Hi I haven't posted or asked a question in a while. I blew up my shoulder and all is good now. On my 26 model t roadster I am torn between fenders or no fenders. The fenders I have now have some rust and Im thinking of going no fender. I have seen pictures but still thinking. And my second question is did these cars come with windshield wipers? Thanks Jerry
My 27 Tudor sedan had a manual one at the drivers spot only. Manual as in you reached up and swung it side to side and I bet it's not 9 inches long.
The fender question has points both ways. I prefer them on most cars, but that's just me. I think it really boils down to what does the rest of the car look like and what 'theme' are you after? A bone stock A without fenders looks like you missed something. A chopped, lowered fully detailed rod screams it was a choice.
Yup, like Rod says what is the theme, also is there a law in your jurisdiction. Not every where allows fenderless. Model t fenders are usually pretty reasonable, when they are for sale.
I just went through this dilemma on my '31 Chevy coupe. I decided to initially get the car running and on the road without the fenders and have some fun with it this summer. My fenders and aprons need some rust repair so it works for me. This winter I'll finish up the repairs and prep and paint the car and it will debut next spring fully fendered and all purty. Probably still won't mount the hood, I think it looks better open.
Some of the guys may paste a few photos in here. But your best bet is to Google/net search many examples for yourself. Personally, I feel like there's some middle ground between "fenders" and "no fenders" by using motorcycle fenders. That's not everybody's cup of tea but check it out also to see what floats your own boat.
If you plan long trips where you may/will in counter rain- fenders I really fear driving my 29 roadster in the rain, I do carry rain gear just Incase
If building a Hot Rod, no mudguards ! If building a Street Rod - guards/fenders most model T roadsters look best with no guards. Sometimes when I can’t decide between one or the other, I search and save images from different angles and put them all together in an album and ponder over them. here is a start, although some images gave their best to photoshop…….. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/t-roadster-picture-thread.445856/page-12 .
What era build are you shooting for? 20s T gow jobs can look either way. By the 30s in California, many had dropped their fenders whether they raced on the lakes or not… the lakes influenced the culture. Still, plenty of T roadsters running fenders leading up to WWII. If you’re going to run the car in inclement weather, you need to assess your tolerance for “the suck”. I lived part of my life commercial fishing in Alaska and chasing steelhead in torrential rain. A leisurely drive if caught in rain or snow in an open car wouldn’t especially bother me. For others it would be like the third level of hell, fenders or not.
Can always tell a traditional east coast hot rod by the motorcycle fenders, they can look pretty good. Kind of an 'in-between' look and satisfies the law if necessary.
Seems like everyone is split on fender no fender. My 26 won't see bad weather. The main reason I ask is the running board on the driver side is in rough shape. And the front fender on the same side needs love. I was thinking of putting on diamond steel like they have on big rig trucks and then fix the fender. But that's always some time in the future. I just want a good reacher car that looks lie it should a survivor Thanks Jerry
Personally I have always liked the look of a 27/27 T roadster body on an A chassis with Model A fenders. Not my photo but one I found on the net. I also like the looks of a 27 roadster on 32 rails without fenders.
I think I agree with feeders on. I am going to try and fabricate some running board and fix the front fender. hard work and ingenuity beats cubic dollars. Thanks Jerry
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