Ford Parts Price List in Excel Format

[shew01]

I have an old copy of the 1932 Ford Parts Price List book, but it would be handy to have than information in an Excel spreadsheet.

Is an Excel spreadsheet with that information in it available anywhere?


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[Jim/GA]

That would be great to share!

The first step is to get the book pages scanned in pretty high resolution.

Then you do Optical Character Recognition of the page scans (OCR) into a text document.

Then you import that text into Excel, clean it up, organize it, and search for errors in the OCR.

I have done it for other non-Model A master parts catalogs. It is a LOT of work. I left it at "searchable PDF text" and did not bring it into Excel. Still, a lot of work.

It is something that could be "crowdsourced", where a number of volunteers agree to do 5 or 10 pages each, and then the final product is assembled from the pieces.

I no longer have the OCR software.

[rotorwrench]

I never made one up for the model A but I've made some for different helicopters that I've worked on. I did those inventory lists the hard way by manual entry. I listed all the parts that were available and added stock entries so I could tell if it was a required stock item or just a non stock item but all had current prices as well. I had to update them every year to keep track of inventory.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by shew01

I have an old copy of the 1932 Ford Parts Price List book, but it would be handy to have than information in an Excel spreadsheet.

Is an Excel spreadsheet with that information in it available anywhere?


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Jonathon, is this for learning Ford nomenclature or researching? I have collected all but 3 of the PPLs, and there are items that are in the early ones that isn't in the later ones. Since Jim also answered you, he has seen and looked thru my PPLs and we have had similar conversations.

The main 2 reasons I would want them listed in a PDF format is because I could search for part numbers of sub-pieces such as the part number to the Drum Tail Lamp Stand or ??, ...AND to protect my original PPLs from wear & tear from use. Again, Excel would not be a user friendly for what I use mine for.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Jonathon, is this for learning Ford nomenclature or researching? I have collected all but 3 of the PPLs, and there are items that are in the early ones that isn't in the later ones. Since Jim also answered you, he has seen and looked thru my PPLs and we have had similar conversations.

The main 2 reasons I would want them listed in a PDF format is because I could search for part numbers of sub-pieces such as the part number to the Drum Tail Lamp Stand or ??, ...AND to protect my original PPLs from wear & tear from use. Again, Excel would not be a user friendly for what I use mine for.

Brent,

I’ve caught myself more than once ordering Model A parts that I already had on hand but could not locate. So, I sorted and inventoried all my Model A parts and logged them in an Excel spreadsheet. [Cntl/F] lets me search the entire spreadsheet with the “Find All” button. It works reasonably well for my needs.

The problem is that the Model A vendors call the parts slightly different names, and they often have different part numbers for the same part. To solve the variation in naming and numbering, I’d like to build an index for that spreadsheet based on what the 1932 Parts Price List calls and numbers the parts.

If someone already has a 1932 Parts Price List in electronic format, that would save me a great deal of time. (Jim is absolutely right—building this from scratch is a huge task.)


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[Synchro909]

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Originally Posted by shew01

Brent,

I’ve caught myself more than once ordering Model A parts that I already had on hand but could not locate. So, I sorted and inventoried all my Model A parts and logged them in an Excel spreadsheet. [Cntl/F] lets me search the entire spreadsheet with the “Find All” button. It works reasonably well for my needs.

The problem is that the Model A vendors call the parts slightly different names, and they often have different part numbers for the same part. To solve the variation in naming and numbering, I’d like to build an index for that spreadsheet based on what the 1932 Parts Price List calls and numbers the parts.

If someone already has a 1932 Parts Price List in electronic format, that would save me a great deal of time. (Jim is absolutely right—building this from scratch is a huge task.)


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Imagine the problems when one country calls things by names that sometimes, we have never heard. I had to search what a "Zerk' was, for example. Don't start me on what a cotter pin is.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Imagine the problems when one country calls things by names that sometimes, we have never heard. I had to search what a "Zerk' was, for example. Don't start me on what a cotter pin is.

[emoji38] I had the same reaction to “split pin” the first time I heard it.


