Brace in 1931 Coupe. Crack?

[George, Iowa]

Are these braces made to flex or do these cracks need welded. They look like they are made by Mr. Ford. See photos.

[CWPASADENA]

These may be some sort of reproduction. They are 1 piece without the "cracks". These are bolted in and they should be riveted. They are not made to "flex".

Chris W.

[gdmn852]

Here a picture of my car they are repro , but not cracked, you may need some welding.Also this brace is the later version, On the earlier version the bottom of brace attached to the lower body sub frame.

[George, Iowa]

Thanks CWPASADENA, I will weld them up...so glad I asked.

[George, Iowa]

gdmn852, I will weld them up. I like your project. Thanks for showing.
Here is my plan...might not be right but it works for my weather and space. Here is my plan...
1) Looking for any cracks
2) Setting up everything with nuts and bolts
3) Check for fit on each body part.
4) Checking for rust that I missed.
5) Fitting new wood this winter along with making sure I have all the parts I need to finish this project.
6) Tear it all back down, primer, and paint the interior next summer.
7) Seal and paint the wood next summer.
8) Put it all back together and work on the exterior next summer.
9) Long process but I do have the chassis all done. :-)

[Bill Cilker]

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The bracket was made that way. Here is a picture of my Mid year 1930 Coupe and the bracket has the openings. The brackets have never been removed from the car.

[George, Iowa]

Bill, thanks for the picture.

Maybe this is correct for a later 1931 Coupe? I wonder what the pros vs cons of welding these closed? It wouldn't take much to weld them but maybe they are engineered to flex with the top of the car??

(EVERYONE) I'm a total newbie so don't get upset with whatever I say. Really just intriguing why company would produce these braces in this manner.

[CWPASADENA]

In my opinion, I would definitely want them ridged, I would weld them up. You do not want the body to flex.

Chris W.

[Bill Cilker]

I am not sure that it is a brace. It holds the side carboard panel in place.

[rotorwrench]

Some cars had wood pieces to hold the panel boards. They are braces to hold the shape of the quarter panel in a vertical plane with some resistance to lateral movement as well. A lot of Fords sheet metal was thick enough to be pretty rigid after forming in all the edges and molding lines but any vertical panel needs more bracing to keep the body square. This has always been a problem with convertible cars due to the lack of a roof to form extra bracing but in those early years, even the roof wasn't much of a brace. Ford still used wood in the B pilar to help but the braces were just that extra bit needed.

I agree with those that feel the gaps in the bend line flanges should be joined. The 28/29 coupes had formed braces that were continued on down the the subframe as was previously mentioned. The 30/31 coupe and roadster design stopped at the fender well relief so they had to put that bend in there. The gaps leave it structurally weaker which makes that brace vulnerable to cracking. I don't know what the Ford folks were thinking if they did that. It makes no sense to me.

[George, Iowa]

No absolute right answer here... I think the census is that I should weld them. I'll put a tag on it for welding. I think less flexing in the car equals less cracking of paint and panels. I will also have my wife help me rivet them in after primer and paint. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, pictures, and opinions. My first car I have ever restored. I'm so thankful for this forum.