Hot Rods Help converting 31 coupe back from a pickup

Now that I introduced myself with a new member profile, I’m ready to ask my first questions.

I’m building a traditional 50’s/60’s chopped/channeled 1931 model a coupe. I picked up the car in WI on Weds. It has been converted into a pickup. In the process, they really butchered the quarter panels. Otherwise, it has the usual rust in the lower cowl and behind the doors, but otherwise is really solid.

It came with a clear ***le and I already have it ***led and registered in TN.
Now, the big question, how to fix the quarter panels and change it back into a coupe?
I see 6 options:

1. Punt, fix it up as a pickup and sell it to get a better coupe body.
2. Find quarter panels to replace mine, get a trunk lid, panel under the truck lid, and fix the panel over the trunk lid.
3. Buy another body to either steal the above from or drop over this frame.
4. Buy a set of 31 roadster quarter panels ($1800), deck lid ($600), and panel under the truck lid ($75) and make them fit.
5. Craft upper part of the quarter panels myself (may exceed my abilities).
6. Pay someone to do same as #5.

Advice?

Has anyone used roadster quarter panels on a coupe?

Pictures to follow if I can figure out how to insert them.

 

Missing pictures.

 

Welcome Can you post some pics of the affected area, that will give the folks here a better idea of what you are up against. JW

 

Cool and i type slow !!!! JW

 

Sorry, still learning how to post pictures in the actual message.

 

Well, you'll need quarters or you'll need to make the tops.
Not impossible but tricky.
And a deck lid and tail pan.
The brookville parts can be cut into it.

Look for a rear clip or those parts. I recently saw 1/4s for sale here.

 

Any of the options you mentioned will work but I will say that it looks cool and differnt than everyone else like it is. Also the panel above the deck is unobtainium in the Model A world.

 

why not keep it as a pickup? its unusaul and has a history to it.

 

Did you recently pick that thing up, I swear I've seen it somewhere? I think it looks cool as hell as is though I would shorten the bed to about where the rear bumper is.

 

Yes, you probably saw it. I bought it off Ebay and picked it up in WI. I watched it on a previous auction on Ebay before this go round.

I know the panel above the deck lid is unobtainium. I have 3 inches left towards the rear from the back of the roof. I figure I can makeup a filler strip with a few bends. I will post a detailed picture if I can figure out this picture uploading inline.

Can someone tell me the measurement from the back of the roof to the decklid?

 

I can tomorrow, also sent you a message.

 

Try again for detailed pctures.

 

There's a lot of great threads here on the hamb that went over or will go over what you are contemplating. The methods are the same, the reason why and the final measurements might just be different. Here's 2 current ones.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1930-pontiac-3w-rescue-sheetmetal-heavy.704547/page-4

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-next-pet-project.850807/page-10

 

You know, keeping it a pick up is pretty cool.
I'd be tempted shorten up the bed and finish out "some" of the roughness of the conversion.
I say some because making it perfect would take away from the coolness. Pretend the guy doing it way back when could cut a straight line, could measure and could weld

 

A friend of mine vert1940 here on the Hamb is just finishing up a coupe that was like yours. His didn't have the quarters cut quite as bad but he has had to rebuild the whole rear of the car. I still cannot believe how great it looks now. He has a lot of work in the car but it is really looking good. You can message him for any help.

 

If you have a brake (or even a good table, some sharp angle iron and some heavy clamps) and a shrinker-stretcher, you should be able to make a convincing trunk lid, upper and lower deck lid panel, and the rain gutter sections of the upper quarter panels. The tops of the quarters will be a little trickier, but if you wire frame it out and make it in a bunch of small pieces, you should be able to get it within acceptable body filler tolerances.

It is kinda neat as a pickup, but if you want a coupe and not a truck, I'd say invest in some basic metalworking tools and start practicing. All of that stuff can be made by an ambitious amateur.

 

I think that thing looks cool! Shorten up the bed, do all the other metal work and, you'll have something totally different from everyone else. I've seen a lot of people who try to pull off the extended cab Model A pick up truck but, I think yours could look like a factory extended cab pick up with some work.