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[Brad in Germany]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Imagine the problems when one country calls things by names that sometimes, we have never heard. I had to search what a "Zerk' was, for example. Don't start me on what a cotter pin is.

Yeah, that can sometimes be a problem. Especially Greek terminology tends to throw a wrench (or spanner) in things :



Brad in Maryland



.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Jonathon, is this for learning Ford nomenclature or researching? I have collected all but 3 of the PPLs, and there are items that are in the early ones that isn't in the later ones. Since Jim also answered you, he has seen and looked thru my PPLs and we have had similar conversations.

The main 2 reasons I would want them listed in a PDF format is because I could search for part numbers of sub-pieces such as the part number to the Drum Tail Lamp Stand or ??, ...AND to protect my original PPLs from wear & tear from use. Again, Excel would not be a user friendly for what I use mine for.

I assume you know you can do a word search in EXCEL?

Charlie Stephens

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Brad in Germany

Yeah, that can sometimes be a problem. Especially Greek terminology tends to throw a wrench in things :




Brad in Maryland



.

Or throw a spanner in the works.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Or throw a spanner in the works.

Yup. I was scratching my head on that one too the first time I heard it.


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[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens

I assume you know you can do a word search in EXCEL?

Charlie Stephens

Yes, I have all of my Archive data, all of my Blueprint Data, and Notes on a 1.17 Gig Excel file. I need that because I am constantly adding & deleting information and notes when doing research and cross-reference. With PDF files, even though I could, I don't change data information on PDF files. Also, because I have so many Tabs in my Excel file, word searching throughout all tabs is difficult at best. In a PDF format, searching for a specific name or making small changes are more easily done.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Yes, I have all of my Archive data, all of my Blueprint Data, and Notes on a 1.17 Gig Excel file. I need that because I am constantly adding & deleting information and notes when doing research and cross-reference. With PDF files, even though I could, I don't change data information on PDF files. Also, because I have so many Tabs in my Excel file, word searching throughout all tabs is difficult at best. In a PDF format, searching for a specific name or making small changes are more easily done.

Brent, do you have a single tab that contains the Ford nomenclature and part number that you would be willing to share?


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[shew01]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

I never made one up for the model A but I've made some for different helicopters that I've worked on. I did those inventory lists the hard way by manual entry. I listed all the parts that were available and added stock entries so I could tell if it was a required stock item or just a non stock item but all had current prices as well. I had to update them every year to keep track of inventory.

I thought maybe Adobe Scan might be an OCR option, but it mangles up the text.


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[rackops]

Technically, this is something that can be done with AI. We do this sort of thing at work with DoD databases, using AI to create products, or organize them into whatever form. That said, I'm not an AI guy (we have people who get paid for that) so all I know is that we do it and it's pretty cool to see in process.

I do have 300 dpi scans of the parts price lists that I have, and 600 dpi scans of the more rare ones, like the 1929 UK version. All of them are OCRed, so they are searchable. It's handy to have them in digital format, and they can be searched on my phone which is nice when I'm out in my shop.

As far as moving the OCRed info from the pdf to excel without a lot of legwork though...I can't help, though it is very possible with the right know-how.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by shew01

Brent, do you have a single tab that contains the Ford nomenclature and part number that you would be willing to share?


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Jonathon, what I have may or may not work for you. To do what you are suggesting is kinda complicated and has taken us since 1997 to get it to something that works for us. What works for us very well may not work for you.

Where this is going to be complicated is we started by using Bratton's old part numbers as our foundation. Then Brattons chose not to pay the fee to Ford to use their part number system, so they generated their own. If you build a sheet using the original Ford numbers, you really need to cross-reference to each vendor's numbers so that you can search by numbers to. So if my numbers are different than what Snyder or Brattons use, then you are not in any better shape as far as know what inventory you have.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Where this is going to be complicated is we started by using Bratton's old part numbers as our foundation. Then Brattons chose not to pay the fee to Ford to use their part number system, so they generated their own. If you build a sheet using the original Ford numbers, you really need to cross-reference to each vendor's numbers so that you can search by numbers to. So if my numbers are different than what Snyder or Brattons use, then you are not in any better shape as far as know what inventory you have.

