34 Cabriolet; how was it in 1934?

[fiver]

Although I now have the 33-34 Ford restoration manual there are some points I'm still wondering about So help me out would you.

The car's a 1934 Ford Cabriolet. It's been put together by someone who didn't know or didn't care. Nevertheless I might not know but I do care and below you'll find pics of the various aspects of the car which I think might be wrong.

Gauge
The blue colour is everywhere; beyond repair? Looks like it to me. What should it show when it's in working order?

Reinforcement on firewall
Someone's welded these reinforcement strips on both sides of the firewall. Factory made or not?

Door posts
All other 34s I own have not had the door hindges covered. Looks like filler to be honest but I haven't dug into it yet. Shouldn't the hindge seams and screws show?

 

[B-O-B]

gauge fluid is red can get it from Macs. Right on the door hinges & screws should be exposed. Plug wires not yellow. Don't think the factory welds were ever that bad.
Good luck keep us updated.

 

[33 roadster]

Hi, I think the same as Bob on the red and the door hinges. The door hinges may be welded to the body and the doors mine were. I have three Cabriolets and all have this reinforcement they are the only body type to have them even the roadster does not have them. So they came from the factory. The reinforcement should have a notch in it on each side for the speedometer cable for left or righthand drive cars. The reinforcement is the same on each side just flipped over. They are spot welded three times and gas welded on the edge. The welding on these is not very good. I think I welded better when I was 12 years old. So if you want it original I would leave it alone. Larry

 

[David J]

The glass tube needs a pipe cleaner or whatever to clean it out . The crap usually comes out fairly easy . The first pic is a stock 34 cabriolet cowl & the reinforcements are just as crude as yours . My 33 cabriolet is the same & if you look close at the pic of a cabriolet body in the body parts price list you can see these . Cabriolet only & yes-crude .The next pics are a stock 34 gabriolet quarter . The door hinges are covered on cabriolet bodies - actually 2 layers . The plate that covers the opening on the post and then the actual quarter lip . Again Cabriolet only . The last pic is a 34 ruster & you can see the hinge is exposed like other cars . Cabriolet's are kinda different in many ways .

Although I now have the 33-34 Ford restoration manual there are some points I'm still wondering about So help me out would you.

The car's a 1934 Ford Cabriolet. It's been put together by someone who didn't know or didn't care. Nevertheless I might not know but I do care and below you'll find pics of the various aspects of the car which I think might be wrong.

Gauge
The blue colour is everywhere; beyond repair? Looks like it to me. What should it show when it's in working order?

Reinforcement on firewall
Someone's welded these reinforcement strips on both sides of the firewall. Factory made or not?

Door posts
All other 34s I own have not had the door hindges covered. Looks like filler to be honest but I haven't dug into it yet. Shouldn't the hindge seams and screws show?

 

[deuce lover]

Brake clean or acetone works well cleaning out the fuel gauge while scrubbing with pipe cleaner.Make sure line to hex fitting is clean also.Test by pouring a bit of acetone from the back to make sure it gets to the sight tube easily,then pour it out.Let dry good and fill with red fluid until it reads to empty line on gauge before installing.

 

[Lawson Cox]

Although I now have the 33-34 Ford restoration manual there are some points I'm still wondering about So help me out would you.

The car's a 1934 Ford Cabriolet. It's been put together by someone who didn't know or didn't care. Nevertheless I might not know but I do care and below you'll find pics of the various aspects of the car which I think might be wrong.

Gauge
The blue colour is everywhere; beyond repair? Looks like it to me. What should it show when it's in working order?

Reinforcement on firewall
Someone's welded these reinforcement strips on both sides of the firewall. Factory made or not?

Door posts
All other 34s I own have not had the door hindges covered. Looks like filler to be honest but I haven't dug into it yet. Shouldn't the hindge seams and screws show?

Also, FWIW, pin stripe on 34 is a three stripe deal. Wide in center, smaller ones on top and bottom.

 

[33 roadster]

Hi, Daivd J is right about the hinges on the body the quarter panels cover the hinges, only the screws should show. I got mixed up on the doors the hinges do show there Thanks, Larry

 

[fiver]

Also, FWIW, pin stripe on 34 is a three stripe deal. Wide in center, smaller ones on top and bottom.

