Thread: To flush mount or not to flush mount?

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I am building a 1930 Brookville roadster. I was looking at a 1930 Model A sedan at a hotrod show that had the doors flush mounted. I thought that looked much smoother style wise as opposed to the stock overlapped rear sections of the door. Since my roadster door is shorter than a sedan door how much of a job would it be to flush mount the door? Have any of you 30 or 31 Model A owners done this? I am assuming you would just begin by moving the body back about a half inch & also moving the rearend back the same distance. Any input or feedback would be appreciated. Maybe this is too big of a job to undertake? I have already installed Hagan hidden hinges and I have no exterior door handles.

While I never saw any one do this, I assume they do major body work to the rear quarters so the doors fit flush or do extensive work on the doors themselves. It it would seem more logical. Moving the rear of the body back would cause all sorts of problems with the top (if you have one)and the areas you mentioned.

Flush mounting Model A doors is not for the faint hearted. It is a lot of work to do it right. I flush mounted the doors on my 31 coupe and it was not easy. I had to build completely new B pillars and and fab an offset on the quarters but I finally got it done. On last weeks American Hotrod show they did the flush mount doors on a Brookville roadster pickup but as usual, they didn't teach us anything on the "Learning Channel".

Take a real good look on your '30-'31 at the rear door (B) post and the internal framework that Brookville duplicates from the original Ford A. All of that metalwork has to be cut free and move rearwards. Then you will have to make a recess for the door rear skin to fit into to 'flush' it out. While it is very possible, it is very time consuming and quite costly if others do it for you. I have seen a couple of roadsters done this way - one was well done, and the other, well let's just say, one was well done. Lots of cutting, metal shaping and welding plus adding a lot of prep for painting above and beyond the Brookville built-in screwups and lousy body conditions. I considered it then said "I have had enough"

I've done a few A doors to fit flush. Not a real big deal if you have a a bunch of experience tin bending. You'll need access to a good sheet metal brake and a shrinker/stretcher and all the rest of the basic sheet metal working tools. Definitely not recomended for a first time project on sheet metal work....

Here is a picture of the B pillars that I built.
http://exphose.com/photo.aspx?photoi...Type=9&apage=1
And the new front edge of the quarter panel
http://exphose.com/photo.aspx?photoi...Type=9&apage=1
And the finished job. Notice that I installed the Bear Claw Latches in the B pillar rather than the doors.
http://exphose.com/photo.aspx?photoi...Type=9&apage=1

Volksrod your pictures must be invisible because my poor ole eyes cannot see them. Maybe the photo monster ate them while they were flying through the air. I would really be interested in viewing your pictures...Thanks unless seeing them is verboten?

Z, if you still can't see the picks, try this link; http://exphose.com/galleryalbum.aspx?galleryID=9

Thanks Bob for the help! Take care.

Sorry guys. I thought that my photo site was working here because I can see the pics. I have to switch to a different photo site I guess.
Sorry guys

Walt, what you did the first time worked on my puter, so it's probably just a set-up issue in whichever browser each user has. Looks like you changed to links? I just put up the link to help with those that couldn't enjoy your pics direct.

All I get is something that sez hotlinking is forbidden?????

I can link just fine - and I have so many anti virus and firewalls it sometimes surprises me that even a simple email message gets through.

I continue to stand by my feelings that without a lot of experience and tools, this is not a mod for the faint hearted even if you are paying someone else to do it.