Tag: 1930

1930 FORD MODEL A HOT ROD (Miller OHV) @Bonhams

1930 FORD MODEL A HOT ROD (Miller OHV) @Bonhams

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1930 FORD MODEL A HOT ROD

Hot rod fans of all ages, but particularly those who grew up in the 1940s and 50s will relish this authentic Ford highboy rumble seat roadster, stripped of its fenders and carrying a rare Miller-design cylinder head. It is unrestored, but complete with such delicious period extras as Guide headlights, 1935 Ford 6.00:16″ wheels and special aftermarket three-door hood panels.

The basic 200 cubic inch displacement engine, built by Ford in April, 1930, is equipped with a high performance rocker arm head designed by famed racing car builder Harry A. Miller’s engineer, Leo W. Goossen. The head was produced by the Miller-Schofield Company then by the Cragar Company. This rare piece alone is worth the purchase.

Miller conceived the cylinder head in 1928 when the Ford Model A first came on the market and shortly before he sold his racing car and engine business to Schofield Inc. of America, but Schofield produced it only briefly. The design is a typical overhead valve conversion, similar to the Two-Port Riley and the Rutherford, using forged steel rocker arms to actuate the valves. The conversion more than doubled the original horsepower from 40 to about 90 HP at 3,200 RPM, particularly with the use of two Ford Chandler-Grove carburetors as in this installation, which is on a slightly later Model B block with pressure oiling. The original compression ratio was 5.75:1, but with the availability of better gasoline that could be upped to 7.5 or 8:1. The engine also has finned aluminum side plates and a mechanical fuel pump.

The head provides two oversize intake valves and four exhausts. The original owner, Robert Rein, installed with it better ignition and a lightened flywheel. With aluminum pistons and a re-ground camshaft, the car would be capable of more than 110 miles an hour on a smooth course. At an original sale price of $82.50, it was a bargain, even in the Depression-ravaged thirties.

Unlike some other Model A conversions, Goossen’s design produces a deep, powerful exhaust note, not unlike that of the famous four-cylinder Offenhauser racing engine.

Schofield failed in December, 1930, when a director, Gilbert Beesemyer, admitted to embezzling more than $8 million from the Guarantee Building & Loan Co. he headed in Los Angeles. Harlan Fengler, the Indianapolis driver (1923-24) and later racing official, bought most of the designs and equipment at Schofield’s bankruptcy sale and continued production of the Miller-Schofield equipment under the name Cragar. The original Miller-Schofield heads are extremely rare since they were only produced between January and December, 1930, when Schofield declared bankruptcy. The later Cragar version is vertical on the left side, whereas the Miller-Schofield head is slanted inwards.

There is a great personal story about this particular hot rod. In 1953, shortly after Edward, the present owner bought the car his wife, Gloria, had a hot 1949 Olds 88 convertible, and did not really like the old Ford. She challenged him to a race. The bet: if he lost he had to sell the hot rod. The two lined up on route 83 just outside Oak Brook, Illinois. He won, so he has had the car in his stable for more than half a century.

Such hot rods, based on the popular Ford roadster body and chassis, have become highly- sought-after items. Although there are many reproductions using fiberglass bodies, the original steel- bodied vehicles with legitimate 1930s and 1940s provenance have mostly been snapped up by collectors. To find such a sound, unrestored original is indeed a worthy prize.

Link to Bonhams

Get Excited for Winter Driving With a Snowbird-Equipped 1930 Ford Model A Coupe – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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I’m not advocating that municipalities in northern climes sell their snowplows and let their salt reserve piles dwindle to nothing, but I can imagine winter driving would be far less of a headache in something like this 1930 Ford Model A coupe, complete with a Super Snowbird snowmobile kit, that’s listed for sale on Hemmings.com. Yes, travel would be slower and a bit more arduous, but that’s sort of the point. It would give people pause to consider whether they really need to go out during a snowstorm. Plus, anything to reduce the amount of salt on the roads gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from me. As for the Model A, it appears to have benefited from periodic restoration and refurbishment but also looks more than capable of taking on unplowed roads with select enhancements to the original tracks-and-skis kit. From the seller’s description

This beautiful Coupe has an Arps snowmobile attachment (Super Snowbird) triple rear axle set up. The standard rear axle has power drive units 5:1 gear ratio attached with internal brakes, The rear axle has paddle tires that fit into the notches of the 14″ wide steel tracks. The Tracks have been sand basted and epoxy primed/ painted. The center axles are idlers in nature and have solid rubber tires. The front rear axle has turn buckle rods to adjust the track  tension. The entire undercarriage is authentic Snowbird and painted the correct color green as original.  The front axle (Model A) has super snowbird flip-up spindles. The front wheels stay on the car with the skis. The tires rotate up and out of the way when on the skis. This coupe has hydraulic cylinders added to assist in the change over so that no jack is required. This system was designed and installed by NH Snocar in New Hampshire.

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The Model A Leafspring Debacle Part 2 – @Astra-Werke

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Part 2 of the rear spring video from Astra-Werke

Only while editing Part 1 did I notice that something was odd about my car’s rear leafspring that I had just fixed. And, yes indeed, after comparing it to photos online, I was missing some spring leaves – most likely the cause for the broken leaf in the first place. So, today, it’s all back apart again to get things sorted once and for all – plus a little extra. Enjoy!

Model A on the DYNO!! – Astra-Werke @YouTube

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This is one of those things that nobody knew they needed to know – so I went ahead and did it. Today, we’ll find out how good (or bad) a performer a bone-stock Ford Flat Four really is. The Company stated 40 Horsepower, nobody ever stated torque figures, and the course of their values over the rpm range remains a secret, too. To this day, that is – enjoy!

What level of involvement did Allegheny have with the stainless-bodied Ford Model A’s? Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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Let’s be direct for a moment: Some readers last week questioned my use of the term “full set” when describing the stainless-bodied Ford Motor Company products that Allegheny Technologies will put up for auction this fall. As they noted, a trio of stainless-bodied Ford Model A’s preceded the better-known 1936 Ford, 1960 Thunderbird, and 1966/1967 Lincoln Continental. On first blush, it does appear that Allegheny had something to do with the creation of the Model A’s too. Yet after some digging, we find that may not be the case.
To begin with, Allegheny did indeed have a business relationship with Ford Motor Company dating back at least to 1930, when Ford introduced a number of stainless steel items on the Model A. A Ford brochure from the time touted the “greater value” of “rustless steel” as used in the Model A’s headlamps, radiator shell, hub caps, cowl finish strip, gasoline tank cap, radiator cap, taillamp, and other exposed metal parts. “It never requires polishing,” the brochure states. “You merely clean it with a damp cloth as you would a windshield.”

 

Model “A” Fords To Go – Taylor Truck-a-Way Co. – @TheOldMotor

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This load of three new 1930 Model “A” Fords is on a semi-trailer manufactured by the Taylor Truck-a-Way Co. of Los Angeles, CA. At the time, a rig of this type was used for local and regional transport, and long-distance transport of automobiles was handled primarily by train. The lightweight trailer frame is constructed in the form of a lattice truss that is resistant to bending. The lower part of the fifth wheel hitch on the truck is of the conventional type but uses a lightweight horizontal top section, as seen in the second photo below.

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