Side Mount Spares vs. Rear Mount

[Jeff/Illinois]

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[CarlG]

I really do not like the side mounts at all. But then with my body style, I don't have much choice. I much prefer the rear mounts on all the other body styles. It's not just the wrestling the tire out of the fender well, it's just that they are always in the way of working under the hood. Dual side mounts are just double the trouble.

[Farrell In Vancouver]

I'd rather change the tire on my coupe than fight Dad's spare out of the well on his truck. But then again..........I would rather fight his spare out than score a hernia from replacing a tire on my AA.

[al's28/33]

I like my double side mounts, makes my little Model A seem like a big Lincoln!, yes they are difficult to get out and in the way of working on the engine, but any car can have the spare bolted on the rear end.

[HoarseWhisperer]

If I was going to be practical, I probably would have a rear mount spare like my modern Jeep, and a trunk instead of a rumble seat.

But then again, I don't buy old cars to be practical.

I love the uniqueness of the era and frankly I don't have much trouble removing the side mount, even with a metal tire cover.



and Jeff, despite you asking Model A greats, I thought I would respond anyway.

[peters180a/170b]

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I had no choice on my 180A , Factory left side fender mount.But i did have a choice on the right side .Car came with both sides and i canned the right side and put a plain fender on. If it was up to me [rear] .Had a standard roadster with a trunk . Liked the trunk but not the spare in back. Always had to work over it or to the side. Dual side mounts i don't like the look [sorry] but that's me. Only on much larger cars...

[shall]

My 29 sport coupe has the rear mount, and I like it. Can't imagine working around the side mounts when trying to quick check something on the left side of the engine.

[1931 flamingo]

I've got both sides, came to me that way, too expensive to change. The look grows on you. Haven't had a problem removing, and they're firestones with not too much air in them. Flats are what AAA is for. JMO
Paul in CT

[Patrick L.]

I like the rear mounts..

[Pete]

I have a side mount. I can lift the wheel out easily with one hand.
I can't imagine being without a trunk. It will hold 4 cases of beer and 3 bags of ice.
If your car is put together right, there is no reason to get under the hood.
My spare doesn't interfere with anything under the hood anyway.

[takomaned]

Hey Pete,don't you know your car can be perfect,but go out in a tuxedo and see what happens.

[Randy in Illinois]

For as much as we use our spare tires, either one. My coupe is a standard model with trunk not a rumble, and rear spare. the trunk is handy and if necessary the rear spare is too.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by takomaned

Hey Pete,don't you know your car can be perfect,but go out in a tuxedo and see what happens.

I would try that but I don't own a tux....lol

[joeypoconos]

My 29 Sport Coupe has the rear mounted spare. I personally like the look of side mounts but I'm not about to cut holes in one, or two, really nice original Ford fenders. Now if I were to come across an original welled fender, and the price wasn't through the roof (not likely), I'd be tempted to give her a try.

[peters180a/170b]

Pete , tux cost to rent $140.00 .....I'll have pictures soon from my daughter's wedding on Sept.21

[Kevin in NJ]

You left out the third option, dual sidemounts with a rear spare!

Yes, I have seen that. At the World Meet a guy showed up to get his car fine point judged and was asking what we thought. The car had just about every accessory you could put on an A. The honeycomb radiator was neat too.

My cabriolet has a rear spare and black wall tires- so factory like.

[Roadster62]

Dad's '31 Roadster has dual sidemounts because he like the look, I think a rear mounted spair looks better. Bob

[HillbillyTim]

I'm partial to the rear spare and trunk on my coupe.
Tim

[Bruce Adams]

I have a rear mount and a side mount, and I think I would spend half the day removing half my trunk rack to remove the rear spare, so its only there for two flat emergencies, which, fortunately, I haven't experienced.

[ronn]

The sidemount is more attractive, in my opinion and the rear mount more practical.
I am not partial to either and like them just the same.

FLW said form should follow function- he was wrong.... his homes didn't function all that well!

