Does a rumble seat from a 30/31 fit into a 29?

[amclass]

Hello forum. I might have an offer to buy a rumble seat. The seat is from the year 30/31. I have a '29 roadster that was already delivered with a rumble seat and is only missing the seat cushions. Now I would like to know whether the upholstery from the 30/31 fits into the earlier year of construction without any changes or whether Ford actually made any changes to the trunk or rear section during the production of the Model A. Also, can anyone tell me if a rumble seat trunk can be converted to a normal trunk without much effort as this is the seller's intention. Many Thanks.

[Oldbluoval]

“Also, can anyone tell me if a rumble seat trunk can be converted to a normal trunk without much effort as this is the seller's intention”…
imho, it’s a pretty good chore. Floor pan changes, hinge changes, new handle holes and fill up old handle holes. Paint involved.

Cushions likely to fit all years.

[Bob C]

For rumble seat to trunk see post #2 in the link.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...unk+conversion

[Marshall V. Daut]

"Oldbluoval" is right on regarding the degree of difficulty converting the trunk compartment into a rumble seat. It's a b*tch - and expensive, to boot! But since that has already been done in your car and you only need the cushions to bring your rumble seat area back into use, the short answer to your question is "Yes", the cushions are interchangeable between 1928-29 and 1930-31 Model A's.
BUT - you must take into consideration the seat covers. '28-29 rumble seat cushions were covered with a Spanish Brown material, no channels/panels. In other words, the material was plain. The '30-31 Model A's with rumble seats would have either black material for Standard body styles or brown leather in the DeLuxe Roadster, both featuring channels, although of different widths and numbers, the Standard cover channels being wider than the Deluxe covers.
So, if the cushions being offered to you have the brown, unchanneled covers, they are correct for your 1929 Roadster, but incorrect for '30-31 rumble seats. But if the material is black with channels, that is only correct for '30-31 rumble seats. Or, are the color and channels issues important to you? Is your Model A a driver and not a show car? How fussy you are about authenticity should determine your decision whether to buy these rumble seat cushions.
Marshall

[Dale G.]

Is the deck lid the same? Will the deck lid in a 28-29 fit in a 30-31 and vice versa?

[Marshall V. Daut]

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Yes, the decklids are interchangeable, but the latch arm is located differently between the two-year brackets. The '28-29 latch arm extended through the top edge of the deck lid and hooked into a bracket located on the inside of the top drip rail. Mistake! When people closed the decklid without FIRST turning the deck handle so that the arm was fully retracted, the arm hit the upper panel between the decklid and the top, damaging the paint and possibly denting the metal panel. Ford changed the design so that the '30-31 decklid latch exited from inside the inner decklid skin and hooked into a slotted bracket located on the front LIP of the drip rail so that even if the latch had not been fully retracted when closing the lid, the arm wouldn't strike the upper body panel. It still would not close completely in this state, requiring the handle to fully retract the latch arm. But no metal panel or paint damage would result that couldn't be touched up with a small brush. If one uses a '28-29 decklid in a '30-31 rumble seat, that bracket will have to be relocated, and visa-versa if a '30-31 decklid is used in a '28-29 rumble seat, if one wants to stay authentic.
Marshall

[amclass]

@ Marshall:
Thank you for your detailed description. I'm glad my car came from the factory with a rumble seat. Unfortunately, the cushions were removed during its lifetime to make better use of the trunk. I can also understand that many would rather have a trunk than a rumble seat. I personally think that a rumble seat goes very well with the roadster because you have more fun with the top down and family or friends in the rumble seat. If my car has a lot of original patina and I guess my front seat fabric has been repalced with red-ish/brown-ish vinyl, the cover of the rumble seat doesn't worry me much. If there are new vinyl covers for the Model A, I would prefer to completely reupholster the seats and the rumble seat. Did the roadsters also have fabric covers from the factory or did they come with a more weatherproof material such as vinyl, which I would prefer for my roadster?

[Marshall V. Daut]

I should mention that Ford was smart to make the rumble seat bottom cushion so easy to remove. By not anchoring those spring loops beneath the seat platform with bolts or otherwise had made the cushion more or less permanently situated, the cushion can be pulled straight up and out in two seconds, which creates a lot of extra storage room inside the rumble seat compartment. It also makes it easier to put bulky items into the compartment that couldn't have been squeezed past the bottom cushion due to there being very little space to do so. Without that bottom cushion, you'd be surprised at how much more storage area is freed up, now only limited by the seat backrest cushion with the decklid closed. Or just leave the lid open and pile the cargo in, something unthinkable or even possible with the bottom seat cushion in place. I have actually been able to haul a bare Model engine block resting on the bottom cushion platform that never would have fit with the cushion still in the rumble seat compartment. Unload the compartment of its cargo and slip the cushion back in place. Easy-peasy. If only the Ford designers had made the seat backrest cushion as easy to remove as the bottom cushion, the rumble seat compartment would be every bit as roomy for storage as the factory trunk! Oh, well. I think we'd all agree that the Ford designers made up for this shortcoming in so many other areas in the Model A that we can cut 'em some slack for this rumble seat backrest oversight.
Marshall

[amclass]

@ Marshall:
I'm actually surprised how big the trunk of a Model A is anyway. Let's see, how much room is left of the trunk after I have installed a rumble seat. Good to know, that the bottom cushion is removable that simple. Does the bottom cushion has a frame that holds it in place or is the bottom part just layed down on the trunk floor? Do you have any idea, what's needed to instal the rumble seat. Is it just the cushions or is there any kind of bracket or hardware to install the rumble seat properly, especially the rear section? I would also install a set of lap belts and wonder if the rear section folds forward in case of an accident or is there some kind of locking bar or so. Thanks