1930-31 Closed Cab Pickup Roof Rear Header Question

[Zener424]

Hello fellow Model A enthusiasts, I am replacing the top wood on my '31 Closed Cab Pickup and have a question regarding the rear wood header. I picked up the wood kit at Hershey several years ago, & I'm just getting around to installing it. The new rear header has a groove cut into the top of it. For those of you that are familiar, does this seem correct. The header that I removed, has no groove, the top of the header is flat. It seems that with this groove, the metal nailing strip of the body will not lay properly as I attempt to nail it in place. I would appreciate your comments, thoughts & a photo of a header would be nice. Please see the attached photos of the new header in place and the old header removed. Thanks, & everyone have a great day...Phil

[Gary WA]

http://www.modelahouse.com/tech/index.html Thanks Bob for site. will this help? go to site tech installing ccpu roof.

[Zener424]

Thank you Gary for providing me with Bob's site. I reviewed the technical article written by Doug Cox about 1930-31 Pickup Roofs. Unfortunately it does not contain a photo of the top rear header, and does not describe the groove. Does anyone have a photo of a top rear header from a 30-31 CCPU that they can post for me to see? It would be much appreciated.

[Bob C]

I don't know if they are different but are you working on a steel top or soft top?

[Zener424]

Good morning Bob, I am working on a soft top.

Also, I think I found my answer in this old thread from 2012. The channel is correct however it seems my rear header needs to be trimmed so that the channel will be set back and in line with the nailing flange of the body.

Take a look at this post and specifically the reply from juke joint johnny.

https://fordbarn.com/forum/showthrea...ht=pickup+roof

[Zener424]

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By the way, I read with interest the last reply in that old thread in 2012 from member Double Trouble in which he questions:

"As the door posts locate the the top rear bow you'd have to suspect the bow itself wouldn't you? is it a reproduction? any thing left of an original for comparison?"

I tend to agree with that statement. Trimming is not going to help because I really need to move it back, and the position front to back is determined by the wooden door posts that the rear header sits on and is fastened to. Looks like I'm gonna have to retrofit this.

[katy]

Originally Posted by Zener424

"As the door posts locate the the top rear bow you'd have to suspect the bow itself wouldn't you? is it a reproduction? any thing left of an original for comparison?"

It sounds like he is talking about an open cab (aka roadster) pickup and you said yours is a CCPU (closed cab).

[Zener424]

Thanks for your input katy. However the rear "header" or as some call it the rear "bow" on a closed cab pickup sits on top of a wood post located on both sides at the rear of the door frame. There is a metal bracket that sandwiches front and back of the door post and the rear bow. So Double Trouble in that reply is referring to a closed cab pickup door post and rear bow. What he states makes a lot of sense. Because the bow is fixed in place by setting on top of the post and the bracket with bolts sets its position, this determines the position of the bow and makes it imperative that the bow is made correctly so it lines up with the nailing flange. I see now that mine was made incorrectly and trimming it is not going to help. I will have to make a shim that will run along the length of that channel on top. For additional reference see the attached photo for a view of the old bow sitting on top of the driver's side rear door post.