Yes, this is exactly the point of this post. If you are willing to share your data, I’m a database administrator, and I can probably make it work with my needs.

The main things I’m looking for are:

Part Number
Part Name
Applicable Years


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[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Imagine the problems when one country calls things by names that sometimes, we have never heard. I had to search what a "Zerk' was, for example.

Just out of curiosity what do you call a Zerk or grease fitting?

FYI, The patent for the Zerk fitting was granted to Oscar U. Zerk in January 1929. Sometimes items take on the designer or company name that make it for short. "Crescent" wrench comes to mind for an Open End Adjustable Wrench.

I don't own any Crescent® wrenches but I have a couple of crescent wrenches (although I never use them) in my tool box

[Bob Bidonde]

I would prefer to have the July 1, 1931 Parts Price List in Excel, so it is not cluttered with "B" & "18" part numbers.

[TomInCologne]

feed the scans into your favourite ai, afterwards you will be able to ask it questions. sometimes you get a correct answer. i am not joking.

[Jim Mason]

You can scan book(s). run it thru ocr (I used omnipage). Spend hours correcting ocr errors, mapping images. Save as several different file types (I used acess).
Parts book, standards, standard parts book, what ever can be done. Also, the service bulletins and green bible are available on cd

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by shew01

Yes, this is exactly the point of this post. If you are willing to share your data, I’m a database administrator, and I can probably make it work with my needs.

The main things I’m looking for are:

Part Number
Part Name
Applicable Years


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Hmmm, I honestly do not think this is going to be as easy as you are suggesting. Let me use a random one for example.

Let say you want the bolts for attaching the Rear Axle Housing to the Differential Housing. The Ford part number for these screws are A-20929. Snyders has two versions of this, and their numbers are A-4035-MBX and #41. Brattons has these listed as part number 5860 or 5861. Mike's Affordable has the as A4035MB, Bert's Model A has theirs as A-4010-K, and Mac's has theirs listed as part number 28-22735-1. So which number do you search for?

Next, -while some typically use the same nomenclature amongst fellow vendors, this is definitely not an 'always thing'. And, most of the time I find Ford's nomenclature different than what Vendor's use. For example, if you look for a 'Dash' in a Ford Part Booklet you will find it listed as what most vendors today refer to it as a Firewall. If you search Dash with most Model-A Parts Vendors, you will find it is what Ford referred to as an Instrument Panel.

Now since we just mentioned Instrument Panel, lets just add to the confusion a tad further. There was an A-11805 that later became A-11805-A, ...and then the A-11805-AR when the A-11805-E was introduced. Now the "Applicable Years" dating thingie becomes an issue because the A-11805-A, the ***-AR, and the ***-E were all used for certain models in the 1930 model year.

So as you can see, this is not an easy cure for what you are needing. The late Ron Cloat devised a method for his inventorying where he used a vendor's catalog, and their numbering system to set-up Totes by numbers to store items in. For example, all of your Wheel, Tire, Tube, etc. related items would be stored in the 01000 Tote. All of your brake related parts would be in the 02000 Tote, your Front Axle parts would be in the 03000 Tote, ...and so on throughout until the 48000 Tote. You can combine some numbers which is what I did in the beginning.

Do a listing of your present inventory using your normal Vendor's item name and number. Then set-up a column that has APN (alternate Vendor part numbers) so you can do a search and sort. Sort them numerically and by alpha where you can quickly look by name which will give you the part number and know which tote it is in. Again, this is not an easy situation, and you can easily spend as much time keeping up with your inventory list as just searching thru your storage box for it. Feel free to come back to the shop sometime and I will show you our method and how we do it.

[shew01]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Hmmm, I honestly do not think this is going to be as easy as you are suggesting. Let me use a random one for example.

Let say you want the bolts for attaching the Rear Axle Housing to the Differential Housing. The Ford part number for these screws are A-20929. Snyders has two versions of this, and their numbers are A-4035-MBX and #41. Brattons has these listed as part number 5860 or 5861. Mike's Affordable has the as A4035MB, Bert's Model A has theirs as A-4010-K, and Mac's has theirs listed as part number 28-22735-1. So which number do you search for?

