Art & Inspiration How would you "coach build" a Model A?

So... if you had a model A and wanted to refine the looks, as might have happened with a period-built, custom Model A body, what would you do? Slant the windshield, build a 3 window, round some door or trunk lid corners, pinch it here, widen it there? Change the bright work, lighting, etc.. Stretch a door? Mild chop? Suicide doors? Not that you'd start with a blank canvas, just make some subtle but interesting mods like seen in the recent posts on early European Fords, or other Fords from other countries. What think? Gary

 

I'd leave them alone.. I think they're pretty cool and unique the way they are.. Except maybe a heavy chop...

 

I am a huge fan of Model A's. I have a 31 coupe myself. Gary, I have thought about this very question you pose. I agree with scrap metal 48, in that Model A's are beautiful cars, have great lines, and don't need any alterations to make them look awesome....because they come that way. However, what if I were very wealthy (which I'm not) and owned many Model A's. Would I get crazy with one and build a wild car. How about mixing a Model A (Hot Rod) with a Custom (think 35 ford coupe with big fenders) Possibly give it an art deco look, or a nod to Bugatti.

A few years ago I was bored and drew this photo below; a Model A Custom Tail Dragger with large fenders that's slammed to the ground. Was I drinking too heavily that night or was I onto something??

 

You could do all of your suggestions. I though, would do none. I think the fords ( Henry and Edsel) did that for us. Slanted windows and 3 windows have never been pulled off successfully. so my idea of hotrodding is to put more horse power and drivability into it. Okay, maybe the chop then.....

 

My biggest 'dislike' is seeing them sitting on top of a '32 chassis. I wish guys would channel them an inch over a '32 chassis.

 

Obviously too much drink........you left off the running boards.


A few years ago I was bored and drew this photo below; a Model A Custom Tail Dragger with large fenders that's slammed to the ground. Was I drinking too heavily that night or was I onto something??

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I don't know about the rendering you did.

But to your original question, how about a 2" channel, raise the fenders 2", very light chop leaning the a pillars no more than 1", stretch the hood and wheel base by 2" making room for a supercharged banger motor. Thinner running boards (height wise) maybe reduced by 1/2". Then add thin stainless strips along the running board and up the rear fenders, kinda like a duesenburg.

 

Said to be the most beautiful Model A, was Gordon Buehrig's custom body convertible.

He worked as a stylist for Duesenberg at the time and wanted a custom built automobile. As he could not afford a Duesenberg or even an Auburn, he bought a brand new Model A and had the body built to his specifications in the Duesenberg shops. The management approved, and gave him the work at cost price. Some of the shop workers thought he was "nuts" to cut up a brand new car!

 

I'm not using runn.....I mean if I were to build that I wouldn't use running boards
I would take styling ques from Bugatti. Art Deco

 

He started with a Sport Coupe because it had the cowl and windshield he wanted. Cut off the body back of the cowl, and moved the cowl back 4". Extended the controls, and built a new hood. Then built the rest of the body to his drawings. Using the same materials and built to the same standards as a custom Duesenberg body.

The picture shows the car when it was first completed, with heavy duty tires more suited to a limousine or light truck! Gordon thought they must be the best tires because they were the most expensive. But soon found out they were way too "heavy duty" for alight car and gave a terrible ride. So he went back to the stock type tires. More expensive does not always mean better.

 

Somewhere I've seen a picture of a '30 or'31 A four door sedan, maybe a town car version, modified w/ a divider just behind the driver's seat, and a removable soft top over the driver, while the rear was fully enclosed. Sort of a very down scaled limo.

