I like how far it's channelled. I like where the motor sits. If it was my car I would either not chop it or chop it very little. And if you saw my profile youd see that I'm not afraid to chop..just that T's are so tall that they have a unique look when channelled but not chopped. With the grill...well.. Being that it's a channelled T it's going to be very hard to get the grill even with the cowl. And that does go a long way to evening the car out and giving it that "just right" look. It would be a lot easier to get there with a chopped 32 sheel or even an "A" shell. If you were to do it right I think the IH shell could work, but in all seriousness you would have to section a good 8" or more out of it and really lessen the rake. With any of those shells you're going to need a 4 row smaller radiator, and they are not cheap. If you look at my build thread (at the bottom of my post about 3/4 of the way through) you'll see that I used a mustang radiator and tucked it in front of the crossmember and turned the bottom water neck straight up. With the flathead you'll need to add water necks or have an og one modified. Take a look at chaddilacs T to see how neat a properly proportioned T could look..
I like the grill, but not the way it is. I like the channel, if your going to chop it. How about standing the grill up and remove a section out to equal it to the cowl hieght, then thin it to match the thickness of the rad. When you re-skin the cowl emboss a point in the top of the cowl pointing towards the grill to tie the body visually to the grill. When I say point, I don't mean straight lines. Nice curves like two )( meeting at one end the other ends start at the base of each windsheild post. If you like metal work V the windsheild a tad when you chop it and lean it back in proportion to a "slight" lean of the grill. That would be different. It's working with what you got. Oh I wish I could photoshop it. It looks different in my head than other's. I couldn't get the brackets side by side like this )( above. Wait! On second thought I have a T sedan here that I can do that to. Never mind. Can I have that grill? Seriously though, go for it! Hug your dog Dreddybear, she looks unhappy. You make good points.
This should inspire you.....proportion, scale & stance. By the way, ditch the grill. (This T belongs to fellow HAMBer and all around good guy Blackout.)
Thanks to everyone for their input... Will need to take the bulk out of the grill as others have mentioned... I see what you all mean about the height and size of it throwing things off. I will need to section and thin it, as it is a perfect fit for my radiator, it was a real pia getting the matching radiator for my engine and I got a decent trade for it as well. As OP mentioned will also build cowl height up with a V of some sort in line with the top tip of the sectioned grill. @Lance Speed, I did not understand your humor, so I apologize for my off color comment Best, Whisky
cool project... yes to the chop... just not to the point your arm barely fits out the window, because you'll be right back in the "rat rod" boat again! haha!... when done right, this is gonna be a cool ride.. good luck, and have fun!
I think you should chop it. That is just MY opinion. I am building my 27 T coupe right now and I choppedit 10 inches and I think it looks badass.
"T"s don't get that much attention....but that is a cool starting point. I'm thinking you might have got a warmer reception by a title like "De-ratting a T Model". Anyway I did enjoy your website since I am into to bikes...good luck with the build and bare with this site. The negative people might bring you down but when you get a feel of what this site is about....it's the best resource on the internet for traditional builds.
Thanks for the words... I had no clue this site was anti Rat Rod... ps any way to change my thread title?
If you are still not sure how much to chop it by the time you are ready, try marking the chop height in increments like 6", 7", 8" start small, cut one incriment drop the roof down and stand back to have a look if you don't think its enough cut the next increment and stand back again. Repeat till you like it. In my opinion a good proportion is, the top is about a third of the height of the body's depth.
Just a little constructive criticism-Please don't ruin that grille trying to make it fit on a car that is just plain too small for it. It is very cool, but it just doesn't work on a T. Ts are tiny(I know personally, I have one, it's been a long time project, because the proportions are so hard to get right). Looks like you already know the rear tires are WRONG. And one other thing, and I hope I don't offend, but the oil breather; if it is dedicated to a loved one, I'd put it on a mantle, or hang on the wall. Nothing says "Rat Rod" like a Maltese cross...
Generally, although there are no "rules" in building a traditional Hot Rod, I think a grille should be level with the cowl in relation to the car, (not the ground) and the scale of it should be reasonable to the cowl area of the body you're using. A '27 T grille is about 1/3rd of the size of the grille you're using. Also, the lines of your car are very rectangular and straight up and down, and the grille should follow that. Your grille is a neat looking piece on its own, but it seems out of place on that car.
Great tip, will use when at that stage... Okay what tires do you recommend? I come from the chopper world so maltese crosses are mainstay... I guess certain things don't translate to the Hot rod world... I am going to build up the cowl section, almost like an "A" as dreddy bear alluded to... something like this...
I would listen to Weez...the man knows style and proportion. Go do a google image search of "keith weezner" and have a look for yourself, the man is a genius.
ya, I think I'd lose that grille if I were you. Its just too big and I dont think it goes with the car, even if sectioned etc. You might make it passable ...but T grilles are nice because you can find radiators that fit them easily and cheap, since there are so many guys building T buckets. Plus it will look good with that body and they're easy to mount. I like the grille just lower than the cowl. If you drew a line, I think it should just slope slightly downward from the cowl to the grille. A chopped down 32 grille or a whippet grille would also look nice.
Prepping for blasting... Hubcaps removed... kinda scary... rotten too! other side, bolts missing too!
is that thing sectioned? good luck.lets see what you can do its gonna take a lot to pull that back into shape.
Thats what I was thinking when I saw it too. Maybe the bottom was removed due to rust or damage at some point in its life?
Have you looked at doors to see if it really is a 1927? Henry closed the factory in April 1927 to get ready to make the Model A so there arent as many 27s
that door hinge is about an inch or two too low and count how many pin holes on the firewall band from the dip in the firewall to the bottom hes got 3 the stock has 4
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