Sidemounts - 1 or 2 ?

[Vic in E-TN]

I have a 30 Town Sedan. I am thinking of switching from the rear mount spare to a side mount. Are most of the sedans that are fitted with side mounts have 1 or two? On the pictures that I see you only see one side of the car at a time. I have a roadster with two.

Is there something in the written materials that offers some guidance?

Vic

[Jacksonlll]

They were dealer installed. One or two is up to you.

[Kurt in NJ]

Some tires have to have the air let out to get the tire out of the fender--Firestone is one brand, so it could be more for show than useful

[captndan]

Originally Posted by Kurt in NJ

Some tires have to have the air let out to get the tire out of the fender--Firestone is one brand, so it could be more for show than useful

My 31 is like that with Firestones. But it also has a rear mount so no problem.

[Jacksonlll]

Yes, you would have to use the smaller tire, or let some air out. We all have pumps so it's not a big deal. Maybe they make them bigger now.

[Marshall V. Daut]

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Depending upon your personal size, as well as your usual passenger(s), you might want to reconsider installing side mounts. The door check straps have to be shortened so that the tire in the fender doesn't dent the opening door. This reduces the entry clearance considerably. It's worse in an open car than a closed one, but there is significantly less entry room once the conversion has been made. This is tough on - shall we say - slender-challenged folks.
You might want to find someone locally with a similar body style and side mounts to see if you really want to make the switch. It's not cheap or easy to do this, either! Consider that in addition to drilling holes in the side splash aprons for the mount arms, you'll also have to hack up the fender itself to install the wheel well. Of course, you could simply replace the entire fender with one that already has a well installed, but now you're REALLY talking big bucks! Plus, you'll have to re-paint each welled fender after installing the well. It's almost impossible to install a well without messing up the fender's paint, sometimes even some additional body work needs to be performed around the well area.
Marshall

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

Depending upon your personal size, as well as your usual passenger(s), you might want to reconsider installing side mounts. The door check straps have to be shortened so that the tire in the fender doesn't dent the opening door. This reduces the entry clearance considerably. It's worse in an open car than a closed one, but there is significantly less entry room once the conversion has been made. This is tough on - say we say - slender-challenged folks.
You might want to find someone locally with a similar body style and side mounts to see if you really want to make the switch. It's not cheap or easy to do this, either! Consider that in addition to drilling holes in the side splash aprons for the mount arms, you'll also have to hack up the fender itself to install the wheel well. Of course, you could simply replace the entire fender with one that already has a well installed, but now you're REALLY talking big bucks! Plus, you'll have to re-paint each welled fender after installing the well. It's almost impossible to install a well without messing up the fender's paint, sometimes even some additional body work needs to be performed around the well area.
Marshall

I could not agree more. My 1928 Sport coupe has 2 side mounts I do not like them. I also have to lock the doors, because some one is always coming along and opening my doors in to the tire. The rubber straps give to much when you open the doors hard.

[TerryH]

Also not real easy to work on either side of the engine.....

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Also not real easy to work on either side of the engine.....

I agree with Terry. Often it’s a pain to get around them. They look nice but not very practical!

[Tom Wesenberg]

My 31 Town Sedan has a right side mount, but I'd be glad if it was on the rear instead. On some large luxury cars I like the side mounts, but for the cheaper basic cars I like the rear mounted spares.

[CarlG]

I would vote for "zero" side mounts. On a Pickup, there's not a whole lot of choice. I could re-locate it somewhere else as has been suggested many times here, but I really don't want to take on the task of a new fender, etc.

As to the tires fitting in the fender well, I would concur with the above remarks about the Firestones not fitting well. However when I got my Coker Radials (5.50x19) I was pleasantly surprised that they just slipped right in with no problem at all -- fully inflated.

[Jeff/Illinois]

I too vote 'no' on side mounts.

I much prefer the look of a Model A Ford without them. On '30-'31 Roadsters, I like the looks of the factory photo of the'31 Dlx. with the REAR mount 10X better than the '30 Dlx. with the side mount.

On a sedan they just look 'out-of-place' to my eye.

Our Roadster has dual side mounts and I hate them. Everybody and their brother-in-law in the 70's (when ours was first rebuilt) restoring Roadsters, lathered them up with dual side mounts. And cowl lights. Cowl lights on a '30-'31 OK on a '28-'29 NOT OK.

Our side mounts rattle and make extra racket. Forget putting the rear view mirror 'option' on one that is another waste of your time and money. They vibrate so badly there's no way they are useful. Plus if you stay with the stock lug set-up you will mar the paint on that newly re-painted fender wrestling the thing in and out.

Do as Marshall suggested. Go climb in and out of another's car w/ S.Mounts for a while, and you'll probably change your mind.

Side Mounts look great on a Packard or Cadillac or Lincoln from that era. A Model A Ford 'ain't' no Cadillac-Packard-Lincoln.

[George Miller]

When I was younger about 40 years ago, I like rumba seats in my roadster and coupe. Now I would like the trunk much more.

[HoarseWhisperer]

The preference of side mounts and trunks vs rumble seat is discussed frequently.

Most of today's vehicles have trunks and some still have rear mounted spares.

If you have a side mount (one's enough) and a rumble seat, consider that you have something unique to the era.

I like having both. Your preference, of course.

[1931 flamingo]

31 tudor with dual sidemounts, I have no trouble with the doors or working on the engine. FWIW
Paul in CT

[Jacksonlll]

I vote to leave things alone unless you just want to help the Economy.

[2manycars]

Some folks like their car to be simple, as it came from the factory, others like it gussied up. I remember seeing a 29 roadster at the New England Model A Meet in 1971 that had every conceivable accessory added to the car. The owner thought it was great, and it was his car, so his choice. My father looked at the car and said "There is a good example of guilding the lilly".
To each his own.

[5window]

Originally Posted by 2manycars

Some folks like their car to be simple, as it came from the factory, others like it gussied up. I remember seeing a 29 roadster at the New England Model A Meet in 1971 that had every conceivable accessory added to the car. The owner thought it was great, and it was his car, so his choice. My father looked at the car and said "There is a good example of guilding the lilly".
To each his own.

It is actually "Gilding the lily" but I get your point.

"To adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful. The expression is a condensation of Shakespeare's metaphor in King John: "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily ... is wasteful and ridiculous excess." i.e., you wouldn't need to add gold to a beautiful lily. "

[Mister Moose]

Came across this thread looking for advice on sidemount mirrors. (LH) Vibration doesn't begin to describe what this mirror does on the road. I've tried shims and they fall out.

Also, a list of those motels where sidemount appreciative bikini clad women stay would be of interest.

[Dick Carne]

On our '29 Town Sedan, I reduced the door check strap by one notch; the result being that instead of being able to open the front doors to a 90 degree angle, it has been reduced to maybe a 75 or 80 degree angle, but still more than adequate for ingress and egress. Hope this helps. I've always been one for symmetry, so if I were to consider side mounts, I personally would probably go with two rather than one, but as everyone says, it's your call. I don't think that you can go wrong either way. Best of luck to you in your decision.

Dick