Where to put the spare?

[mcgarrett]

Trying to increase my knowledge base of Model A Roadsters and have learned a lot about them here on the Barn thanks to many of you. I have a '30 Deluxe Roadster and have been comparing my car with others to get an idea of the way Ford specified them to be built. I've noticed spare tires mounted on the drivers side, passenger side, both sides, and on the rear. Was there a specified location from the factory that was considered standard for the 1930 Roadster, or did Ford offer a choice of spare tire locations? For example, if a customer wanted to have the dealer install an accessory trunk that would necessitate a change in location from the rear mount. Maybe this has been covered before, but would appreciate any feedback.

[ronn]

rule of thumb on the deluxe is side mounts on one or both sides

standard generally had rear mount

Im sure someone here can elaborate a bit more......

[ModelA29]

Originally Posted by ronn

rule of thumb on the deluxe is side mounts on one or both sides.......

If you ordered 1 did you choose which side? Or did the assembly guy just grab the closest fender with a well?
I'd think driver side would be preferred so you could easily get to the carb and distributor for maintenance.

[mcgarrett]

ModelA29,
That's my question - was it up to stocks of parts on hand as cars went down the line, or was it stipulated where and how many spares a car received? Also, was it based on body style and trim level?

[Dick Carne]

For years I have been of the impression that the 1930 Deluxe Roadster was the only Ford model that was expressly specified to include dual sidemounts as "standard" equipment. In that regard, I was of the impression that Ford had enhanced the roadster (by offering a "deluxe" model) and added the two-door phaeton (and others to follow) in an attempt to increase sales that had otherwise been negatively impacted during the first part of 1930 as a result of the depression. Obviously with the 1931 models, the return to a single rear mounted spare was once again implemented.

[Jeff/Illinois]

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All 1930 Roadsters were Standard models until what late August, 1930, when they introduced the Deluxe? So they all had rear mount spares from the factory until the Dlx. was introduced. Standard Roadsters always had a rear mount from the factory. When the 1930 Dlx. hit the showrooms they came from the factory with a LH side fender mount, plus rims painted to match the pin stripe. . Right hand side (passenger side) fender mounts were an option if you wanted that you paid like 15 bucks extra!

In a cost saving measure when the '31 Dlx. Roadster came out Ford went back to a rear mounted spare from the factory, and the fender mounts on a '31 was an extra cost charge.

[Stingray70]

Where is your spare now? You can probably tell what your car came with by looking at the frame. I believe the factory side mount arms were riveted to the frame. The add ons would usually be bolted. Assuming your frame is original to the car this would at least give you an idea of how your car was delivered. For example, my 30 standard coupe wax "deluxed" by someone in the 1970s. The left side original mount is riveted. The right mount is bolted on and obviously an add on.

[mcgarrett]

My spare is on the driver's side fender. I'd have to crawl underneath to verify rivets or bolts on the bracket to the frame. My car has a trunk, so that's what got me thinking about this topic along with other similar cars I'd seen with dual side mounts. The car had some restoration work done to it before I got it, but the man I bought it from said it was a Deluxe due to the wood spars bolted to the top irons as opposed to the plain painted steel top irons of the Standard Roadster.

[Dick Carne]

My suspicion is that if your car has a trunk that it was probably initially a standard roadster as originally produced, and was converted to a "Deluxe" roadster when it was restored at some point in the past. In times past, it was not at all uncommon for folks to change out the top irons and windshield (and stanchions) and convert standard roadsters to Deluxe models. However, I am not aware that Ford ever produced a Deluxe roadster with a trunk. As stated above, side mounts, if originally equipped as such by the factory, would have riveted frame mounts.

[mcgarrett]

Dick,
I'm thinking you are correct on all of your points above. Thanks for everyone's feedback.

[jb-ob]

Only my $.02

The best looking Model A was a 1931 Deluxe Roadster with the spare on the rear.

[Keith True]

Does the car have a round speedo or an oval speedo? Oval changed to round in June of 30,and the DeLuxe came out in August.A lot of these,if not most were deluxified in the 60's and 70's.When you see an oval speedo in a DeLuxe it means somebody changed it to a DeLuxe or somebody changed the gas tank to an earlier one.

