I'm heading towards my first build and will be using one of Brookvilles 32 Roadster bodies. Down here in Australia, it's a couple of grand cheaper to buy the thing in pieces and assemble the body yourself. Now I'm aware that'd it's certainly not a 'tab A into slot B' build but I'm curious about the process and any pitfalls that may exist. Has anybody here put one of these bodies together? I've scoured the HAMB and searched using every combination of words that comes to mind but I just can't seem to find a post with the info that I'm after. Cheers Scotty
I Know of one experienced metal man that has done what you are suggesting and recommends a fully assembled body by far outweighs the drama trying to put the pieces together.
How can I put this...............it's a bitch. We never did the Deuce roadster but my Son did buy a Brookville 30 rpu body in pieces. We figured how hard could it be to assemble, plus we were going to channel the body anyway so we would have to cut even an assembled body up. We found out that it is not an erector set and lots of nights we left the shop thinking it would never go together right. The problem is, when Brookville or one of their authorized dealers assemble one they have a dedicated jig that positions every panel in absolutely perfect alignment before they weld it together. Us home guys build a simple platform and then try to build the body off of that with no reference points, just our common sense. We ultimately did get it together and it fits well, but we have a LOT of hours in it. Would we do it again? Maybe. You do save some money and it can come via UPS as opposed to truck (or boat, in your case) and you can also get it bare metal as opposed to that crappy red primer they use. Now that we have done one we probably would get the next one done a little faster and easier, but it is no walk in the park. Here is how the professional assemblers do it with a jig made just for this body:
One thing I do have to say is that the folks at Brookville were EXTREMELY helpful and patient with us when we called them with questions about how this thing went together. They could not have been better about it. Here is what you start out with. Not sure how the 32 comes, but I suspect it might have even more pieces because of how complex they are.
Been @ this game for 45+ years --- Did 1 a few years ago and NEVER AGAIN. Ain't worth the $$$$$$$$ savings in the long run. Have done 4 assembled bodies since. Good luck in your venture.
I would have to believe da34guy, he certainly is no virgin to complicated builds and if he says it is tough, it it REALLY tough. The 32 is such a rounded shape too that it would be hard to clamp it down without a jig that fixes on all the correct points and would hold it in alignment. We found out when assembling ours that a 1/6 of an inch off in one spot would throw it completely off somewhere else, and nothing would line up. Here is the simple platform my Kid came up with to screw his body down to, it was scribed with perfectly measured lines to keep the body square. I don't think the 32 would fit on something like this because of it's shape. At one point we even had to install an original Model A tank because things were not lining up with the tank cover suppied by Brookville. That did the trick and then the Brookville parts fit after this. Finally starting to come together................ The original subframe was just used to square the body up on the platform and was later replaced by a channeled floor subframe we built. This was the final body assembly, then we removed the back section and cut out the subframe to make way for the channeled one.
I assembled mine from a combination of Original parts and Repro. It is a lot of work but it's kinda fun as well. It really depends on your skill level.
Titus built one from brookvile parts http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371889&highlight=roadster It seems like the key is to build it on a frame.
Sent my pile of brookville sheet metal to VA with eastcoast57 dad....a few panels were not trimmed and a little outta wack. A little time and frame would definently help...lol
Did ya start with a good sub frame, if ya did the rest is fairly simple Swappin panels is no big deal.
Ben from Rancho Deluxe down here in Melbourne has done it, he said it was a pain in the ass if i remember correctly! PM Lowsquire, he will give you the run down.
i put this one together, but i think it was out of seconds and even less assembled than what they send ya, i had to weld in the b pillars, assembly the doors, assemble the complete cowl and rap the dash rail, assembly in inner and outer subrails etc etc etc, there was basically nothing put together on it when i got it, other than the deck lid inner and outer!, over all it was a pain in the ass, but id do it again. it took alot of patience and fine tuning but it turned out pretty good. jeff
Nope,i made all my sub rails. Got my Cowl all sorted and doors hung and gapped. Then worked back from there.
I did the first one my self right after they came out. I sure learned a lot. I had studied the So-Cal build so I thought what the hell I can do this. I'd had 5 originals so knew what made them tick. I got thru it and it turned out great Since then I 've worked with a local metal shop and he has done the assembly. We've done another 1/2 dozen. I have now found a source where I can buy assembled bodies for the same money I had in assembling one myself. Never again if I can help it.
Waddingtons in Casltlemaine have one for sale at $15,000 Aussie. That is good buying, I was quoted $14,000 buying direct from Brookville and it still had to be shipped, got quoted off another dealer here in Australia and was quoted around $17,000 landed, ended up getting one off a dealer in the states as I spent $25,000 with him he gave me a great deal on the body, I shared a container with some mates that bought a bunch of stuff back so it made the shipping less painfull, so really do your homework, but I would highly recommend considering the body Waddingtons have for sale, its assembled, its here and its priced right, I guarantee you try and ship one direct yourself its going to cost you more than that. Good luck with it all.
I bought one unassembled when they first came out because I did'nt want to wait for an assembled one . I then commissioned my friend Terry Hegman to do the assembly on my DeuceFactory frame. It turned out very nice , but not without a few challenges along the way .
Subscribed as well as I've been considering this option too. It does concern me that some very experienced builders are saying that it is no walk in the park. I guess that I need to get on the horn with Brookville and ask them if they would sell the sub-frame already assembled and what the price of an unassembled body is right now.
Firstly, I'd just like to say a genuine thanks for each and every reply. You're obviously a bunch of bloody good guys... I gotta admit, it looks like a lot bigger headache than I'd originally thought. I look at the number and complexity of the factory jigs used in assembly, combined with experienced assemblers talking about what a pain in the bum the task is and I think that paying an extra 2 grand for an already assembled body is looking like good value. Heck, looking at some of these pics I reckon I'd blow close to 2 grand in buying extra clamps alone Thanks again for all the advice gents. Once I work out a plan ahead I'll be sure to start a build thread and that'll undoubtedly be followed by more questions. Cheers Scotty
+1 on the Waddingtons (Castlemaine) idea as I have seen them first hand here at the shop. Do your homework on them as being able to deal with a local firm is much easier. http://www.waddingtonstreetrods.com.au/ They have an open day here on the 1st April and further to that I have seen a US bodied 32 they built.
When my the pieces for my Son's rpu arrived I made the comment we should buy one of these bodies from time to time, assemble it, and take it to some shows and sell it. I figured there would be some profit in it for us. But after seeing how hard it was to put together and how much time goes into doing it, I get reminded quite often of how smart that idea was. I think if we would end up making about 10 cents an hour once it was all said and done. And it looked SO easy at the onset ! Don
I know a guy here in perth who is an experienced builder who bought a 'flat packed' 32 and he said he'd never do it again. If Waddingtons have one for $15k grab it, but ask if it has a firewall, floor etc etc. We quoted a guy the other day just under $16k landed in Perth with a firewall, steel floor, cowl vent etc. We landed a couple of 1930 roadsters for under $10k with full floors etc just last month It is normally cheaper to buy through a dealer than direct from Brookville for some reason.
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