Did You Know Question
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.
Model A Ignition System
Basically, the points fire the coil, the coil fires the plug, the spark at the plug starts the flame and the ignition systems job is done for that cycle. But of course, now for a few more details.
Georgia O’Keeffe and her Model ‘A’ Ford
O'Keeffe's Model ‘A’ Ford became an integral part of her artistic process, serving as both transportation and a mobile studio. It provided her with the means to venture into the desert and capture the es- sence of the Southwest, which became a significant influence on her art. The car's simplicity and reli-ability allowed her to travel to remote locations, enabling her to create her iconic paintings of the New Mexico landscape.
The Morgan Traffic Signal
Garrett Morgan (March 4, 1877–July 27, 1963) was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who is best known for inventing a device called the Morgan Safety Hood and Smoke Protector in 1914. The invention was later dubbed the gas mask.
In 1920, Morgan moved into the […]
Questions & Answers
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.
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.
My car has the drum tail light with the cast bracket attached to the rear body subframe, as it's a 1928 model. I'm looking for information about the dimensions and locations of the three holes on the right-hand side to mount the new RH bracket (Bratton's #19340).
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?
Could you please direct me to a resource where I can find detailed instructions on how to adjust and focus the headlights or headlamps on my Model A?
In the early 1990s, MAFCA member Jim Parcelluzzi included wiring diagrams on the MAFCA Clip Art disk. You can find copies of these diagrams on the MAFCA website. Here are some specific diagrams available: 1928 Wiring Chart - 1929-1931 Wiring without Cowl Lights - 1929-1931 Wiring with Cowl Lights
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?