roadsters that used to be coupes...

well, the components i am gathering are what used to be a 30/31 ford coupe....but someone in the cars younger years, has cut the top of it off. anyone here built a "coupster" and care to post some pics for some ideas? thanks.

 

Try this link
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232653

 

that thread was of almost no use! there was only two examples....

 

Bend rollbar tubing to match the body edge, stiffens up the body and gives a nice radiused edge to hammer the sheetmetal lip over. Tie it into some reinforced doorjambs to really pull things together.

 

I'm planning to build a roadster from my 30/31 coupe...It's a very nice coupe body and I have some concerns about cutting off the roof, BUT, I want a roadster and wackin' up perfectly good tin is what hot rods is all about, right???

Anyway, I have pretty definite ideas about how I want to proceed so as to end up with a body that comes close to lookin' like it was made that way. If you are interested, I can e-mail you a couple of sketches of how I want to cut around the windshield area.. I'm going to use a 36 dash which will make it a lot easier to end up with a curve that sweeps up and across the dash rail area. Easier only because it allows the dash to become part of the cowl. Rather than try to use the coupe windshield posts I'm going to cut the dash reinforcement rail all the out, pie cut the sheet metal that comprise the base of the w/s posts (as viewed from the front) and roll the sheet metal into a curve that closely follows the curve of the gas tank. I'll use the finish panel that originally attached right under the windshield frame, tieing it into the modified post area. By cutting the doors about 1 inch below the sill area (finished line may end up a little shorter) and curving this cut upwards as it nears the front edge of the door, it can be sliced/diced along with the dash so that a smooth curve flows from the top of the door all the way across the top of the dash, similar to a real roadster (NOT the same...just close enough to look like it MIGHT have been made that way. I'm going to use the "A" gas tank, which may help with the illusion(??). The 36 dash will be incorporated into the cowl area far enough back to allow room for gauges, etc, without interfering with the back edge of the tank,which will remain a bolt in piece. I haven't quite figured out the gas gauge yet, but I'm thinking about modifying the 36 dash so that the "A" gas gauge remains visible through the center ash tray hole (???)
If your imagination can interpret my jibberish you can, hopefully, get an idea of how it might look.
By doing it this way, I'll be able to fabricate (either with aluminum tubing beat, formed, and welded into shape or maybe sand cast) windshield posts that look like roadster pieces rather than a modified coupe post.

I know this sounds like a lot of work (which it most definately is) but I think the effort will pay off in a body that looks more like a roadster than a coupe with the top cut off.

I hope this is more helpful than confusing...

Rich

 

A coupe with the roof cut off is not a roadster. It's a coupe with the roof cut off. They have always been ugly, they will always be ugly.

 

my roadster used to be a coupe. sorry, its a 27 essex

 

Roadster that used to be a coupe, also shortened to give it roaster proportions, but allow some legroom

 

Here is my Roadster that started life as a sports Coupe...And Yes eaglebeak its a Roadster.....And in YOUR Opinion they are ugly..This one takes first or second in ever show that I put it in....you see I like cars, building them and driving them....Build or buy what you like, you know what they say about opinions....
Dan

 

I always thought this was a way cool example (not my car):

 

Ex 29 Sport Coupe











And with some new stacks thanks to the talented Mr James Maunde.

 

heres mine, i know its a 28/9 but its the same general idea.

i have ideas in my head for a 30/31 coupster conversion, i think they can turn out good.

jeff

 

If you are looking for opinions you can have mine.
If you have a nice coupe body don't cut it up. Most of the coupsters you see now are sport coupe bodys or the top was cut many years ago. If you have a nice coupe body sell it and by a brookville body. I'm not saying this because I don't think you could pull it off. I just hate to see a coupe get wacked up. They are reproducing roadsters, but not coupes yet that I know of.
Jeff

 

I agree. Coupe bodies are bringing pretty good money. Sell it and buy a roadster. That way when you are done, you will have a roadster.

Not that I have anything against the cars shown in this post, they look good but they still are not Ford Roadsters. Coupster proportions just fall short. I have a sport coupe body or two and I may build a coupster out of one but I realize that it will never be the real thing.

Neal

 

This was built by a friend of mine, used to be a coupe.

 

we have 2, the orange one is mine. its getting its roof put back on. the blue roadster is one my grandfather built out of the tan coupe

 

X2, Well said Neal

You cut the top off of that Coupe and the value of it will be instantly cut in half! A nice Coupe body will bring enough on the market to
step into a fairly good Roadster body. A Coupester is not a Roadster, and I will not express any apologies for the fact.
Do yourself a favor (and some guy who wants a Coupe a favor as well), spend the effort to get a real Roadster. You'll be glad you did.

 

look very closely at the car in Relic Stew's post. Relic Stew and myself are very well accquainted with the builder and the car. the car started life as a coupe, then during the gas-rationing days of wwII was transformed into a "hacked-off" truck cab (trucks could purchase more gas). as far as destroying a "valuable" coupe...that simply was not the case. i think around $600.00 was spent on the initial outlay for the body and it was a mess. my friend Alex took many pains and great care to emulate the roadster cowl and beltlines. his only intent was to have something that was somewhat of a cross between Larry Shinoda's '29 roadster pickup and the "Mitchell's Body Shop" roadster pickup. roadster stanchions, windshied frame, and arms were also used for the windshield. the moral of the story; not all coupesters are created equal....

 

This is a 32 5 window with a chopped top cut off.
Car won Bonneville street roadster class in 1956.

 

Issue of cutting up a cherry coupe aside, The usual problem with converted roadsters is that the fixed windshield frame usually looks too thick, and the doors and rear deck usually arent finished out. IMHO, the ones that address those issues look great. But a better candidate is a coupe with a trashed roof, or... I'll trade you a rough real 31 roadster for your coupe

 

Sorry your are wrong there for sure, we have a 1934 ford that was a 5-window coupe and is now a beautiful roadster that has won many best of show awards including first in its class (Roadsters) at the World of Wheels. Perhaps you just haven't seen one that was done correctly.

 

I reckon as long as the end result is a 'hotrod' who cares what it began life as?
We don't all want to be drivin' exactly the same lookin' car now do we? (Says he with his wide whites and black paint)
I love roadsters too but like the different aspects on my car. Ain't another like it New Zealand.

 

I really like that top rusty.

 

I could really use a roof from a 32 5 window

 

***Before all the "purists" get their panties in a knot over coupesters, the one above now owned by rustydeuce in NZ was my car previously and was originally a sport coupe. The roof was cut off sometime back in the 60s for whatever reason and was wasting away as a rat rod in Missouri when I got it. So there's hardly any "guilt" from either of us for how it looks today.... it's now got a second life as a pretty damn nice hot rod, IMHO. This is a far cry from chopping the lid off a pristine '32 5-window...

 

There is no faking roadster doors and windshields the two most impacting elements that provide a roadsters sex appeal. Coupster doors are fugly and contrived looking, windshields can be massaged with a creative eye but it's always going to be a devalued coupe...

 

Man...If I'd only known.....

 

You need to check Zach Suhr's posts. SUHRsc He converted, I think it was, a sport coupe body into a roadster and did probably one of the best conversion jobs I have ever seen. Search some of his posts as there are quite a few pictures of the car. Drop him a PM. He is an interesting guy and I'm sure would give you some tips.