Hot Rods 1928 Ford Model A Pickup Build

I hope this post is ok, I have working on this for a while and have been trying to figure out how to put it together. I ask if it is ok, because the cab will be made out of fiberglass as I could not find the pieces in one place. Essentially it is an extended cab 1928 that will utilize a coupe body through the "B" Pillars with the back off of a 1931 pickup. The top is chopped four inches.


Here are the starts of the building of the cab itself.


This is the start of the firewall and cowl

This shows the doors with gell coat

The door shell glassed in.

The left side of the body completed back of the door

The right side completed back of the door

The New doors out of the Mold

The A pillars and cowl assembly to the right, doors to the left

The cowl out of the mold.

This is the cowl and a pillars attached to the right side of the car.

 

If this is on the main board I don't see why you couldn't post if here, the traditional hot rod or custom guys may baulk at it but if the pros can post Brookville bodies and the like no reason a fella building one from scratch in glass couldn't post it.

I guess if you have it posted in traditional hot rods or traditional customs you could drop one of the mods a note and ask him to move it to the Hokey Assed Message Board.

Looks like work to me but I don't work in glass so maybe its not.

 

Looks a little like this pick up

 

how did you make molds if you don't have a steel body? foam buck or ? i am here to say, I LOVE FIBERGLASS!! no warping or shrinking or beating on it . do you use tooling resin to make the parts with? i have found and had it verified with fiberglass shops, that it will not shrink or warp like commercial resin does. a friend has about a hundred molds, as he has been at it for 50 years, and they have been sitting outside for all that time with no problems.

 

I have been looking for a while for pieces to build a metal body. In my search I came across the Bruiser Body website.
This company has changed hands and the molds were moved to Texas along with the name. I contacted them to see about getting parts so that I could put this together. It turned out they had molds for a Tudor, A Coupe and a 1931 pickup. The drawing is a photoshop but is essentially the front of a coupe that is stretched behind the doors and then the back of the 1931 pickup is brought into place. We are piecing together out of fiberglass what was originally conceived on paper.

I am working on a perimeter frame to match a 1932 frame, but will use 2 x 4 rectangular tubing. I am waiting on the body for final frame construction as I want to ensure a tight fit. It will utilize a spring behind front end. I still have not decided on the engine as I want it to all fit under a stock hood.

We are working at being able to sell this cab. I also have the lead on a 40 inch fiberglass pickup bed as well

 

Finally getting out of the mold


I am also starting on the framework with my accumulation of parts

Using a Superbell with split wishbones

 

Coming along, I'm watching, an interesting build in glass, nothing wrong with that!! I believe the first glass hotrod body was a 32 roadster, built for drag racing in 1955.

 

THAT IS ONE - BAD - ASS - PICKUP -

 

The floor is now installed and it is out of the mold. We now will attach and mold on the back from a 1931 pickup as well as a flattened roofline to finish it all off.

 

Here is the back of the Cab. Another day and we can start putting it together.



As you can see this is a 30-1 back of cab and we need to match the bodylines of the 28-29 front portion.

 

Here are the pieces out of the mold and set upon each other, the next step is to setup the cab length and then starting attaching pieces after the trimming is done.

 

I subscribe!!

 

Trimmed out and ready for roof and back to be attached

 

Neat project! I will have to follow along.

 

The left top fitted, ready to be trimmed

The left side fitted into place

And now the right

The back slid into place

And now the top into place

Starting to bring all of the pieces together

 

I am not sure how to make a video work, I hope this is it

 

looks great!!! you are very good at glass work too.

 

The seams are starting to be filled


The visor is attached

Filling in between the visor and the roof line

 

Evering thing in place

Rear view of the pieces filled in

The visor finished out

 

Almost ready to come home

 

More....rear corners

 

Nice job on the body build!!! FYI, I got mine commercially (by Russ-no-more, but I believe they are no longer being made). As you can see, it's very similar to your masterpiece. Love these kinds of bodies, they look so good they appear stock (except the chop). Gary

 

Gary, they would not build another body for me. I was also looking at the larger size available in the Model a.

Here are a couple more as we start to mount the door. I am also planning on not channeling this, but bringing the suspension down low.

The hinges being installed

This shows the inner bracing.

 

Lots of hard work there. Good job. I have thought about this before. I would have made a mold from stock 29 pickup reproduction steel rear panels. Not saying that would be best. Did you just like the rounded look better?

 

Somewhere online I saw a photo of a complete Model A pickup in surface rust that had the cowl of a 29 and the back of a 30 cab. It took me a while to realize that was unusual. By then, I lost track of the photo. Did Ford ever build any like that?

 

Doors being put together

Door hinges in place

Inner door installed onto hinges

Top of passenger door

Another of the inner door installed

Passenger side with door skin

Drivers side with door skin installed.

 

Ford did not actually build anything like that, I am thinking I this would have been a transition look to get to the 30 cab.

I was looking the smoother round look as if it was a prototype for the 1929 to 1930 transition.

 

A couple more

 

This is what you call building a hot rod.....and starting closer to the beginning than most builds. Keep up the great work!

 

Very Nice !