Bob the fenders where the lights are & move the round lights to the tail pan. That will change the overall look by getting rid of long hanging down fenders. It sound like this is what you want & I agree (for what it is worth). It is your car now so don't be afraid to cut out the ugly to find the look you like. You may want to take out a little more than the light area to find the best look for the long fenders. This is just my opinion & like A O's Everyone has one.
Have you thought about keeping the rear bumpers and fitting lights to them that complements the oval that's on the bumpers and leave the fenders the length they are
I’m with ja and mr48. Put in some sort of panel between the fenders to change the proportions- 32 style gas tank would likely be my answer. If you bob the fenders, it is your mistake (in a lot of people’s eyes) -if you leave them as is it is Henry’s fault. The lights in the fenders must have been a more complicated way to mount the lights, so they have that going for leaving it alone. Are you repainting the car? Once you bob you will have to do something. So much to consider, so exciting.
Wait - - - everyone keeps saying he can do what he wants, it's his car. I thought that when you post on here it becomes "our car"! No?
I have a fiberglass rolled rear on my 30 coupe , don't have a good picture of it but if you do a Google search it brings up several vendors. Brookville Roadster has a steel one available. I think it helps the look of the rear of a full fendered car without bumpers.
I think the grey coupe looks just right, and would be even better with a '32 bumper (maybe narrowed a little). I think your coupe would be best with a rolled pan, bobbed fenders (about like the grey coupe), and tail lights in the panel below the trunk lid. Bumper optional (since it's your car!)
My vote is to leave the tail end free of lights. I've adored the look of a clean trunk since I don't know when. There are a number of ways to shorten the fenders. My vision would preserve the flare, while raising it up say 3 - 4 inches. I care not, that mounting of lights and license tag would not be aerodynamic. Nothing wrong about having a bumper, or nerf.
What is going to put a smile on your face every time you go out to the garage and gaze at it?..or look back at it with a smile when you park it at an event? I've come to the conclusion, that apparently to many here it's a good thing I never buy old Hot Rods..I can't leave anything alone..I have to make them "my own"..history be Damned. I wouldn't be satisfied with being simply a caretaker of someone else's vision.
An interesting dilemma isn’t it. If you buy a car someone else built should you keep it original to his vision or make it your own.
If that car was built 5 years ago I would have no second thoughts about changing it however I wanted. But you have a car built at the height of hot rodding, that against the odds has survived to the present day to be representative of that era. A guy could pour thousands into replicating every aspect of that car today and still not have a real period build. If you aren't the sentimental type, it's your canvas to paint on. Personally I'd leave it alone. To me, the second photo looks like every other street rod. It's cool, but there's nothing unique about it. You could build it from a catalog. Yours has unique personal touches.
Yea, I’m not a preservationist or a restorer so buying other people’s cars has never really appealed to me. Fortunately there are still plenty of decent old cars to pick from still and make my own. As posted by 40FORDPU above, it comes down to what puts a smile on your face when you look at it and drive it. For me it’s all that and knowing I did it myself.
If you look at a Model A, it's appealing design was well thought out. The front fenders curving down to the straight running boards...and if you put a straight-line on the running board, it lines up with the bottom rear of the rear fender. It's a matter of esthetics and the length of the rear fender didn't happen by accident.
Things like a quick change and chrome rear suspension details can swing the needle toward the side with the trimmed fenders and no rolled pan, etc. But if you're not a show car welder and your shackles and bolts had paint but not recently, the longer version of fenders plus one of those roll pans might be just the ticket. Maybe that combination would also add to the illusion of a bit of drop. I think you have a good start to the package and neither option would be a wrong move. I like the tails on the fenders but I might suggest some different surfaced mounted types and not recessed. There're probably some with just the right angle.
@ModelARon not quite the same but similar to what you want to do. posted by @ct1932ford here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-reunion-some-pictuers.1233472/#post-14104272
I kind of like where the light is to be honest, what you could do is section the fender underneath the light and weld the tail back on, so you don't lose the shape of the fender. Or, to save ripping up your new paint, you could add a roll pan ? https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/model-a-ford-coupe-roadster-rear-rollpan-build.691108/ found a thread on bobbed fenders here, some laos have pans https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pics-of-model-a-coupes-with-bobbed-rear-fenders.267920/
I think that is his HAMB name. Real name is Bob Bengel. Business name Bengels Hot Rod Seats. The website lists the roll pan as coming soon, but it's been a while now! Was in San Diego when I got a seat from him. If he's been out of circulation for a while I hope he's ok. Nice guy! https://www.hotrodseats.com/new/ Chris
I agree with those who are saying you've got a real piece of history there and it would be a shame to make changes just for the sake of making changes. As close as you can get to that period pic would be my vote.
It looks nice live with it for awhile and hunt up some old fenders and do them up another way to see what works for you
I agree with Tman. Pretty cool to have something with provenance. However, if you did want to get a spare set of fenders and play around, a bit of tasteful work might be aesthetically pleasing. Stocker on the right, a bit of fender bob and rear end cleanup on the left. To HotRodJack's point about the tip of the rear fenders being running board height, they actually are a touch lower than that. When you lower a car, that becomes pronounced. Hard to tell, but in the lowered version of the A below, the tip of the rear fender is bobbed to a couple inches above running board height.
One more yay for do what you want, but love it’s history, hell yes it looks totally cool now with light in fender, roll pan would rock, nerf bar would do well, or could maybe shorten a little if being super picky. Whatever you choose you have a “A”+ rod!
Why is it, that every single time someone askes for opinions and ideas, people say "do what you want, it's your car". Clearly, the person doesn't know the answer to that question. They are looing for ideas, input and opinions on what they are doing or want to do.