[mcgarrett]

Keith True,
Thanks for your inquiry. My car has definitely had an attempt at restoration.
Not that it makes much difference due to the fact that it has probably been modified sometime in its history, but here is a list of some of the components I noticed that seemed to indicate it as "Deluxe" Roadster:

Round Waltham speedo
short chrome windshield stanchions
wood spars attached to chrome top iron supports
cowl lamps
left fender mounted spare
full width rear bumper
chrome shift lever
chrome parking brake lever

None of these things mean that the car started out that way, but I really like that combination of components on a Roadster.

[Gene F]

I saw an A once with the spare mounted under the tail.

[Keith True]

If the left spare mount is riveted to the frame there is a pretty good chance the car started life as a DeLuxe.Shift and hand brake levers were chrome on all the A's.When you say the car has a trunk,do you mean it has a trunk lid instead of a rumble seat,as Dick is thinking? Or,do you mean an accessory trunk hung on the back.

[mcgarrett]

Keith True,
Yes, I have a rumble seat with an accessory trunk hanging out back. I'll have to look underneath to confirm rivets or bolts on the spare bracket.

[CHuDWah]

From Marco Tahtaras' old website:

The History
The open models were consistently popular for Ford. By mid 1930 however, sales of the open models were dropping rapidly. In an effort to increase demand, Ford introduced the Deluxe Phaeton in late June 1930 and followed with the Deluxe Roadster in late July.

The Deluxe Roadster was priced at $520. Differences included a shorter windshield, finished in chrome plate. An all new top assembly was used. It featured varnished natural oak bows and was trimmed in tan drab (light olive) fabric. The new interior trim included dark tan Bedouin grain genuine leather seating surfaces with matching artificial leather throughout the interior, and the floor covering was brown carpet. The seat was lowered approximately one inch to adapt to the lower profile (the seating drop was subsequently applied to the standard roadster).

The exterior was enhanced by the addition of a left side mounted spare tire. At the rear of the car, a chrome luggage rack with oak finished steel slats and full-length rear bumper were added. To add more contrast, the wheels were painted to match the stripe.

In early 1931 the spare tire was moved to rear. The left side mounted spare, luggage rack, and special bumper were no longer included as standard equipment. They could however, be special ordered at extra cost and installed at the branch during assembly. The base price was reduced to $475.

Statistics
During the five months the Deluxe Roadster was available in 1930, 11,313 units were produced. In 1931 the Deluxe Roadster nearly replaced the Standard Roadster with 52,997 deluxe units produced(U.S.).*

Marco, a Model A guru, posted the restoration of a 30 Deluxe Roadster on his website - lots of info and pix there including a slick interactive where you can see a Deluxe Roadster in all the available colors. The site is dead now but still can be found on the Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20190303022127/http://www.abarnyard.com/index.shtml

AFAIK, rear-mount spare was standard except for left front fender mount on only Deluxe Roadster, Deluxe Phaeton and Convertible Sedan, and right front fender mount was not standard on any body style. (Note this applies to passenger cars - commercial vehicles are a different animal.) Apparently factory-installed side mounts could be special ordered. Course, a dealer also could install them. Factory side mount arms were riveted to the frame while dealer-installed likely would be bolted.

I think a rumble seat was standard on the Deluxe Roadster but I'm not sure about that.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by jb-ob

Only my $.02

The best looking Model A was a 1931 Deluxe Roadster with the spare on the rear.

I'm glad I'm not the ONLY Model A enthusiast that feels that way

I like that look a lot better than side mounts. The factory photo of a '31 Dlx. with a rear spare is pretty cool!

Someone told me once another way to verify a Dlx. Roadster vs a Standard was to look at the door hinge screws, where they mount to the cowl. A Dlx. had three the Standard only had two. Don't quote me on that I may be wrong but that always stuck with me.....

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Keith True

Shift and hand brake levers were chrome on all the A's.

Keith - At least on my '30 Town Sedan, which I believe is original, the hand brake and shift levers are nickel plated, not chrome. Hand brake has polished nickel finish on the handset and satin (Butler) nickle on the shaft (and that's what the Restoration Guide says, also). Some time along the line the hand brake was painted black which helped to preserve the plating underneath. I found the plating when I put the shaft in degreaser.

JayJay

[mcgarrett]

CHuDWah,
Thanks for your post. This information is exactly what I was hoping to find. Very informative and educational. Once I can confirm whether the side mount bracket has rivets or bolts that should tell me what I want to know about my car.