Why A Vinyl Roof On My '31 Slant Windshield 4 Door Sedan?

[Utopia Texas]

My 1931 slant windshield 4 door sedan is one of the heaviest of Model A production cars and has very little wood in the structure. It is obvious that Ford was very adept in bending metal by huge presses such as the front fenders on the Model A yet the center of the roof on my 4 door, which would be simple to make from metal, was instead the usual wood bows covered by chicken wire, then a woven cloth and finally a vinyl top sheet. Why did Ford not make the roof on these final run Model A's out of metal? Was it still a cost savings measure or another reason I cannot figure out? Thanks...

[duke36]

Ford's competitors (and Ford as well) didn't install all-metal roofs until 1937. Some thoughts/ explanations on the HAMB website (see fabric roofs) about deep drawing and welding steel tops.

[KGBnut]

The Model A does not have a rigid frame. It is not welded, but is held together by rivets. On the primitive roads of the day, mostly unpaved, the frame and the body flexes quite a bit. It was designed to do so.

I have heard that the reason that the roof was not a solid panel was that under these conditions, the metal in the roof would buckle and and be noisy.

I don't know if it is true, or even one factor out of many, but it makes sense to me.

Ken

[Rainmaker Ron]

Steel tops were introduced as soon as steel mills were able to make roll stock that was wide enough. I got that input from the engineering department at a big rolling mill I once called on.

Rainmaker Ron

[CarlG]

My '31 Bud Cab pickup has an all steel top.

[Kevin in NJ]

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I think it is best summed up by technology catching up with the needs.

BTW, consider this, the slant sedan was introduced in May. So they did a major body change with only 7 months of production left and they were seeing a reduction in sales due to the depression.

Think about how much money it must have saved Ford over producing the wood bodied cars to justify the change for a short a time.

[WTSHNN]

The 1931 Budd Steel top pickup was introduced in August of '31. It was the smallest roof of all the vehicles so it was natural vehicle to implement the style with. I do not know the particulars but it appears that Ford went to steel top coupes in the mid 30's while the larger vehicles (tudors and fordors) still had inserts.

-Tim

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by KGBnut

The Model A does not have a rigid frame. It is not welded, but is held together by rivets. On the primitive roads of the day, mostly unpaved, the frame and the body flexes quite a bit. It was designed to do so.

I have heard that the reason that the roof was not a solid panel was that under these conditions, the metal in the roof would buckle and and be noisy.

I don't know if it is true, or even one factor out of many, but it makes sense to me.

Ken

This sounds very reasonable.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Rainmaker Ron

Steel tops were introduced as soon as steel mills were able to make roll stock that was wide enough. I got that input from the engineering department at a big rolling mill I once called on.

Rainmaker Ron

Are not the middle rear sections of sedans the same rough dimensions of the roof openings?

[Bob Bidonde]

The chief engineer at Murray developed the deep die tooling that made elimination of the vinyl top insert possible, but Ford did not give-in to that technology until the late 1930s.

If I do another Model A closed-car top, I am going to weld in a steel insert over the bows and glue the vinyl to the insert to it, so it looks original. I will also put the perimeter seam moldings on the car for looks. The welded insert will put an end to leaks that soil the headliner as well as stiffen the body.

[P.S.]

I read that they (Ford) preferred the vinyl/cotton/wood tops for insulation to help keep the interior cooler in summer and to help prevent condensation moisture in winter. The Budd metal top pickups were the first metal roofed Ford Model As, and they were not insulated.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

The chief engineer at Murray developed the deep die tooling that made elimination of the vinyl top insert possible, but Ford did not give-in to that technology until the late 1930s.

If I do another Model A closed-car top, I am going to weld in a steel insert over the bows and glue the vinyl to the insert to it, so it looks original. I will also put the perimeter seam moldings on the car for looks. The welded insert will put an end to leaks that soil the headliner as well as stiffen the body.

We have a guy in the club that has a steel roof, cotton padding, then the vinyl, and you cannot tell by looking at it that it is not as original.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Long grain leather roofs ???? Simple they sound cool when it rains!!!!!