Mine is a single strip of.. tape! I doesn't look as bad in my pic as it does in the flesh but in places it's come off and you can see from a mile away that it's only tape. When I get round to it I'll rip it off and replace it with the correct pin stripes.

So basically I'd be better off forgetting everything I know about 34s and starting over with a Cabriolet which seems to be a whole different story. Thanks to everyone who took the time to look at the pics and post their answers.

 

[33 roadster]

Hi, fiver the pin stipe is also the wrong color in 34 a black car should have a Tacome cream strip. Larry

 

[fiver]

The body colour on mine is Coach Maroon so I take it that the stripes should be Vermillion Red?

 

[33 roadster]

Hi, fiver You are right the book says english coach vermillion. It looks like it is black in the photo SORRY. I want to paint my 33 cabriolet Coach Maroon if I ever get that far. Thanks, Larry

 

[48Flyer]

That appears to be all wrong, a very bad car to say the least, Why dont you just let me have it and im sure you can find another one in much better, original shape!

 

[fiver]

That appears to be all wrong, a very bad car to say the least, Why dont you just let me have it and im sure you can find another one in much better, original shape!

I know I'm stuck with a basket case for a car! In all fairness it's not that bad but I've already gone through the trouble of transporting it to the other side of the world (from where it was "born and bred") so there's no going back now.

I take it that there's a canvas cover for the top? Correct me if I'm wrong. Has anyone got a photo showing how the top's cover is fastened (and where the fasteners are) when the top is down? Having studied the restoration manual late into the night I think I saw press-fit buttons on the back rest of the front seat and again on the rear of the top where it attaches to the body? How many press-fit buttons and where are they exactly? You see photos of the top up or down but never with the canvas cover on it.

 

[EdVS]

My 34 Cabrio has those welded on reinforcements on the fire wall as well. Is it possible that these were dealer retrofits authorized by the motor company due to "cowl shake" ?

 

[fiver]

Has anyone got a photo of the dam in the trunk? Evidently there's a dam that directs the water running down the sides of the rumble seat lid into a dam that then lets it drip out.

My car still has the original rivet holes where the dam used to be but how does it look on the sides that house the rumble lid hindges? If the water just runs down from the sides of the trunk it doesn't necessarily go into the damn; how is it directed into it?

 

[David J]

A couple looks .

Has anyone got a photo of the dam in the trunk? Evidently there's a dam that directs the water running down the sides of the rumble seat lid into a dam that then lets it drip out.

My car still has the original rivet holes where the dam used to be but how does it look on the sides that house the rumble lid hindges? If the water just runs down from the sides of the trunk it doesn't necessarily go into the damn; how is it directed into it?

 

[fiver]

That was quick - thank you!

How high is the dam? There's not much room when the seat is in place but is it less than 1"?

I'm still wondering how the water was guided into the dam? There's at least a couple of inches on both sides of the trunk floor left open and wouldn't that let the water travel into the trunk area? If you'd imagine water gushing down the gutters some of it would end up in the dam but wouldn't the open sides let a lot of water just seep into the trunk? Or not?

 

[David J]

The dam is screwed down - not riveted . The three holes just aft of the dam are the drains. One in the center and one on each end . I don't have one handy to measure as far as height but these are reproduced so that shouldn't be an issue .ADDING The dam is NOT reproduced that I am aware of . I looked for some also and came up with nadda . The new one I saw a while back musta been an extra home made one . My bad - sorry .

 

[fiver]

If it's reproduced do you know who sells it? Or do you have a part number? I've not been able to find it, perhaps I've been looking in all the wrong places..

 

[fiver]

I thought I'd entertain you people showing how soda-blasting brings out the best in an old Ford. I spotted myself saying that the car wasn't as bad as expeced but I take it all back. This is a basket case of a car!

Approx. 0.5" layer of filler. Soda-blasting exposed very crude "repairs".


I thought I'd need not replace the LH rear qtr. Wrong! I've already bought a RH repair panel but this one needs replacing too.


Windscreen posts are beyond repair - unless you approve of fibreglass windscreen posts? I don't. Anyone know of someone having an extra pair of '34 Cabriolet posts?


Looks like an Airstream surface to me..


You'd have to be a raving lunatic to "repair" any car in this manner. It looks appalling and all I can now do is fix it properly. The only interesting bit that the soda-blasting brought out was that the car used to have a spare wheel on the RH side. It'd been taken off at some point and all that was left of it were welding marks on the lower cowl panel.