Model A Ford

21 March 2006 Notes about the Model A Ford we drove to Alaska in September of 1952. The car would have been from 21 to 24 years old. It may have been considered an "antique car" even then, however it was something that was available and we used it.

There are two distinct Model A groups: 1928-1929 vehicles and 1930-1931 vehicles. What was the year of the one we drove to Alaska is unknown. I would suspect that it was a Heinz 57 being made from somewhere from 3 to 4 other cars. One was stripped and made into a trailer. It had a gas tank attached to the frame on the right side and it blocked so the rear tire on the trailer could not be seen from inside the car. I am not sure that this is a Model A feature. The Model A information I have found says the gas tank was in the firewall with the filler cap in the center. It is possible that the trailer was made from some other old car. However the tires would fit all. It is also possible that the tank was fitted from another car.

I received this message from Ted on March 22, 2006 10:24 AM

I had an old 29 coupe that could hardly run.  It had the back cut off & a homemade pick up box put on it.  That was the one the trailer was made out of.  Before Forest went into the Air Force he was working at Hermiston, OR, probably on the McNeary Dam.  When he came home he had a little roadster convertible model A and he got this 4 door black model A sedan and it didn't run so he bolted the bumpers together and drove the both of them home.  We put the engine from the Roadster into the four door sedan and used what best parts we could out of the roadster on everything else.  The conversion we made for the trailer out of the pick up one took all the cab and everything off of it.  We made a trailer out of the chassis out of the axes where they were on the frame and made a tongue that would hook to Reeds 39 Pontiac but the trailer had no brakes.  And I don't remember if we hooked the tongue to the bumper or if we just hooked it onto the front axel.  Seems like the front axel.  The back end of the trailer we built a chuck box, kind of like the cowboys used on the round ups with their wagons so that the back lid would let down and was supported by ropes or something and was the table.  And that worked great until we got into Canada where the pavement disappeared and them old dusty roads that the being a square back end sucked in all the dust...man, what a mess!  The leady roof, yea the model A's just had a piece of canvas that was tar coated and it was leaky.  I do not recall the wipers.  So, we had on the road with us the model A, the Pontiac and the four wheel trailer.  Scharlotts bed was positioned in the trailer so at night the tarp could be lifted and she had kind of a private room.  The rest of us slept out where ever we could find a place.  Hope this helps.  Ted

 

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