I plan to fill my 1930 Model A coupe top. What donor car has the best looking metal for the top? Some like smooth, some like ribbed. I have not decided yet. Opinions..........
Measure yours...Go to junk yard,battery sawzall-circular or jigsaw.And try to use 60's or earlier metal.
Roof of a OT jeep charokee, If you wants ribs for her plessure. Volvo 240/245 roof do work too. But most roofes with a slight curb can be made to fit
Thanks for the help. Did a search, still did not find what I was looking for which is a bunch of pictures that will help make a decision of what to use.
I built this A coupe some years ago, now owned by Cam from the Ringwreckers. I used the hood panel from a '62 Chevy, told people the two raised ribs were for "lateral stability" at high speed! Actually someone had cut the panel out of the hood at a local scrap yard in So. Maine and it was lying there and turns out it worked good.
I used a Maverick roof turned around backwards, fit perfect. Mustang roofs work as well. Got it at pull-a-part for something like $20. You can also use the stiffener across the center of the roof, shortened on the sides like the roof panel, to mount an interior light if you happen to want an interior light in your hot rod.
When I filled the roof on my 35 Ford 5 window I made a template front to back and side to side of the profile. Headed to French Lake and it turned out to be an 80's Chev Monza that fit the bill. Good l
There seems to be many options listed here. Here's one more: My friend was told to use a mid-70's Camero roof and he got great results with it. Real nice fit with the smooth look.
Last year my brother and I picked up a '29 coupe that had been filled. The guy said the panel was from a Pinto wagon.
Reading down that list I'd say it's what has close to the right shape the day you go to the do it yourself yard that will let you cut a roof out or off. I've got two friends with wrecking yards that will let you cut pieces like that off cars in the "crusher row" real cheap. Cutting a couple of templates out of something stiff enough to carry around and set on roofs helps a lot too.
A car buddy has a 32 Plymouth 3 window coupe. I have a roof skin from a 68 Chev Suburban. We cut a few feet off at the front and it worked very well.
Fine29, that is one great looking coupe! The proportions are right on, I like the headers too. The only detraction is the radiator top and bottom tanks and the side bands visible in the grille. I know it can be a difficult job finding one to fit or quite expensive to have one made. My father owned a radiator shop that specialised in custom radiators and they can get ridiculous in price, so its a case of "I have the $$ for a custom fit" or "It looks good to me". Some black paint and you wouldn't notice it so much. Doc.
Doc, Still on this side of the grass, how cool is that. When we out the mustang rad in the ravens he put metal mesh in front of it so it is only really noticeable from the rear. A cheap solution to an ugly problem and I agree nice old coupe. Not all millennium-ized.
Porknbeaner, indeed its always good to be walking on the grass rather than fertilizing it! The mesh is an obvious and great solution that I didn't even consider, I need to be more awake!! You would have to be really looking to notice it from the back, I dare say it wouldn't be very obvious. Cheers mate, have a great day! Doc.
I made a plywood template and took it to a junkyard, exactly as Mr48chev recommends. Turns out an '86 Toyota minivan matches a '28-31 Ford sedan perfectly. Here's a picture-heavy thread showing how I did mine. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/28-tudor-update-6-steel-roof-covered-by-stock-vinyl.636247/
Thanks for the kind words doc. The radiator was supposed to fit the 29 shell but either way it is getting a mesh insert and the rad is going to be made black.
I saw one recently on a '32 Ford sedan, came off a Taurus station wagon, so it was a 1 piece deal, looked sanitary as heck.
The Jalopy Journal
