MTFCA Forum

I have a good sized collection of original Ford T literature, and have heard for many years, the Ford actually had a listing of Ruckstell parts in his late parts book. I finally saw an example of one of these on the Ford fix website. It is a fake to be sure, probably botched together by Polyprints back in the sixties. They even misspelled AXLE! After 1924, Ford never put a thicker cover on their parts books, they were always the same weight paper used on the rest of the pages in the booklet.

I have a 1921 Wholesale parts list, that as Larry said, the cover stock is same as pages inside and does not show anything that it would be a reproduction. However, my March of 1927 body parts book, which has no indication of being a reprint, does have heavier stock used for cover.
I wonder if the reprints have a heavier cover to protect the pages within, or to mirror the owner's manual?

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Wed May 18, 2022 2:06 pm

The 8-5-28 parts book available in reprint from all the dealers devotes the last six pages to Ruckstell axles and parts, both passenger car and truck. With a cursory inspection I did not detect any misspellings.

Agree with Original Smith. Ford never sold parts for the Ruckstell in the Ford Price List of Parts books.

That Polyprint reproduction of the Aug. 5 1928 Price List of Parts that has that May 1, 1924 6-page "Ruckstell Axle Parts Price List added, is the current version sold by vendors as T-7. That version is the later one, and the addition of the Ruckstell Price list was done by Polyprint in about 1980 or so. There was never a connection of Ford officially selling parts from the Ford price book for Ruckstell parts. Makes no sense.

I have an earlier copy of T-7 and the last page says the Price List is copied from the Aug 5 1928 Price list and is 55 pages, that earlier Polyprint is true to the Ford price list. This early version reprint is printed on that page T-7 $1.00


A check of other Ford Price List of Parts, the later versions from Ford, May 1929 and March 1930 have no 6 pages of that 1924 Ruckstell price list. Neither do the 1926 and 1927 Ford Wholesale Price List of Parts, that makes sense as Ford couldn't have wholesaled Ruckstell parts they didn't manufacture!


Here is scan of that latest Polyprint T-7 of the Ford Price List of Parts dated Aug. 5, 1928. Why would Ford insert a 1924 Ruckstell price list when printing this Ford list originally in 1928?

I just bought a NOS Parts list dated May 1, 1929. The thickness of the paper is the same for all pages, and of course, there is no Ruckstell insert!

Larry

Have always considered the addition of Ruckstell parts in that reprint Price and Parts List as an error. And likely it has contributed to the myth that Ford provided Ruckstell Axles on the assembly line at either a Ford factory or a Ford branch assembly plant across the nation.

Can't be true, as Ford carefully controlled just in time inventory of assembly parts for these cars across the country. And Ts were made to factory specs too.

Now, certainly Ford dealers or agents with Ford cars, or the many private auto garages that worked on Fords would have installed the accessory axles, that was common. Interesting, the many original sales invoices that survive from such dealers note other accessories, like locking steering wheels and bumpers. Haven't yet seen such a sales dealer invoice to a customer that notes install of a Ruckstell, but certain they did.

As for Edsel Ford, he did meet with Hall about those new Ruckstells in 1922, and was shipped one from CA to Detroit. His notes on the memo are written to direct this item to Galamb, what happened? Did Edsel ever try it out? Did a Ford car get this installed to test the axle, was there any documented results or actions???? Who knows!

The original 1928 Canadian over seas editions have the Ruckstell in it.

I learned many years ago that any reprint of anu kind is suspect.

Ed aka #4

It appears to me that the reprint is a collection of two documents for the convenience of owners and restorers. That is how I use it.
For collectors of documents this would be an important issue, for owners looking for information it was a great idea I think.