Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

Think I read somewhere that Royal Shifters T top is pretty much stock Model A. It sure looks right.

 

I noticed too that the top on the purple "T" out of Spokane is stock '30-'31 according to the Rodder's Journal's spec sheet. I do like the look.

 

Another T with a great look.

 

Mine seems to be holding up pretty well (Total Performance top), but it does seem to have a lot of pressure on the material between the windshield and the first bow. It has two steel bars that run from the windshield header to the first bow, and I've thought about adding a cross brace or two between those two bars. I also thought about just adding a solid piece of sheet metal between them since I worry about the cross braces showing through the top. I have broken 100 mph with the top on (and it survived!), but I usually stay around 65 to 70mph.

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That's the one I was talking about Gary, Russ Freund's car.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I have driven my T a lot with the top on at speed in all sorts of weather and found it didn't flap as bad as I had expected. Due to my full height screen the wind turbulence swirled over the top turning back onto the back of the top. Without the top, I found that I would end up with a stiff sore neck so I now use a scarf just like the good old English playboys when driving their MG's . One night though I lost a brand new wool lined beanie that I had just purchased in preparation of that nights cruise down to Hamilton and back, a 2 hour open road drive each way, when a gust of wind come through the car taking my beanie with it so when I do redo the roof I will include removable side curtains.

 

I like the look of those two cars with the "A" top so well that if I was designing and building another T I think I would go for that look. The only thing you would need to have an opening door which wouldn't be a problem with a steel body or not too much trouble to cut one in a glass body. Probably would have to have a steel roadster body or a same size glass one as opposed to the front half of a touring or an extended glass one. Might work on the front of a touring body. "A" top bows shouldn't be too hard to come by. They probably repop them and I'm sure you can buy the top canvas readymade pretty cheap. You know It probably wouldn't be too hard to make repop "A" canvas fit any top you want to make for your T. Something to think about. Think I might explore that.

 

I feel kind of stupid now, back at the beginning of the year our local So-Cal store bought out a Model "A" repair shop here in town, and part of the booty was a very nice '30-'31 roadster top. Frank was happy to sell it to me for very little money, but I didn't think I could make it work... Dumb!

 

So guys please help me understand, are you saying that the tops on both the purple and black T's pictured above are from a 28/29 A Roadster and are the folding down type as per original ?

 

I guess Whip, that is what we are saying. Not sure what year "A" top they are. Chip mentioned 30-31 on the purple one. Not sure what year the one on the black T is. Not sure what the difference is between 28-29 and 30-30. They probably fold down as the originals did unless they were modified by the T builders. Thinking to look right the T windshield would have to be pretty close to the height of the A windshield the top was designed for.

 

I played this top game with other hotrods of buddys plus built my own and did a tech on HAMB for it home made style on low $..
28/29 or 30/31 stock Ford tops will not fit a "T"or even each other,but ya could cut the bows ect. to make it fit a "T" ,plus cut up the top cloth too an re-sew to make fit,the "A" is a bit bigger car then "T"s,just like with "A"s the 28/29 is a little smaller then 30/31,each years design by Ford got bigger more roomy,the 32 is very roomy compaired to 30/31 A.
If your going to run a lot of turnpike speeds above 55,you need a pro built top ,even then they do rip up sometimes. If your going to run high speeds for long runs=fold the top down or it will die sooner then you'd like. If you design it not to fold you can make it stronger,but not enough to run over about 70 for very long if at all.

 

Kinda relates, I have a T coupester project based on a '26/'27 coupe body. I am piecing together body mods based fairly closely on the Anderegg car, and in the process of sorting all that out, HAMBer Andereggtribute told me that a '31 roadster windshield frame matches the curvature at the top of the cowl perfectly, and thats what Ray Anderegg originally used..

 

I realize Dana that the A's would be slightly bigger then the T but I'm more interested in see how the metal brackets from the header panel that attaches to the windscreen posts and to the middle or first roof bow fold or are hinged originally as the fabric is held with some pressure to hold the roof tight. The other thing of note which I would like to get a idea on is the side curtains and whether to have them zipped on with hidden zips and the odd dome button. I will have to go to my library and find the mag to scan and post the picture here as it may help with ideas.

