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Roadster windshield post fabrication

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Shifty Shifterton, Jan 6, 2007.

  1. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Help me make a hard decision.

    The victim is a 29 chrysler that started life with a wood/canvas roof, but is ending up a roadster.

    My cowl section has no windshield posts, the lead has been melted out. Model A roadster windshield frame is almost a perfect fit to the cowl, other than a tiny difference in the cowl bend. Tiny difference. Adapting the tilting A roadster glass would be one option, as with even 5 degrees of tilt, the glass/cowl mismatch disappears. Making flat A stantion bases looks like a reasonable task.

    However, I really prefer the look of the vertical, fixed pillars like coupes had. Hopefully with tilting glass, but not necessarily.

    The problem comes in making pillars that don't look blocky and chunky, and fit the car style wise. Getting them leaded into the cowl is not an issue, but figuring out how to make or where to buy a somewhat graceful length of "pillar channel" is. Maybe somebody makes repro A coupe pillars that could be cut up?

    That's where (hopefully) the HAMB gallops in and saves the day. Any Suggestions or success stories?
    Thanks!
     
  2. man I'm having a problem understanding your problem. you have roadster frame that fits the body and you want to add some modified A coupe frame? you send me your roadster frame and I cut the frame off my sons modified A sedan
     

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  3. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Sorry man, I wasn't clear.

    I don't have a model A roadster windshield frame. I did get my hands on one to place it on top of the chrysler cowl for comparision purposes.

    Based on that comparison, thinking that I could open a speedway catalog and order Model A roadster pieces, and it would be simple to make work on the chrysler cowl. If that's what I wanted.

    However, if I knew where/how to do nice looking fixed pillars, like a coupe that's had the roof cut off, then I'd do that. I'm hoping a member here can recommend where to get, or how to make, suitable fixed windshield pillars.

    I have rare moments of clarity, hope this post is one of em :cool:
     
  4. Duvall or boat windshields.....
     

  5. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Duvall or boat windshields are cool on the right car, but just don't think they're for this one.

    Here's a pic of the cowl if it helps

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Got a pic of the cowl area?

    If it's rolled over/curved about right a Deuce stanchion may work without too much fabrication - other than an internal backing plate.

    Depending on where the stanchion ends up vertical height-wise, you have a couple of windshield post heights available.

    If Model A stanchions would do it, the 30-31's look fairly adaptable.

    First pic, standard Deuce stanchion and chopped 2" post.

    2nd pic, 31 A stanchion and chopped 2" 32 post.
    This one shows the grinding required to tilt the post back.
    Still needs a touch more.

    3rd pic, a bit distant, but shows the 31 stanchion, 32 chopped 2" post and a chopped 32 top sitting on the 31 to check fit.
    (Fits well, top irons need 2" cut out of the horizontal top iron piece just behind the windshield frame.)
    31 and 32 cockpits are just about the same size - minor variances only . . . except the 32 cockpit is 2" deeper.
     

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  7. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Unless I'm missing something, there is nothing real "graceful" about a Model A coupe a-pillar, pretty much a vertical, squarish piece.
    Should be able to fab something, quite easily,out of channel, tubing or some angle iron for that matter.
    Maybe post a pic or link to something similar to what you are trying to achieve, as I have a feeling we are not on the same page.
     
  8. hammeredabone
    Joined: Apr 18, 2001
    Posts: 737

    hammeredabone
    Member

    I have a pair of A closed car pillars. I have seen this done on a coupster that had its pic in latest street rodder I think. PM me if you want the pillars. It actually looked good.

    Gordon
     
  9. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Yes C9, the 2nd pic is exactly what I (think) could adapt via easily attainable speedway parts and have a nice looking windshield without fully custom fabricated everything. Call it "plan B". Great pic, thanks for posting it.


    Rootie, Perhaps I'm overestimating how rounded, and how many curves are in a model A coupe pillar. The more model A pics I look at, the pillar edges seem reasonably attainable with a radius edged press brake. This chrysler body has metal frame sedan doors with roll up glass, and I'm tempted to keep them with the roadster conversion like below

    Sorry I've forgotten the hamb'r who owns this cool ride, but it's one route I'm considering. Even if we don't retain the full side window frame, if I kept the front frame where it hinges to the windshield, roll up side glass is still a possiblity. Just seems like an interesting twist on a roadster

    I also wonder if someone could bikini-top something like this to make it more of a road tripper
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Not sure how much help this will be, but here it is anyway.

    Cropped and zoomed shot of the body area where the A stanchion goes.

    About the only shot I have with the stanchions removed.
     

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  11. Shifty---C9 is definately a knowledgeable fellow about model A and 32 stuff.---I ain't exactly a slouch myself. My roadster pickup is made from a stock 31 sedan which I sliced and diced in a big way, and ended up with what you see. The stock windshield post on it is vertical, but I don't think "gracefull" would really apply to it. If you want to create the windshield "stubs" that C9 has shown in his post, that is possible, and then you can bolt on the standard windshield frame and posts. This may sound unconventional as heck, but---If I had your cowl, and wanted to do it, I would probably start with a couple of peices of 1" thick mild steel plate, trace the desired contour on them, and flame cut them to the correct side profile (there will be one 'right hand" and one "left hand"). Then, in order to get the nice radius on the outside corners, I would spend some quality time with my angle grinder and a coarse metal grinding disc to shape the outer edges to match the one c9 has shown.---Now, take the two peices of plate to your local machine shop and have them mill out the inner side of the plate untill you are left with only about 0.100" thickness of material . This can then be welded into your cowl and metal finished to give what you need. The only reason I suggest this, is that it is difficult to form sheet metal in the thickness you require around a wooden buck.---This will be a very high stress area due to wind pressure on the windshield, and you will need at least #16 ga. material, which it too thick to hammer form.---Brian
     

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  12. Okay---You've got me thinking----You could probably make the two peices of 1" plate slightly undersize, and hammerform #16 ga. plate around them on the 3 sides that "show"---that way, you can heat the 16 ga. to a dull red in order to hammerform it. Then you can throw the 1" thick plate peices away into your scrap bin. That would save the price of machine shop work (milling). Normally, lighter gauge sheet metal can be cold hammerformed around "medium density fiberboard" (MDF) . The fact that you would have to use a fair bit of heat to make the #16 ga. more formeable would set the MDF on fire, but not a peice of mild steel plate.----You couldn't make these peices on a brake with a radius die, because of the fact that the curved edges are a "compound curve".
     
  13. pimpin paint
    Joined: May 31, 2005
    Posts: 4,937

    pimpin paint
    Member
    from so cal

    Hey,

    Idea #2 says: build these pieces from 1/8th" plate. Back weld
    them, and grind and file, to perfection, your radi.


    Swankey devils c.c.
     
  14. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Wow, I never realized those bases were constructed that way. Always thought they were just straight channel that went into the cowl and the countour was mostly shaped from lead. Thanks for the ideas. Hmmmm.......

    The back weld and hand countouring is an interesting thought too.......
     
  15. junkmonger
    Joined: Feb 9, 2004
    Posts: 653

    junkmonger
    Member

    Why not just form each side from 3 pieces of 16 guage welded together?


     
  16. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    2 pieces of angle with the desired radius could be used in this manner, making it easy to duplicate the other side.
     

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