Belt rail?

V

vern hodgson

Well-known member
29 special coupe. What goes between the top and the lower body? Is it a trim piece that curves aroun the body? And does any one make it?
 
Not sure if any are being produced, I guess I'm fortunate to have mine as some have said they are hard to find.! Because of the curve (body form), they are quite fragile and could easily be bent.
 

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I have been told they are not being reproduced. If you find one, they are very expensive. Luckily I have mine. I have seen people use aluminum moldings. Drill countersunk holes in the molding and screw it to the body. Then fill the holes and paint the molding.
 
I wonder what happened to the fellow out of either Ohio or Michigan that was making them? He came to one of the Fordbarn Workshops several years ago, but I have not heard from him or about his mouldings in quite some time.
 
Tony Raffin from Michigan was making them and I think Snyders was selling them. They did not have all of the correct bends across the back and on the sides. The shop that was making the pieces went out of business and I heard Tony lost his dies.
I am not aware of anyone else making these pieces.
Dave
 
I heard the same thing as Dave wrote above from Tony himself about 8 or 9 years ago.
Rusty Nelson
 
They are not being made. I searched for five years before I found an original set, 700 miles from home. I paid $250 and drove down to pick it up, because it was too risky to ship. They are very rare, very fragile, and very expensive when you find them. Then when you install them it takes a lot of caution and care to get it right without damage. Another thing I don't know how they accomplished on the production line.
 
I made mine for the Special coupe using a DD brass molding from Universal Tire. i centered a 7ft piece across the back , drilled and countersunk screws, filled,sanded and painted and looks identical to the original, been on there for 31 years.
 
I saw a 1929 Sport Coupe with an aluminum molding similar to what Barry described above. It was painted and looked very nice. About five years ago we saw six of them at Hershey as one of our club members was looking for one. Doug Born from Colorado had one priced at $600.00.
Dave
 
Dave in MD said:
I saw a 1929 Sport Coupe with an aluminum molding similar to what Barry described above. It was painted and looked very nice. About five years ago we saw six of them at Hershey as one of our club members was looking for one. Doug Born from Colorado had one priced at $600.00.
Dave
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Hi Dave, yes I also bought the same molding for a 29 Murray town sedan I did for someone that was missing the cowl band but the base retainer was still there. I shaped it on the car and had it nickle plated, the only thing I had to do was add an oval head flathead screw on the bottom of each side to hold it to the cowl. It fit perfectly and there have been many positive comments on it. I paid $47 for the molding strip but the plating and polishing added $350 to the price. the guy was real happy with the result and he knew that original part is practically unobtainable, obviously a painted part would be much cheaper but he wanted it plated. The brass molding is a much heavier wall thickness and the material (brass ) won't rot out like steel.
 
Barry B./ Ma. said:
I made mine for the Special coupe using a DD brass molding from Universal Tire. i centered a 7ft piece across the back , drilled and countersunk screws, filled,sanded and painted and looks identical to the original, been on there for 31 years.
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DD brass moulding? What is that and what is the cross section look like
 
I was thinking a piece of rubber trim from a commercial cabinet supplier would work if you could find the proper configuration!
 
vern hodgson said:
I was thinking a piece of rubber trim from a commercial cabinet supplier would work if you could find the proper configuration!
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Most guys use hidemwelt until they can find original molding, but that DD molding might be a nice answer.
 
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Just wondering, is that trim the same as on a standard coupe? If the "leatherback" were removed could a special coupe become a standard coupe?ub
 
vern hodgson said:
I was thinking a piece of rubber trim from a commercial cabinet supplier would work if you could find the proper configuration!

Universal Tire has the best contour to match the original , I bought several from them, they come as a straight piece 7 feet long shipped in a heavy cardboard tube and being brass it is fairly easy to form. The 7 ft. length will leave you with around 6" left over when used as the belt or cowl molding. At the time I did mine I looked at the other alternatives and I wasn't going to use cowl welting or aluminum as it would look wavy after fastening. Barry B/ ma.
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I am lucky to have one for my coupe. However, somebody in the past had screwed it to the wood and I have holes about every 6 inches along the piece. since my car is not going to be a judged car I filled the dents and painted. when I install I am going to use the holes and screw it back on. I wish somebody was making them.
 
Barry B./ Ma. said:
vern hodgson said:
I was thinking a piece of rubber trim from a commercial cabinet supplier would work if you could find the proper configuration!

Universal Tire has the best contour to match the original , I bought several from them, they come as a straight piece 7 feet long shipped in a heavy cardboard tube and being brass it is fairly easy to form. The 7 ft. length will leave you with around 6" left over when used as the belt or cowl molding. At the time I did mine I looked at the other alternatives and I wasn't going to use cowl welting or aluminum as it would look wavy after fastening. Barry B/ ma.
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Barry, could you post some pictures of your installation?
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