What have you found working on your A?

[History]

The plate used as a choke in another thread got me to thinking about this. I'd hope to find something under the seat or in a tight spot from an owner from long ago, so far, nothing. I'd imagine some of you have found personal items, toys, money, letters or just a signature from someone who worked on or owned the vehicle before you. You could even mention some jerry rigged attempt for a repair. It's interesting to me at least.

[chrs1961815]

I found a lot of sand toward the back of the curtain pan in my Roadster. Not sure if it is media sand or beach sand as my car was from Florida.

[Vern]

A couple of very dead mice in the Bustle behind the rear seat & the remains of a mouse nursery in the headliner!

[alexiskai]

Welding used instead of correct attachment methods, e.g., lug bolts welded to the hub instead of swaged, roller tracks welded to the backing plate instead of riveted.

[Y-Blockhead]

I found this "Token" under the front seat...

[Y-Blockhead]

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I also found this "restrictor" in the water outlet to the radiator.

[rocket1]

When stripping the paint off the door on my ccpu I found Ford Sales and Service with a partial address that is local,I could never verify where the bldg. was.

[Werner]

I had to have the Roadster hood fix the rear wood bow by a upholsterer master. He found this ticket rolled up inside the cloth rag.

[Oldbluoval]

I found some political cards given out to entice a voter in 1932. Been there awhile it was a 1930 Tudor
They were from Nebraska
Lots of pennies, match books, even saw some green stamps ....how long have those been gone!!!

[bgarrett]

I bought the remains of a Model T coupe near Austin that had been in the creek for many years. Someone had chopped off the roof with an axe and when I took the body apart at the seams I found a 1938 nickle down between the body and the sub frame

[Gold Digger]

Found a well used Case pocket knife down in the side of the body of a 25 T I bought when I was a kid. Think I still have it some where.

[1930artdeco]

Apparently when some club members pulled the 30 coupe body off of the frame they found a squished dragonfly. The body had never been off the frame. So somehow it got mashed at the factory. I don't remember if they sealed it up and kept it with the car or replaced when they put the body back on.


Mike

[160B]

I found these 20 years ago under the front carpet of the 1931 160B that I had just purchased

[CHuDWah]

Our Sport Coupe had been sitting topless for a while. There was a nest of bumblebees in the seat and the radiator tank was full of mud - not sediment, actual mud. The previous owner's kids amused themselves by packing it in there.

[ursus]

A 1924 Canadian penny.

[Ray64]

9mm bullet that took out the front and rear windows quiet a few years ago

[mike657894]

i found a single cracker jack dice. similar to the small ones in this picture i found on google.

[Werner]

Hallo,
when I got my roadster from California, I was the first to do all tin interiors wax sealing. Back at the bottom of the wheelhouse, I found a desert mouse that probably once had red fur.

[Joe K]

I have mentioned putting sawdust into the transmission - I found the tranny in the truck shown as my avatar filled thusly - and the gears much as shown in another thread.

Funny, the seller of the truck had another supposedly prize winning 31 Roadster which was his "Model A of note."

I still chalk it up to "knowing the cars." He took what he wanted from the truck and then flipped it in the best way he could. I ended up with an un-number stamped Allstate engine block - which then wouldn't have been nearly so notable - so it all evens out in the end.

Truth is - the tranny actually shifted and sounded pretty good! It took a rebuild using parts of two other transmissions to bring it back to the same level of utility - and even at that I had to experiment with STP and the so called "600W" oil available to me.

I do like the smell of that original tranny oil.

Joe K

[rosenkranswa]

I pulled quite a bit of gravel out of the frame of my '42 Ford Sedan when I was first going through it, so the car must have spent some time on gravel roads. Based on a number of things, we believe the car was built during the last week of regular production before Ford switched to war production. Such cars were embargoed at the dealers and dribbled out to Drs., Nurses, etc. during the war. It spent most of its life in the Towe Museum and we don't know much about its early history. We've now concluded it has original paint on it that shows wear through to the oxide primer in places, but has some kind of clear coat on it. It has a splash of different color under the gas tank which we thought indicated a repaint, but apparently painters at the factory would clear their paint guns of the previous color by spraying it at that location before painting the next color. What a story these cars could tell...

