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
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 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?
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'm facing a challenging situation where the distributor in my 1928 Fordor's engine is firmly stuck in the head. Do you have any recommendations for safely removing a distributor that seems to be stubbornly stuck?
In the Snyder's Antique Auto Parts, -97, page A-38 is a device listed as "polarity tester" which is inserted twixt coil and distributor. It clearly shows arrows for "up" (coil). Text reads "..it indicates if you have the wires on your coil properly (installed)..." Is there a "coil only end" for a coil wire? New to me.
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.
When I try to attach the battery cables to the 6 Volt battery in my 1929 Model A Ford, there's a noticeable increase in sparking when I make contact with the posts. I don't recall this happening before. Could you suggest possible reasons for this?
I'm looking for information regarding the location dimensions for the three holes on the right-hand side to mount the new RH bracket (Bratton's #19340). Additionally, I would appreciate any details on the clinch nuts required to install in the subframe rail.
