1928 Special Coupe origin

[marc silva]

Just looked at the body numbers on my 128 Special Coupe. They indicate it came from Twin Cities. I am in Santa Rosa Ca. which is 50 miles north of San Francisco. I was told that the original owner was 20 miles away in the Napa valley, and the person I bought it from swears he got it from the original owner. he had it for 40 years and I have had it for 25. I have a pile of paperwork ,over 60 yrs worth but nothing that helps me with this question. Do you think it was shipped here or should it have been built in Ca.? Or...is someone in this chain full of B.S. The car , although not pretty, is really complete with regards to all the little things that would have been lost or discarded still being there. Just wondering , I value your opinions as usual.

Thanks Marc

[Tudortomnz]

Can you quote the letters & number of the body? Should be TC #### if assembled at Twin Cities.
There is some speculation that certain body types originated at a few plants & then shipped them wherever ; Dave Sturges is the man on this topic.

[wrndln]

I have a 28 special coupe made in the Twin Cities. The body number is: TC 1394. It was made about Nov 28, 1928, as that is the gas tank date. Of course the tank date isn't a perfect dating method, but should be close to its manufacturing date. The engine and frame had been swapped sometime along the way, so the better dating information they would have provided can't be had. I live near the Twin Cities, so I makes sense the car was made at the now closed Ford plant (the entire plant has been demolished).
Rusty Nelson

[Steve Plucker]

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Originally Posted by marc silva

Just looked at the body numbers on my 128 Special Coupe. They indicate it came from Twin Cities. I am in Santa Rosa Ca. which is 50 miles north of San Francisco. I was told that the original owner was 20 miles away in the Napa valley, and the person I bought it from swears he got it from the original owner. he had it for 40 years and I have had it for 25. I have a pile of paperwork ,over 60 yrs worth but nothing that helps me with this question. Do you think it was shipped here or should it have been built in Ca.? Or...is someone in this chain full of B.S. The car , although not pretty, is really complete with regards to all the little things that would have been lost or discarded still being there. Just wondering , I value your opinions as usual.

Thanks Marc

If I am following your story right, then...The original owner bought it in 1928 somewhere within the TC branch sales area. He, (the original owner), had it up to 1968 (40 years) when the "original owner" sold it to the fellow for whom you bought the car from in 1968 (second guy had it for 22 years) and owned it up to 1990. You bought it in 1990 and have had it up to now, 2015 (25 years)...The original owner drove it from Minnesota, or there abouts, to California sometime between 1928 and 1968.

OR

If I am following your story right, then...The original owner bought it in 1928 somewhere within the TC branch sales area. He, (the original owner), had it up to 1950 (22 years) when the "original owner" sold it to the fellow for whom you bought the car from in 1990 (second guy had it for 40 years). You bought it in 1990 and have had it up to now, 2015 (25 years)...The original owner drove it from Minnesota, or there abouts, to California sometime between 1928 and 1950.

If you can find out just who the original owner was... then go to a local genology library (Suturo Library in San Fransisco) and look him up. This will tell where the person came from to California and when or there abouts. Then contact the family...maybe, just maybe they have some information...even photos!

Just because you bought it in California, does not necessarly mean it was built in California. You must remember, people were going all over the place in these cars during this era. Going all over to find jobs, moving families, etc.

Ahhhhhhhh...the fun of research!

Pluck