View Single Post
Old 09-15-2019, 05:46 PM   #16
BRENT in 10-uh-C
Senior Member
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Posts: 11,486
Default Re: Body Interior Variation

Quote:
Originally Posted by ghford View Post
I might suggest we start talking more about horses instead of cars at this point though I question it would lessen the confusion. Really hard to imagine considering the fact that an actual "Town Car" is so exceedingly rare, that anyone asking questions about interiors of the two models of the commonly produced sedans would be referring to or confusing the latter with the limo model. "Town Car" is in fact a term used in reference to what is technically correct as the "Town Sedan" and everyone who does it knows the difference between the two.

The only book I know I referred to was "The Model A As Henry Built It". While I trust if I have errored in the exact title of the book, some one will point that out, I was unaware that it was "misinformation" and that the two leading manufacturers of authentic restoration upholstery, with only one now operational, were misinformed as well.

Again, my only goal in posting was to indeed ask questions in order to try to obtain documentation.




Ok, let's start over between my initial answer to your questions.


To begin with, I must confess that although I have been involved in this Model-A hobby, -both as a hobbyist and as a professional for over 50 years now, I was unaware that the term Town Car and Town Sedan were used interchangeably. For that I do apologize.


Since I was unaware that you were speaking about a Town Sedan, -and please understand why in that confusion I did not follow your line of questioning, so maybe this will explain why I answered as I did. Based on my research, the Town Sedan itself was never designated to have Brown Check fabric either. The only Checked material that I knew that was used was the early 1929 Murray T/S, and that was dropped and all Town Sedans were specified to have either Mohair or Bedford with Woodgrained mouldings installed. Therefore I trust you can see how when you mentioned brown check being installed in a Town Car, I was confused with your question.


The book I referred you to is the 'Model-A Restoration Guidelines & Judging Standards', often referred to by restorers & hobbyists as the "Judging Standards". That book has been constantly revised for over 4 decades by a team from both national clubs using Ford factory written documentation along with certain unmolested vehicles as the foundation for its writings. Because of this team's ongoing research, these multiple revisions to this book make it the most accurate resource for knowing what is authentic. Much about the Model-A has been learned in the past 2 - 3 decades.


Speaking as someone who owns a Model-A upholstery shop, -and one that has spent a long time researching what is authentic on upholstery, I can tell you that based on my experiences, none of the manufacturers (both past & present) are producing kits that are accurately sewn or authentic in details such as fabric. Even though our installations are more accurate and authentic than the offerings of kit manufacturers, -even we cannot be exact in all of the original details due to obsolescence of certain fabrics and materials ...and the ROI it would take to manufacture those items is just cost prohibitive. So again, this is an area where if you are desiring authenticity, it is my opinion that the first source of information should come from looking at assembly drawings found at the Benson Ford Library in Dearborn, MI. Next would be reviewing Engineering Releases and Foreman's notes.




I will leave you with this group of thoughts that are not just my thoughts, -but are the findings of men that have spent countless hours upon hours doing research studying factory foreman's logs, printed purchase orders, task cars, prints, and the like. Ford founded his company (-and revolutionized this nation) on the premise of perfecting a plan where there rarely was a mistake. You will hear of folks telling about anomalies of Model-As, -and yes there were a few however much of what we like to believe happened, never truly did.


For example, you often hear about how substitutions made -or parts being used up however these scenarios were documented in daily written Foreman's logs. To begin with, each department had a very detailed and regimented task list given ahead of time for the Foremen to implement for that work day. Therefore each foreman knew exactly what the scope was, ...and if he failed to meet his orders, disciplinary action was taken. Also understand that Ford knew exactly which vehicle was to be assembled that day, they knew the time in which it would happen, and even knew other exacting details such as which color vehicle and which parts would make up that vehicle. Based on Foreman's logs, we know the bodies were trimmed and inspected prior to being sent for assembly. In other words, mistakes like installing incorrect trim schemes just did not happen as it would have been addresses prior to that body ever being moved to the assembly line. With regard to Agencies (Dealers) doing interior swap outs, the evidence of this happening is so remote simply because of the logistics of how they would have obtained the materials to do so. The labor would have been so cost prohibitive to do the change-out, and Ford did not have the provision to sell yard goods of materials. Therefore if someone did want a trim scheme change, they likely would have found a local tailor that would have used a different fabric other than the one Ford manufactured for their vehicles.


So bringing this full-circle, ...can I prove that variations were never made? No, -but by the same token can you prove that it did? This is not meant in a hateful or arrogant tone, -but I am asking can you prove with documentation that it did happen? My reason for being so bold on saying the likelihood that it did not happen is this would likely have been discussed extensively as Ford's protocol was it would have been listed in the daily Foreman's Log on several occasions as in the Trimmer Foreman's notes, the Quality Foreman's notes, the Shipping Foreman's notes, the Staging Foreman's notes, and the Assembly Line Foremen's notes. Each one of these foremen has specific orders for the item in which they were to handle. I trust this all makes sense. If not, please take some time to actually research this in person at the archives and then we can discuss facts and opinions further then.


.
__________________
.

BRENT in 10-uh-C
.
www.model-a-ford.com
...(...Finally Updated!! )

.
BRENT in 10-uh-C is offline   Reply With Quote