MTFCA Forum

I am replacing the non-original rain gutters on my '26 Coupe with a pair of originals. Right now, there is hid-em around the back of the roof from gutter to gutter. Someone told me that originally there was a curved metal strip around the back, not hid-em. Is this true? Does anyone have some close-up photos of what it is supposed to look like? Thank you, Barry.

Don Booth would probably know. He's restored several Improved coupes, has some helpful posts on the forum but currently uses FBook. He helped me tremendously with my '26 coupe. jb

Barry, I do not know. But looking at the Ford Price List of Body Parts, dated March 15 1927, the trim piece is called Beading (Roof) Front, and Beading (Roof) Rear. Both parts have the same part number 18210X. The front and rear roof line being a different shape and length, yet having the same part number is curious. Since you are close to the Henry Ford, it might be worth a trip to the Benson Ford Research Center and look up the part number and see what the drawing shows. If you do, please report back to the rest of us coupe owners. The research center needs the factory number to find the drawing, the chassis parts book have a part number that is different than the factory number and require looking it up in a reference book at the Benson Ford, but the body parts book lists the factory number so it is easier to find the drawing.

Barry, I think I have the answer to your question. I am restoring my 1927 coupe, and I think the attached photos answer the question.

The first photo shows the coupe. The second is above the front window. The third is the back. The fourth is the back right corner, and it shows the rain gutter stops and the piece you are asking about continuing around the back. The fifth shows the rain gutter has been removed, and the back piece partially removed.

To the best of my memory, the back trim piece was not metal.

Note that the front trim piece and the back trim piece are not the same.

Assuming that the top and trim on Bruce's '26 Coupe has never been replaced, what I'm seeing across the back of the top is a common auto/buggy upholstery item called "Wire on". It is made from thin black vinyl with a zigzag shaped wire built inside. This is tacked on in place and then the upper portion is carefully folded over on top of the portion that was tacked down to cover the lower piece. It is still available.
The trim piece used across the front is also a commonly used item in early auto/buggy upholstery sometimes called tape edging. This type of tape edging was used on the bottom of the front seat cushion in the '26-'27 fordor sedans to finish off the raw edge of the seat material to give it a more professional look when it was lifted to acess the fuel tank. It is a thin black vinyl strip folded over itself. The large, black enameled nails were also used on the touring cars to hold the front kick panels in place. These are also current available.
The only thing I see that makes me question the originally of this installation is the absence of the stamped metal ends that were installed at the factory. These were used to cap the ends of the soft trim pieces where they met the metal drip rails. However, these may have fallen off at one point in the cars history.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

Mike.

Thank you for your replies. Jeff, I thought about the Benson Ford Center but they remain closed for the indefinite future. Bruce, thank you for the photos, they help a lot! I wonder if I could ask one more favor. Could you measure the length of the rain gutter on your coupe. I have two different length sets. One I know is for a sedan that I bought from a friend and I can cut down. The other is a shorter set that I picked up at Hershey a couple of years ago. This set has the curved metal trim piece for the back that I am wondering about. Also, what is used to cover the nail/screw heads in the gutter? I remember somewhere on the forum a suggestion to paint a 3/4" tape measure black and it fits perfectly.
Mike, I will look for the rear material that you mentioned. I have the front "tape" and nails. My car currently has hid-em both places. Barry

Barry, this should help you identify the right drip rail. I have the Ford drawing for the "Roof Drip Moulding" part number T-57123R.H and T-57124L.H. The overall length is 44 1/4 inches. There are 15 small holes evenly spaced for wire nails and a hole at each end for a #7 x 7/8 countersunk wood screw. The nails and screws are covered by a sheet metal strip that would slide on the drip moulding.

There will always be debate on this subject as there are way too many cars redone in oh so many ways.

I have never sent to the Benson Ford for drawings to confirm, but this IS a picture of a true barn-find I came across in Northern Illinois in ’79 or so. Everything on that car was original and dusty/rusted/tattered…and then when the Historic Preservation category came along in AACA, there was no further reason to restore her as she came in first walk-on after walk-on until it was time to let someone else have a chance.

Anyway… the side strip molding had the sides cut away for about an inch on each end leaving the bottom and enough to actually cover and cinch the welt in place. May have been a die strike as the picture shows it might have a bit of a secondary hump in it. The back corner was bent/bowed inward and adding that back nail seemed to cinch it all up tight. (Today most just square cut both the repro gutter and the welt and hit it with a dab of RTV…but it doesn't appear be that hard to make it more period authentic?)

The gutter was missing its top cover, but folks tell me they were like the first to go (like engine side pans) and folks didn’t worry about a replace. Folks have said that if you look hard enough…you can find a measuring tape ‘tape’ that fits the actual channel fairly decent…I dunno…never got that far.

I think what fools folks is that reference to a unique Ford part number for the back with the inference that it may have been more substantial than a welting? Ahhh...wish there was the drawing...but my take based on the picture and the fact there is a unique part number for the 'whatever it is' would be that its just ordinary welt- 2 beaded - that is cut to length via drawing spec. Eliminated the sometimes short, sometimes long problem when left to a human with a box-cutter? Just a thought. (I also own a '15 Roadster that had the unique one year metal strip as part of its design that was done away with before the year was out...my guess was that finer delicate long trim pieces had a bad survival rate before they were even put on a car?)


P.s. have been informed now that there was no end dust cap? Just the way it was trimmed out! For what it is worth?

Barry, you can contact Benson Ford Reserch Center and order the drawing, costs about $35.

Barry, Here is the length of the rain rail that you asked for.

The nails appear to be spaced at 2-3/4".

Humblej's drawing is clearly correct but only half the story.
As George says, there is (was) then a cover which slid along to cover the screws.
But this is the gutter along the side, not the front and rear trim. In the UK, the nearest equivalent is still known as 'Hidem Banding'.

This is all good stuff I didn't know, but I have to say that the 2-piece aluminium gutters sold by Langs do a good job.