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Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 2:21 pm
by Original Smith
I've wondered about this term for years. I have a close friend who is a whiz at digging up information on the internet. Turtle deck is a nautical term applied to automobiles as early as 1911. It doesn't appear that Ford ever adopted that term however.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:38 pm
by Rich Eagle
Great subject Larry. My 1907 Buick specs describe the body as a Turtle back.
https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=88491&t=1
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:44 pm
by John kuehn
According to Word detective.com a broad consensus says the phrase or words Turtle deck was a term that began to be used in the South in the early Automobile era. Somehow it got to be thought of as another way of thinking it was a trunk. If you think about it 4 dr sedans of different brands began using “Trunks” on the back on a trunk rack. I had one that I sold for 75.00 years ago that went on a Model A if I remember.
Even today people use the word trunk when having a 2dr or 4dr sedan modern automobile.
As Smith says Wikipedia on the net says the term Turtle is an early nautical term having to do with the lower section of a ship. Somehow the lower meaning term crossed over to automobiles. Or so they say!! Or ??
As far as Model T’s are concerned the Touring cars had a place under the back seat where it could be used for storage or at least the Black era cars did. The Runabouts had a little space under the backrest which could hold a little but not as much as the Turtle deck could which wound up being used a a small trunk. Or as we T folks usually call the Turtle deck.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:57 pm
by TXGOAT2
My parents always referred to the "trunk" as the "turtleback."
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:52 pm
by Corey Walker
My grandma always said,”put it in the turtle-hull” which was the hatchback of a Chevette when I was growing up. My grandpa always pronounced coupe with 2 syllables, coupé.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:01 pm
by John kuehn
Hey Cory my Mother referred to the T Coupe I inherited the same way!
John kuehn wrote: ↑Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:44 pm
According to Word detective.com a broad consensus says the phrase or words Turtle deck was a term that began to be used in the South in the early Automobile era. Somehow it got to be thought of as another way of thinking it was a trunk. If you think about it 4 dr sedans of different brands began using “Trunks” on the back on a trunk rack. I had one that I sold for 75.00 years ago that went on a Model A if I remember.
Even today people use the word trunk when having a 2dr or 4dr sedan modern automobile.
As Smith says Wikipedia on the net says the term Turtle is an early nautical term having to do with the lower section of a ship. Somehow the lower meaning term crossed over to automobiles. Or so they say!! Or ??
As far as Model T’s are concerned the Touring cars had a place under the back seat where it could be used for storage or at least the Black era cars did. The Runabouts had a little space under the backrest which could hold a little but not as much as the Turtle deck could which wound up being used a a small trunk. Or as we T folks usually call the Turtle deck.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:46 am
by Allan
John and Corey, your parents were correct. It is correctly pronounced coop-ay. Another stuff up occurs with Route 66. Correctly pronounced, it is root 66. These days route is often pronounced rout. Then you get the technoheads who refer to a router. This piece of technology is used to route signals. It does not rout them! We all know a router is used to dig grooves in timber.
Allan from down under.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:19 am
by TXGOAT2
An old guy who owned a junkyard where I studied obsolete cars in my youth always called a coupe a "kewp". Tudors were "coaches". Most people in this area lived on one of three "rurl routs". Many of them drank soda pop, usually Coke or Dr Pepper or K-Orange, though a few clung to Grapette or Big Red, with a few hardshell Pepsi drinkers. Beer was served in "joints", where "Beer Dancing" was the main draw. "Likker" was offered in "likkerjoints" out on the county line, take-out only. Roads were, and many still are, dirt, and the state and federal highways consisted of two lanes. Speed Limit 60 / Night 55.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:37 am
by katy
TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 10:19 am
Tudors were "coaches".
