Trunk vs rumble seat...

[PeteVS]

A friend posted an old family picture of an A on FaceBook. Someone went through a lot of effort to load up the family roadster!

[700rpm]

One reason why I converted my rumble back to a trunk.

[KGBnut]

That's a fantastic picture. Thanks for sharing.

Ken

[marty in Ohio]

I received my March Hemmings yesterday and saw an article about 1928 - '29 Ford Roadsters. In the story they stated that price wise the "trunk equipped cars hold a slight advantage over those with rumble seats." My car is a town sedan so the point is lost on me, but I always thought the rumble seat was a plus.
Marty

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

A Friend had a suitcase in his Rumble, it "migrated" back & he couldn't open the LID!!!---He wore the SAME clothes, for FOUR DAYS! Don't know HOW he finally opened it???
Bill W.

[JBill]

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I wish I had put a trunk instead of a rumble seat in my '29 roadster. I never let anybody ride in there anyway.

[Oldbluoval]

The "romance" of a rumble seat is WAY over-rated.

A. They are hard to get in and out of, period (well, unless you are less than 15 years old)
B. They are dangerous to ride in them. In an accident, one could be decapitated or thrown into the front panel
C. They leave no feasible room for storing much of anything.
D. They run up the cost of a resto.
E. Too small and cramped for romance (that's where I started this!)

Want to hear my diatribe on side-mounts!!!!!

[Tim Ayers]

As an owner of a '28 roadster who has two boys (15 & 11), a rumble was the only option. I'm going to rig up a safety catch to keep the lid from coming forward.

We wanted a roadster, so this is the only option for us.

[katy]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

A Friend had a suitcase in his Rumble, it "migrated" back & he couldn't open the LID!!!---He wore the SAME clothes, for FOUR DAYS! Don't know HOW he finally opened it???
Bill W.

A panic stop might get the suitcase to "migrate" forward.

[wingski]

When I first tried to climb into my rumble seat, I realized that the last time I’d been in a rumble seat was in 1957. It wasn’t in an A, but was in a ’33 Plymouth roadster. That day, I had my first beer while riding along with my cousins on a beautiful, hot sunny day on the Southern Oregon coast. I was 13 and 1/2 years old.

My older cousin Roy had installed a radio, and I heard Jack Scott sing “What In The World’s Come Over You’ and “Buring Bridges” for the first time. That beer tasted good for the first two ice-cold swallows, then warmed up and tasted what I thought pee must taste like. I was never much of a beer drinker after that.

Believe it or not, but I had my first A back then. It was a 1931 coupe with a trunk. I remember back then wondering where people with rumble seats carried their tools. The idea of trying to lift a heavy tool box up out of a rumble seat was beyond me even back then when I was young and full of it. Also, the idea of having an open car without windows totally turned me off. Hey, it rained a lot in Portland, Oregon, and even back then I hated the feeling of damp upholstery. Even worse was the feel of that bakelite steering wheel. I remember my hands turning black when driving after I’d left the driver’s window down in a rainstorm. After that, I bought my first leather steering wheel cover. After several tries, I was able to get that stitching correct, and wow did that black cover ever look good. It made the steering wheel bigger and easier to grab. I’ve put leather covers on almost every steering wheel of every car I’ve had since then.

I’ve got to thank you guys again for stirring up wonderful memories.

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. That first beer was Olympia and had four stars on the inside of the label. That meant that I was going to get “Some.” What a joke!

[WHN]

We have only owned Sport Coupes so have had just rumble seats.

I understand the safety concerns.

Growing up our kids and their friends loved riding back there. Our grandson and his friends now are enjoying the same experience.

I don’t think riding in one on the highway would be a good idea. Enjoy.

[JDupuis]

I'd prefer my roadster had a trunk.
Its cool to say you have a rumble seat, but I wish I had a trunk. Jeff

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by JBill

I wish I had put a trunk instead of a rumble seat in my '29 roadster. I never let anybody ride in there anyway.

You can change it back. I did it, and it only cost me about $200,including repainting the deck lid. Then I sold all the rumble parts for $800.