 

Great info.

 

I found on my RPU (Which I built my own bows for the roof) the roof was fine up to about 80mph without deforming but above that it would start to press down on your head and when it rained, at that speed water was forced under the windscreen header and dribbled down the screen. The other thing, button domes don't hold very well at higher speeds on side curtains, you are better to use zips where the curtain meets the roof

model A 015 by k1w1rodder posted Jul 14, 2011 at 9:10 PM

img009 by k1w1rodder posted Jul 14, 2011 at 9:10 PM

img001 by k1w1rodder posted Mar 22, 2010 at 10:36 PM

 

Looks like I'll just deal with sun stroke or taking a shower. I like to drive fast. As much as possible. So, it's looking like a top just isn't in my future.

 

Just a tip about a tops comimg down to your head at speed,if your windsheild can open at the bottom about a 3/4 in. gap=the air coming in there will balance the air on the top an bow it a bit up depenning on the gap an speed,still best is to fold it down or slow down. If it don't fold,then a alum plate under it dose work well if padded.
I'm 72 so, been there done that, goes a bit passed some of the guys on the HAMB,

 

MAJOR, MAJOR parts score for my T-bucket parts pile! Just pulled the trigger on an X-F8 ram log like five minutes ago!!! Its ON BABY!!! WOO HOO!!! the "Cobra T" just moved to the front burner!

 

And that photo of you in your avatar makes you look not a day over 25 Dana.

 

Just goggled an X-F8 inlet to see what they looked like , a twin 4 barrel crossflow manifold but what is the ram log part ?

 

And Dana ,you don't look a day over 25 by the look of the photo in your Avatar..

 

So did I! Looks a lot like the old Offy cross ram I used to run on my OT '68 Camaro just after high school. Congrats, George! Did you get the carbs too?

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Nothing better than hanging out with older guys to make you feel younger . I'm ONLY 70. When I mentioned my age in my post I was feeling old. Reminds me of a story. A couple of years ago I was having breakfast with the Danville Dukes. There were about 30 of us in the room. The conversation turned to age. I mentioned I was 68. One of the guys turned and looked around and said "how long has it been since you were the youngest person in a room".

 

I already have a matched pair of small-neck afb's. My carbs are probably worth more than the intake, pair of 343HP 383 Mopar carbs, I've been sitting on them for decades. And yes, I'm still pinching myself. I've been hunting for one for a bit now, actually didnt take that long to find one. Now I just need a pair of Cal-Custom 40-40's, and its 1967 all over again!

Ram log is the proper name for an intake with long runners and two independant plenums, or "logs". Thats what Edelbrock called them in the literature of the time, and that what I called them when I was growing up. Guys call them cross-rams, but cross-rams have long runners crossing under a common plenum, ie hemi, max wedge and Z-28 intakes.

Further to this, rather than make another post, I figured I'd just add these here. The ad for the BBC intake was in December '65 Hot Rod, Ford FE July '66. I seem to recall at some point the ads for these intakes actually had artwork for a snorting rams head on them, and that same artwork appeared on some decals.

 

Yea, and he looks REALLY familiar! I'm SURE I've seen Dana somewhere before!

 

Its mine, MINE, ALL MINE!!! Bwaaaa,hah, hah ,hah!!!



Yea, I'm still a little excited...

 

For those that dont know what I'm talking about when I say 343hp 383. Factory solids and 11/1. This is just the intake and carbs on a later 383, this combo came out in '62, prior to the Max Wedge. These things OWNED C/SA until the rule change in '72.

 

At 43, I'm an old guy here at work. Maybe why I like the HAMB so much, I'm just a kid here. Congrats on the intake George.

 

I'm a bit confused George about that inlet as I can't see the hole for the distrubutor at one end and it has a funny looking water neck, you sure you haven't brought yourself a dinosaur that won't fit on the most popular engine used in T's ???