And 4 doors were called sedans.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:12 pm
by Susanne
Wow, Goat just brought back a whole passel of memories... That 2 door 2 passenger hardtop was a "Coop" (like he chicken coop). The 4 door with a back sea was a Sedan (pronounced SeeDan). The 2 door ones were a "two door". A roadster was the upscale version of something small, quick, and (when I was a brat) was usually European or British, also known as a "Sports Car". We'd take the "highway" when going out of town, other than 2 of them all the roads attaching it to the outskirts of town were dirt roads... and when you went on a road trip of significance(say 100 miles or more) you would have your car gone over by the local mechanic, and once on your way, you'd stop at a coffee shop or (if it was a fancy occasion) a real restaurant. . When you were out of town you stayed at a motel, and if you valued your reputation you didn't ever go into a roadhouse... Also... the "other side of the tracks" were, literally, on the other side of the tracks.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:39 pm
by John kuehn
Getting back to what we call the Turtle deck what did the Ford body parts books call it. I can’t find the one I had and like Smith says I don’t think Ford actually called it ‘Turtle deck’ like we do.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:42 pm
by Roz
When we went to the store in the small town I grew up in, we went “uptown”. The business part of the larger town up the highway was considered “downtown”.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:31 pm
by TXGOAT2
We used to go "downtown" to buy stuff. "Downtown" was about 7 blocks with mostly old brick or stone front buildiings. Places that were dry goods stores became "department stores" and the food store became a "supermarket" or one of the chain stores, like A&P or Safeway. A&P smelled like fresh ground coffee, and the family owned grocery smelled of BBQ. We didn't have a Piggly Wiggly. It was a different world, and a perfectly adequate one, in my opinion.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 2:47 pm
by TRDxB2
Some other references
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10 ... 3110317105
The upper deck of a vessel constructed with a pronounced curve from the centreline of the vessel down to the sides. Its purpose is to assist overboard the flow of any sea water shipped over the bows.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.la0408.photos/?sp=45
canopy over large turtle deck at stern.
https://live.warthunder.com/post/792133 ... nt=3040014
German ''turtleback'' and multi thick layer schemes with great armor all around
https://dietzrv12.wordpress.com/2020/01 ... am-shells/
turtle deck skins. These are the curvy parts that join side skins, top skins, and eventually the window at the rear of the cockpit.
http://yellowairplane.com/Pitts/Chuck_R ... eDeck.html
The coachman was buzzin' down the dual carriageway without a bonnet on his lorry!
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:03 pm
by DHort
Suzanne, the other side of the tracks is where the low income people live.
Do you call the Interstate the highway, the freeway, or the expressway? We use all three terms here.
Turtleback makes more sense than turtel deck.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:44 pm
by BHarper
The Model T runabout had, from 1909 through 1912, a small tool chest-tool box at the rear of the body which often has a small dickie seat or rumble seat. (Yes, it is often called the Mother-In-Law seat.) The Commercial Runabout had no seat on the box.
The 1913 and later runabouts had nice looking turtle decks. (I haven't made time today to scour the parts books to find out what term Ford used for them.)
I mention the above because in 1914 the Metz Company introduced a turtle back for their Model 22 Torpedo Runabout. Without this enclosure, there would be a storage box the width of the body sub-frame with extensions running forward to the seat support. This created an additional enclosed area in which to place packages and such. The owner could, if desired mount one or two rumble seats (yes, that is what Metz called them) on the box.
The turtle back replaced the tool box and gave the car a very different appearance.
Re: Turtle Deck
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2021 6:16 pm
by Susanne
DHort wrote: ↑Sat Apr 10, 2021 4:03 pm
Suzanne, the other side of the tracks is where the low income people live.
Do you call the Interstate the highway, the freeway, or the expressway? We use all three terms here.
The Freeway has on and off ramps, the Highway has streets that intersect with it (not ramps), and the expressway has fewer streets intersecting (with stoplights).
And I've lived on both sides of the tracks... the hard part was not to end up ON the tracks!
I used to have this recurring bad dream as a kid where I was left abandoned at the one roadhouse in town - and had to find my way home. Strange to think that it's now the "upper class" part of town, when it used to be "out of town" (and somewhat seedy at that)...