Short bobber frame

[383rattruck]

Hey guys I'm just wanted to mention first off that I'm new to the ratrod world and having a few questions for anyone who might have answer or ideas for a newby,I'm wanting to build a short bobber style rat truck and I was wondering if anyone had any frame ideas for me,the truck I'm going to be doing is a 1940 dodge the parts that I have so far are as follows 1969 383 mopar engine and a 8.75 rear end also would like to know what kind of front end to use.

 

[Spooner]

I'm new here too. I have gone through MANY pics of rat trucks. I finally decided what I like.

You need to decide what YOU like style wise and go from there.
I have a four inch dropped front axle I am putting in my 41 ford pickup.
Do you like the suicide style? Full fender? Open wheel?

Figuring out what you want it to look like is half of the plan. After you decide what you like, you will have more specific questions that can be answered more easily.

One thing I can say is, it needs to be strong and safe.

Spooner

 

[IAM-LDS-2]

Well said Spooner , good advice .

 

[donsrods]

Here are some pictures of a 39 Dodge bobber we built about 12 years or so ago. The body is the same as your 40. I sold it before it got finished.

Don

 

[jamesgs4]

Build a frame from rectangle tubing to your specs. I found that saving an old frame and z'ing it on both ends is way more work and money than if I had just started with new steel. That or buy a bare frame from speedway and build from there.

 

[kenny c]

if building your own frame, it's not a bad idea to do a mockup out of wood. I used 2x4s with pieces of thin plywood to tie it together. If doing a chop set it up with seats in it and then block off the windows across the top to see how well you can see out. check for leg room and comfort. old pickup cabs can get really small real fast.