1929 Roadster questions

[tmiller6]

First I would like to say I own a current copy of the Judging Guide as well as The Ed Francis/ Les Henry/ George DeAngelis book. I can’t find all the answers. This is my son’s car and he asked me to tear into it in my spare retiree time. I ended up stripping the chassis and removing the body. I advised hime to replace the subrails due to the sins of a seventies restoration and mouse damage. The numbers place this as a probable Jan-Feb 1929 build. There is a January date on the tank but it is on the right side with no data plate or a RH radiator rod mount. The holes for the mount aren’t there either.

My questions
1) Should this car have a curtain pan? The JS says to check the rivets but I don’t see a requirement to have a curtain pan.

2) Should this car have wind wings ? The stanchions that are on the car have no mounting provisions for wind wings.. Since the lower plates in the posts are stripped, they may not be the original stanchions as someone was in there,

3).The current front cushion has a wooden frame under the cushion and the replacement upholstery is nailed to it. I am assuming this is wrong and the seat spring should fit on the riser without any wood except the cross board on the metal riser. Can anyone confirm this?

Thank you for any assistance.

[700rpm]

Can’t answer #1.
#2. Wind wings were optional.
#3 My roadster pickup and my roadster both had a wood frames on the front seat cushion and they were both older unrestored cars. I don’t remember a curtain pan on the roadster, but it was a long time ago.
I’m not sure what a radiator rod mount is, but I assume you’re referring the special bracket that the end of the radiator support rod attaches to onto the firewall, and there should be one on each side. Is this a Canadian or other foreign mfg car?

[CWPASADENA]

Your roadster should have a curtain pan.

The car came with a top and side curtains and there needed a place to store the curtains when not in use.

Chris W.

[tmiller6]

Ray,

I am indeed referring to the special brackets for the radiator support rod. One side is missing with no holes for on the sheet metal panel. The other bracket is bolted instead of being riveted. I’m thinking the tank may have been replaced at some time.

I have no history on the car other than a son that inherited the car sold it to my son several years ago. I assume it is US production. There are no stamping on the cross sills to indicate a manufacturing plant.


Chris W.,

I agree with you that the car should have a curtain pan. My son was told that some early roadsters didn’t have them. I was assuming his car would have one because it’s well into the ‘29 model year.

There is a flat (coupe) pan in the car currently but it was poorly riveted in place and not original to the car.

[ericr]

there is indeed in one of the Branch Service Letters information for replacing the radiator stay rod brackets with a bolt-on substitute. It's hard for me to understand with circumstance would require that.

[rotorwrench]

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In the first year of production, Ford had an underfloor compartment for curtain pans on the phaetons but I think it was only in that first year. The curtain pans under the seat on the roadsters may have been the just a later production thing. I've seen more than a few 1928 roadsters that just had the flat pan under the seat riser. There is also a long narrow wood piece that fits just under the seat on the riser and connects on right & left sides. It's roughly centered front to rear over the under seat pan and has enough room under it to place the curtains. It's likely just a stiffener for the seat bottom.

I'm not sure when they started using the curtain pans. It may have been late 28 or early 29. Maybe some one else could nail that time frame down better.