'31 Roadster dash rail UPDATE
 

I'm now getting down to interior components on my '31 roadster build and need to replace the old dash rail.
My old one was largely built up with body filler some 30 years ago and now the filler is cracked and flaking and the underlying metal of the dash rail is largely rusted away to the point where it is too far gone to be saved.
I'm looking at using a repro Brookville dash rail and wonder if anyone can share their experience with these as to how well they fit an original body and what modifications they need to work.
Also have wondered about the fiberglass dash rails that are available and if these are better or worse than the metal reproduction ones or easier to work with to make them fit.
Your comments would be greatly appreciated !
Thanks
Bob

Re: '31 Roadster dash rail
 

The Brookville dashrail is sorta OK. The ends need a little hammer fitting and the captured nuts that hold the tank are the wrong size, reduced to 1/4", originally 5/16". The bottom edge of the rail is not notched for the later column support. Use your original as a pattern. Good Luck: Fred A

Re: '31 Roadster dash rail
 

The Brookville is a bear to fit to a Brookville body . Can't imagine fitting it to a Ford .

Re: '31 Roadster dash rail
 

Hey Flop,
X2 !!
Way back when, I had my original '30 roadster dash rail nearly sold. I thought, thanks God, that Brookville was making NEW:rolleyes: !
Then I luckily ran into some written first hand testimony regarding the mods to the NEW Brookville dash rail....that only Flop would tackle successfully :) !
Puttied up my original and it does just fine still and yet.

Re: '31 Roadster dash rail - UPDATE
 

Update: After unsuccessfully looking for an original dash rail for several months and looking at repro dash rails and reading the negative comments about the repros I decided to see if I could resurrect my old one after all.
After sitting for about 30 years it was mainly holes held together with rust and flaking body filler.
I stripped off the old paint and sanded down as much as I could of the old filler to get a smooth surface to start with. Unfortunately as I did this the right side end of the rail broke off when the old filler could no longer hold it together.
Thanks to some 3M metallic body repair tape I was able to reattach the end so I could apply fiberglass matting to the entire underside to stabilize the whole dash rail. After it was stabilized it was easier than I anticipated to go over the outer surface with filler and work it back into shape.
It took several days of sanding, filling and sanding some more but the end result came out acceptably well.
I did lose the captured nuts that secure the rail to the dash rail support underneath but it fit well enough with just the trim screws through the face of the rail that the windshield fit well.
Here's a pic of the end result. Many thanks to those that offered their opinions of the repros !

Re: '31 Roadster dash rail
 

Looks good.

I once had a '31 roadster body with the dash rail missing and purchased a Brookville. After a lot of work and minimal results in getting it to fit, I ran across an original that was intact but badly pitted.

I repaired the original and am very pleased with the fit and how it looks. Given enough time and effort, a Brookville may work but I definitely would rather have an original.

Chris W.