27 Ford Roadster Questions

First some introduction. My name is Mike, I'm 40 years old and I'm a car-aholic. Thinking of taking the plunge into the world of hotrods/streetrods. The style I like best I'll describe as "oldschool" The specific car I want to build is a 1927 Ford roadster highboy or track car. I have no idea where to start. Are there AFFORDABLE original bodies in decent shape available? Are there steel repro bodies available? If neither of the above who makes top quality fiberglass bodies? Next where's the best place to get a chassis? and finally (for now) I'd like to use a flat head Ford V-8 but have no clue where to find one. Please help !
Any and all suggestions are welcome and please be as specific as possible. Thanks in advance,

Mike

Mike, good luck finding a good steel one! The last one I saw that was even buildable, went for more than you can buy a glass body and aftermkt frame. Total Performance and Speedway both market affordable decent quality bodies and all the parts to build up a sweet ride. My last 27 body I got from a guy at a garage sale. It was in his rafters and I got it for a little Mac chain saw that I had in the back of my truck. I had bought the saw earlier in the day for $15.00

Hi Mike,

I am a new guy too, but recently retired so I have time to sit at the computer and wait for parts on my project car. Others on this site have some fancy T-buckets and a few '27s. I like the '27s too, but for me there were financial constraints AND wife approval considerations. Actually I wanted a '29 Highboy on '32 rails without fenders, but my wife said the car has to look like a car and have fenders (!) so I am working on a Brookville Model-A frame getting ready for a full fendered '29 roadster. Along the way I took a long look at the Speedway Motors '27 kit cars with 'glass body and welded frame. I now know that I made a good decision to get a pre-fab frame with all the various brackets on it for my '29-to-be. If you can find a '"real" '27 that would be great, especially if you can get an original title, because if you title a new car you may have to call it a 2004 model in some states. There are places that you can get original titles that will transfer but they are better received in some states than others. Virginia allows title waivers for restorers and so far seems to be friendly to the idea of bringing back an old car from almost nothing. On the other hand I believe Maryland has a tendency to crush most old cars so there are variations with regard to old cars and titles. Anyway if you can't find anything else you could take a look at a Speedway Motors catalogue if you can't find a "real-steel" '27. The trend in repro bodies seems to emphasize '32 roadsters and Victorias so I am only aware of the one body source for '27s although there are probably others. I wanted a flathead too and bought three blocks which all turned out to be cracked in one way or another so I finally started to study the Small Block Chevy and that is what I am building now, You will find a lot of excellent expertise on this site regarding the most popular SBC as well as a variety of project cars from other brands, but at present it is pretty hard to beat the power/dollar value of the Chevy V8.

Good Luck
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Having owned a Speedway '27 body I'll say they are not the best quality available. Don't have any personal experience with TP.

Two other companies have a very high quality standard, and make the '27 body in glass. The first is Poliform http://www.poli-form.com/index.html . Not only do they make a body, they also have a stretched compartment version for more comfort. If you're over 5'9" they start getting tight quick. They also make a complete track roadster "kit", probably could be adapted to a flathead. The other manufacturer of excellent bodies is Wescott, http://www.wescottsauto.com/ .

Probably a good place for you to start doing some research is to get Street Rodder magazine, they're loaded with ads and lots of them are chassis manufacturers.

Also, ebay will ocassionally have original bodies available. Condition is all over the board, and most don't have titles. You'd probably have to buy a complete car to get a nice body and a title unless you're very patient.

Couple of thoughts.

Original 27 T bodies and faithful glass reproductions are very tight. I am 6'2" tall and I don't fit.

Zipper in Colorado makes a 27 T "bucket" that has been stretched length wise. It has good room if you are not to big across the buns. Zipper offers a frame and a rolling chassis option. Zip has a web site. Do a YaHoo search.

Stinger in Indy offers a stretched cockpit 27 with integral turtle deck (picture). I have not seen one myself but a very picky acquaintance is having one built so I'm thinking they are fine. They also offer a chassis. No web site that I know of but you can get their catalog by calling (317) 791-8537.

The Zipper and Stinger bodies have doors. Speedway is a step over.

PolyForm is in California. The shipping will kill you. Speedway is in Nebraska. The shipping will blead you white.

At one time there was an outfit in Maryland called A1 Fiberglass. I have not seen one of their ads in several years. They made a 27 body. You masy be able to track them down.

When I was a kid you could by a running flathead engine for $15. There is a book you should be able to find at Barns and Noble or one of the other big book stores that takes you through the process of building a "traditional" hot rod flat head engine today. Every step is documented with it's cost noted. I won't quote figures but if you can find the book you should be sitting down when you brows through it.

Why don't you consider an alternative power plant? Like one of the 4 bangers out of a Chevy II or Nova. They make good power, look neat, are relatively inexpensive, and they bolt up to a variety of stick and automatic transmissions.

I just started rebuilding a 61 all aluminum Olds 215. I'm going to adapt it to a 700R4 auto (from a 2.6 V6 Chevy S-10). It is slated to go into a chassis of my own construction. When I conceptulized this project I was pretty much set on using the Zipper body. But that was before I saw the Stinger. So I'll finish the engine and transmission and make up my mind when they are ready.