Dustin

 

2) Find quarter panels to replace mine, get a trunk lid, panel under the truck lid, and fix the panel over the trunk lid.

As Squaw said; panel below window isn't a tough fix. Used quarters do come up occasionally. If you're patient, expect to pay half of Brookville price ($300-$600 each), unless you really luck into a deal or find partials that have good tops/wasted bottoms that can be spliced in.

4) Buy a set of 31 roadster quarter panels ($1800), deck lid ($600), and panel under the truck lid ($75) and make them fit.

This is easiest way out with perhaps the least amount of labor for you. You have a lot of work ahead of you. Start working on the car while you save $$$ for parts. Start selling off any extra car parts laying around that you don't need to fund the Brookville parts...Start with that pickup bed. Maybe you can trade it for a decent decklid...

 

As mentioned I bet you can find some stock quarters either here on the Hamb, or pick up a Hemmings motor news.
www.rockymountainrelics.net

I checked Craigslist in your area, but they are mostly coupe and sedan bodies for sale. I think you can find a back end easy enough. Contact LPGAMBLER on the hamb, he is north of me in Brookville PA. He may have some coupe parts or a coupe worth using for parts. I plan on going to Carlilse for the fall meet, pm me if you want me to look for quarters. I send stuff to Australia for hotrodders, would do the same for your or even deliver.

My gut reaction was to fix up the area around the bed and leave it like that. Like my 39 Chevy coupe. If I cam accross a bed for it I would converti it. I think it would look bad lowered and retain the bed.

 

Thank you to all that have posted comments or suggestions. The original posting was to ask for advice on how to fix the quarter panels, though I did list the punt option of leaving it a pickup.

I have some time to make up my mind. Before I bought the "A" I started the project to insulate and panel the rest of my garage. The side the "A" will go in is stacked high with OSB and insulation. I have to finish insulating the north wall and hang the OSB so the rental ($$$) on the scaffolding ends. With a week out to run to WI to get the "A", no way I will be done in the first month's scaffolding rental. So no more work will be done on the "A" till the garage is ready.

The long bay is where our MH is parked. Yes, that is my wife's Mini Cooper you see next to the stack of OSB.

 

Now that I think I have figured out the picture posting thing, I wanted to post more pictures for anyone interested.

How it appeared on Ebay:

 

I need to make a correction, the ***le of this thread says 1931 Model A. I now believe it is really a 1930. The WI ***le says it is a 1931, but the serial number says Sept 1930.

According to the Marith McCoul book on 1930 and 1931 Coupes, the grill shell says 1930. The instrument panel says post August 1930. It has an electric windshield wiper which says Feb 1930 or earlier according to McCoul.

The state of TN is going to say it is a 1931 Truck, but I guess in my mind, it is a 1930 Coupe.

Here is how it looked in person.

Squirrels had nest and mucho acorns in seat. Really smelled bad.

Typical lower cowl & quarter panel rust.

 

Well I’m not sure I have mastered this picture bit yet, but will try some more.

All loaded up and on its way to a new home.

Another iden***y confusion, it has 16 inch wheels with hubcaps that say V8.


Had to cleanup the inside to try to make it smell better. All the acorns and debris. Both doors were full also.
[
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The booty found under the seat and on the package tray. I’m $.50 & a crescent wrench to the good. Booty from Archeological Dig.

 

One last picture for the day. What the heck is the pet**** on top of the intake manifold used for?

By the way, I have not tried to turnover the engine yet. It is on my todo list. Figure when I start selling pieces I don't need, it will be worth more if it runs.

 

could be used for priming before a hand crank...is that a walking liberty half dollar?

 

Don't know what a "walking liberty" is. It is a 1942 half dollar, so is 1 year older than I am.

 

I like it like it, or as was said, shorten the bed a little. Good luck with it.

 

Just playing around with photoshop a little bit. You may have to widen the bed a little to get a smooth transition to the quarter panels and then shorten the bed a little. I lowered it a little and chopped the roof in the second picture.

 

I would check with your local Model A clubs for help with the parts. There must be some quarters out there on a real tough body that could be salvaged.

 

I'd be looking for a sport coupe back half. They have what you need to fix it and sport coupes are pretty cheap to pickup.

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