Finally I have one

[Wisconsinjimmy]

Hello to the Ford Barn, just joined and am looking forward to a better life in the slow lane. I am retired and live in Cushing, WI. I am now the proud owner of a 1930 A model 4dr, bought it at auction on Saturday for $1600.00.
I have a question what is this or where does it go.

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/...ps79c9a4ef.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Here is a link to all the photos of her;

http://s1283.photobucket.com/user/wi...?sort=3&page=1

The oil is fresh when I got it and as soon as I get the wires safe will try and do a fire on the motor. My main goal is not to restore it but leave it as is, I will clean it and then give it a shot of clear coat to protect against any more rust. I also want to swap this to 12V but I have no idea what alternator I should be looking for help in this area is appreciated. Let me know what you think
Jim

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Congrats on the new purchase and welcome to Fordbarn.

The round bulb laying on the fender is the headlight switch.


(If you would like my opinion, I would forget the 12 volt conversion and switching to an alternator. Keep it original as much as possible. )

[cp5491r]

It's the light switch housing. The wire harness is in the housing. The housing go on the end of the steering column using a large wire clip from the bottom of the steering column.
There are lots of good posts here for what to do before trying to fire up the car for the first time. Good luck with her.

[Mitch//pa]

congrats and welcome.
keep it 6v. and get rid of all that fire hazard spaghetti. buy a new wire harness they are cheap and easy to put in. i have the same hvac fan in my shop them suckers throw some air

[Ross/Kzoo]

Welcome to the Fordbarn.

My first thought as a new Model A owner was to convert to a 12 Volt. After many posts I decided not to go that route but I did install a 6 Volt alternator. Get a catalog from Bratton's for many exploded views of the various parts and then get a least the first Les Andrews book. Happy motoring!

[cp5491r]

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By the way, it looks to me like you bought a 1928 or '29- not a 30.

[wrndln]

I agree with cp5491r that it looks to me like a 29 fordor.
Rusty Nelson

[Joe K]

He needs a violin case to put in the back seat!

Actually he needs the back seat.

You can fix that steering wheel! I built up one much like that which I have as a spare for my truck. In fact I've done it twice - 2 spares.

Fixing Model A parts is addictive!

Joe K

[spdway1]

Originally Posted by cp5491r

By the way, it looks to me like you bought a 1928 or '29- not a 30.

Looks to me 28/9 headlights, radiator shell, The fire wall seems to be 28/9 too. But I have been wrong many times in the past.

[jmeckel]

Good to hear there is another A in Polk Co. I am just East of you near Luck. You may have seen my A driving around it is a green Tudor. I would leave it as 6 volts as original. You can get all the parts you need in Minneapolis at Little Dearborn on Univ. Av.

[Bob C]

Nice looking car. Couple of questions and observations, did you change the oil or somebody told you
it was fresh? If you didn't change it I would do it myself to be sure there is no crap in the bottom
of the pan, it can look clean on the dip stick and still have a lot of sludge. Get rid of the sealed beam head
light bulbs. Do not run the engine with out hooking the generator up to the system or you can burn it out.

Good luck
Bob

[Wisconsinjimmy]

As fans go these are the only type to have and I am always looking to stock up on them. I mentioned the oil as when I looked at the stick it is clear just like it had been changed. I will drop the oil and put fresh in before I fire it but that might be a month or two down the road need a battery and them things are spendy.

[FL&WVMIKE]

Wisconsinjimmy .......................
Your friends probably think that you bought a nightmare. I think that your car is pretty solid looking. If the interior wood is solid, you did SUPER WELL. It will take a while, but it looks good to me.
Lots of luck,
MIKE

[Purdy Swoft]

I like it, It appears to be a 1929 Briggs body fordor. Judgeing from the emergency brake to the right of the shift lever it was probly made in july or later 1929. I see that it has the rear bearing style generator that would be correct fore a july or later 29. If you plan to use high amperage accessories you will need an alternator. Another possibility for 12 volt is to run the original generator on 12 volts. No wiring changes or modifications are necessary for this setup and can be changed back to 6 volt, mostly by changeing the battery. Twelve volt doesn't require as high amperage as six volt with this conversion. I would replace the old wiring harnesses. I run my roadster 12 volt positive ground same as I would if it remained 6 volt . No wires have to be changed and hooks up exactly like original as long as it remains positive ground. I use a Fun Projects can style regulator that takes the place of the cut out . This gives voltage regulation like modern cars. I use a 3.0 Ohm coil. The original coil can be used if you use a ballast resistor. This uses most of the original parts and the battery is hidden, nobody would know the difference unless they noticed how quick it cranks. Looks like you got a good deal. Good luck.

[1930artdeco]

Hi and welcome to the barn! Looks like you have a solid car, no major rust that I could see. Here are a few things I noticed from the pics:

-You look to have a 29 Briggs Townsedan. A quick way to tell is if there is a dome light right above the rear window.

-These cars have a wood body clad in sheet metal. Check that VERY carefully. The nice thing is that you have no interior which makes that very easy. New wood can be bought and installed.

-It looked to me in the first picture that the car leaned a little bit to one side so check the frame. I could be wrong and it was just the way the picture was taken.

Drain and flush all fluids before you put any fire to her. But it looks like you are on your way to a really nice car. If she is a Townsedan, there is a club just for these cars.

Mike

[Purdy Swoft]

The town sedan had cowl lights. I may have missed it but I don't remember seeing cowl lights or holes where they had been removed. Also, the town sedan had a cowl band. Looks like a standard fordor to me.

[Mike V. Florida]

Congratulations on your new purchase and welcome to Fordbarn. Leave it 6v and use that money on other things.

[1930artdeco]

Purdy, you are right, I missed that little detail.

Mike

[700rpm]

Welcome! Nice find! My advice to all new owners who plan to work on their cars: Use original parts where you can, keep it as close to original factory production as you can, and don't throw anything away. Have fun!

[Tom Wesenberg]

How far are you from Milltown, Wisconsin?
I was thinking of driving my A to Milltown yet this fall.