HOW TO CHOP A MODEL T COUPE
To our eyes in the early '50s Model T
sheet metal was for building racing hot rods and this project was
a drag
coupe that began with a free '38 Buick Century four-door sedan
with a
near-fresh "Fireball 8" rebuilt motor. The Buick was a beauty,
a one-owner
trade-in on a new 1954 Buick. The Buick dealer was a pal of the
dads of the
four of us who would become involved in the drag coupe project,
and since
the car's resale value was probably all of $50-$100 at the time
he thought
it might be put to better use by us youngsters.
We scared up a Model A chassis in nothing flat, already fantasizing
about
the torquey potential of the big straight-eight in a light car.
The body was
salvaged from an impromptu old-car dumpsite about three miles south
of our
little town, near an old mine. The body was in excellent condition
with lots
of original paint still in evidence and only light surface rust,
thanks to
the high-desert environment in which we and the T lived. Body dumpsites
were
part of the landscape, and good sheet metal was common, although
there was
little in the form of chassis or motors to accompany the tin. Some
hardware
had been harvested to serve as the makings for equipment for the
hard-scrabble mines that were all about, but most of the heavy
metal had
been harvested for the war effort in the '40s. The body tin remained
behind
because it took up more space than it was worth to transport. Sound
economic
reasoning had played into our hands.
The T coupe was first treated to a couple of neat rows of air-exhaust
holes
in the deck lid, and then the serious work of chopping the top
began. There
were four of us involved in this phase of the project--Wayne "Droops"
Cooper, in whose parents driveway the work was conducted; Don Plummer
whose
dad, the manager of the local Bank of America, managed to maintain
a sense
of humor through Don's many automotive misadventures; Alan "Mouse"
Hale
whose hot-rod building skills would eclipse those of the rest of
us
combined, to say nothing of how much they exceeded his skill with
a camera
this day; and me Mike "Obie" Bishop, being a bossy know-it-all.
In the first photo we can see the "cut here" chalk marks on the
turret.
Droops (on the right) and I appear to be checking the fit of a
door top,
having started with the doors before cutting the top.
In the second photo, Droops (facing the camera) and I, with my
back to it,
seem to have gotten things right, judging by Droops' expression.
In the third photo, Plummer, sporting pegged black chinos and penny-loafers.
Is sawing at a door post while Droops busies himself tidying up
a cut on the
door on the opposite side. I've no idea what I was doing inside
the body at
this point.
Sad to say, we take a great leap of faith in getting to the fourth
photo
when not only had the chop been completed but the body was also
channeled
over the Model A frame. The re-configured rear window inspired
a name for
the car--the Mailbox.
I have no idea what became of this interesting drag-coupe project.
We were
all 16 and 17 years old at the time with precious little money
to lavish on
bringing something as ambitious as this car to fruition.
The photos are all from Alan Hale's archives.
Cheers
Mike Bishop (AV8)
---oooOOOooo---
Thanks for the story, Mike. Mart.
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