[History]

That's why it's so interesting to me, because some stories get told. I collect all things ww2, don't have much as I'm not a super serious collector. I have a round cardboard tube that held mortar rounds that was used as a send home box for some gi. It has the capture papers that list the items, one item is a spoon knife set. The set is in the tube and it's insignificant but still interesting. The quarter you find under the seat may have been lost by some kid who agonized over it as they were going to buy whatever and now couldn't.

My dad owned what was from 1936 - 1968--69??? a building that was a belks department store. He obtained it years after that fact in the late 90's. I've seen photos of it as Belks and remember being it as Belks when I was very young. I inherited the building and was working inside above what used to be the window box. I found some really old wrapping paper and Christmas decorations that was Belks branded and when I was about to crawl out I saw a little red wooden ball. I picked it up and it was attached to a string that went inside a bundle of paper. The paper was the original wrapping paper from the factory, still taped and numbered. I could tell it was a wooden toy but no idea what. Turns out it's a firetruck with a price tag of 92 cents. I figured early seventies pricing. This particular toy was made from 1938 to 1942. It has more than likely been in that spot my entire life and was probably there when my dad was a kid. I haven't taken the paper off but I know what it looks like. Not going to sale it and will more than likely let whoever owns the building next have it.

[Keith True]

When I took the seat out of a 31 Tudor I bought,that made for an interesting bunch of,if this car could talk comments.A couple of guys standing there probably talked about it for a half hour.I found a perfect Sears nickel plated 7 shot pistol,it was laying in a tin box that had a broken glass oil bottle in it too.The oil had turned to grease,and perfectly preserved the gun.There were also dozens of little round tin boxes,at first I thought they were pill tins,but they turned out to be condom containers.Between those and the gun,the guys standing there dreamed up lots of little scenarios that might have happened.I also found a pistol in the spare tire carrier of an A,but that one was a mass of rust.

[katy]

I once bought a 1947 Mercury pickup that had been sitting for a while and the gas cap was missing. After getting it running the gas line persisted in plugging up. I took the gas tank out to clean it out and retrieved about 2 cupfuls of sand and small gravel, a 1" paint brush and a chunk of rubber weather stripping about 18" long. Truck ran great after that. Easy job removing the gas tank as it was behind the seat.

[burner31]

found Vol. 1 club newsletter for the "Cow Town" Fort Worth Model A Club, dated Jan. 1964 along with a flyer to their very first "drive in picnic".
I also found some part books from 1964 - 1967, from AMSCO parts, MARK auto and GASLIGHT auto parts. You would not believe the prices on items back then compared to prices today, I know its been almost fifty years...but WOW.

[Mike Peters]

I bought an unrestored 1928 Tudor at an estate auction in 1984. There was a nice set of tire chains under the back seat. The car came from Northern Wisconsin, so no surprise there.

[Keith True]

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I found some neat tire chains under the seat in my Tudor too.there were six of them,three for each tire.They were made for the A,the solid,or band part fit between the spokes and conformed tightly to the rim.Then the chain part just went from the band and around the tire to connect back to the band.The red paint is still on them,but the canvas bag was mostly dust.

[Jeff P. / MN]

I received a rebate on my ‘31 S/W 4dr........found a 1935 50 cent piece inside the drivers door and a 1907 Indian head penny in the front passenger door.

[40 Deluxe]

Originally Posted by katy

I once bought a 1947 Mercury pickup that had been sitting for a while and the gas cap was missing. After getting it running the gas line persisted in plugging up. I took the gas tank out to clean it out and retrieved about 2 cupfuls of sand and small gravel, a 1" paint brush and a chunk of rubber weather stripping about 18" long. Truck ran great after that. Easy job removing the gas tank as it was behind the seat.

It could be that the "sand" you found in the tank was actually sugar, since sugar does not dissolve in gas.

[Planojc]

Changed out a model A gas gauge and the previous mechanic had wired a blue Christmas tree light bulb in place of the float.

[katy]

It could be that the "sand" you found in the tank was actually sugar, since sugar does not dissolve in gas.

Trust me. it was real sand and small gravel. There was a couple of 4-5-6 year old's playing in the yard when we got that truck.

[DannL]

[QUOTE=Planojc;1808794]Changed out a model A gas gauge and the previous mechanic had wired a blue Christmas tree light bulb in place of the float.[/QUOT

I hadn't thought of that. That's a perty good idea. Thanks.

[RUNNERBUN]

El Cheepo front end fix. What appears to be a copper Mexican 5 cent coin used to tighten a loose steering.

[Jw]

Found an Indian Head penny under the rear seat of my 28 Tudor