glass bodies

**prpmmp** · 10-01-2008 03:18 PM

hi everyone!! 1st post!! a whole lot of great infro on this site!! i think you guy,s + girls know more about 32's than henry did!! got a question! bought a 32 3 window project off ebay and don,t know the maker of the body(probably a lower quality body,no wood or steel)are there tell tale signs body manufacturers use? i,ll try to post pictures when my son comes home(he's 18 and i'm over 50) I NO LITTLE TO NOTHING ABOUT COMPUTERS. thanks pete

**Mike52** · 10-01-2008 07:47 PM

Pete, welcome aboard. I'm a rookie here too, trying to learn all I can before taking the plunge on a '32 3W project myself. I've been doing a lot of research on fiberglass '32 coupe bodies (see this thread). Something that scares me about your body is the lack of wood and steel reinforcement used by reputable body builders. Hopefully someone can help you identify it.

Mike

**godspeed32** · 10-01-2008 09:50 PM

please dont tell me it came from kevin in missori....

**shine** · 10-02-2008 05:44 AM

a lot of builders will glass a bez card on the inside firewall or under the cowl. you can add the inner structure yourself.

**rspears** · 10-02-2008 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by shine

a lot of builders will glass a bez card on the inside firewall or under the cowl. you can add the inner structure yourself.

Mike52 & I are in the same boat, and I am definitely in a learning mode. Correct me if I am wrong, but if you are adding inner structure to a glass body that has no bracing wouldn't you first need a known straight jig to first get it straight, and then pull critical points into alignment and finally brace to that position? Seems to me that simply installing bracing is likely to make a problem more permanent, if that makes sense?

**C9x** · 10-02-2008 09:45 AM

Use the chassis as a jig for the body.

**Bob Parmenter** · 10-02-2008 09:48 AM

One of the problems with an unbraced body is hinted at in the comments above. As it sits unsupported from within it will sag, twist, in general distort wherever weakest. The longer it sits, the more (and more intense) thermal cycles it goes through the worse it gets. Minor tweaks can be repaired with heat, relief cuts, section patching, whatever is appropriate for the kind/location of distortion. It comes down to a typical time/$/quality standards equation. If you have lots of time and little money you might be able to fix it, especially if your standards of fit and finish are "very flexible". If you have the ability to convert your time into money more successfully than most then turning that unsupported body into yard art might be a better move and find a well built body for the project.

As an unlikely aside, not all decent bodies have been supported by steel and/or wood. A few years back Harwood made both a roadster and coupe deuce body with composite inner structure. It just so happens the tooling for the coupe body is for sale on Craigslist in Portland right now. Disclaimer: this is not a recommendation to pursue buying the tooling as a solution, just a comment intended to provoke a HMMMMMMM.

**prpmmp** · 10-07-2008 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by godspeed32

please dont tell me it came from kevin in missori....

i dont know! it came from western pa.

**HOTRODPAINT** · 10-07-2008 03:19 PM

If you decide to add some inner support yourself, aluminum is a good choice. The expansion rate is about the same as fiberglass, so as it heats up and cools down you are not adding extra stresses.

**rumrumm** · 10-08-2008 06:05 AM

Can you post some photographs of the body?

**prpmmp** · 10-11-2008 06:12 PM

**Henry Rifle** · 10-11-2008 06:33 PM

Nice. I like yellow.

Having just completed a 'glass coupe, and looking at your photos, I believe you have a bit o' work ahead of you. Thtt body is pretty rough around the doors and windows.

How does the outside look? Is the 'glass fairly flat?

I have no clue on the body manufacturer, though.

**Deuce** · 10-11-2008 08:51 PM

Looks like one of the cheap bodies off eBay ...

Go here to compare ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1932-...QQcmdZViewItem

Made in Hudson Florida ...

I had a guy I know buy one already on a decent chassis ... and he finally sold the body and went and bought a Wescott 3W

**Centerline** · 10-12-2008 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Deuce

Looks like one of the cheap bodies off eBay ...

Go here to compare ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1932-...QQcmdZViewItem

Made in Hudson Florida ...

I had a guy I know buy one already on a decent chassis ... and he finally sold the body and went and bought a Wescott 3W

The exterior has all the earmarks of a Dave Koorey body (made in New Port Richey, FL). He produced good quality reasonably priced bodies (I have one) but is out of business now. I picked mine up over 10 years ago before his shop burned down and he lost all his original molds. He then made new molds but from what I understand he had some personal problems that got in the way and creditors and bad debts sent him under. This guy in Hudson (which is right up the road from New Port Richey) may have purchased his molds. The glass work does not look anywhere near as good as Koorey's stuff though.

**prpmmp** · 10-14-2008 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

Nice. I like yellow.

Having just completed a 'glass coupe, and looking at your photos, I believe you have a bit o' work ahead of you. Thtt body is pretty rough around the doors and windows.

How does the outside look? Is the 'glass fairly flat?

I have no clue on the body manufacturer, though.

hey great infro!! the body does,t seem to be to bad on the outside to me(54 year old eyes) i,m sure others would not agree,but i,m not looking for a show car(don,t have the time or the talent) i guess it will be a 20 mile an hour car! i,m going to put wood inside and post my progress with pics if that can help some one in the future. one more question? i,m taking out the hidden hinges(somebody made them,a little rough but spent some time to make them) and putting exposed ones on,can someone measure where the hinges go on there car. that would be a great help!! thanks all!! pete

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