I been thinking about my next project,can you take a two door model A and make a good looking phaeton out of it? I was thinking 32 frame, 16 inch wheels, vintage 327 but what about the windshield and the top of the doors? I don't want some cut up job that looks like shit. Can it be done with tradition and style... any pix of cars that you like would be great. Thanks WD40
They did something like this on a show called Overhaulin' ... the car was already cut down, but they cleaned up the body and put it on a '32 frame -
Although this car isn't exactly traditional, it's a badass lookin ride and the principals are the same. I pretty sure that this car was also shortened through the quarters but I don't know by how much. It's also tough to see how he handled the door and body top edges due to the tonneau cover. I seem to recall an article in one of the rod mags a few years back (maybe Street Rodder?) that focused on a guy cutting the top off of a 28-29 sedan.
I forgot about the car from Overhaulin...they just about rebuilt that car from scratch didn't they? The white 28 is nice but so 90's smooth, it has a torsion bar suspension in the front if I remember right. I'm not sure about the door treatment. Thanks for your reply guys... WD40
Anything can be done! The sedan that was cut off in Street Rodder mag. was Probably Norm"s Kookie II.
I just did a search on a car owned by John Elwell it's a 31 tudor phaeton with a 39/40 windshield, it's a neat car and worth a look... WD40
I think Gerry Burger or someone from Rodders Digest built one... or maybe that was in American Rodder... there was a pic of it on an add on e-bay for "Ansen pedals"... maybe someone can get a pic off e-bay, as I am at work right now and can't go on e-bay at work. Sam.
I posted the John Elwell car a few months ago. I stumbled upon it while I was browsing an old surfing website. John's car was factory-built as a phaeton, as evidenced by the body line along the rear panel where the soft top would be retained. ...technically not a sedan turned phaeton, but worth a look nonetheless.
I know you looking for A models, but these might help around the windshield area.. This was a Tudor... I made my own stands off the cowl, and made the windshield frame. The chrome side stands are model a I think, $40 bucks at a swap meet. I also welded the dash to the body. I "built" the nubs out to the doors with metal. Oh... and always run a Toneu cover to hide all the "shit" that happens! Joshua Shaw
wow! just the kind of pix i was lookin for. yep tubs can be made from sedans, the windshield posts are the sticky point , do that right, and the tops of the doors and ya got it! the 34 is right on like them poster door panels, lots of imagination.
corngrower32, I love the door panels on that car. Very "outside the box". The whole car is well thought out and nicely executed. Kudos!
American Rodder former editor Joe Kress built that car - cut the top off a Tudor, narrowed the doors, threw it on a '32 frame and added Dirt Track tires to widened 16" wires - I don't think the car was finished before the mag went under (prior to its rebirth by Buckaroo). Steve
Josh... I bought a '34 sedan-turned-phaeton last October, and when I found your pics on Ebay a day or so later, I saved every damn one of 'em! Your work on the cowl/windshield/dash area was very nice and really helped me get a visual on what needs to be done to my own. Kinda crazy that such a seemingly rare "phantom" as a '34 Tudor Phaeton would be built so close to when I picked-up my own... Here's some photos from my car's auction. I let the seller keep the crusty 4-bar and the wheels and tires, and ended up getting a smoking deal on the body and frame! I plan on building a Lincoln 430-powered early 60's-style rod out of her... ...oh, and I hooked that Overhaulin' build up with those 3 Strombergs. ...well, me and NW Speed. That car was SOOO bitchin' when Skratch and the boys were finished... I love tubs!
That '34 is pretty bitchin Josh. The white A was built by Lee Osbourne. I used to see him and Steve build tubs like that all the time when I was a kid. They are definitely rulers.
...here's one made from a tudor ...and one made from a 4 door the black one's runnin a lincoln flathead V-12.
Do some searches for my posts and others from Killer. Search Tudor tub, too You have to narrow the doors, mine are pie cut and welded back together. Some people just unbolt the upper body, I cut mine at the top of the second body line. The C-pillar was pretty easy to reform so that it flowed smoothly up to the "ducktail" across the back of the car. Mine is still in pieces, so hurry up and do yours, so I can see more how-to pics.
Thats cool, glad I could help. I'll search through my photo's.. I have build shots somewhere.. Joshua Shaw
There were a bunch of '30-'31 two door touring cars built a couple of decades ago. I don't know whether they were ever built by Ford, but they were not that uncommon as street rods. Maybe a Wescott body?
I would personally look for a roadster cowl and then mate it up to a tudor back half. With the roadster cowl you are going to get the right look for the windshield with out a lot of dickin around.
When I made a roadster pick-up out of a '29 tudor body, I cut the doors 1/4" above the wide revel and trimmed the roll over revel from the bottom of the door window and welded them together. As for the door thickness, I cut the edges of the door down to 1 1/4" following the curve of the door skin. For the inner door skin, I tacked the door in the body and welded a piece of 16ga. to the front, back and bottom edges. I used latches from a T open car. It all works well and dosen't have that give away, thick look. For the wind sheild posts I cut away the top of the A piller and rebuilt it to use a pair of stock '29 posts. You will want to fill in the vent holes in the cross piece between the w'sheild posts. I just cut the dash rail to fit up to the vent piece. A stock windsheild frame is going to be too short to fit between the posts'. You will nee to add about 2" to it. I made my own frame, but you could chop the frame 2" or3" and you would have the pieces you need to widen the top and bottom. It's a bit of work, but worth it for the bragging rights. Ron
I'm re-showing all these pics cause this car is absolutly smokin'! If it was posted before, sorry I missed it. I've been thinkin about something like this mostly because I'm just too tall for most rods - and because it's got to be cheaper than a clean roadster body. Thank you Corngrower! I'd seen the slick '29 before and it too has nice lines, just too pretty for me. More???
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