I did an article on this which was published in the Restorer: Jan-Feb 2016 (60-5) p 12-15

[cpf240]

Originally Posted by wingski

...
P.S. That first beer was Olympia and had four stars on the inside of the label. That meant that I was going to get “Some.” What a joke!

Was there an expiration date to go along with those four stars? I'm guessing it didn't specify 'when' you were going to 'get some'...

[HoarseWhisperer]

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

The "romance" of a rumble seat is WAY over-rated.

A. They are hard to get in and out of, period (well, unless you are less than 15 years old)
B. They are dangerous to ride in them. In an accident, one could be decapitated or thrown into the front panel
C. They leave no feasible room for storing much of anything.
D. They run up the cost of a resto.
E. Too small and cramped for romance (that's where I started this!)

Want to hear my diatribe on side-mounts!!!!!

Oh, no! I opted for the rumble seat and side mount because they were unique to the era. How could I have gone so wrong?

[daren007]

Rumble seats are cool...for about ten minutes. After painting my sport coup I wouldn't let anyone ride in it. Sold the car and now have a coup with trunk.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by PeteVS

A friend posted an old family picture of an A on FaceBook. Someone went through a lot of effort to load up the family roadster!

Nice pic! Appears to be 30 Deluxe - 31 didn't have side-mount, luggage rack and full-length rear bumper. Also has accessory Sportlite and metal spare tire cover - pretty spiffy car!

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

The "romance" of a rumble seat is WAY over-rated.

A. They are hard to get in and out of, period (well, unless you are less than 15 years old)
B. They are dangerous to ride in them. In an accident, one could be decapitated or thrown into the front panel
C. They leave no feasible room for storing much of anything.
D. They run up the cost of a resto.
E. Too small and cramped for romance (that's where I started this!)

Want to hear my diatribe on side-mounts!!!!!

I've never had a trunk but I did have a rumble and yeah, this ^^^ - never again! (Course E. applies to pretty much every A, except maybe the back of an AA. )

[California Travieso]

Originally Posted by wingski

When I first tried to climb into my rumble seat, I realized that the last time I’d been in a rumble seat was in 1957. It wasn’t in an A, but was in a ’33 Plymouth roadster. That day, I had my first beer while riding along with my cousins on a beautiful, hot sunny day on the Southern Oregon coast. I was 13 and 1/2 years old.

My older cousin Roy had installed a radio, and I heard Jack Scott sing “What In The World’s Come Over You’ and “Buring Bridges” for the first time. That beer tasted good for the first two ice-cold swallows, then warmed up and tasted what I thought pee must taste like. I was never much of a beer drinker after that.

Believe it or not, but I had my first A back then. It was a 1931 coupe with a trunk. I remember back then wondering where people with rumble seats carried their tools. The idea of trying to lift a heavy tool box up out of a rumble seat was beyond me even back then when I was young and full of it. Also, the idea of having an open car without windows totally turned me off. Hey, it rained a lot in Portland, Oregon, and even back then I hated the feeling of damp upholstery. Even worse was the feel of that bakelite steering wheel. I remember my hands turning black when driving after I’d left the driver’s window down in a rainstorm. After that, I bought my first leather steering wheel cover. After several tries, I was able to get that stitching correct, and wow did that black cover ever look good. It made the steering wheel bigger and easier to grab. I’ve put leather covers on almost every steering wheel of every car I’ve had since then.

I’ve got to thank you guys again for stirring up wonderful memories.

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. That first beer was Olympia and had four stars on the inside of the label. That meant that I was going to get “Some.” What a joke!

Mike,

My first beer was Oly too, about the same age. My older brother and I sneaked two beers out of my sisters wedding reception and we drank them out on back porch. Don't remember if I finished mine!

In 1977 my wife and I bought a VW Van and we went camping up to Vancouver B. C. On the way up I HAD to stop in Olympia, WA and toured the brewery.

David Serrano

[California Travieso]

HoarseWhisperer,

Looks like you could be the "Dog Whisperer" too.

David Serrano