Sport Coupe rumble seat brace

[Ayers1]

Hey everyone, I was asked to see if I could get a 31 Sport Coupe started that has sat for at least 5 years. As I was looking at it I saw 2 braces inside the rumble seat area that looked odd. They were 2 rods connected by a turnbuckle. It looks like the car was restored in the 60's or 70's and the kick panels are missing, otherwise they would have been out of sight. The rods go from the rear of the door jamb down to a brace on the frame by the seat. Was this original or some very creative engineering along the way? Check out the picture I attached.

BTW this car has a Winfield head and will be going up on an online auction by the end of the month.

Thanks!

[Bob from Northport]

Someone was attempting to correct some body problem or a door fit from an accident. They are not original nor should they be there.

[Ray in La Mesa]

I have the same turnbuckles on my 68B cabriolet from the factory. They stabilizer the door latch post.

[Ayers1]

Thanks Ray! That's what it looked like on this car. We are always hearing how cheap Henry Ford was and I could imagine this being the least costly option.

Thanks Bob, I wondered about that possibility but the rods were identical and bolted down in the same spot on both sides.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Are you sure you have a Sport Coupe and not a Cabriolet? As "Ray in La Mesa" writes, those turnbuckle tensioners were used in the wooden-framed Cabriolet bodies to tweak the rear quarter panels to line up with the doors. There was no need for them in steel-framed coupe bodies. Can you post a photo or two of the car you are working on? That might save you and the readers here a lot of grief trying to answer future questions from you.
Marshall

[Ayers1]

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It is possible that it is a cabriolet. I have not been around either body style enough to immediately recognize it. I apologize for the guess work. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

[lrf]

Being an owner of a 68B (cabriolet), it certainly looks like a cabriolet support.

[Oldbluoval]

Are your sills steel or wooden? Side pic would help determine

[grj]

Have some.Yes Cabbie. G

[Marshall V. Daut]

Two quick ways to identify a Cabriolet from a distance: no visor over the windshield and the doors do not have metal framework all around the window like a coupe has. There is only the front portion for the window channel, the top and rear guides are not there. Tons of other differences once you can actually touch the vehicle. From your one photo, I'd say you have a Cabriolet. Since it is a 1931, you might be lucky and have a slant windshield Cabriolet, a somewhat rare and highly desirable Model A body style. Does the windshield lean or is it straight?
Marshall

[Ayers1]

This one is a slant windshield. I did notice that it does not have a door frame all the way around the window. There is a chrome frame attached to the glass on the top and rear of the window. From the sounds of it I mis-identified the body style. Thanks Marshall for the extra clues! This should be going up in an online auction in the next couple of weeks. I'll try to get a link posted once it does.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Whoever owns this car that you are fixing, his net worth just went up perhaps $10,000 over what might have been a Sport Coupe. I am basing this on a correctly restored slant windshield Cabriolet. Highly desirable and quite valuable if the wood is good in the body. The Cabriolet is built around a wooden structure, unlike Coupes and other high production body styles. If the wood is bad, however, nothing will fit properly. The doors won't close, the rear quarter panels will droop and the top will not fit against the upper windshield cross piece. You didn't mention any of these classic Cabriolet problems, so maybe the body wood is still solid. You dodged a bullet there - a very expensive bullet!
Is the top assembly still present and complete? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Marshall

[Ayers1]

This car is probably 95-99% complete. It's missing a few things such as the kick panels in the rumble seat area and the chrome is dull, but it is good the way it sits. It is an older restoration looks like maybe 50 or so years old. Everything seems solid on it. Once I get it running it would make a decent driver the way it is. A perfectionist would have it restored but I would drive it as is for now.

[Ayers1]

Ok, trying to upload a picture of the car. Got it started today! Runs and sounds great!

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Ayers1

It is possible that it is a cabriolet. I have not been around either body style enough to immediately recognize it. I apologize for the guess work. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the most obvious difference...the cabriolet is a convertible, the sport coupe isn't.

[Marshall V. Daut]

"I'm surprised no one mentioned the most obvious difference...the cabriolet is a convertible, the sport coupe isn't."

Indeed so, "CHuDWah". You are correct. But that only becomes apparent when one tries to put the top down. Then the difference between the two body styles becomes obvious. In a stationary position with the top up and not knowing that the landau irons fold on a Cabriolet, one might assume the car is a Sport Coupe. The Sport Coupe and the Cabriolet are absolutely kissing cousins. The OP and the owner of the vehicle should be very pleased to read that he/they have a rare and valuable body style on his/their hands. Is the owner sure he wants to flog it on the open market? Why not keep it? It is for sure money in the bank now and even more so in the future. Rarity and quality always command the highest prices. And a slant windshield Cabriolet will always be in high demand.
Marshall

[Ayers1]

Originally Posted by CHuDWah

I'm surprised no one mentioned the most obvious difference...the cabriolet is a convertible, the sport coupe isn't.

I guess everyone is on their best behavior this week and didn't want to point out what a dummy I was for not recognizing the difference. Lol.

[Marshall V. Daut]

The only "dummies" we have in this country live in Washington, D.C., now and probably since Millard Fillmore was President.
M.

[Ayers1]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

"I'm surprised no one mentioned the most obvious difference...the cabriolet is a convertible, the sport coupe isn't."

Indeed so, "CHuDWah". You are correct. But that only becomes apparent when one tries to put the top down. Then the difference between the two body styles becomes obvious. In a stationary position with the top up and not knowing that the landau irons fold on a Cabriolet, one might assume the car is a Sport Coupe. The Sport Coupe and the Cabriolet are absolutely kissing cousins. The OP and the owner of the vehicle should be very pleased to read that he/they have a rare and valuable body style on his/their hands. Is the owner sure he wants to flog it on the open market? Why not keep it? It is for sure money in the bank now and even more so in the future. Rarity and quality always command the highest prices. And a slant windshield Cabriolet will always be in high demand.
Marshall

Unfortunately this car is part of an estate. The owner has supposedly been gone for several years. I can only assume that the car hasn't been started since he passed. I would love to own it but I'm afraid it will go out of my range by the end of the auction.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Ayers1

I guess everyone is on their best behavior this week and didn't want to point out what a dummy I was for not recognizing the difference. Lol.

Just to be clear, I wasn't implying any dummy-ness on your part. Like I said, I'm just surprised that major difference hadn't been mentioned. Having restored a sport coupe and lusted after (but sadly never owned) a cabriolet, it's obvious to me. But maybe not so much to someone unfamiliar with those body styles.