[[email protected]]

Here is the story on my experience with side mount versus rear mount. Around ten years ago I had a NOS side mount Driver Side Fender that I put on my 30 Coupe because I thought it would just look sooo neat. I put it on and had a fancy spare tire rear view mirror mounted on it to boot. It seemed the more I drove it the less I liked it, has it seemed to shake or vibrate more then the original standard fender. Also you could not see anything out of that fancy rear view mirror because of the vibration. I think I ran my coupe that way for most of a year and then put it back to the original fender. The NOS side mount fender ended up being good trading stock for other Model A parts I needed for another project. In over 30 years of driving my Model A's, I have never had to contend with a flat tire so the ease of getting to the spare has not be a big worry for me.

[antiquepa]

When I bought mine in 2004 it had a rear mount, I always liked the side mounts so I changed it to the double side mount, to each his /her own its what you like so do what is best for you, if everyone liked the same thing everyone would be driving a MODEL "A" FORD!! (just my 2 cents)

[RcT]

My '29 coupe was with a trunk, rather than a rumble, and rear spare. I liked the looks, but access to the trunk was made more of a challenge with the spare in the rear... especially getting to the front of the trunk. Spare tires are in the way, no matter where they are, and flat tires on the road rarely occur. If a tire goes flat, its usually at home, and I think most people would just fix the flat tire, rather than mess with the spare. Personally, I like the rear spare. It keeps the car "simple" and Ford-like, rather than the fender spares.

[Steve Wastler]

Definately prefer rear mounts, but the mailtruck right front fender spare has grown on me....

[California Charlie]

I've got both situations and prefer the rear mounted spare. I find it difficult to work on the engine compartment and getting out of the car with the side mounts; however for eye appeal the side mounted tires look really sharp to me. I guess I'm lucky to have the best of both worlds. CC

[SDJason]

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Well, the one thing I really don't like about my Town Sedan is not having any storage space at all - I was thinking about getting a passenger side side-mount and putting a trunk on, but it looks like the consensus is that most folks prefer a rear-mount. hmmm...decisions...decisions...

[Pete]

Originally Posted by SDJason

Well, the one thing I really don't like about my Town Sedan is not having any storage space at all - I was thinking about getting a passenger side side-mount and putting a trunk on, but it looks like the consensus is that most folks prefer a rear-mount. hmmm...decisions...decisions...

You can always put a tool box between the front frame horns.
Somebody has them ready made. Just a bolt in deal.
I have one and I keep my chains in it in the winter and beer and ice in the summer. Be sure to keep the drain holes clear all the time.

[jr-41ford]

My 28 Tudor came from the factory with a rear mount spare. When I was buying the car, I looked it over and seen that it had some previous front sheet metal damage and when they put it back together, dual side mounts were installed.

The rear mount is still there, but covered by the trunk. I really dislike the side mount fenders, took off the mirrors when I brought it home.

I've advertised in our club news letter, that I would trade straight across for a standard set of fenders. I think they look good, but they make it hard to get in and out of for an old fat boy.

When I do change them out, I will extend my trunk mount out about 6 inches, like another member in my club did.

I would never own another Model A with side mount spares. The spares are Firestone.

[FL&WVMIKE]

My 1929 Roadster came with banged up fenders and a rear mounted spare, but I found two NOS welled front fenders, a NOS L/R fender, a NOS R/H splash pan and the mounting hardware for the side mounted spares, all for $90.00. So, I went with the sidemounts. Of course, this was in the early 1960s.
I never had to remove a side mount to fix a flat.
MIKE

[Rowdy]

I would prefer the rearmount, but since my Deluxe Delivey came factory with a sidemount as is the the only reasonanle way to put a spare on it I will just stick with that. Rod

[RcT]

Originally Posted by FL&WVMIKE

My 1929 Roadster came with banged up fenders and a rear mounted spare, but I found two NOS welled front fenders, a NOS R/R fender, a NOS R/H splash pan and the mounting hardware for the side mounted spares, all for $90.00. So, I went with the sidemounts. Of course, this was in the early 1960s.
I never had to remove a side mount to fix a flat.
MIKE

