History Traditional 29 roadster vs 29 roadster pickup

I grew up watching my dad go to shows, build his cars and make a name for himself in the hot rodding world. Due to physical reasons i've left my past hobby to finally get involved in building cars myself. Its always been apart of me I just didn't realize. Knowing the people through my father and being the snot nosed kid I am because of it, having the chance the spend most of my time with people like Bud Bryan (yes, this is why I feel like the fortunate, very lucky snot nosed kid) I still have questions that surpass their opinions. Im building an AV8, traditionally, and have been looking for a 29 roadster body. The more and more I look at old magazines, books, films and listen to my predecessors, Im becoming more curios as to why I see more old photos of roadsters than roadster pickups. Ive had input from my fellas, but want more opinions and knowledge. Was the pickup not as cool in the day? Was it? Am I delusional? The roadster pickup has been growing on me more. In the end I wont care which was "cooler" and "more popular", in the end or the beginning, I just want to build a traditional hot rod that I like. Any thoughts and knowledge about the two? Thanks.

 

You won't catch me saying Roadster Pick Ups aren't cool. My dad and I built this one in 1960. I think people thought it was cool.

 

Now there is a great photo. That pickup is cool! Awesome you built it with your dad. my first build is with my pops too, means a lot. Definitely a cool car! thanks for sharing and broadening my vision.

 

I started this one in 1995. I'm sure the traditional police don't think it's cool, but I do.

 

Ive seen it around in the 50's, who cares about the police, we'll out run them. thanks for sharing.

 

2016 Sacramento, CA Autorama - truck in Grass Valley, CA area

 

Roadster pickups have always been cool.Just look through any hot rod publicatiosn from the 50's and 60's and you will see plenty of them.If thats what you like go for it. One word of caution,they are seriously limited in the seating and legroom department.I was interested in a particularly nice one about 25 years ago.When i shoehorned myself behind the wheel i realized,as my knees where touching my ears,that i was not made for a roadster pickup.The roadsters at least have the option of tweaking the seat a bit to get a little more room. Both are cool!

 

That is a beautiful roadster pickup traditional or not. I love traditional cars first and foremost but there are some street rods that I would kill for.

 

Hey Dean,
Much has been said about both of your quality builds. They belong in any discussion and thread on roadster pick ups, bar none. In my book, that 1961 version was the coolest. As a teenager looking at hot rod magazines, everyone in our circles back then, showed a lot of envy on how that kid got his hot rod in the magazine, let alone THE cover.

Junji
Now, that yellow RPU is outstanding and deserves to be anywhere on any cover or photo spread. It is just the epitome of any description of a hot rod. There are so many old hot rod techniques and parts on this modern day version. This old guy is still envious... especially with that big 671... Kudos...

 

My guess is more roadsters than roadster pick ups were originally built and the roadster pick ups were probably kept working harder and much longer. Meant far less 1/2 way decent sheet metal for the original rodders in the 30's to start their builds with.

Ed

 

I wish I could find the now owner of my RPU, built in the 60's and 70's twice, true hot rod, go to the junk yard walk around and find the pieces you need to use or modify. GREAT TIMES. Sold it in the early 80's. Wonder what it looks like now?

 

From what I just read, using '29 as an example, there were 35829 RPU's built and 191529 regular roadster built, so my guess is they were just that much more rare to find, even then. Add in that trucks of any sort tended to get worked to death and roadsters might enjoy garage time and much more occasional use, makes the RPU that much more rare.

I don't think they were at all unpopular, just uncommon.

 

I'm surprised at how many roadster pickups I see in this part of the country...not that they're common as ants at a picknic, but you see 'em for sale on Craig's List in all forms, and you seldom go to a car show of good size without seeing one or two. I read somewhere that there were lots of roadster pickups in the central valley and Bay Area of California because they found use in orchards. The tops and windshield posts could be removed so they could drive under the branches of the trees. Makes as much sense as any other theory, I guess.

