Did You Know Question
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1929 Ford Model ‘A’ Cabriolet
Franklin D. Roosevelt, born into a wealthy family, could afford the best luxury automobiles. But it was a part of his "everyman" appeal that, when at home, he drove humble cars like this 1929 Ford Model A. Many of his cars were equipped with special controls that allowed the partially paralyzed Roosevelt to oper-ate the foot pedals with his hands.
William Howard Taft Motorized the White House Fleet
While Theodore Roosevelt preferred the stately formality of the horse drawn carriage, successor William Howard Taft Motorized the White House Fleet.
The Slip Dress
These new style chemises which were highly decorative, deliberately sensual and often transparent, became the frontrunner of today's fashion slip. They were made of rayon, crepe de Chine or silk picot, so they were smooth, soft to touch and considered to be the height of luxury. From Bikinis, Bell-Bottoms and Little Black Dresses, by Kate Mulvey
Mary Brooks Picken’s Contribution to Fashion
A relatively unknown yet highly influential woman in the Model A era was Mary Brooks Picken. Mary transformed millions of women from clothing vendors to seamstresses capable of improving their lives and making money with their sewing machines. Mary published 96 books on sewing, needlework and textile arts.
Why Did Ford Only Sell Black Cars
Henry Ford once said something of this nature: "A customer may have a car in any color he desires, so long as it's black." Today, many people have taken this quote to mean that every Model T Ford, the car which undoubtedly made the American automobile affordable and "put America on Wheels," was painted black.
One Hundred Years Ago
One hundred years ago, as 1923 ended, Ford had produced 2,011,125 Model T’s that year alone. This is still today the highest figure ever achieved by a single model in a single year. Thanks to these production numbers, Ford was able to sell these cars at a low price. For example, you could buy a Runabout for $260, the equivalent of $4,815 today.
Questions & Answers
We own a 1930 Sport Coupe and a 1931 Pickup. Recently, the Coupe developed an issue with discharging when the ignition was off due to a hung cutout, which we replaced. However, we encountered a short circuit problem that caused the wiring harness to melt down from the starter to the ignition switch and amp gauge, almost resulting in a fire.
During a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, I found myself in a situation with a defective cutout on my vehicle, and I was many miles away from any help. After giving it some thought, I came up with a solution using a 10-gauge wire loop that I connected to both sides of the cutout and ran into the cockpit.
The car starts easily and spins over fast, but I suspect the wiring is still set up for a 6-volt system. Can you convert to a 12-volt system without changing the wiring? If so, do the bulbs need to be 12-volt as well? I'm not confident with electrical work.
I'm interested in rewiring a Model A Sparton Horn from 6 volts to 12 volts. Could you please provide guidance on the wire size and the number of turns required for this conversion?
I recently acquired a 1930 Roadster, and when I attempted to remove the battery, I discovered it was connected with the negative terminal to the chassis. When I reinstall it in the spring, should I connect it correctly with the positive terminal to the chassis?
I discovered, much to my surprise. that you were supposed to connect the battery cables in reverse of what I had always done on other cars --- red to negative etc. I did this after pulling the battery for a charge and then reconnecting - Pretty dumb ! Incidentally, when using a battery charger to charge your battery, do you also hook up the red to the negative post and ground to the plus pole?
Experiencing your ammeter becoming hot or warm under these conditions is not typical. This issue is often caused by loose nuts on the back of the ammeter, resulting in increased resistance and heat generation at the connection points. To resolve this problem, follow these steps...
It seems like the leads on the Ammeter might be reversed, or they could have been switched at the terminal box posts. Fortunately, it's a simple solution. Remove the instrument panel and reverse the leads on the back side of the ammeter.
