Thread: Roadster pickup getting closer

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I was thinking there was more to it than just the top and sides.. I'm sure I could make my own cowl, I was actully thinking about it. I considered Model A repop parts because I could call the finished car a Model A, and it would look a little more accurate

Cowls around here at the swap meets bring $5-$600 for somthing that is decent

There was a '29 Model AA truck for sale locally, the cowl was all that was left of the body as it was used as a farm tractor at some point in it's life. I think it was $1k but I don't remember

Matt, I bet if you go to some swap meet like Carlisle or Hershey you can find a complete cowl cheaper. I even see them on Ebay from time to time in the couple hundred or so dollar range. Like I mentioned, I only suggest this route vs building one from new parts because of the cost and the work to get one together.

We spent a little more time last night and today putting Dan's cowl together and I think we have finally figured out how it all goes together. Good thing we have the other model a sedan to use for reference, because it would have been really tough without it. We keep taking measurements off of it and transferring them to the new parts.

Here are a couple that are on Ebay right now:

model a cowl, Parts Accessories, eBay Motors items on eBay.com

eBay Motors: 1930 FORD MODEL A COWL - GAS TANK & MORE ! (item 120265022886 end time May-29-08 21:12:57 PDT)

These aren't near you, but I bet if you keep your eyes open you will find one.

Don

Matt,what year cowl did you want? There's a guy with a couple of barns full of model a parts just three miles from Hancock. I got two cowls for taking them away here in Sullivan Co. There's a lot out there,just have to look. Hank

If I was going to buy a cowl, I would get a '30-'31. I'm not nessasarly meaning building a cowl from repop parts, I was thinking about it but that would be too costly. I could make a cowl from sheetmetal and some square tubing, this was my original thought, but when I saw the Model A cowl parts, I thought it would be better.

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Matt, I bet if you go to some swap meet like Carlisle or Hershey you can find a complete cowl cheaper. I even see them on Ebay from time to time in the couple hundred or so dollar range. Like I mentioned, I only suggest this route vs building one from new parts because of the cost and the work to get one together.

We spent a little more time last night and today putting Dan's cowl together and I think we have finally figured out how it all goes together. Good thing we have the other model a sedan to use for reference, because it would have been really tough without it. We keep taking measurements off of it and transferring them to the new parts.

Here are a couple that are on Ebay right now:

model a cowl, Parts Accessories, eBay Motors items on eBay.com

eBay Motors: 1930 FORD MODEL A COWL - GAS TANK & MORE ! (item 120265022886 end time May-29-08 21:12:57 PDT)

These aren't near you, but I bet if you keep your eyes open you will find one.

Don

Just yesterday me and my dad were driving around and found an old time junk yard, it's still open.. they might have somthing. it don't really have to be Model A, anything from '28-'34 should work for what I want really.

Matt, I've seen some cowls people built from scratch and most of them looked too boxy IMO. The true cowls have some graceful curves that would be difficult to recreate without an engish wheel and planishing hammer I think. Of all the body parts, cowls are the most commonly found, they are every place and generally go for little money because most people consider them not very desirable without doors and the rest of the body.

Like I mentioned, we bought a very nice cowl at a swap meet for $ 300 and only bought it because it was so clean. We later realized we were never going to get around to doing anything with it, so we sold it on Ebay. If you keep your eyes open you will find them all over the place.

Don

Today Dan and I put in a long day and finally turned the corner getting his body put together. The cowl is the key to getting everything else lined up, so we have been concentrating on making sure it is as straight as possible. We temporarily bolted the firewall to the side panels and then installed the front door jams.

When we slid the doors into place they lined up perfectly, so it was time to do some welding. Dan finally broke out the tig and used it because we needed some small, neat welds in the door jams. It did a great job, much neater than the mig would have been. Finally, we temporarily put the back panel in place to see what it would look like. Still lots and lots of work to do, but it is coming along.

Oh, and the best part is that the new cowl top panel now fits since everything is in line. Now he won't have to use the original model a tank that we were using to jig things up.

Here are some pictures of what we got done tonight. Tomorrow we have the whole day and should get the doors swinging on their hinges we hope.

Don

Glad to see him using that fancy tig machine you bought him! Is he getting more comfortable with it yet?

The body is looking great! hopefully ill get to see it in november.

I've been reading about welding all weekend since purchasing the Hobard. The tig sounds like the perfect welder for the highly visable areas. It's cool that the body is coming together so well. What do you think about the assembly time for this new body, and the total time to fix the old one? Just curious.
It must be nice to have all that clean new metal to weld to, versus the old body sheet metal. I was checking the roof weld above my back window on the inside of the truck. The old welds looked great, but as I ran my finger along the joint, they were so rusted they came off with a tiny amount of pressure. Thus the investment in the MIG welder. I'm not sure if I'll be able to weld it from the inside, where nobody will see my novice work, or if I'll have to weld the outside along the seam and do some grinding!
(this is becoming a Steve hijack . sorry. . but.. do you think using flux core will be ok, or should I by agas tank and use 75%argon/25%co2? for the truck)

Don, the RPU really is starting to take shape. I really like what I see so far. Wish I had the craftsman talent that you and your sons share.

looking good, starting to come togther nice.

The last time I used a MIG in a short-sleeved shirt, I got the worst sunburn of all times on the inside of my forearms . . .

Looking good so far.

Hope to see it at the Turkey Run..........All I have to do is drive 15hrs...LOL
Not like I would ever do something like that.
BradC

Thanks John, yes, he is starting to like the tig a lot. Today he used it quite a bit to weld the cowl all together and ever time he does a weld I hear him say "this thing is amazing!" The mig has really been a workhorse for us and I don't ever see the tig completely replacing it, especially on long welds, but it sure has it's place. What he has noticed is that it creates so little cleanup splatter, which the mig leaves, even with gas.

Steve, I think he will have about the same amount of time in building this one vs fixing the old one, but the real savings should be in prep time for paint. We were looking at the panels tonight and they are just going to need some high build primer and block sanding to get ready to shoot. The old body was, well it was 80 years old. It needs patch panels and a whole lot of straightening if it were going to go in gloss.

As for the flux core vs bottle, everyone seems to agree the bottle gives such better, cleaner welds. If you can get one I think you will be much happier in the long run.

Bob, thanks, but the stuff you do is absolutely nothing to scoff at either. We just hide our mistakes by not posting those pictures. Sort of like "outtakes."

Thanks Matt.

Thanks Jack. I get sunburned from using the mig too. Because it is so hot hiere I usually work in just shorts, and I get a red chest with a white streak across it from where my arm shields the rays. I usually discover my burn when I jump in the shower that night.

Brad, this year stick around at Daytona for more than an hour.



Today I was like a one armed paperhanger. Dan was working on his car and Don was getting ready to install the replacement transmission TCI sent him, so I would help one for a few minutes then go to help the other. I told them I was glad I didn't have 3 Sons. We are ready to drop the engine back in Don's T and will probably get that done next Monday, his next day off. Dan made major progress today and is ready to start channelling the subframe. We will start doing that some evening this week, probably.

Don

That is really cool how the body comes together, do you think it could be done to on that body I was showing on the "What is this car or trk" thread. I turns out it is a 31 chevy sport coupe, everything is there from the door latches forward.