Any of the Ford trucks from 1928-1934 have very limited interior space, and the roadster pickups, because their doors are shorter, are difficult to get your feet in since the space between the seat and the door opening is very small (about 10"). Of course, the door opening is the same on roadsters, but the roadsters have more interior room once you're in.

As someone else noted, trucks back then, were for work, not sport utility vehicles or fashion statements. As hard as they were used, it's sort of a wonder any of 'em still exist. Here's a picture of mine. It shows some signs of use, but considering that it's 88 year old Henry Ford steel, it's in remarkably good shape.

 

Mine is going to the upholstery shop next week.
I am using this magazine cover car from 1963 as my inspiration:

 

usually can be found at Sacramento Vintage Ford, in Rancho Cordova, CA

 

There hasn't been any movement on this thread for a long time, so I'll throw out this picture of my RPU in hopes of getting it going a gain.

 

Looks awesome, Craig! Thought I might see you at the C&C today in SR. Rain didn’t keep us away!


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I couldn’t fit in my truck when I got It but I knew that going in.
Added 3” to the doors and 2” to the quarters. I’m 6’1”, or I used to be. It works now. A top is in the works.


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OP may be stuck in the truck, not seen in about three years.

 

They are double cool...They are a Roadster & They are a Truck!

 

Never2old : I have a '28 'A-A' RPU & as you know, it's almost impossible for anybody over 5' 6" to shift gears without "bump-dialing' the cell phone in their shirt pocket, so I took the easy way out : instead of going the hard way & stretching my doors, I added 6" by cutting the back panel off, moving it back, & adding (admittedly "massaged") sheet metal to fill the gap. Most people don't even notice, except that there is more foot room in my cab. Admittedly it's a whole lot easier to stretch a RPU than it is a roadster car!

 

Pictures? You're right about the lack of room. I'm 5' 6", my RPU has a 350 turbo so I don't have to deal with shifting, and it's still awfully tight. It'd be fun to see what yours looks like with an extra 6" of cab space and the necessary shortening of the bed or lengthening of the wheelbase.

 

I can’t imagine how you get in or out. Pictures or I call bs.


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or impaled on the running board bracket . .... get a tennis ball over that thing man

 

I'll post the only pic I have of the '29 roadster PU that Steve Osborn (weeds on here; RIP) owned for many years. I was behind him somewhere between Kansas City and Joplin going to the inaugural R&C Americruise in 1993.



Yes; that's rain. At the time I took this pic his lift-off top was in the back of Clarence, the panel truck in my avatar. I post this not to show you a very cool roadster PU (which it was) but to show that you don't have to put your topless ride in the shed when it's cloudy. We were traveling approximately 80 mph on US-71 (now I-49).

 

With all this talk about interior room, here are pictures of the cab space in my RPU. You can't really get a sense of how cramped the space is from the pictures, but it's tiny inside. The main issue is just getting in the thing as the door opening is really small. Once in, your legs are sort of bunched up and it takes some maneuvering to get your foot on the brake. I would've liked to have a stick shift, but there's hardly room for just a brake pedal for the automatic trans. A floor shift and an e brake handle would have further cut down on interior space, but I've seen Model A pickups with fixed steering columns (not tilt), stick shift transmissions, and a floor mounted e brake. They had to be a bear to get in and out of and to drive. Of course, yesteryear folks weren't quite as...shall we say, well-fed. People really were smaller when these things were the norm. Things to consider: most OHV V8 engines will require a firewall set back with the stock length frame. Mine is set back 2" to accommodate the 327 engine but still uses the stock cowl gas tank. I've cut the seat bottom down 2" shorter to make for more room to get in and out, but it's still small. Any Model A pickup, closed cab or open, had the same amount of interior space, but at least the closed cab models had wider doors.

 

Never2old: Damn, NOW I have to learn how to post pictures on here... LOL ! I do have an advantage over yours that I'm keeping the running boards to step up on. And yes, I did need to shorten the PU bed the same 6" that I added to the cab, but on a production height 'A-A' nobody notices. (It looks like a survivor, not a hot rod)

 

Finished truck has running boards.




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