MTFCA Forum

Here is the Christmas gift me and my wife got each other this year. This is our 1930 Model A Phaeton.

It might be a bit too modern? But it looks really nice. And I like the touring cars in spite of if not because they are seldom seen.
Congratulations!

(And I am mostly kidding with the "too modern" crack!)

Very nice! Like the color too.

That’s a gorgeous looking A. Not many ‘31 phaetons around.
Santa was very good to you.

Congratulations! That's a great looking car. I just hope you can get the hang of that weird modern transmission.

I know a lot of people who are members of the T and A club; but none of them own Model T's or A's.

You say it is a 1930. The radiator shell is a 1931, but the fenders and running board are a 1930. I once had a 1931 Phaeton but sold it by accident in 1974 when we moved to Alpine. It was my daily driver which I drove to work which was about 5 miles In San Diego, however, when we moved to Alpine it became 30 miles each way and about half of it through mountains. I said Accident because I advertised it for $3,000 in the Restorer which was the national magazine for Model A Ford Club of America. I didn't think anyone would pay that much for a Model A. Several locals and some from Los Angeles looked at it but didn't like it. Someone from Lafayette La. came out and looked at it and bought it! They loaded it on a U Haul and took it home!
Norm

My first rebuild back in 1988 was my 160A which I still own and drive but it is too much like the cars I grew up with back in the 1950’s and 60’s so I tend to drive my Model T’s a lot more. They are unique like no other car….

I learned to drive on a 1928 model A touring. At the age of 6, my father put me in it, showed me how to shift, and told me not to hit anything. By the way, it was in the middle of a 20 acre hayfield.

Great looking Model A Ford! I think you will enjoy it a lot along with your T.

One of the things I like best about having a T and also an A is it is easier to see and understand how the Fords and for that matter cars in general developed over time. Similar to the T, many of the parts on the A are interchangable mechanically 1928-1931. And body parts interchange losely 1928-29 style and then 1930-31 style. There are some items that don't interchange, such as the early "AR" chassis parts but the majority of later 1928 to 1931 chassis parts will interchange. And the bodies will fit any chassis -- but to make it look correct, you need the appropriate fenders, hood, etc. Most folks will never know if the radiator shell is for a 1930 or 1931. Or if the splash aprons are 1930 or 1931. And even fewer will know that Ford sometimes switched over at different times for different models. And yes, Ford continued to use up the older parts even with the Model A. The older parts appear to be mostly used up on the truck production. The 1929 style fenders and truck bodies continued to be used on the pickup trucks well after the cars had tranisitioned to the 1930 style bodies and fenders. Bell Telephone once refused to accept a lot of "NEW" telephone trucks because they were still the 1929 style instead of the 1930 style. They said they would wait for the new 1930 style...

And I would suggest you locate the nearest active Model A Ford club. You can learn every thing on your own. But it is a lot easier if you have some folks to share some pointers. For example the location of the stock condensor on the stock Model A distributor is find for many locations. But I found that using the car in the deep south in Jul & Aug the condensors tended to fail often as compared to a much longer life when used in Sep - Jun. The vendors have a kit for installing the condensor on the same plate that holds the points inside the distributor. Once I made that change -- I have never had to change the condensor while on the side of the road even in Jul or Aug. There are two national A clubs and the are both great. See: https://www.mafca.com/ and also https://model-a-ford.org/

Related item -- remember to check things over to make sure the car is in good driving order. Especially if it was recently restored but not driven much since. I once purchased a "restored" A and within the first 100 miles or so I had to replace the water pump and the exhaust manifold (a crack I hadn't seen broke through and the relatively new mufler started dragging the ground). It is much nicer to find things like that in your driveway rather than a 100 miles from home.

Have lots of fun with your "New" Ford.

Respectfully,

Hap l9l5 cut off (also 1931 Slant Windshield Town Sedan)