32 sport coupe drip rails

RB

RB

Senior Member
Just read the older posting regarding the over the door drip rails & wondering if anyone as of recent may have a left side or know if reproduced? Recently worked over the right side & satisfied with the results, not sure if the left side can be saved as it appears it was a source for someone to relieve their frustrations with whatever they had in hand. Thanks, Ron
 
Hey RB,

I recently saw some drip rails on Bob Drake's clearance sale. Generic, I think, but they should work but may not be concourse correct.

Al Hook
 
Also check United Pacific, they offer several different 32 drip rails although they may not work for a sport coupe.
 
The North American '32 sport coupe drip rail is a two-piece affair where the outer channel portion snaps over the inner foundation part that is attached with small wood screws through the outer fabric topping into the wood beneath. The front ends of both pieces curve downward following the contour of the top of the door. I don't recall any reproductions ever being made.
 
Thanks, I do have a pair of u.p.i. 5w drip rails for another project & thought of modifying them to fit but since the right side straightened out ok going to continue to wrestle with this left side unless something turns up. The 5w rails have a bead rolled into the portion that normally is welded to the body, where the spt.cpe. has only a small profile rolled edge & indexes in the nailed-on tin retainer that secures the top material, thought it could be trimmed off or left & probably ok, I'll see how it turns out, have 2 or 3 hours in what looked to be an easy fix. will ck the others as mentioned above. Thanks, Ron
 
While they wouldn't be correct I wonder if the 5 window drip rails UP makes for the 5 window could be modified to fill the void? I think the pickup rails would be to short.
 
Glad you chimed in David, was wondering if only 2 screws were used, & if so beyond 3m tape how was the center secured, mine has a 3rd screw in the center but appears to be punched & unequal spacing from (L) TO (R) side..
 
Didn't initially digest all that David provided, & as he mentioned the rolled edge snaps over the retaining tin & if in good original condition retains the drip rail it's full length, mine being less than mentioned were not fit in a snaped over position & not sure it can be shaped well enough to do so,hence the center screws.
 
Would still consider a (L) side drip rail, metal worked what I have & it is at least presentable, if anyone has actual photos or vendor photos of the model 'A' two-part rail would be interested in that possibility. Thanks, Ron
 
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WOW ! was I not very observant, the drip rail as mentioned earlier has a very slight roll the full length on the top & bottom that grips around the top material retainer, the bottom full length of the retainer sets out slightly providing the rolled bottom edge to grip around ..where as the top edge unlike the bottom of the retainer has a grooved slot the full length that the top rolled edge of the drip rail snaps into.... not over the edge of the retainer but in the groove. Once snapped in it can be difficult to remove without damage. ask me how I know.. . Upon initial removal the forementioned was not how it was previously installed, but rather with the two original screws & an additional non original fastener in the center. I was trial fitting to see what needed tweaking & kept trying to snap the rail over the retainer as opposed to in the groove which had been primed & painted over, so initially didn't even realize it was there. Probably not many doing a 32-sport coupe but thought I should share my experience thus far. thanks to David & others for responding.
 
I forget about it snapping into the upper portion of the inner top material retainer rather than over it. Over the years I've had three '32 sport coupes, but I did not restore any of them and the last of the three left my hands in the mid-1970s.
 
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