Different body on a '33 frame?

[Just 1 More]

Has anyone put a different body on a '33 frame? Such as a reproduction Plymouth 5 window coupe body?

[narly1]

The farther away you go from the Factory Five "recipe" the bigger the challenge becomes.

Only you yourself can answer what is doable based on your own capabilities and many hours spent measuring and researching.

As I get older I realize there are no short-cuts. If uniqueness is your desire you have to put in the work.

Earl

[RoadRacer]

I haven't seen anyone do it - I even considered it once. But bear in mind that the FFR is NOT a 33 almost at all. It's wider for a start, and the rear wheelwells are bigger. Maybe more. So all I'm saying is that don't assume that any 30's body will be close - you'll likely be channeling, sectioning, chopping :D

[Just 1 More]

Thanks Guys, Yes, i realize it would be a challenge and now knowing that the FFR 33 is wider, that's what i'll stick with.

[Brastic]

Anything is possible with enough time, money and talent. With this said, one nice thing about all of the FFR cars is that the chassis was designed to the bodies. Than means, stuff bolts together and then just needs to be aligned. Adapting another body might need chassis modifications, and a lot of custom made mounting points for the body. For my Fiero/F355 kit, the fiberglass body bolted to the Fiero. Because the F355 is so much wider than the Fiero, I was told to just make a couple brackets to keep the body from flapping in the wind. I ended up with 78 custom made brackets on that car. I can also tell you, that not one of those brackets were made correctly the first time. :) Then you have the whole matching up to the windshield and the interior.

[TxMike64]

Anything is possible with enough time, money and talent. With this said, one nice thing about all of the FFR cars is that the chassis was designed to the bodies...

I think it's the the other way around with the '33. I think they designed a chassis to kinda fit the idea of the shape of the body, then the body was made to fit around the chassis. And the only thing remotely reminiscent of a 1933 Ford is the general shape of the grill. It's not just wider, it's different in almost every way. The way I explain it to people is that this car is a "caricature" of a '33 Ford wrapped around a tube fame sports car. And that's not to detract from the car - I love it!

If you want a true '30's car just do that. You can get a decent new frame for about $3000, you can get a decent glass body for about $6000 and go from there - there's a hue aftermarket. It's probably not any more expensive, it will just take a little more fabrication and figuring out as you go. The Factory Five kits are great, not because they're cheaper - because they're not, but because the kits are fairly comprehensive and complete, come with a build manual, and have a great community of builders who help and support each other along the way.

[Just 1 More]

I think it's the the other way around with the '33. I think they designed a chassis to kinda fit the idea of the shape of the body, then the body was made to fit around the chassis. And the only thing remotely reminiscent of a 1933 Ford is the general shape of the grill. It's not just wider, it's different in almost every way. The way I explain it to people is that this car is a "caricature" of a '33 Ford wrapped around a tube fame sports car. And that's not to detract from the car - I love it!

If you want a true '30's car just do that. You can get a decent new frame for about $3000, you can get a decent glass body for about $6000 and go from there - there's a hue aftermarket. It's probably not any more expensive, it will just take a little more fabrication and figuring out as you go. The Factory Five kits are great, not because they're cheaper - because they're not, but because the kits are fairly comprehensive and complete, come with a build manual, and have a great community of builders who help and support each other along the way.

Thanks, I sat in an original 32 coupe last week and being the wide body that I am, I would want the extra width of the FFR 33

[Just 1 More]

ANyone know how much wider the FFR 33 is from an original 30's coupe?

[RoadRacer]

ANyone know how much wider the FFR 33 is from an original 30's coupe?

https://www.factoryfive.com/33-hot-rod/ says "3 inches wider" (see one of the carousels on that page) but that may be misleading. Because the interior design may give more room on top of that..

"The Factory Five ‘33 body is 3” wider than the original, has enlarged rear wheel wells, and rides lower to the ground. The body is engineered to mount easily to the strong steel and aluminum FFR chassis"