Thread: Glass or steel- friend is 32 shopping

Tweet

Having a glass bodied (Wescott) roadster, I have to say that I have really enjoyed it but I would trade it in a minute for a Cabriolet which gives you the open air but also the creature comforts when the weather is less than desireable.

He went with me to a 2 day show in the roadster- now he's leaning towards a 3 window. Wimp.
I think he wants a car that can have A/C & you can get out of the weather. We didn't get rain but we got lots of sun. I even took the bop top- his comment- too windy & noisy. Plus- his eyes were running like a faucet.
So- he wants to build a chopped 3 window Hiboy now- perhaps w/ a blown hemi w/ zoomies.
Blown Hemi & A/C? What's wrong with that picture?

For me- I've had closed cars all my life. This is my 1st roadster & I'm loving the hell out of it.

We had a discussion a few weeks ago (I think it was on sister site Car and Enthusiast.com) about what I call "roadster attitude". Some got it, some ain't! Brent took a pic of my bride and I in our old Cobra a few years back from a day that was in the thirties. Our local group of Cobra nuts had a gathering at the Red hook brewery............who couldn't participate in that! Anyway, no top, no heater, loud pipes. We were bundled up, but enjoyed every minute of it. Yeah, she's got the "attitude" too. It's neither good nor bad, it just is.

Of course years ago we used to say, "Coupes are for chickens!"

Some got it- some don't. Ain't that the truth.

I think my wife has it- everytime she gets in the roadster- she wants to drive.

Originally Posted by iceburgh

He needs to decide what look he wants. Does he want the traditional old school look or more of a smooth look? Start there and also decide on how much he wants to drive and in what weather and go from that point

Great advice ... and on the mark.

Not everyone is a " roadster type "
Also different folks want different looks ...

I prefer the older traditional look ... a 32 Ford that looks like a 32 Ford. Others want smooth, cut, no hinges, no windshield frame ... car that somewhat resembles a 32 Ford ... without the first real 32 Ford part on them ...

There is room for everyone and their own style ... as long as it is SAFE ...

If he wants the old school, real 32 look ... he needs to look at Wescott or Brookville ... IF he wants smoothed off ... glued in windshield ect ... the other bodies will do.

Get the best of both worlds and build one of the new '32 convertibles by Dearborn Deuce (I think Downs has a fiberglass version which is less expensive). It is a roadster when you want one, and it has roll up windows and a pull up top so you can button it up and turn on the air or heat. If I was building a new car, I would seriously consider going this route. But I really love my Outlaw 3 window too much to sell it and build another car.

Roll up windows in a 32 roadster? I'll have to send him to Dearborns site to check it out. He's pretty much sold on a steel body now- for resale later.
His only problem is his size. He's 6'4 & about 275. Mine is a pretty tight fit for me at 6'1" but I tucked my glide seat back under the body for max room. With that top on the Dearborn- I don't know how much that will affect how far back you can place the seat. He would be more comfortable in a 33-34 but he's set on a 32.

He needs to actually sit in a DD, and better yet drive one, before he pulls the trigger. It's a well made body, with some nice features, but I couldn't enjoy one without some modification. I'm only 6', and the windshield and top are just in the wrong place for me in combination with the supplied seat.

A local guy in Tacoma got one of the first one's delivered. Shortly after he finished the car it was for sale. When asked why so soon he said he couldn't enjoy driving it because front visibility sucked. Others probably love it. I suspect it depends on an individuals proportions and expectations.

Btw, there are a couple steel '33/4 repop roadsters out there.

I rode in one ... a few months back ... it seemed like it was a good bit smaller or something than my original roadster. Headroom and looking out the windshield ... was cramped or smaller feeling ... the side to side and footroom was OK . The doors are about 3 inches longer

If he is 6'4" tall, you may want to investigate the 2 inch stretched '32 roadster bodies made here: www.showmerodandcustom.com. It would provide a little bit more leg room. I have not seen these bodies in person, so I cannot comment on how good they are. Perhaps someone else knows more about them.