For some folks, getting through the great depression meant not publicly displaying their economic status through high end cars, yet still having a chauffeur. K6

 

That is the approach I took with my 33 Fordor, ended up with a Vicky convertible sedan with a Decklid
Build Thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/one-of-a-kind-1933-ford.570915/page-3#post-10563944

 

I'll have to do a search and try to find a rear angle view of the Buehrig A

 

Interesting ideas... I'd certainly lean towards doing a mini-Deusey treatment if I was building the car in-era, classing it up with perhaps a stretched hood? Chop? Big chrome grille shell with wider vertical bars, and oversized head lights? Wider tires and better wires? But whatever, keep it all to scale, so to speak. But you'd have to be good at it, or the rodders would just cut it up later! You don't see many rodded Duesenbergs, eh? I've been thinking of a faux channel for my A build, raising / Z-ing the front rails at the firewall 3-4" while also raising the entire cowl and hood at the same time. Then just using 2" square tube under the body / subrails before Z-ing the rear of the chassis. A caged tranny tunnel and perhaps a hidden roll cage of some sort would be good to tie it all back together. Other wise, you'd have to use some TT or AA rails? I'd probably have cycle fenders up front and body mounted rear fenders. I've also been thinking of a way to flatten out the tail a little, taking the area below the bottom of the trunk lid and perhaps pie cutting the last foot or so of the of the rear quarter corners so that the tail end would ease back, like that of a 33/34 Ford. And this, and that... who knows. Or a slider canvas sunroof insert? I'm partial to the early A's with the coke bottle cowl, so I don't think could get all the way to "Deusey." As for the art deco approach, how about a boat tail? with pontoon / streamliner front fenders (axle mounted or blended into the front rails / nose fairing?). Or.... Gary

 

I like it!!! Gary

 

Some rich people had small town cars or limousines built specifically for city use. The Brewster company in New York specialized in this type of work. In the 1910's they made small custom body limos on imported 4 cylinder chassis. Later they made custom bodies on Ford chassis. It was a way to have a car that was handy in city traffic but with the comfort, quality and prestige of a custom built car.

They were far from a cheap car but, you could always transfer the body to a new chassis when the old one wore out and save some money that way.

Have seen pictures of one of these mini limo bodies they built in the teens, that was transferred to a Ford chassis in the mid thirties. When they took off the fenders and running boards you could see where they shimmed up the frame with wood blocks to make it fit.

Here is a 1935 Brewster on a Ford V8 chassis. Note they even changed the front fenders and grille to their own design.

 

Love the Duesenberg, but I could never afford one so here's a shot of my all steel 1932 Ford Model B with a Duesy twist.

 

Repeat after me; "Sophisticated, subtle and not too far from stock."

-I'd start with a Vicky or 4-door sedan body. Keep the body stock, but lower it a few inches all around for a level stance.
-Solid steelies with Caddy sombrero wheel covers or Buick Skylark wire wheels. Probably white wall tires.
-Paint it a modern sophisticated luxury car (Caddy/Lincoln/Lexus/etc.) dark color, probably with a little metallic or pearl. Possibly two-tone.
-Subtle pinstripes following the body reveals.
-Upholstery would be a stock pattern, but leather instead of mohair. German wool square weave carpet.
-Dash and garnish mouldings would either match external color, or wood grained.
-Wooden steering wheel.

What do you think so far?

 

This is a '32 fordor, but pretty cool. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-dream-hot-rod-build.724986/#post-8055192

 

A 30-31 body with the longer, more swept back front fenders. Extend the wheelbase 3-5 inches all at the front for a longer hood and engine side cover. A 2 or 3 inch top and lower the car another couple inches. Flathead V-8/V-12 and a manual transmission. Smaller diameter wheels and side mounts still an option.

The car pictured above is a bit too much of everything.

 

Well I was just going with an inch and a half or so chop, full fenders and covering the old leather back roof with convertible top fabric on my 31 Vicki but you guys have me doing some thinking. on doing some more mods to give it a "one off" look while looking more like a modified restored A than a hot rod A V8.
photo of a restored one borrowed off the internet but what if along with a slight chop a guy channeled it just enough so that the bottom front corner of the cowl was close to the curve in the fender?


Since my 31 doesn't have much for floor and wood subframes channeling it would be fairly simple. The challenging part might be getting the splash aprons trimmed up so they look right. Now where are those photoshoppers when I need one.