Good luck to you.

A1 Fiberglass is now http://www.rodnrace.com . They have a couple of 27 T roadster options.

Wescott.

Doors hinged and latched, truck hinged and latched, full floor. It is a real car body, not a one-piece deal.

call me lucky i guess

heard there was a kit/bits for door conversions about somewhere

anyone got any links ??

Door kits are available from http://www.rodnrace.com mentioned above...

One of the quintessential hot rods is a '27 roadster body on a Deuce frame, highboy style. When I built my '27 I couldn't afford to start with a Deuce frame, so I boxed and crossmembered a Model A frame, and channelled it. Trouble with that is that the profile is more low and long, vs somewhat higher and shorter looking. The other issue is that you lose room in the cockpit, which is already tight to begin with. At least by using an unchannelled body you sit lower into the car, and pick up some knee room.

If I had it to do over, I would do the Deuce frame route, which also would give me a taller '32 radiator with the benefit of additional cooling capacity. My body is a Speedway, and as Bob mentioned, being an under $ 1000 body it is not the quality of a Wescott. In fiberglass you really do get what you pay for.

However, all that being said, if you don't want to lay out a huge amount of cash to build the car, one of the Speedway/ Total Performance quality bodies are a good start. Total Performance is making a '27 track car now that looked pretty impressive when I saw it at Daytona last year.

Here are a couple of pictures of my '27 on the Model A frame, and you can see that you really do not sit down into the car very far. I later lowered the seat even more, but it still had a pretty high seating position.

Don

Just a note...........the original post was over 3 years ago, and author only did 3 posts. Good general info though.

Well, he better get his little butt right back here LIKE NOW !!! :o :o :D :D


Wonder if he ever built a rod???


Don

He's missing out on some great info, has anybody here actually taken the time to covert the $800 speedway body to opening doors and trunk lid? Could it be done?
Also are you saying that you would sit down in them farther on a set of 32 rails?

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Originally Posted by brickman

He's missing out on some great info, has anybody here actually taken the time to covert the $800 speedway body to opening doors and trunk lid? Could it be done?
Also are you saying that you would sit down in them farther on a set of 32 rails?

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yup, you sit down a lot further. As for the Speedway body, their glass isn't the best, but shouldn't be too much of a major pain to put doors in. As for the deck lid, better do some reinforcing before you cut anything out. Don't expect a lot from an $800 body.....

Thats interesting, may be a cheap way to start and then down the road add a few things, may be a way for a broke old brick peddler to get a roadster.

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Originally Posted by brickman

Thats interesting, may be a cheap way to start and then down the road add a few things, may be a way for a broke old brick peddler to get a roadster.

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Chit, just by Barts'! Then you have good stuff at a way big sale price!!!!! Got anything around for a partial trade? I really like Mavericks, Mustangs, and 40's Ford coupes!!!!!!!

HaHaHa!! Oh ya, just let me run out to the "Ol' Dead Ford Boneyard" out back!
Sorry, all I have is a 70 BB dart, my 72 el camino, a 40 chevy sedan and 48 chevy coupe field cars. Everything else I have parted with already. And my 48 sedan of course but it's not going anywhere.

Just trying to keep contact with the Forum. I have always liked the '27 roadster body but it is even smaller than the '29. If anyone reading this is considering adding doors and decklid function to the 'glass Speedway body my only constructive comment is that once you cut the deck lid and cut out a door or two there will be a need for reinforcement. I think a good 1/2" birch plywood panel behind the seat could help a lot to stabilise the area at the top of the lid, but on my Bebops '29 the quarter panels were really floppy until I locked the two side tubing bars together with a steel plate. My motivation was protection for the gas tank rumble seat but I was amazed how rigid the body became when I tied the quarter panels together. The '27 quarter panels are lower but I suspect that if you cut out that lid there will be a lot of wiggle sideways between the quarter panels so I attach a picture of the plate I bolted in.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Yep, Dave is right, you need to do some reinforcing before you cut either the doors or trunk lid.

In the '60's Car Craft had an excellent series on building a T bucket. It was the best one on doing a car that I have ever seen. They did it over maybe a 6 month period, and each month featured more and more progress on every aspect of building one.

On the segment where they did the body, they first glassed in wood, like I did, then they cut through the glass and wood to the shape of the door. After some smoothing of the jam and door, they installed a model T door hinge, and latch assembly. This was done only on the passenger side, as this is how Ford actually did them from the factory.

I have to say though that I personally am not a fan of a door in these bodies. My buddy had an opening passenger door in his bucket, and going down the road the gap would open and close at the top and pinch your arm if you were leaning on the top of it. :eek: That got your attention real quick. :D


Don

very pretty its car,
I intend to make one more or less similar to its daqui the two years,
today I have one pick up ford 1940 style hot rod
I repeat its car very pretty (ford tudor)

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Originally Posted by SirSpeedy

Wescott.

Doors hinged and latched, truck hinged and latched, full floor. It is a real car body, not a one-piece deal.

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