I'm at 6'4" as well but am not 275#(200) and the DD is TIGHT for me and not acceptable as a long term driver. Though I'm finishing a Brookville '31 roadster, have maintained a stock (DeLuxe height) windshield and have moved my Glide buckets as far back as possible, am reasonably comfortable. My foot room, another concern for the big guys, suffers a bit as there were 2 "built in" problems - TCI installed the engine mounts 1" too far back and Brookville supplied the 3" firewall instead of the 5" ordered so mods needed to be made.

With a top and side curtains, why not install heat and A/C - I did.

Originally Posted by Deuce

I rode in one ... a few months back ... it seemed like it was a good bit smaller or something than my original roadster. Headroom and looking out the windshield ... was cramped or smaller feeling ... the side to side and footroom was OK . The doors are about 3 inches longer

How can a DD be stretched 3" beyond stock and be smaller than an original? Are the doors simply lengthened without actually making the cockpit longer, or what? I've never sat it one, but to me they just look "weird". The cowl looks too long, and the doors seem real "thick" and there's just something about them that doesn't look right to me. I do like the roof profile when the top is up, but that's about it.

From their website:
http://www.dearborndeuce32.com/home.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Dearborn Deuce Convertible is an all-steel roadster body redesigned around an amazing, fully disappearing top assembly. A standard '32 roadster body falls short of the necessary requirements to package a top like this, so a completely new body was designed around a hide-away top. Neither a true roadster nor a cabriolet, we call it The Dearborn Deuce Convertible. It's the result of the efforts of Dearborn Deuce and a major Detroit OE company well known for its engineering of open air systems for global auto makers.

Several body design changes were necessary in order to package this top mechanism in a '32 roadster. We kept them as subtle as possible, to preserve the original look of the standard vintage '32 roadster body. Look closely and you'll notice that the doors have been stretched 3" rearward to meet the new top. They are also reshaped at their front edge to bring the side glass forward. The cowl was reworked to accept a specially-designed windshield that meets the side glass. The new side glass is curved, and it has been tooled exclusively for this car.

An opening "tulip panel" behind the seat stores the entire top assembly completely out of sight. We deepened the cockpit by stealing 2-1/2" from this tulip panel, allowing you to sit back further in the cockpit, providing 2-1/2" more of leg room. The outer dimensions of the body, and even the stock trunk lid, have remained bone stock. The profile of the car with the top up, however, presents a "long nose / short deck lid" look, because of the windshield set back on the cowl and the top moved 2" further rearward. It's an absolutely terrific look."

---------------------------------------------------------------

I honestly doubt that there is more leg room - if they are on display at NSRA Burlington, VT this weekend, I'll give one a 'sit' again and see if my earlier feel for it remains (or, have they really made some changes from the initial offerings)

There's something goofy looking about the animated pic. If the doors are lengthened to meet the top- why does the door look so short?
Someone tall needs to sit in this car w/ the top down. And again with it up.
The view w/ top up looks very similar to the look of my car w/ the Chavers Bop Top. And at 6'1"- I kind of have to dive into the car or I'll smack my head. 3" taller driver- boy, I don't know. He was in a constant "ducking" mode riding in my car. & a bump was not his friend. My glide is tucked under the rear body as much as I could- top of seat is right agains't the diagonal bracing RodBods puts there. I also dropped the glide flat on the floor for headroom. I wonder how they are addressing that? What seat are they testing this car with? I also question the leg room. You can move the firewall all you want but you still need to package the motor to fit. I guess he could go full custom fitted seat & put it flat on the floor but he's not leaning towards a smoothed & tricked out Boyd look. More traditional & able to drive is what he's looking for.
One thing that animated pic has going for it- the stance & wheel size. But that's about it for me.
My friend's out of town on business so I'll fill him later.

At 6'4" and 275 lbs., he may not fit well in any '32, and may be a lot more comfortable in a fat fendered ride. A '32 3 window coupe would give him the largest doors of any '32, and probably the most leg room as you can push to seat way back against the rear window area like I did. A good seat builder could probably accommodate him. But he will never be able to stretch out. The best thing he can do is try out sitting in various '32 bodies and see which one works the best.