1931 Roadster Stream Crossing Photo

[dpson]

I was in Montreal on Saturday and there was an outside display of photo's from the 1930's which include a 1931 Model a roadster with a canoe on the roof crossing a stream in Quebec in 1934. Really cool but who would do that today!

[Tom Wesenberg]

That front bumper sure looks flat. I'd think it should have a bit more arc to it.

I know I wouldn't be driving any car through water like that.

[Ken Anderson]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

That front bumper sure looks flat. I'd think it should have a bit more arc to it.

I know I wouldn't be driving any car through water like that.

The nose is higher than the rear so I HOPE that is an optical illusion...

[Synchro909]

What's going on?????
I've driven my Phaeton through water several times without hesitation with water lapping over the running boards. Can't imagine why anybody wouldn't.

[Marshall V. Daut]

In the Model T days, advertising for these type of water crossing photos invariably said this is how to "Ford" a stream. The intent, I would guess, was to show farmers in the sticks that they didn't need paved or even dirt roads to get to town. Simply hop in your Model T and "Ford" the stream on your property.
Marshall

[John Stone]

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In the early 80's I was driving my pickup back to Wichita from Kinsley (you guys can look that trip up in an Atlas) and there was flood water over the road in Stafford. The Highway Patrol was stopping normal cars but he just looked at me and said, "Go ahead, it isn't that deep for this". It was lapping the running boards. Noticed the brakes were a little light before they dried out.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Shucks, when I was a Kid & winter was over, we drove into the creek with rags, old scrubbing brooms & buckets & do a thorough SPRING DETAIL ! Chief would even, carefully scrub the engine room! We were PROUD of our BLACK '29 Tudor, seems we drove that car FOREVER!
Bill W.

[Model A Man]

one year at the orange county pancake breakfast it rained and filled the river bed with lots of water it looked like a stream any many model A's were driving through it to get to the other side to park.

[old car guy]

One thing that's being overlooked is many places still did not have many paved highways as we have today. And when these cars were new they were looked at as a tool to go from A TO b .
I doubt that many duesenbergs were driven thru steams or flooded roadways.but the Owner of a Model T or A ford was not the upper crust of the income levels and these owners used their cars to the max of what they could get out of them . That's what makes it a miracle that as many of them have even survived.
And to be truthful I wonder if a duesenberg could have gone off road as well as a A did by just the weight differences between the two.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by dpson

I was in Montreal on Saturday and there was an outside display of photo's from the 1930's which include a 1931 Model a roadster with a canoe on the roof crossing a stream in Quebec in 1934. Really cool but who would do that today!

Very nice, thanks for sharing this photograph !
Hm, my '30 roadster would just stop running and refuse to get wet crossing a stream !! She doesn't even want to go out when it's raining.

[DougVieyra]

I think, like me, there are a great many Model A owners who use their cars as drivers - these people are participating in "inter-active, living-history', as was meant to be. I drive both my Ford Model A's over the three miles of dirt/gravel road, fording two streams in the process, to get to my mountain wilderness cabin. I have been doing this for over 40 years now. And I know that I am not alone !

[updraught]

That's what they were designed for. Big wheels, high clearance, heavy flywheel, nice and simple.

I bet nobody back then thought they would become museum pieces with people fussing over them...

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by updraught

That's what they were designed for. Big wheels, high clearance, heavy flywheel, nice and simple.

I bet nobody back then thought they would become museum pieces with people fussing over them...

What you say about their thoughts back then ! But, I'll tell you what NOBODY ever even dreamed of back then, and that is the COST of a Model A now !!

[Safewiz]

Nice photo. And I use mine as a daily in south Florida. Lot of rain and flooded roads and I have to laugh when I see those small cars with there overly low profile tires sitting on the side because they can't get through, as I seem to do fine, even with water up to the running boards.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

We had "low water bridges"---Just a ribbon of Cement, poured across the rocks & gravel. They flooded over QUICKLY, & you had to just "guess" where you were driving??? They're still common, in my old NECK of the woods.
About 10 years ago, in a remote area, Chief & I drove across one on Glover Creek, dodging tree limbs that got stuck! Past the bridge was a smoldering '56 Olds, apparently, someone had STOLEN the ENGINE/TRANS/RADIATOR & burned it, to get rid of finger prints!
Bill W.

[Goldhardt]

Been there, done that!

[Marvin/TN]

There was a local Rd here in South East up into the 60's that you had to ford a creek. Ford has been replace with a bridge now. I have driven my 30 Coupe through it more than once

[dpson]

Another thing about the roadster in the photo is the idea of putting a canoe on the convertible top, we'd never do that today. Canoes back then were canvas on cedar and were quite heavy, so it seems like there is strong likelihood of doing some serious damage to the top, especially when driving over rough ground, plus this was still a fairly new car in the poor economic times of 1934.

[Bob C]

At least this guy didn't overload his top.

Bob

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by Bob C

At least this guy didn't overload his top.

Bob

Wow! Those are some big logs. Must be something he did a lot for he's got some bigger tires on the rear.