Projects 29 Model A Couprielet, A Phantom Sleeper

Unfortuately its in dire need of work to get it straight.

 

Most of the damage is at the rear but with the previous sections i had fabricated, it should be an easy repair.

 

The cross rail looks a little crude but once the welds are finished and ground down the two sections should bkend seamlessly.

 

The biggest challenge is the pitting. I have been careful to cut out as much of the rotton sections as possible when adding the new sections. The jigsaw style cuts aid this process.

 

The section where the cross rail will attach will need to be completely fabricated because there is nothing there.

 

That will be a lengthy process but worth it. In ideal world it would be easier to spend a couple of grand and wait several weeks for a repro set to arrive fom the States. But I can't afford them. And as rough as these are, I am sure people have resserected worse.

 

Hey Guys.
A long overdue update. Things have hit a major roadblock. I was making good progress on the subrails with most of the major sections fabricated.

 

I came to the realization that the whole thing will need to be scrapped. And I will have tostart over again.

 

The reason being that i was too stupid to notice the front section were missing until today.

 

Its a real shame i did not take the time to study this oversite when i first got them. I will be forced to source an un cut pair either original or repros when i get the funds. Its not worth my time to try and recreate the front of these subrails as its beyond my skills. To do so is a total waste of time and there are plenty of other less challenging tasks i can complete in the mean time including the floor pans and B Pillars. As i have already made up a pattern for the B pillars i am going to get a start on them.

 

Even though i can no longer use the subrails for the build, there is still enough left to mount the finished b pillars. Once i do that i can hang the quarter panels off them and start building a frame for the body.

 

I already have an original decklid, tulip panel and beaver panel , so there is more then enough to work with. Once i have them mounted i will move onto making up the frame for the roof. By then i should have the money to buy a full set of subrails.

 

Never say never, and nothing is so bad you can't throw it all in the rubbish pile and start over.
If you know you can, you can. If you think you can't, you won't.
Soldier on. Your views and follower numbers seem to indicate that there are a bunch of us in your corner, and know you can do it if you never consider "I can't".

 

Thanks for the positive feedback.

 

I have messed with lots of model A throw aways.......
The cut down A cowls often have the subfloor extension still in them, cut off with a hacksaw...
Look around, ask the boys, someone has them...
Measure a stocker from the center of the B pillar rivet hole to the center of the trailing cowl mount bolt hole... plot this out on your subfloor ...
Build the section between the extensions and where yours are cut...
I used a pair and some rotten subrails to make a [blue] template for setting up a model A closed car...
hope it helps !

 

Thanks for that information. I will keep it in mind.

 

I recon you are way ahead of this...
but I posted it for the guys wondering how the could make up a cheap subfloor...

 

Hey Guys.
Another quick update. Last week I used the B Pillar template to trace around some sheet metal and cut out the four sections needed. All four pieces were then clamped together to have the edges grounded down for a uniform shape.

 

As well as the front and rear facias there will also be two sides that follow the contour of the facias. The shrinker stretcher will be used to gain the contour with a 10 mm overlap of the facias for extra strength. I want to make the pillars as strong as possible for the seat belt mounts, so I am considering running RHS steel tubing on the inside of the pillar to make them more rigid.

 

This is in many ways the most important part of the build, anyone who has survived a head on collision understands all too well the importance of anchor points. I am fortunate enough to know a local rodder in town who runs a restoration business. He has built countless Model As over the years, mainly closed cab pickups. I can draw up some basic drafts and show him what I want to do. What ever he advises me on is the what I will do.

 

The other thing I am doing at the moment is researching online some cabriolet buildups. I found a good one, that shows every aspect of the construction including the all important fabrication of the sub rails. I have decided to use this as a guide for construction of my own. I will print out as many images as possible and study them to determine the types of steel tubing used. I will also take the images down to my local steel merchant to see if they have stock available that matches or resembles the stock in the images. Once measurement and steel types have been determined, I can then order all the desired steel.

 

Hey Guys.

After months of setbacks, I am finally making in roads at last. The B Pillars are taking shape at last.

 

The B Pillar will be boxed in with inner and outer sides. The outer side will sit inside the facia to allow the B Pillar to sit flush with the edge of the quarter panel.

 

The inner and outer panels were formed in the same way as the cross rails, through a combination of tipping dies, hammer forming and a shrinking and stretching. Once all the panels are finished the welding will be undertaken. The way the front section of the B Pillar will be attached to the outer section will be through welding a seam along the inside. This will keep the facia as clean as possible, again this is to keep the pillar as close to the quarter panel as possible. At the moment I am looking at options to fill the pillar. Most use timber but I am thinking of using something much more ambitious. This will change the whole direction of the build for the better. The details are still in the planning stages at the moment, but once I have fine tuned them, I will start posting them.

 

I have been looking online for ideas and inspiration for a while now and came across this.

 

First impressions are this as far from what I am building as it gets. It actually has a lot in common with what I am doing, not in the styling but in the configuaration. Its listed as a Sports coupe but the cowl appears to be a Cabriolet version. The doors are hinged as suicide, which was something I was considering. However the biggest similarity is in the hood. Take note of the three vents on the sides and the separation between the sides and the top that follows the beltline. Its not your typical HAMB friedly build but in my opinion dicarding the SBC and Centerlines it has a certain elegance especially in the paint department.

 

This one has been a real inpiration and focusses on a tear down and rebuild of a sixties based 31 Cabriolet. Plenty of detailed shots of the top.

 

Its a metalshaping website and has a full description of how all the timber in the sub floors and pillars were used as patterns for steel replacements.

 

Just knowing this website exists will make the construction of my own project a lot easier, especially the subrails. Next task will be to finish off the pillars.

 

Hey Guys.
After months of distractions, finally set aside some time get back into this project. I have finally started putting the body together, with much frustration.
The condition of the quarter panels is worse than I remembered and the deck lid is a total loss. I will be fabricating a new one shortly once the steel arrives. I have already started shaping up the frame out of RHS.