Just how insane would it be to alter the windshield posts on a 30/31 Model A Pickup cowl to accept Roadster stanchions? Thus converting a Pickup into a Roadster Pickup! Thanks in advance. Rick.
I've never done it, but I have looked at as a realistic possibilty for a customers car at on point and decided it was not cost effective. Lots of little differences between roadster and closed car cowls. I'm not saying it can't be done, and if I had to convert one, '30 '31 looks the easiest, but man getting it right is going to be work. My thought has always been that it would be easier to set one up for a Duvalle type 'shield where it wouldn't have to look dead on stock...
I've got that same question -- I'm doing a speedster and I have a 28-9 pickup cowl that has the tops of the cowl posts hacked off -- one of the posts has a hinge twisted and the dash rail is beat. I'm within an hour of Berts Model A in Denver. Would roadster cowl posts and a roadster dash rail do the trick ? Duvalle would be cool but its expensive and then there is the gas tank
The first problem will be that the forward door jam on the pickup is vertical. This jam "flows" into the door on the roadster pickup. The second problem is that you will need to thin the door to make it look right. You can balance a quarter on the roadster pickup door. If your door from the pickup ends up looking like you can balance a can of coke on the top of the door it won't, in my opinion, look right. On the plus side the door from the pickup will be wider making it easier to get in and out. There have been several nice looking "coupsters" on HAMB recently, you should check them out for ideas. If it was my project I would buy a metal reproduction roadster pickup body and start from there. Charlie Stephens
This will be a speedster -- just a cowl with windshield, gas tank, guages etc and then a pair of speedway bomber buckets -- no doors or other body parts to deal with, just the cowl and windshield --- I'm just thinking that since the dash rail is beat, one of the cowl posts has a tweak in the middle at the lower hinge that is possible to fix but will be a bear --- and both cowl posts were hacked off just above the gas tank -- maybe a used (or new) roadster dash rail, and a pair of used (or new) roadster cowl posts would give me a place to mount a windshield --- I'm just wondering if that's all or of there are more parts needed to give me a place to mount a windshield like a roadster.
Build something out of spare parts: '30 closed car cowl, '33 (?) PU rear panel from the trash, fake doors
cool -- an A bucket -- but doesn't answer my speedster question. Had my windshield posts been left alone I would have done the same windshield treatment -- unfortunately the posts on mine look like a metal beaver chewed them off an inch above the cowl surface.
If I may, this is a question of time and experience. Would it be cost effective to put MANY hours into a closed car cowl vs buying a roadster one? For me, I love fabbing shit up but not everybody does. . .or can
Very Cool Speedster -- That windshield is awesome -- but I'm using the stock gas tank. I just thought that since the cowl posts unbolt I could swap them out for roadster ones to be able to mount a chopped and leaned back stock style windshield instead of just grinding down and capping my beaver chewed posts and going with the WWI flying ace helmet. Since there will be no doors or body other than the cowl -- door fit is not an issue
If you've still got SOMETHING to work off of, I'm sure you could make up posts?? Those pictures I posted have windshield posts made up of scraps- a little flat stock, some channel and some floor sweepings. A stock post is twice that size
Some model t stanchions are wide at the bottom. I chopped up a $20.00 swap meet pair and made them work on my 29. They still need some work but that's the fun part, right? poor pic but you get the idea
Hopefully these pictures come thru -- the 28/29 pickup posts were not unbolted they were hacked off and now I'm having to figure out something for a windshield.
I can't even see them LOL -- it just says IMG IMG -- how do I pull a file from my hard drive and post it ? When I click "more options" an "upload file" button appears for about half a second and then goes away
Go to the empty box where you would type a message. Type your message. Look outside the box, below, to the right, and find the button that says "UPLOAD A FILE". Click on that. That will bring up a dialog box that will allow you to browse for the file yon your computer. Find the file you want to post double-click on it. That should attach it. You will then have a choice to have it display as a thumbnail, or full image. That choice will appear in the "under banner" that appeared, attached to the message, with the file name and preview of the image in it. If the image is of an incompatible type, or too large, it may not work. Give it a shot. I posted this because it is a '28-'29, and I am about 2-miles South of Alviso, right now.
OK it was the network at work blocking the "upload file" button here are the stumps that are left where a pickup windshield post used to be
I believe you have enough metal to build up the area you would need to attach a roadster windshield. I will post some pictures when I get home.
Okay, here is the scoop on a '28-'29: I can say that the crown at the top of the fuel tank where it meets the lower/outer windshield frame (not the dash rail, that's a separate piece) is the same on a roadster as it is on a closed cab pickup. I cannot say if the curvature of the top of the lower/outer windshield frame is the same on both. In both cases, that piece is riveted to the door posts: A '29A RPU stretch I worked on: Shown with dash rail removed. This will give you an idea of what is different: My 29A CCPU: Here is a detail of the door hinge post where it meets the windshield. You have this. You can see the two rivets here that I can see in your picture. That is the area where the roadster windshield stanchions fit. I believe that is the principle, if not the only area that you would need to rework to get them on. I I would get a roadster windshield frame, and just work out what is "missing", and make it.
Have a look at Eddie's 29A. He's running a windshield he made, but what is below it will give you an idea of what is underneath on a factory built roadster: Look at the article over at Hot Rod. My pictures are always of detail stuff that I like: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrxp-spring-2008-1929-ford-roadster-pickup/