i have got a 1929 model a special coupe,i had to change the cowl because some one had put a 31 cowl on this car,i changed it out and now i have to to shim the bottom of the cowl an inch and ahalf up off the frame to get the doors to line up right and the rest of the body is bolted to the frame with no shims,i have got the right sub frame and my ch***is frame is straight as can be,im lost,anbody seen this before?
it is the exact oposite though,i have the back of the body bolted flat to the frame with no wood blocks and the cowl shimmed up an 1 1/2 and it should be the cowl flat to the frame and the rear of the body on wood blocks at least that is what it looks like in all the diagrams ive seen.of course i have been wrong before
Maybe part of the problem is having the back of the body sitting flat on the frame? Or the fact that you are following behind someone else and cleaning up what ever they did to make things work for the way they had the parts ***embled.
First off, contrary to first glances model A isn't flat on the bottom. If you have original frame & sub rails, you will need some fashion of original shim dimensions and placement. If you have custom or altered frame or sub rails , you'll need to make it fit. Re work the sub rail, re work the frame or custom make Shims. Try installing some shim at the rear to lower the cowl foot and split the difference. Maybe just maybe, somebody made everything custom to fit a 29 body with 31 cowl. Who knows at this point.
But the wood blocks are recessed into the "U" shape of the subframe, they only stick out about 1/2" and the same size blocks are used all the way down the frame. well, that is on a '30 anyway.
Order of things: Install radiator and shell. Set cowl/body on frame loosely, install hood, align radiator/hood/cowl. Shim cowl/body up or down as necessary to align doors all the while maintaining good Radiator/hood/cowl alignment. In other words, it all tips up or down relative the the radiator. Not running a hood? Put one or a facsimile of one on it temporarily for alignment purposes. I suspect your frame is bent up in the middle, which may require shimming it up at the very rear instead of bolting it down like you say you have it.
only problem with this is, you can't put the body on loosely, you will chase your tail trying to align it. you bolt the body down then look at where you need to shim.
How did they mount the 31 cowl on the 29 body, they're not interchangeable without some major mods? I guess if they changed the cowl with a pillars attached that would cause problems with your doors. Were the front of your doors flush with the a pillar or did they overlap the a pillar?
know that you say that i'm guessing it was one of those "odd" '29 bodies that had a '30-'31 type cowl.
I don't know all the in and outs of model a's I just have a 29' and 31' and they are totally different. Pics would probably help
If your going bat **** now wait till you find out that you cut up one of the three original Ford prototype coupes.
Yea, EVENTUALLY you end up bolting the body down tight with all the necessary shims you determine it needs by trial and retrial... Sorry I left that part out. Any one with enough sense to get this job done could figure that out, but bolting down any of it first and ***uming that's where that part is going to stay is the chasing your tail of it. The Radiator and shell USUALLY doesn't get shimmed, raised, lowered etc. Leaned forward or back, YES. That's why I said the rest of it needs to be aligned to the radiator, not any other way around. Of course that is ***uming the radiator is in the original location. Did I leave out any other "Well, Duh!" parts?
I'm putting a 29 body on a 31 frame. The major difference is the the front cross members are different so I have to shim my rad about 1.5 inches. Can't put a 30/31 rad on a 28/29 frame without changing the front cross member its too tall. Also the body brackets riveted on the frame to not line up but the holes in the frame do. Everyone that said to start at the front and work your way back is correct.
yes alot of the problem is i am following someone elses version of a good idea so it is kind of a mess,i will try bolting the cowl tight and shimming from there,didnt work to good the first time but it wasnt tight just kind of snug,thanks for the ideas
The major problem may be who made the factory body. Some companies ford dealt with made bodies in 29 that looked like the later 30-31... You may have a body with a cowl that has the appearance of a 30-31 but may be the correct cowl.
He hasn't said what body he has, but I would be willing to throw a wager on the fact that it is a four door or cabriolet... Both were built by Briggs or Murray and in '28 '29 used a cowl that looked a bit like a '30 '31. Put the right cowl back on and proceed...
I agree with need louvers?, I bet it's the cowl that is supposed to be on there... in my humble opinion.
He said it was a "special coupe" which is the leatherback coupe, should have a '29 type cowl. Wonder what all the PO did to make a '30-'31 cowl fit, doors, hinges, etc? Maybe some pictures would help.
Nope, bet it was actually a cabriolet. They get confused because the leather top makes them look alike. The cabriolet actually had a fold down top and the Four door type cowl (commonly mistaken for a '30-'31), but if the car had no top mech it looks exactly like a special coupe without the top covering...Oh, and the oddball cowl!
'29 Cabriolet had the '30-'31 looking cowl; but it also had full wood subrails, the OP's description sounds like he has steel subrails.
The easiest way to tell a '29 Murray cowl is the top the tank has a cover & is not part of the tank. Hope this helps.
its a 29 coupe back half and a 30 briggs cowl,i would post a pic but the i cut the briggs cowl off already and am trying to put on the 29 coupe cowl so pics wouldnt really do any good besides i cant figure out how to get them on here anyway
Cdan.... You could also have a transitional year body... Ford hated wasting anything so sometimes late in a model year or early in a model year, the prior model year would be mixed with the new model year... I have only seen two as my father is an avid model a restorer, and belongs to several events. The bodies look weird but they go together and won't match up to either model properly. Without pics that is the only other conclusion I can draw.
The Jalopy Journal
