Whitewall tires
 

There is a show on netflix called lawless,depicts several a"s one sedan has whitewall tires and a stoneguard.coker tire history of whitewalls states ford introduced whitewalls in 1934,car might not be period correct and was a stone guard available back then,any view points on this?

Re: Whitewall tires
 

WW's were double sided in the 20's I believe. Maybe the early 30's but you could have had a car with them from the dealer NOT from the factory. Depending on where in the US the car is it is possible to have them. Although, 95% of the cars didn't have them I am guessing. The stone guard not sure about those but I assume they are period accessories as well.


Mike

Re: Whitewall tires
 

The earliest era photo I have of w/w's [looks double sided] is summer 1931 & shows a 1930 68B parked outside Long Beach Ford Plant on a public open day. All other cars of various makes parked nearby do not have w/w's. The stoneguard became available about mid 1930 but not an ápproved' accessory. No doubt a Ford Dealer could install one. These two items were rare in the Model A era & invoices for new cars often show pedal pads, tire covers [fabric] or spring covers installed but not the flashy items often seen on 'restored 'cars nowdays.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

A lot of recent movies depicting cars from the 30's usually have several Model A's. Most of the time, they are in way too good condition for the era. I recently saw a movie that was supposed to be 1933 in a small depressed town in the south. The characters were dressed shabbily and the houses were run down and the roads were dirt and no one had any money but most of the model A's were clean, polished and in show condition with W/W tires, stone guards and other accessories. The cars should look like the characters and the town.


A few years ago, some friends in the Model A Club had their cars in a "period" movie. They only accepted Model A's with black wall tires and discouraged cars with a lot of accessories. They also made some of the cars appeared to not have been washed for some time and really were glad to get an unrestored car with bent up fenders that looked like it would have at that time.


The procurer of the cars said all of this was specified by the director of the film. When I saw the Movie, it appeared to be very authentic.


Chris W.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

The shows, The Waltons & The Real McCoys did a good job showing period automobiles.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Mike, is spot on.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

that movie was discussed here a few years ago when it first came out at the movies..........

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Wifey and I would like to find some movies with Model A's in them. We usually use Netflix but maybe there are other options.

Any Model A movie recommendations?

We've already watched Bonnie and Clyde a couple times :)

Re: Whitewall tires
 

I always liked Andy Hardy's (Mickey Rooney ) Model A roadster the best.Probably what most of them looked like at 10-15 years old.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

I have always thought it would be cool to have a replica of this car!

As far as im concerned once they started to put colour in movies they went downhill. My favorite movies are from the 30's, one thing I particularly like about watching them is seeing the old cars.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

I have been at some movies with my automobiles yet and there were more to come and to make it right. So I have some experience, did some research, was reading and thinking a lot about this era. I would go with the depiction of the first movie.



I don`t believe, that in the early 1930th, most of the Model A were in bad, shabby "unrestored" condition. I bet, they don`t even were dirty at all. In the early 1930th, all the Model A were nearly brand new. There was no need for restoration and the condition of a nearly new car is nearly new. No fading or worn color. No worn fabrics of the seats. The people who paid so much money at this time, probabely were proud of their automobiles -even if it was "only" a Ford and no high prizing automobile. And even in a shabby part of a town, the nearly new cars could be shiny like new and don`t have to look like old houses or impoverished owner. Just look today to some people: they look unkempt, you would not like to eat in their kitchen nor to sit on their sofa. But their automobiles are expensive and always shiny clean.


But I go with you with the ww tires and all the accessories. They were possible with aftermarket parts but not often seen on Model A these years.



After all I do need some input about the color of the wheels. And even if you don`t go with me with the text above, I would appreciate any proven knowledge.

Did Henry Ford sold the Model A only with black colored wheels, or could you have factory colored wheels? Nowadays most of the Model A do have wheels in the color of the auto, and I wonder if this was factory original or like the ww-tires "aftermarket possible", when the owner gave the wheels to a paint shop.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

This is covered in the MAFCA/MARC Paint and Finish Guide. I don't have it in front of me, but my recollection is that for the most part black wheels only until mid 1930, at which point the wheel color was coordinated with the vehicle color. You could always have the dealer paint the wheels on your new car if you didn't like black (at least, that's how I'm justifying non-black wheels on my early '30 sedan!).

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Hello, with the introduction of the Deluxe Roadster, that came with colored wheels to match the stripe , Ford Dealers would paint the wheels, as an option,Deluxe cars in 30 and 31 had painted wheels as factory equipment. Also have been previous posts on accessories on Model A Ford when they were just “working class cars” . A few movies that have Model A s are Out of the Past 1946 , The Untouchables , spoiler alert, the only movie I ever saw where someone crashed through roof of Slant Windshield sedan . Paper Moon has a 30 31 roadster.made around 1972 .

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Is this authentic enough for you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjbzRXwfL6k

Re: Whitewall tires
 

There was a movie made in the Chicago area about 30 years ago, The name was Road to Perdition. They recruited some cars from the Elgin, IL Model A Club. They sprayed some mud on the cars to make them look dull. I was not available to put my car in the movie. It was a great movie. Good stories about the making of the movie during the night.


Vic

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Two Model A cars from Road to Perdition were purchased and stored on display
in a Motel in Gillette Wyoming. I don't know if they are still there, but I saw them about 15 years ago. Both had the original engines removed and Pinto engine and transmissions added. The display said this was done so the movie stars could drive them easier.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Thx JayJay and gdmn852, this helped a lot.


I was able to let two of my Model A play in some movies. It`s not funny everytime, especially when they come to ideas like "can we put a pinto engine or an automatic in your Model A?", just to make it easier for the movie stars. NOPE, you can`t! :mad: I even hate that they dull the paint, as if all 3-5 year old automobiles were always dirty, rusty and shabby these days. And sometimes I have to argue about my pinstripe colored wheels on my 1930 Roadster Deluxe. Never again, now I put a copy of the color sheme from MAFCA in my Roadster to show them.
But unfortunately, I can`t argue about the yellow wheels on my Phaeton, they have to be black!:o

Re: Whitewall tires
 

Hello again, one thing to consider is how a car leaves the factory and when the dealer sells it may be two different things, When I worked at a VW dealership, they would do two tones on Beetles and a complete color change on a new van ! Also liked to load up on add on options, higher profit on each car that way ! Granted during the depression would be a different situation. By the way what color is your roadster? I doing mine in Black with Apple Green wheels and stripes 31 Deluxe , if it ever gets done!

Re: Whitewall tires
 

yours look a lot like mine, doesn`t it? :D


Have a look in you PM Inbox at July 1st ;)


Yeah, I know, that the dealers made money with some extra options even back in the old times. Probabely not so much as nowadays, but I saw many advertising of aftermarket parts and I grinned, when I read all the admonitions from Ford company in their Bulletin, only to use their original parts. And always work tidy and clean.
For me it was important to know, when the factory did this or that. And with your help I know now. And I`ve found some interesting facts about whitewall tires in ads from the 20th to 30th like the ad from Duesenberg, who was the first one with the order option of whitewall tires in 1922.

Re: Whitewall tires
 

"The Emperor of the North" was a movie that had my friend's green Model A coupe in it. The paint job on it was mine.