That roadster is beautiful, then again, I am partial to black cars. Now if you could just consider blackwalls... I know, that issue has been beat to death. Still a great roadster, and I like the fender spare, especially with the black tire cover.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by peters180a/170b

Pete , tux cost to rent $140.00 .....I'll have pictures soon from my daughter's wedding on Sept.21

Peters,
Why do the brides get to spend thousands for wedding gowns and us poor pathetic men have to rent second hand tuxes that might still have B.O. in them & never seem to have bar change left in the pockets!! Oh! and don't forget those shiny plastic rental shoes that may have toe jam, fungi, or an athletes foot starter kit in them!
On our honeymoon night, we only went 12 miles out of town, the fog was so thick that I could only see the hood ornament on my '56 Chev. We stayed at the first motel sign that we could barely read in the fog. CHEAP PLACE! While Ole' Bill was checking if the sheets were fresh, Pat piped up, "Did you wash your feet when you changed to street shoes?" With this "rocky" start, we were married 55 years. (TRUE LOVE!)
Original question: NO! I DON'T LIKE SIDEMOUNT SPARES!! Bill W.

[Semper Fi]

I have the duel side mounts on my 29 Roadster and that was part of what drew me to the car...... that and the rumble seat.

Ernie

[Pat Martone]

How about this an option for having both a trunk and a rear mount spare; see the photo.

I believe with these special extended-length trunk brackets available from Bratton's, Snyder's, and others, I can remove the spare tire without removing my bolted-down trunk. There is several inches of clearance between the back of the trunk and the spare tire - enough room to get a breaker bar and socket in there to remove the 2 lug nuts and 1 lug bolt, and then remove the tire.

Of course, this makes it a much "longer" car, and that could be a problem if you have a really short garage, but it easily fits into my 18-foot deep garage.

[Barney]

I like both. Sedans, I'd rather go to the rear-mounted spare tire. At Coupes and Roadsters rather mounted on the side.
But that's just my taste.
Finally, it is a Model A and that's nice anyway.
Greetings Barney

[John LaVoy]

When I was young and flexible getting in and out of the phaeton with side mounts was easy, now not so much. I did not put side mounts on the sedan just to make it easier to get in and out. The side mounts do restrict how far you can open the doors.

[FL&WVMIKE]

Originally Posted by RcT

That roadster is beautiful, then again, I am partial to black cars. Now if you could just consider blackwalls... I know, that issue has been beat to death. Still a great roadster, and I like the fender spare, especially with the black tire cover.

RcT .....................
Thank you ! The car is actually Abdalusite Blue. I like the white walls. They make the car POP ! The side mounted white walls were a bit much, so I toned them down with the black covers.
Thanks,
MIKE

[MrTube]

Originally Posted by Kevin in NJ

You left out the third option, dual sidemounts with a rear spare!

Yes, I have seen that. At the World Meet a guy showed up to get his car fine point judged and was asking what we thought. The car had just about every accessory you could put on an A. The honeycomb radiator was neat too.

My cabriolet has a rear spare and black wall tires- so factory like.

I thought they came from the factory with a spare rim but no tire? Hmmmm?!?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

My first Model A, a '28 CCPU, backing up, window down, door popped open, clipped small tree, broke the plate glass window+*&%$^%^!! Door popped out perfect with a little push. In that era, it was kinda' special to have TWO windows that REALLY worked! Bill W.

[peters180a/170b]

Kevin in N.J. ,, i went to Rhinebeck N.Y. meet 3 years ago and seen the 3 adapter bolts for the second rear spare... Seller said very rare and $$$$ asked if i ever seen them before... ??? I said no...This was on a Saturday late afternoon... Sunday morning i went back and showed him my n.o.s. set... Just to prove a point that $85.00 was way too much for me....l.o.l.