When were the first 1930 cars produced?

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Originally Posted by DelSolid

This is not a who's buried in Grants tomb question, What I mean is when (month/date) was production of the 1929 models stopped and the 1930 models begun?
Specifically I am interested in a west coast (Long Beach or San Francisco plants) built deluxe roadster but any information regarding the dates of transition to the 30 body style is helpful regardless of plant/body.
Thanks, John

John, Here is a link to information that will help you identify which plant your vehicle was assembled. The assumption that it was assembled at Long Beach or San Francisco plants may be just that, an assumption. Read the article look for the assembly plant marking and then you can move forward based on facts.

http://mafca.com/data_aplant_id_numbers.html

The body assembly plant number was stamped into the top of the front body cross member, into the body side rails on the floor board level, or into the wooden cross member on certain body styles such as Cabriolets and Fordors. The number can be located anywhere on the cross member and can be oriented to read from driver to passenger side, from passenger to driver side, or from back to front. Also, the size of the stamp used differs from one assembly plant to another. Briggs and Murray bodied cars had a brass tag affixed to either the wooden body cross member or firewall. I am not collecting these tag numbers.


Most, but not all, of these numbers contain one, two, three or four letters that denote the specific assembly plant where the car was assembled. The digital portion of the number could indicate body style production. To date, 31 of the 35 assembly plants have been equated to their letter codes. It would appear that all of the assembly plants, regardless of its particular capability (i.e., major, standard or minor assembly plant), stamped these numbers into the cross member or side rails. For some unknown reason, not all Model "A" cars have an assembly plant number, but could largely be a result of the body cross member or side rails being replaced or the assembly plant number being filled in during restoration.


To download the latest version of the Model A Assembly Plants (US) List, CLICK the below link.
(You will need the free Adobe Reader program to open this PDF file.)

http://mafca.com/downloads/Technical...y%20Number.pdf

[Nosetime]

I think that would be a REALLY bad idea. You are essentially volunteering for potential DMV problems that so many try to avoid!! But, then again... I only had the one Colonoscopy that my doctor insisted I have... I am not volunteering for another.

[DelSolid]

Originally Posted by Bikerider58

Just to be sure, your chassis number matches the engine number which indicates 29. So, not a replacement engine.

The engine was swapped out a long time ago. I'm just going off the frame number. The car was cut and modded and basically ruined long ago. I just felt pity for it and decided that it made it this far without being scrapped and it needed to live again. The more I work on it the more I am returning it to stock (the body/interior at least).

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

Your engine/chassis number is Nov 1929. The factory you think it was assembled in was not opened until April 1930. That's 5 months, way past the 3 month window. So your car was an original 1929 car. Somewhere in it's past another body was put on, a 1930 body and you want the title it (with the 1929 serial number) as 1930.

I don't think it was specifically assembled in Long Beach, I was only aware that the car was supposed to have been a west coast car for it's entire life so I assumed it was mfg on the west coast. The LB plant is out based on it's opening date. The LA plant is out based on it's closing date. That narrows it down to just a few plants.

The travel time makes this engine a early-Dec to mid-Feb car. So a 1930 with that engine is actually quite likely.

The reason I am investigating the title as being in error rather than the car being a re-bodied 29 is that the car was re-entered into the DMV system in the early 90's. So a DMV clerk staring at a VIN book created the record, not Henry Ford. Since the vehicle number corresponds to a 1929 mfg date, I believe that's why the title now says 1929 YOM. That seems the simplest explanation. It may very well be a re-body but if so, the evidence for that is lost.

[160B]

Originally Posted by DelSolid

..................The reason I am investigating the title as being in error rather than the car being a re-bodied 29 is that the car was re-entered into the DMV system in the early 90's. So a DMV clerk staring at a VIN book created the record, not Henry Ford. Since the vehicle number corresponds to a 1929 mfg date, I believe that's why the title now says 1929 YOM. That seems the simplest explanation. It may very well be a re-body but if so, the evidence for that is lost.

I agree!!

[DelSolid]

I wanted to post a conclusion to this.

I made an appointment with the CHP and trailered the car down for an inspection. The officer performing it was crazy-knowledgeable about Model A's and even had his own MAFCA restoration and judging criteria book (I really didn't expect this). After removing the cowl for the number inspection and then looking for/at a ton of specific details on the frame and on the body he said it was a very early 1930 model roadster, maybe even assembled in late 29. He also had the complete DMV history on the car and said it was manually re-entered into the system by a DMV employee (not a CHP officer) in 1992. He then went on to say the DMV will only go by the VIN date, not a visual inspection so that's how it got entered as a 29. For it to have been put in as a 30 it would have been required to be brought to the CHP for a complete colonoscopy like I was doing and that almost nobody would do that.

He gave me the required paperwork for the DMV. I went there and after an hour of the nice lady typing like mad on her terminal I now have a title that officially says it's a 1930 and I even have YOM plates on it as well.