making new sills for model u and need and need the correct width of the cowl at the floor .I measured before removal and seemed to have written down two measurements in notes ( 42 in. and 43 in.) also is the A pillar mortised into the sill or flush,sill is rotted away in that area,that is why I cant get a good measurement. thanks JG
JG What body style is your car? It might make a difference.
car is a 1929 model u four door sedan thanks for your reply JG
JG I'm measuring about 38 1/4 " for the main sill just behind the A pillar. You can see from the picture the sill appears to be made from 2 pieces with the out side board being curved. The kick panel is in place and I can't see if the wood is mortised or not.
frank p thank you for your reply and photo. am I correct to assume that the 39 1/4 in. measurement was inside to inside of the left and right heavy steel A pillar support brackets that are screwed into main side sills thanks again jg
JG The 38 1/4" is from the split in the sill as indicated by the blue line. I measured 31 13/16 from the corner of each support bracket, red circle. With the kick panels in place, I can't measure to the inside of the support bracket on the A pillar.
thank you, just got home from Hershey I will use those measurements tomorrow they should get me very close ,with the wood framing I don't think that any two cars were exactly the same. I would think within an 1/8 of an inch should be good. thanks again jg
Your welcome. Find any parts for your '29?
I was looking for a nicer set of splash aprons {mine are not in the best shape but are repairable) and front leaf springs (my top leafs are cracked)I would prefer originals over having new ones made. If you needed model A or T parts you would have hit the mother lode though!
My 29U sedan's A pillars are mortised flush with the wood floorboards
thank you for your reply. I set cowl on my plywood side sill template and positioned the A pillar bracket with what is left of wood pillar inside of cowl. Looks like the A pillar is only about 1/2 inch thick at bottom so it probably would not add much strength by mortising it, as the bracket is very heavy and will be screwed into 1 3/4 inches of oak. Can you tell if the B or C pillars are? It is hard to tell from what I have left of main sill. thanks, J.Grare
I am not sure what you mean by the B and C pillars.
On my 29P sedan, the metal bracket that secures the front door pillar to the floor boards in mortissed flush with the floor boards such that the floor mat lies evenly. it is also mortised into the pillar it self in the inside.
The bracket in the rear that secures the rear door pillar to the floor is not mortised on mine.
Jeffrey,
I can't tell if B pillar mortised or not. Here is my rusty floor section of the bracket that runs top to bottom of the B pillar. Sounds like you are able to work on your car in the winter. Lucky you.
frank
The bracket on the center pillar is mortised flush with the floorboards. The bolt head running through it apparently also serves as a pin of sorts that fits into a recessed hole in the bottom of the seat back - apparently to help keep the bottom of the seat back in place.