Question about sidemounted wheels

[Pat Martone]

Since I am learning about and will eventually acquire a Model A, I was wondering about the pros and cons of having dual sidemounts and came up with this list, and was hoping from inputs from others:

Pros:
- 'Looks nice (subjective) and makes the car shorter in length when adding accessory trunk.
- You don't have to worry about kids ruining the paint by using the front fenders as a "slide".
- Adds value to the car?

Cons:
- Costs more money to install fenders with wells, and to supply two more wheels and tires.
- Adds weight to the car.
- Does sidemounts interfere with access to the engine?

Any opinions on the desireability of buying a car that has dual or single sidemounts is appreciated.

Thank you.

[John LaVoy]

I worked very hard to find the original side mounts pictured on the phaeton. As far as positive yes it looks nice, the negatives are limitation to access to the engine, of course you can take the wheels off to do the work, the other negative I've had is access to the driving compartment. The roadster/phaeton doors are small and with the wheel well finders the spare tire limits the amount of opening the door can do and requires some thinking as to how to go about getting behind the wheel.

But if you like it go for it, I've driven that phaeton thousands of miles and have always been able to get in and out. But for my travel sedan I did not use side mounts just to let you know.

[HARLEYJOE]

I have 29 truck and really beautiful to look at.
Sort of caught my eye to purchase it.
And thinking of selling very soon for I need to go little faster
than model A's allow me.
But the doors do not open all the way and if you are very tall or overweight
this can make it tough to getting into cab.
Also you have to really make sure you open door for others to get into for if
you just let them open doors and hit tires you can dent and really mess the paint up on the doors.

So they add beauty but in real are not good for getting in and out.

[Bob-A]

Side mounts are cool! But I wouldn't let the presence-of or lack-of determine whether I like and/or want a particular car. For myself I'm covered, I own: 1 car with rear mt., 1 car with single side mt., and 1 car with dual side mounts.

Bob-A

[FL&WVMIKE]

Pat Martone .................
It all comes down to personal choice. A rear mounted trunk is worth it's weight in gold ! But, you can have that with a single sidemount.
MIKE

[Gary/IA]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I will only speak to your concerns in reference to '28 and '29 models, as that is what I have had experience with. Side mounts will limit the door opening, If you are a large person that might be a problem.

Because we do a lot of touring, I felt it necessary to have a trunk to haul all the spare parts, water, etc. Originally I mounted the trunk, using the extender bars, behind the spare. I personally didn't care for the looks and I was always trying to adjust the sag out of it. For those reasons, I chose to utilize a fender mount.

As far as access to the engine, I guess they do cause a little less access to the engine compartment but that hasn't been a problem for me. I guess I have gotten used to them and never really have a problem with that. In the event they were in the way it is not much work to remove the wheel.

I had seen an old "back in the day" photograph of a '29 coupe (such as mine) with duel mounts, I thought that really looked good. That inspired me to put duel mounts on mine.

And yes you are correct, the look is a very subjective matter. I am sure you will get a variety of opinions.

Disclaimer: I have only told you my experience and am not trying to influence you or anyone else as what to do.

[CarlG]

I wish there were another way to mount a spare on a pickup that would look "original". As others have said, it limits access to the engine (take it off) and doesn't allow the door to open as wide. As far as looks go, it looks great, just not practical IMHO. On the flip side, the 31 Fordor I had when I was a teenager 50 years ago, had dual side mounts AND a rear mount. Why? Because I could -- and I had 7 wheels.

[Bruce]

I like sidemounts because I can lean into them when I'm working on the engine or putting in gas.
However, they look best on fancy cars like Town Sedans and DeLuxe Roadsters. They kind of detract from the simplicity on most A's.
And, if you have a Victoria, don't trade the spiffy cocked rearmount for sidemounts. You'd be trading the model's distinguishing feature for something that all the other A's can have.

[Marco Tahtaras]

Personally I don't get too excited about duel side mounted spares, and even single side mounts on most models. With that said, if you put a side mount on a '28-29 model you better be slim and agile as the space for entering and exiting the cabin is reduced considerably. A smaller shoe size can be useful as well! This is not much of an issue on '30-31 models.

[1931 flamingo]

Have dual sidemounts on mine. Neat looking, and I don't have a problem getting in to car because of them (5' 10, 225/35). Don't seem to interfere while in the engine compartment, and a place to put gas cap. JMO
Paul in CT

[Bill Steiner]

I have them on my 31 coupe. They where on there when I got it. I like the look of them. , Just my opinion. They do make some shorter door ck straps that keep the doors from hitting them. I would use them. Bill

[Tom from Drippin']

If you go with sidemounts, be cautious of the tire you choose. Some are very difficult to install and remove (when you need them) when fully inflated. Some do not fit in the well easily and the carrier conflicts also.

[cpl624]

One down side is trying to keep the spokes clean. I spend a lot more time cleaning wheels than anything else. But with them up closer to eye level you have to do a better job on the sidemount spokes than those on the drive wheels.

[Pat Martone]

Thank you very much for the helpful replies.