1933 Hot Rod

[karlenmaya]

I purchased a 2016 Ford 1933 Hot rod and more recently a set of fenders. Upon receiving them I noticed I had rear tires from Cooper 305/35R20 which has an approximate diameter of 28 inches. The FF rep tells me that they recommend tires in the rear to be no more than 26 inches. Can the rear fenders be trimmed in some way so that I do not have to buy a new pair of tires for the rear?

Also the fron tires are much smaller so I guess that will work anyway. Any comments/help will be appreciated.

Ram

[karlenmaya]

I purchased a new 1933 Hot Rod built 2016 which had been built with 650 miles on it. Can anybody comment on the electrical power steering as the current steering is very tight and since I live in a place where there are many curvy roads. Ram

[NAZ]

You didn't state what type of fenders you're planning -- full factory style or the bobbed look in the rear and bike fenders in front. The bobbed look allows a great deal of trimming but if you want the factory look I suggest you purchase new tires for the rear. You also don't mention the type of rear suspension, the hot rod came with three versions and tire fitment options may be different between the three. If your priority is looks over handling you can play with rear ride height and fit larger diameter tires. But jacking around on the suspension changes handling and traction. Doing it arbitrarily without understanding what it affects can lead to poor handling and braking issues. Or if you want both larger tires and good handling you will need someone good at suspension design and fabrication. I have 29" x 16" wide rear street tires on my car and could fit larger than that and my car will handle as good or better than any FFR hot rod kit. But there is nothing FFR left on my chassis behind the firewall. It's less work and expense to go with tires the correct size.

As for power steering, it's really a personal choice. Steering assist is really only needed at slow speed like in a parking lot. At highway speed it takes much less effort to steer the car than at slow speed. Caster will have an affect on steering effort too -- more caster = more slow speed steering effort. I run 6-degrees of caster, no power steering, and a spool with 16" wide rear tires. I don't have any problems with that. If you've ever driven a car with a spool and wide tires you'll understand how difficult it can be to crank the steering wheel for a tight turn. Between lots of caster, wide tires, and a spool the car want's to go straight and like a mule, resists any effort to make it do something else.

To me power steering is superfluous, adds weight, and complexity. And I really don't want any power assist at the speeds this car runs at. But others swear by power steering. Go with what makes you happy.

[FF33rod]

You can purchase the electric power steering separately from FFR, it's fairly easy to install. Quite a few do have it and as Naz mentioned, seems to be a personal preference thing. You can't vary the assist unfortunately, it's either on or off.

When I was purchasing my wheel/tire combo I chatted with FFR about the max recommendations they have in the manual. I have the IRS and they said the specs are the same for the 3 link, 4 link and the IRS - at least for the versions they sell. If you pick something up out of the junk yard then you're on your own. From what I can tell, 28 is likely a problem particularly since you're running 305s (you don't mention what backspace as that's going to play into this as well). BUT the best thing to do IMO is try it. You have the fenders so clamp them in place and see how everything looks and if you have clearance problems or not. You may be able to make some small changes to fix an issue or you may end up changing tires/wheels. You may be able to save the wheels and drop to 30 profile which is closer to 27 inches.

[karlenmaya]

Yes this is the first time buying such a car and since I am not an adept at building such cars I assumed FF fenders would fit all tires. They could have told me but they did not. When I called this morning I did not get good answers either. Almost rude response.
Looks like I have to just try it and see if it can be made to work without seriously compromising the ride or safety. The car was built for cruising and not to track. It looks like I am just off by an inch and given the fact that I am only using it for cruising and am more concerned with the looks than the speed, it may work. If it does not work I guess the tire swap is the only way out.
The front should not be a problem right??

I have tight parking turns in my garage and around my location ( north GA mountains) until I get to the main road. I thought the electric steering will help take the burden off my shoulder.

Thanks for the comments. If you can guide me on the above will appreciate it very much.
Ramesh

[karlenmaya]

What is the bobbed look? who sells those? R

[NAZ]

The "bobbed look" is what you do when you take a saw and cut on the original fender to reshape it, trimming off much of the original. Remember, these cars were made to be owner built and customized -- somebody out there may make bobbed fenders that fit a particular hot rod but most builders will make their own and shape them as they see fit.

Good luck with your car.

[65 Cobra Dude]

This is the bobbed look: 33HR_pro.jpg

These fenders were made by a friend of Lang's who passed away. Not sure where the molds ended up.

Henry

[karlenmaya]

Thanks for the clarification and suggestion. R

[sread]

just an fyi - the tire size limitations apply even if running with no fenders (at least on the rear anyways)....you have a little room to play with by adjusting the ride height with the coil overs but not very much. If you are running the stock konis you may be able to squeak by as they are extremely stiff and will limit the suspension travel although that also depends on the spring rates installed - I believe FF started installing softer springs some time ago to help with the ride quality as the original konis and springs felt like they were solid bricks. It will probably involve some trial and error.

[karlenmaya]

Thanks. I have 20 inch Hildebrandt wheels with 300/35R20 wheels which are about 18.5 inches rolling diameter and 12 inches wide. I think my only choice is to change the rear tires to something like 26 or 25 inch diameter and 18 inch wheels. Ths sad part is the new 300/35R20 tires and wheels ( less than 200 miles) would go for waste!. Wonder if there is a second hand market for the tires and wheels or an exchange program? Rae