeport...you have the original frame and gas tank...there ya go...it's a start. Robert
 

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Thanks for all the contributions gentlemen. I had a good source tell me the fender method which was mentioned by a couple people, and the 1/2" to 5/8" above the tank. I think this is a great starting point. I know the firewall will locate the front of the car and the 5/8" the rear. All I need now is what's in between. I might be forced to buy the United Pacific subrails as they are made for a 5w. I can fab or buy the A and B pillar lower attaching points as well.

Hey it's fun right...I thrive on stuff like this. I love what Krylon32 said, and I wish I had your car collection.
 
I am just finishing up a project similar to this so a little of this "learning curve" might be of value to you. I have a 34 5 window, obviously different than the 32 but in a lot of respects quite similar construction. This car was not channeled but it needed a whole new bottom. Everything, floor, sub rails, rockers, wheel wells, cowl patches, quarter patches, etc., etc. Basically when the body was off the frame, the only thing that held it together was the roof. So it was not all that different than a channel job where the whole bottom was cut out.
Having worked with a local shop on this project and then taking it over after some work was completed some things became obvious, particularly the sequence of some procedures and when to undertake them.
In any event, what I would recommend is this: Start with the frame. Check that the frame is straight, not sagging or twisted. Set the frame on secure pads that assure it will remain straight. Mount the floor and sub rails tightly on the frame with the webbing and all the mounting bolts. If all looks right tack weld the sub rails to the floor.
Now, place the body on the platform. The two bolts that are located at each side of the firewall will have to be removed along with any others where some of the original mounts may still be intact. Some interfacing may also have to be done between the new body sills and parts of the old ones that may be still sound. Some wood blocking at this point will probably be in order to support the rear of the body.
Positioning the body: You mentioned that the firewall mounts are good so that is one good positioning point. There is also a spot right behind the roof where the upper quarter panel meets the roof at each side of the deck lid opening. I think on the 32 there is also a vertical strut that runs from this location down to the sub rail. If you could get the strut dimension and make a couple of fixtures to support the body at this point it might prove to be quite accurate. Once the body is supported by fixturing, put the doors on and adjust the door gaps. This can be a tedious process and must be repeated or at least checked until the project is done. However it stands to reason that if the firewall location is correct and the body location at the before mentioned struts is correct and the door gaps are good then the center and the rear of the body should be located correctly as well.
This would be a good time to temporarily put on the running boards, rear fenders and gas tank to check the fit. If all looks good you can start rebuilding the necessary pillar mounts and installing the rear gussets(not sure if 32 has rear gussets) and as Rotorwrench suggested tack welds and sheet metal screws are easier to remove than what was intended to be a permanent weld.
Don't forget, check the door gaps, even if it means putting the doors on over and over again. A slight change in the B column for instance can be a major change in the door gaps. Good luck, it should be a fun job.
 
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