 

For the model A
Slant windshield
Small chop
Flush doors
Longer doors
(Sounds like a Vicky )
Slightly flared cowl - forward at the cowl ( just enough to alter the optical illusion of it being too narrow at the bottom)
Adding a few inches of girth between the bottom bead and mid bead.
Slight longer hood with a bit more vertical taper on the horizontal plane.

 

Gary: I think, that when we hear "coachbuilt" we automatically think of limo type cars. Have you googled coach built? I'd think there'd be something out there. I think of the Ralston/Rollston company when people mention it. They did a lot of different things with name brand cars. I'll include a pic of a '34 Ford they built. Look closely at the wheels. Also, I was in a museum in Wisconsin @ 20 years ago and saw an A pickup, 30-31 version, with the Murray cowl and passenger car bumpers grill and headlights. Just like you were thinking. Stay with it and you'll discover something new in hotrodding? (coach--rod?) Tim

 

What about features like hidden door hinges or golf club compartments (ha!) / storage? I've also been entertaining the idea of a flush upper door edge - if there was a way to remove the upper "drip" rail on the door that overlaps the body and make it fit flush like more the front and rear door gaps. Gary

 

My '29 Steelback project is going to look like a Lagonda or Bentley from the late 1920's if all goes well. Bob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-chris-piscitelli-sketch.780228/#post-8670173

 

This is something I've pondered off and on for probably 40+ years. My aim would be a classic flavour luxury sport 2-seater, with an emphasis on comfort and safety...and accommodating my mobility issues

I can see it in my mind, but I don't know if I can put it in sufficient words.

The ingredients:

• 1930-31 4-door sedan
• A "built up" late '40s Lincoln Zephyr V-12
• Ford AOD transmission
• 1988-89 T-Bird Turbo Coupe 8.8" rear end
• Aftermarket tube frame, Zed front and rear.

Changes:

• Split the body in half, removing the B-pillar and parts of all 4 doors, to shorten up the body by roughly the difference in length between the 4-banger and the V-12.
• Connect the remaining front and rear door sections together. Keep the rear door hinges, and move the door handles and latches to the leading door edges. End result...a 2-door sedan with large suicide doors that wrap up and over the rear fenders.
• Split the body down the center line and splice in around 10", to widen the body for more interior room.
• Deleted running boards, replaced with rolled under side pans.
• Folding sunroof
• Root beer with Ivory trim paint
• Slightly widened rear fenders, with the lower leading edge bobbed and finished off.
• Trailing edge of the front fenders bobbed and finished off.
• Widened and lengthened hood with smooth sides and portals for exhaust tubes to come through, and on through the fenders, ala Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg
• Grille/Radiator shell modified or replaced with something obscure...with a stainless wire mesh, ala Jaguar SS100
• S.S. Classic half-moon crystal headlights
• Dayton Triple Cross knock-off wire wheels
• Soft, "bomber jacket" leather interior with bench seat
• Tilt and Telescope steering column
• Air conditioning
• Wheelchair storage and tie-downs behind seat
• Frame widened corresponding to the body widening.
• Front suspension converted to 4-bar with adjustable shocks, disc brakes, and a Unisteer cross-steer set up.
• Rear triangulated 4-link suspension with air bags

 

Edsel Ford's 1930 Sport Phaeton has a look with swept back fenders, BIG headlamps, long hood and cowl, slanted windshield. Also like the windshield wiper in the cowl.
Imagine it with out the back seat and a treatment on the trunk. Maybe someone will pick up on that and photo shop it.
I have a '31 68C slant windshield Cabriolet and that modification by Ford is the biggest thing alone for looks on a Model A ever in my mind.

 

^ Wonderful looking car! I don't remember seeing anything on it before now. RE you last comment, what mod are you referring to, the slant window, right? Gary

 

flush fit the doors, replace the visor with a half piece of exhaust tubing, trunk is too plain, maybe roll a body molding down each side and across rear pan.

 

There's a lot of cool stuff on that car!
The thinned aprons are a subtle change.
Wondering if the wheel base was stretched?