Technical Turning a Ford Model A Tudor Sedan Into a Roadster?

I'm wondering if anyone in the group has ever turned a Ford Model A Tudor Sedan into a roadster? If so I hope I can get some information and maybe some photos of how they went about doing it!

Thanks, KJ
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You mean a phaeton/tub? Lots do it. Seen all sorts of ways from crude to cool. most cut along the body bead or below the windows. After that, just whaever you wanna do to finish it off

 

Do a search on "coupster" and you will find how to change a coupe into a roadster. Most don't come out very well but there are exceptions. I would think that you would want to change a sedan into a phaeton but much of the information is the same. I get the impression it would be better to save up and buy the body style you want, in terms of work, expense and resale value.

Charlie Stephens

 

Well Charlie!
I have a 29 Tudor Sedan that the body is cherry but most of the roof was cut off in a botched chop job and missing. So i'm looking to go with the phaeton look to save hunting down another body for the roof. Plus the weather here stays around the 60's to 70's in the winter. Just trying to get some photos of how other people did theirs!

 

Do it. The damage is already done so anything you do from here on out would be a good thing. I've seen a handful of very cool conversations. The trickiest part is the thickness of the doors.

 

There is an article in an old American Rodder on how to do that. Not sure what year or issue.

 

That car turned out nice, I will see if I can nail down the issue/s

 

It's all about nomenclature in the end...he said roadster but was seeing some sort of phaeton in his minds eye. Hell, I know a lot old "car" guys who use coupe, roadster and hot rod interchangeably and look at me funny cuz I don't know wtf they are talking about.

 

I think that article was done to a 32, so the tops of the doors were rounded, and used exhaust tubing cut and flattened. Might have been in Hot Rod Mechanix?

 

Hit up a couple binders and have not found the stories about that conversion. Pretty sure it was Joe Kress'

 

Had me worried that you were going to hack the roof off a tudor to make a tub but it looks like you have less than half of a roof as it stands.
On these kind of things the details really count as I've seen a few that look pretty decent and some that miss the mark by a mile. If it were me I'd have to figure out how to use roadster windshield posts and have them look like they grew there from the get go along with having the door tops finished off in roadster or tub style.
I remember the article the guys mentioned but that was done probably 30 years ago. They did use a lot of exhaust tubing shaped around the top edge of the body to have that roll.

 

Kress did it in AR.

 

It was American Rodder for sure. It was a 32 RPU that was built from just a cowl (or possibly cowl and doors - it did have opening doors!). Was done in the UK by Mike Key, a hotrod photographer (now retired). Car was painted flat blue and the running gear was painted red with a few aluminium parts added. Much of the build was featured in instalments in American Rodder as well as a UK magazine, and possibly others? It was all very much low buck, nicely done home build stuff in a detailed 'how to' style.

Chris

 

Be sure to cut off the Tudor's windshield posts and use roadster/Touring posts instead. Otherwise, it will look like a clown car.
This will require some cowl finessing.

Good luck and post pictures!

 

Yes, Mike Key did the RPU but Kress did the tub. I just did not find the right stash in my 2000+ collection

 

Personally, I like Tubs from cut down Tudors, and you've got what sounds like a perfect candidate.

Somewhere around here there was a video posted of an old race and probably a quarter of the cars were tudors with the roof cut off and a roll bar installed if I'm remembering correctly.

 

Found it, it was one of @Ryan's Blog Posts:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=27719

 

I own one, not cut down by me but came out pretty well in my opinion. I'd go for it.

 

Can we get a side view?

 

I know yours is a different animal, but my "fauxdster" started life as a Special Coupe. When I got it, someone had already butchered it, so I just finished the job!!!! I say go for it.

 

Found a reference to the Model A to tub article. It's supposed to be in American Rodder issue 141, late 2001. Hope this helps.

 

..... tap into the H.A.M.B.-ulator and find the answers .... November 2001, American Rodder. Tman was already there, way back then ... behold !!! Sko_Ford edition.


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/american-rodder-2-a-highboy-projects.276558/

 

Side view as requested. Not the best photo, sorry.



Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

May thanks, guy's! I found a copy on Ebay books for $9 shipped what a bargain!

 

I've seen a few over the last 40 years, most were done right-on-the-money. I remember one that they built a lift-off carson style chopped top, .... man it was cool.

 

I don't have that issue. Would you be able to scan it to full size, and post it?

 

Cool, what is on the cover? I want to dig mine out. Those mags were great, they actually had REAL tech!

 

From the ad;



Now you have to scan it,, please.

 

Here is mine , PM me if you need pictures of the cowel and windshield posts, also I put a brace behind the front seats to hold the 1/4 panels in line