Next, -while some typically use the same nomenclature amongst fellow vendors, this is definitely not an 'always thing'. And, most of the time I find Ford's nomenclature different than what Vendor's use. For example, if you look for a 'Dash' in a Ford Part Booklet you will find it listed as what most vendors today refer to it as a Firewall. If you search Dash with most Model-A Parts Vendors, you will find it is what Ford referred to as an Instrument Panel.

Now since we just mentioned Instrument Panel, lets just add to the confusion a tad further. There was an A-11805 that later became A-11805-A, ...and then the A-11805-AR when the A-11805-E was introduced. Now the "Applicable Years" dating thingie becomes an issue because the A-11805-A, the ***-AR, and the ***-E were all used for certain models in the 1930 model year.

So as you can see, this is not an easy cure for what you are needing. The late Ron Cloat devised a method for his inventorying where he used a vendor's catalog, and their numbering system to set-up Totes by numbers to store items in. For example, all of your Wheel, Tire, Tube, etc. related items would be stored in the 01000 Tote. All of your brake related parts would be in the 02000 Tote, your Front Axle parts would be in the 03000 Tote, ...and so on throughout until the 48000 Tote. You can combine some numbers which is what I did in the beginning.

Do a listing of your present inventory using your normal Vendor's item name and number. Then set-up a column that has APN (alternate Vendor part numbers) so you can do a search and sort. Sort them numerically and by alpha where you can quickly look by name which will give you the part number and know which tote it is in. Again, this is not an easy situation, and you can easily spend as much time keeping up with your inventory list as just searching thru your storage box for it. Feel free to come back to the shop sometime and I will show you our method and how we do it.

Brent,

I’m willing to risk it. Database administrators map data like this all the time.

Are you willing to share your data?


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[Karl Wescott]

Having a public spreadsheet or database would be a great asset to the hobby and vendors both. My thinking here is to keep it somewhat clean with primary emphases on Ford's numbering. Vendors can be a bunch of independent cuss's (I know... I look in a mirror occasionally) and tend to market and interchange and part number to their (my) own whim.


What would be important to me:


Ford part number.
Superseding part number (A-11805-A in above post)
Identifying number (casting number) if different than part number (spare tire brackets)
Primary description
Applicable year
Applicable model
A provision for secondary, tertiary, etc entries.
Inside door handle 1929 only 35A, 40A, 1930-31 35A, 40A 1933-34 40-710, 40-750, 1929-56 rear door handle panel trucks, inside door handle 1929-34 station wagon as an example of one of the more complex interchanges.

[Jim/GA]

A public facing spreadsheet or database would have IP issues.

It would need to be read-only, to prevent accidental damage by someone who was trying to help but messed up.

Different people think and organize things differently, so one person's database may not make sense to another person.

Crowdsourcing is difficult if you can't trust people to enter data accurately without messing things up.

[shew01]

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Originally Posted by Karl Wescott

Having a public spreadsheet or database would be a great asset to the hobby and vendors both. My thinking here is to keep it somewhat clean with primary emphases on Ford's numbering. Vendors can be a bunch of independent cuss's (I know... I look in a mirror occasionally) and tend to market and interchange and part number to their (my) own whim.


What would be important to me:


Ford part number.
Superseding part number (A-11805-A in above post)
Identifying number (casting number) if different than part number (spare tire brackets)
Primary description
Applicable year
Applicable model
A provision for secondary, tertiary, etc entries.
Inside door handle 1929 only 35A, 40A, 1930-31 35A, 40A 1933-34 40-710, 40-750, 1929-56 rear door handle panel trucks, inside door handle 1929-34 station wagon as an example of one of the more complex interchanges.

I’m guessing that is what Brent has in his 1.7 GB spreadsheet.


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[shew01]

Originally Posted by Jim/GA

A public facing spreadsheet or database would have IP issues.

It would need to be read-only, to prevent accidental damage by someone who was trying to help but messed up.

Different people think and organize things differently, so one person's database may not make sense to another person.

Crowdsourcing is difficult if you can't trust people to enter data accurately without messing things up.

Agreed


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