What is the major differences in the rod bods vs. brookville 32 roadster bodies and which is closer to the original. are the qtrs&doors pretty dead on to originals?
I cant state which body is closer to stock, as I have never purchased either one, but, Brookville is a family buisness that got their start by building bodys for the restorer. I have toured their plant, and purchased an a body in the past. Very close to stock. Nice people in my opinion.
i have a brookville, and love it. i got it from a restorer. that does nothing but As, and he said you would have be a expert to tell the stock frome the brookville. in built up form. i don't know anything about the rods bod?. i do know the brookville is first cl***!
Have you ever heard the term "apples to oranges"? Same case here. There is no comparrison with the two. the Rod Bods body was built just for the rodder who wanted a body that looked like a '32 and the Brookville IS the '32 recreated. Now, your going to find those that will nit pik a couple of small details on the Brookville such as the recess in the panel between the quarter panels not being there (this is where the wood attached that held the back of the origional top) but there are plenty of ways to attach a top in this area if you run one and the panel looks cleaner without the recess. if your building a rod. Like their Model A's, the '32 panels can be used to repair an origional body. Don't try that with a Rods Bod body panel. Frank
In addition to the Brookville being closest to stock, the fit and finish of the Brookville is far superior to that of the RodBods. I have had experience with both and the Brookville is a far better body for not much more money than the RodBods.
As usual ... Frank is correct. The Brookville is way better ... But be aware that both will require body work to have a good, smooth finish. I actually prefer a Wescott 32 Roadster ... over either of the other two ... All are reproductions ... and the Wescott is almost impossible to tell from Henry's after it has paint on it ... and that's coming from a guy who has a Henry 32 Roadster.
I have a Rodbod, I am very happy with it, new latches that latch, better bracing, either hidden or regular hinges, fit and finish was very good, Jim and his wife and son run the place, and the 3m nother workers are very nice people, not crude by any means, all panels are American made from their original Henry roadster body,l don't knock it until you try it.
What kind of car are you building? If it is super traditional then Brookville is the way to go as it most closely replicates the original. I feel that the rod bods are far more rodder friendly. I have worked on both kinds of bodys and the quarter panels tend to flex on the brookville just like stock where the rod bods has a tubing structure to support this area. A friend of mine just bought a rod bods and when we uncrated it we put it up on saw horses. The doors still open and shut smoothly like a new car, click-click. Modern latches on the doors and trunk make for smooth trouble free operation. Also the flat floor and welded flat firewall (with stock syle beads if you choose) make build up and fit up easier. I disagree with comments like brand x is crude and poorly built as both bodies are of far better quality than Henry ever put them together and really for apples to apples comparison about half price of genuine tin. It really come down to personal preference and what kind of car your going to build. Good luck with your project!
I have bought 9-10 un***embled Brookvilles and had them ***embled by a local body shop, I've had several of them mistaken for gennies when we got the cars done. We have reworked some of the 1/4s for the gennie style wood tack strip. There some small differences if you know what to look for. The real difference is in the details.I have had several friends who have used the RodBods body and are very satisfied.
any pictures of this process? i may have one on the horizon eventually and I'm planning to do this Zach
Seen a Rodbods on display at Goodguys this year and was impressed with the quality of the bodies done in 2006. Very good bracing and smooth Henry lines. I take either one If I could
rod bods seems to be the better company friendly and honset folks, rods bods did degisn for the hot rodder not there big ego like others
Here is my 32 Rod Bod when I looked for these two company at the time I did not like certain features on the Brookville and I was more impressed with the Rod Bod looks better build and like the way they had the braces in the car my own opinion. I also added at the bottom of the firewall extended the lipall the way down so that you cannot see the body blots also for it to clear the V12 and the transmission. Thanks Frenchy
I beleive they are both good products,... That said, I have had the opportunity To work on both,... For a true traditional style body, I would stick with Brookville all the way,.. The Rod Bod Body had very good surface. But the inner structure is NOTHING like a real Henry Deuce. And actually looking at An original steel body and a Brookville and a Rod Bods Body all sitting side by side at Franks Antique Auto years ago,... The original and the Brookville had clean crisp lines and looked identical around the rear quarter area. The Rod Bods Body didn't have the crisp lines the other two did,.. and the detail around the rear wheel well was a little off,.... But this was just my experience,.. Like I started this post with,...I beleive they are both good products,... But my money is on Brookville. This is my pal Bills Roadster,... And it has a Brookville body.
I built a Brookville many years ago and it was top notch and probably 90% accurate. It was going in a restoration 32 roadster that was made into a hot rod and rusted. I just acquired an unfinished Rods Bod project on a So-Cal frame and all the good stuff ch***is parts. The PO compiled the parts in between 2005-2016.s The Apple & Oranges comparison is very accurate. The Rod Bods is fantastic, fit and finish great, I am going to run it with no paint- that good. It is what a guy would have done with a Henry Ford body to make a hot rod. Great internal frame generous firewall, alot better door latches, hinges and fit. The floor is fantastic. The trunk lid fits and opens like a BMW. Overall, everything you would have needed to do to make a show car hot rod- not a restoration. It is a good product but certainly not original.
I stand a bit confused. The last post on this thread was 14 years ago. Is Rod Bods still around? The only references I can find are for New South Wales?
Just to ad to the information from 31Apickup. The New South Wales company made fibregl*** bodies in Australia. USA Rod Bods made steel bodies. The NSW company is also long gone. Molds sold off to a new business.
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