The last article examined the outstanding chassis Roadster Shop built for Gerry Kerna’s 1930 Ford Model A Sedan. This time, we’ll look at the equally impressive body modifications by Roadster Shop.
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A new Brookville Roadster cowl was fitted to the body, and the substantial factory gap was neatly filled by TIG brazing.
While the sedan has a traditional look, there has been a lot of attention paid to every detail, and a great deal of careful work was put into getting the proportions just right and sculpting the sheet metal panels to a very high level of precision.
The original wooden windshield header had little left so that it will be replaced with a sturdy steel reinforcement. Alumicraft will supply a billet aluminum windshield frame.
Most of the roof above the windows was in such poor condition that it made sense to replace it with new metal. The original driprails were removed and a beautifully shaped bodyline was made to replace them, giving the roof a much smoother and more contemporary look.
The original visor will be reused. A wide flange is being added to the rear edge to match the custom 1932-style roof insert that Roadster Shop will shape.
Model As were manufactured with a composite fabric roof insert. Roadster Shop put a lot of work into making a custom-formed steel roof insert with proportions more like a 1932. Rather than simply welding the roof insert into place, it was carefully fitted to the flanged opening made in the new roof panels, adding a unique feature to the car’s styling.
The upper roof sections were in poor shape, with rust and distortion. Patterns were made to shape new metal to replace these sections, eliminating the drip rails.
The panel above the rear window and the windshield visor were extended a few inches toward the center of the roof, giving the insert better proportions.
A Brookville Roadster grille shell was fitted to the front of the car, centered over the front axle. The shell was chopped 1-1/2 inches to give the hood top the correct slope and a custom aluminum C&R radiator was ordered to fit. The careful layout of the chassis ’rails, keeping them low to the ground, allows the bottom edge of the hood sides to be nearly level, avoiding the awkward ‘uphill toward the front’ look that many fenderless sedans have.
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The replacement roof panels are temporarily held in place with Clecos to test the fit.
Much work went into refining the smallest details, such as smoothing the vertical seams on the rear body panel and blending the visor seamlessly into the surrounding sheet metal.
Masking tape is used to lay out a bead on these panels, which will follow the contours of the original drip rails.
After the Roadster Shop had completed all these modifications, the car was shipped to Creative Rod & Kustom in Pennsylvania for the finishing touches. We’ll look at some of their work in the next installment. MR
A metal strip is added to the panel above the rear window, extending to meet the rear edge of the custom-made roof insert.After careful fitting, the new roof sections are TIG welded into place.Here’s how the rear of the roof looks after being meticulously metal finished.A view from the front shows how perfectly the new panels blend with the original body.The windshield header area is being aligned here and strengthened with square steel tubing.A new steel closeout panel was fabricated from 18-gauge steel to fit under the original visor. It is reinforced with a bead at the top.Here, the visor is held with Clecos and clamps in preparation for trimming and welding.The roof insert was shaped on a Yoder power hammer. Panels this size are definitely a two-person operation. Basil Havez (left) and Mike Wood (right) were the main people performing the body modifications.The roof insert is being test-fitted against the body. Many small tweaks and adjustments were needed to dial in the fit perfectly.Once the fit of the roof insert was perfected, an ERCO Machine was used to turn a 1/2-inch flange around the panel’s perimeter. This insert will be a separate panel, and the uniform gap around the edge will become a tasteful design feature.A top view shows how precisely the insert fits into the roof.From the inside, you can see how the flanges on the roof insert align with the flanges made around the roof opening.The vertical beads on the rear body panel were removed in sections and filled.Here, the beads are completely removed and metal finished.A Brookville Roadster grille shell was chopped 1 1/2 inches and fitted to the front of the car. This sets the hood at the perfect angle.A front 3/4 view shows how spot-on this hot rod’s stance and proportions are. It’s a traditional design built with 21st century technology and precision.
