Dad says Fords werent perfect

He has told me that many of the Model A's he has had which were original were not perfect. They came from the factory with paint defects and bodys missaligned. Im restoring his 31 Delux roadster and he has told me not to be to fussy.

Im looking for a dailey driver here not points car.

My 29 Roadster has alot of the same line defects that the 31 does ie rear body cross member not lineing up with the rear corners (say off by 1/8") is this normal

Cheers

Michael



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A flaw in Henry's Model A you say?? Sounds like blasphemy to me!( they make you take French in grade 4 out there in Ontario Michael?)

I cannot answer your question directly,but since no one else has answered,perhaps by answering someone else with more info will correct me ,as I am about to go out on a limb and give an opinion ( this coming from a guy with VERY limited model A info,take it with a LARGE grain of salt....)

I have read on Fordbarn/Ahooga a thread some time ago about someone having a low milage A that had flaws, such as runs on wheel paint,etc...My original 30 Tudor had a big run/sag UNDER the front fender...I found several body rivits that were put in poorly and were mis-shaped...I found ONE running board rivit ( still holding strong) that is similarily crooked.

The Model A Paint and Finish Guide says

"It must be remembered that Ford was a production oriented company- the faster they could produce each car,the higher the profit margin." ( that in a paragraph about painting techniques).

I do not know if the term "quality control " had been coined at the time of the A,but something equivalent would have been known. Still another post I read said something about critical elements in the car getting 100 percent quality testing, that is Ford tested EVERY item put on EVERY car, if it was deemed a critical part ( I know of only one, which is the front spindle where the King Pin goes,it has a little circle thingy machined out where Ford fired bullets or ??? at it to test it ( I am talking here about something I know nothing about, help help guys!!!!) The point being Ford tested some things very diligently.( Talking to a mechanic I don't believe 100 percent testing is done on any modern car parts,more likely just a small sampling would be done,maybe 1 percent or something;but I guess at that time it was the only way to guarantee a part was well made).

My GUESS is that at the time of the A,Ford was a WORLD leader,perhaps THEE world leader, in terms of efficient,fast,and cost effective car making.I also think that times have changed,and that flaws today deemed unacceptable were at that time not viewed that way ...customers,and Ford,apparently did not freak out at the concept of cars leaking a bit of oil,here and there,right off the assembly line! (I doubt if anyone would dare make a rear main bearing like Henry's anymore!)

I would think there would have been some range of tolerance in terms of flaws,perhaps even classified into 'cosmetic' VS 'critical'? But I have no clue about your how your body alignment would figure into the picture.

I doubt that this has been of any help at all,but as I say maybe it will get the ball rolling,I do find it an interesting topic,just wish I knew something more about it,Kev



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My dad who passed away two years ago at 86 always said the same thing at car shows. He would walk down the line and lament at how over-restored the cars were. Before you pass him off as a know-nothing, you should be aware that he did a 15 year, 10,000 hour restoration of a twin-six packard and knew what he was talking about. I think part of the problem is that today's paint and chrome and such just doesn't have the old "patina" that those old cars had even when brand new.



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