My 38 has plenty of leg and head room once I'm in. Getting my size 16s through the small gap between the A pillar and seat can be a chore. Width wise it's a bit tight but people weren't my size in 1938 (6'4" & north of 300lbs.). The vertical plate you mention is the front of the gas tank box so that will be a chore to move, most likely requiring relocating the tank. I don't recall much of an overhang at the top but it's been a while since I've messed with that area.

Yes the vertical plate lays right up against the front of the tank. And in fact the forward part of the trunk floor covers the tank and butts nicely to the top of that vertical plate. And again I really hope it doesn't come to this but removing the slanted plate that connects to the top horizontal would expose a reasonably clean transition from behind the seat into the trunk area. I'm still toying with what exactly to do. There's no going back once I start cutting so it'll be me kicking and screaming to make myself actually pull the sawzall trigger. 

As a non vertically or horizontally challenged individual who has plenty of room in my 38 with the stock seat, my recommendation is to use the original seat. When I go to shows there are any number of 38 Chevys there. All of them but one has been hotrodded or restomodded. Guess which one consistently draws the crowd? With the exception of colors, all the rest are the same with small block V8s tied to modern running gear and bucket seats. The only 38 that approaches the way it was "born" is the one belonging to the fat kid. I even let the kids sit in it and honk the horn. The only "room" issue is the narrow gap between the A pillar and seat. That's easily solved by turning my foot sideways when entering or exiting. Keep the stock seat and any need for moving, or removing the trunk divider is gone.

And now we know how you got the name "Tiny".

Which begs the question, why don't little guys ever get nicknames like "Mondo" or "Large" or "4x"?

Just an observation.

Cheers

We had a small-statured cat once that we named Sweetums, after the Muppets character:

 😉  Dean

Dean, I'm embarrassed FOR ya. 😆 

And are you sure that's not a Fraggel Rock character?

Ok so today is the day. Got all the engine sheet metal back on. Dropped the distributor in, hopefully it's back where it came from. Starter is back in place with new battery and ignition cables. All the radiator hoses are new with all new shiny clamps. I bought a vacuum heater hose valve. That'll go between the water pump and heater radiator. I decided on a vacuum type because it's still running 6v so an electric wouldn't work. The vacuum is pulled off the intake port that was previously designated for the wipers. Guess it's safe to say I won't be driving in the rain any time soon. I'll most likely install an electric wiper kit once (if ever) I convert to 12v. Anyway, I now have a shutoff there at the intake so when it's going to be cold (like all winter long) I'll just flip the valve and hot water will flow. My Buick is already converted and the heater shutoff (with a 12v reostat on the dash) between pump and heater works great. This'll just be a little less convenient.

So what else? The oil is in and everything pumped nicely to the top. All the rocker arms are getting oil. I did the brake cleaner trick down the rocker oiler holes to open things up properly. After that all worked well. The Frantz oil filter is on the firewall and seems to be working. I installed a nice little pressure gauge on top and at the input of the filter to keep tabs. The carb is back on and all the linkage installed. Vacuum from there down to the distributor is all connected. I pulled the needle and cleaned that up a little. Documented the size in case I want to shop for something a little leaner. 6000 feet elevation tends to run kinda rich with the standers size. The exhaust pipe between the manifold and muffler is back on. I heat wrapped the pipe from the manifold to just before the muffler. Looks really cool. Might actually impact the under hood heat... might not. All the splash panage is back in place. Those were the hardest things to get back in. Fuel pump is in and sealed and all connected. No leaks that I can see... until it runs. What else? Generator back in place. Belt tight. I'm going to have to rewire everything eventually. I know I'm on borrowed time with that. 

I replaced the mesh air cleaner with a conventional one. I found one almost perfect but just a hair taller. That made the lid screw just a bit too short so I replaced that. Works great now. Today I'll install the heater hoses then put the antifreeze back in. Go through the timing and dwell. It'll be so happy. The battery has been trickling all night. So "Gentlemen, start your engines". Cheers everyone 

Good luck to you.  You're hitting all the bases. It will run soon.

Well, I guess I was a little ambitious yesterday.

Got it all together. Started pouring in the coolant then I had to fiddle with the radiator hoses to stop them from leaking and that took some time. Finally cranked it over... nothin. Poured gas down the carb. Cranked it over... nothin. More gas... more nothin. Pulled a plug... dry. Confused. Pulled the valve cover off just to make sure everything was moving... it was. Pulled the coil-to-cap wire. Cleaned the connections real good. Checked for a good short. It was good. Pulled the cap and looked at the points to confirm open and close. That was good. It'd been a really long time since I'd troubleshoot an ignition system and it was dark by then so I put the trickle charger back on, made sure everything was turned off, locked up the garage and came home. I watched a YouTube last night on a typical voltage path of a points ignition system so I'm a little better armed and ready to hit it again this morning.

Note: if everything on this system isn't original, I'd be really surprised. Which means pulling everything apart and putting it all back together is bound to wake up every gremlin coming and going. With that in mind we'll see how today goes.

Pull a plug wire off of a plug and hold it against the terminal on the plug or other ground, crank the engine with the key on and verify you have spark. I'd recommend using insulated pliers to hold the wire as you crank.

Yep did that. Confirmed voltage all the way through to the point. Confirmed a good ground on the other side. Pulled the points and checked the contacts then just for good measure ran some sandpaper across. Decided to bypass the coil with a spare. Bypassed the whole switch end from the dash by connecting the pos side straight to the battery. Ran the neg side straight to the distributor. Used the existing coil-to-cap wire to make sure THAT was good. Had the plug out and against the head. Turned it over and walla got spark. Put the plug back in and cranked it again. It's ALIVE. Started right up. 

So I let it run while I topped off the coolant. Made sure the lifters were getting oil. Watched the oil pressure at the bypass filter. All good. Let it warm up for awhile. Then the big test. Put the original coil back in and tried everything again. Lo and behold... it started right up. Not sure why but I won't complain.

Wanna see some pictures? I'll have to send them over from my phone but I'll get them downloaded here in a little while.

Until then, Merry Christmas everyone. 
Cheers,