service trucks

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
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29aaman
Posts: 20
Joined: June 5th, 2004, 9:48 pm
Model Year: 1930

service trucks

Post by 29aaman »

hi neil, my question is about service trucks, what years did they make them? what wheelbase did they use, did they all have rear fenders and did any have single rear wheels,if they had singles would they have used a fender close to the express truck, did ford install any of the wreckers at the factory and did they have the tail light mounted on the back of the cabs? thanks rich
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Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
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Post by Neil Wilson »

Rich,
Ford sold a Service Car in 1931. It is body model number 229-A. There is an article about this body in the April 1999 club newsletter.

The Service Car was a 131-1/2" wheel base. The initial Service Car had single rear wheels only with rear fenders. The rear fenders were the same as those used on the '30/'31 panel delivery. These fender are close to the '28 through '30 express rear fenders (but not the same).

Dual wheels were introduced sometime in mid to late '31. These Service Cars used wider running boards, rear fenders, and brackets.

The tail light is mounted under the service body using the same bracket as is used on the Station Wagon.

Ford sold an auto crane (wrecker) made by Marque as optional equipment for the Service Car
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
29aaman
Posts: 20
Joined: June 5th, 2004, 9:48 pm
Model Year: 1930

service car

Post by 29aaman »

hi neil, hey i bought the service car i spoke to you about on the phone last week, it has a manley wrecker installed in its bed the body is almost like new, the wood in the bed is very nice it has vertical supports that are very nice and it appears to have had horizontal slates similar to the roof slates on a woodie headliner the only thing it needs is a color change, it is painted the colors of the tow company it belonged to, purple and white, the history of the truck as told to me by the seller, is that he bought it about forty years ago from the owner of the ford dealer who bought it new, his dad was friends of the dealer and was able to buy it from him. he later got a aaa contract and used it for advertising in front of his tow company, it has done alot of parade duty in carson city nv and lodi ca. it has a nickle radiator shell that is the commercial type no widow's peak. did the deluxe trucks have stainless cowl bands or painted ? and what else would they have? thanks rich
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Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Post by Neil Wilson »

Your back copies of the newsletter are on there way. You will be able to compare the Service Car article and picture to your new find.

Send some pictures to wilsmor@juno.com showing details of the Service Body. It makes it much easier to talk about it when we are both seeing the same thing.

The 229-A Service body had wood boards covering the entire inside of the body. The boards were shiplap on the sides. The Service body had a built in tool box at the front (which was wood shiplap construction) with a metal lid. The earliest 229-A's had a wood lid on the tool box.

Manley was one of the manufacture's of Auto Crane's in the Model A era.
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
User avatar
Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Post by Neil Wilson »

Rich,
I forgot to address your last couple of questions.

Ford did not sell a nickle plated AA radiator shell. There was a stainless steel AA shell used on some AA's but not the Service Car. This shell was available through service however.

The Service Car was not a DeLuxe vehicle. So it would have had the painted cowl band.
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
29aaman
Posts: 20
Joined: June 5th, 2004, 9:48 pm
Model Year: 1930

service car

Post by 29aaman »

hi neil, i have another question in regards to the service cars, in the book the ford model a "as henry built it"on page 207 it state's that ford only built 521 aa service cars, white with the addition of 38 colors,(what would that mean?) is white the most common color? my truck is definitely a white one, i have been up under the gas tank and white is under everything,my question is how many (if any numbers are known) had dual wheels? mine has the wide fenders and running boards, also on the same page it says that the deluxe pickups only 293 where built, my question on this is have you ever seen a deluxe truck? thanks rich.
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Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Post by Neil Wilson »

Hello Rich,
The color white is not mentioned in the text for the Service Car that I could find. The 38 colors refer to the 1931 Commercial Vehicles Exterior Colors listed on page 191 (which does not list white). The Judging Standards list 39 colors with a footnote for white as “standard on Deluxe pickup only”.

My guess is that this information came from the June 9, 1931 Indianapolis, IN “Service Letter” which establishes prices for special colors on cars or trucks purchased by “Commercial Concerns for Commercial Use”.

Page 2 item 7 indicates that there is no charge for paint colors listed on an attached list (which lists 41 present & past colors plus 9 Deluxe colors). It also states that “We prefer to retain present DeLuxe passenger car colors for use only on those types for which they are specified”. It goes on the state that fleet owners could use these colors if the fleet owner had already standardized on the Deluxe colors at not charge.

Page 2 item 8 states that for any color not covered by paragraph #7 the charge for Labor & Material is $4.50

My take on the wording of items 7 & 8 indicates that commercial concerns could paint their vehicles any Ford color and any non Ford color wanted and that this option existed prior to the June 9, 1931 letter. If you want to have your car judged, then you need to stick to the Judging Standards list of colors. You would need to get a letter of exception to use White on a Service Car. This should not be too hard since several Ford archive photographs show white Service Cars. You should take pictures of the white on your truck for documentation!

I know of no records which would tell the volume of any Model A or AA by color. I know of no records which would tell the volume of dual wheel Service Cars (or any other vehicle).

I have not seen a Deluxe Pickup. I have talked with a couple of people who said that they have one. I saw the side panels of a Deluxe Pickup at the body shop where my ’28 roaster was being worked on (many years ago).

I still look forward to pictures of your Service Car.
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
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Re: service car

Post by Guest »

29aaman wrote:hi neil, i have another question in regards to the service cars, in the book the ford model a "as henry built it"on page 207 it state's that ford only built 521 aa service cars, white with the addition of 38 colors,(what would that mean?) is white the most common color? my truck is definitely a white one, i have been up under the gas tank and white is under everything,my question is how many (if any numbers are known) had dual wheels? mine has the wide fenders and running boards, also on the same page it says that the deluxe pickups only 293 where built, my question on this is have you ever seen a deluxe truck? thanks rich.
Rich. I am currently restoring a dual Wheel ( white) Service car.
I would like to see yours ?
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Neil Wilson
Posts: 3062
Joined: February 5th, 2003, 9:42 pm
Body Type: 82-A/89-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Boulder, CO
Contact:

Post by Neil Wilson »

Hello Rich and Guest,
I would like to see pictures of both of your Service Cars! And, I have scanned some of my old pictures of my Service Car which I can send to you. My e-mail is wilsmor@juno.com.
Regards, Neil Wilson
______________________________________
aafords.com@gmail.com - use this email for contact
https://aafords.com/
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