Page 50 - Issue 42

TIP:
TIP: If you are chopping a top alone, you can use your garage
door tracks and some ratchet straps to lift the roof after door tracks and some ratchet straps to lift the roof after
cutting the pillars (at your own discretion of course).
cutting the pillars (at your own discretion of course).
I’ve always wanted a 2 door rat sedan, but this 4
door came up at the right time & the right price so
I decided to make my own, one of a kind, 2 door. I
welded, trimmed & blended the back doors to make the
4 door into a stretched 2 door. I used the cut-out door
pillars to blend everything in, without any body fi ller. As
a result, the rear side windows are 12” longer than on
any other “2 door” ’31 Chevy.

Frame/Chassis
I only used part of the original ‘31 frame (front frame rails
and a small section of the middle). For the rest I bought
strips of 7 gauge steel. While spending a few months
measuring, cutting, welding and shaping steel I used a ton of
abrasives- more than I ever had before. I did some shopping
and found that Empire Abrasives sells the best valued
products for cutting & grinding. Looking back on it however,
I really wish I had a plasma cutter or Eastwood plate steel
sheer to save myself some cutting time.

TIP:
TIP: Make sure to wear a mask when cutting/grinding steel- I
got a few sinus infections because I failed to do so during this got a few sinus infections because I failed to do so during this
frame building process (I should have known better, but had
frame building process (I should have known better, but had
never cut that much steel in one short period of time).
never cut that much steel in one short period of time).
Entire frame was boxed and internally reinforced with
gusseting to prevent any possible fl ex. All crossmembers
were made from scratch using 3/16” or Д sidewall tubing
or channel iron. The fabrication of the custom engine
crossmember was challenging. However, it allowed the
oil pan to sit 1/2” from the ground at the lowest point of
suspension travel.
The entire frame weighed about 650 pounds after this
process. The most challenging part was determining how
and where to locate the “Z’s” on the frame. Many factors
go into this (height of Z, placement, design of Z itself,
etc.). I set the body on and around the frame multiple
times during the process to “eye” it up and determine best
fi tment. I channeled the body (around the frame) 6” to lay
frame & rocker panel simultaneously. I also stretched the
front end about 16” so I had more room for the massive
engine and accessories out front.

Suspension & Axles

After the frame was done, I started working on the
suspension & axles. This was a trying process as a lot

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