Plated and painted on '29 AA

[ParkHunter]

Sorry for the newbie question, but I just found this site. We're having the family's 1929 AA lumber truck restored and I need a quick answer.

What was plated on the 1929 AA chassis? Our truck has been in the family since new in 1929, but it has been covered with light surface rust so long no one has a clear memory of what it originally looked like.

In disassembling the vehicle, it appears the radiator shell, front bumper, trim around the headlights, hubcaps(?), and the instrument cluster were nickle(?) plated. Maybe also the radiator and gas cap?

When I look for pictures of AA's, though, the radiator shell was always black, the bumper usually shiny, and the hubcaps sometimes shiny.

Also, although we think the truck probably had black sheetmetal most of its life, the restorer believes the standard factory paintjob was green hood and cowl, black fenders and everything else.

Any light you can shed would be great! It's time to get the body blasted. If the bumper and radiator are indeed supposed to be plated, it might be cheaper for us to buy new replacements than clean and prep and plate the originals, even though they are in pretty good shape.

For those interested, some quick family history on "Old Amos." My grandfather Martin bought the truck as a chassis when he took over the Attica Lumber Yard (Indiana) in 1929. He built a flatbed and windshield frame for it. The truck was used continuously for in- and out-of-town deliveries into the early '60s. My uncles remember shoving railroad cars around with it and grossly overloading it to move material from the tracks into the sheds. In the '60s, my other grandfather Hunter bought the truck at the lumber yard sale and used it as a utility truck around the farm, laying fences and hauling debris away after a tornado. Since the '70s it has mostly sat in barns, but faithfully started annually for the summer reunion with just minor tinkering. We are finally giving it the thorough restoration it deserves with the aim of driving and parading, more than winning a concours.

[Drew Mashburn]

Park:

The following book may be of assistance to you:

FORD MODEL A/AA TRUCK OWNER by A.G. McMillan (POST-ERA BOOKS, Arcadia, Ca. 91006); Copyright 1975, Dan R. Post, Library of Congress Catalog Card 74-26382; ISBN: 911160-26-4

-- Drew Mashburn

[Neil Wilson]

Hello ParkHunter,
So, is your truck January '29 with steel spoke wheels, a February '29 to December '29 with six spoke disk wheels, or a January to May '30 with five spoke disk wheels?

All of the above had the 82-A closed cab and '28/'29 style sheet metal.

The steel spoke wheel hub caps were nickel plated and the other two wheels had cadmium plated hub caps.

The front bumper was chrome plated

The hand brake handle, gear shift handle, and instrument panel were nickel plated (butler finish). The head light rims, spark and gas handles, horn/light switch, door handle, door latch knob, window operator handles, windshield swing arms, windshield wiper handle (knob only), and most of the interior screws were nickel plated. I probably missed something – anybody see any thing?

The columns in the table below moved around but you should be able to read it.

AA131-1/2 Chassis Fender Spacers Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Fenders Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Front Splash Shield Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Headlight Bar Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Headlight Shells (buckets) Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Hood Cab Color
AA131-1/2 Chassis Hood Clips Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Hood Shelves Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Radiator Shell Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Running Board Shields Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Running Boards Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Tail Light Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Tail Light and License Bracket Black Enamel
AA131-1/2 Chassis Tail Light Bracket Support Black Enamel

82-A Closed Cab Dash rail Lower Body Color
82-A Closed Cab Door Garnish Mouldings Black Enamel
82-A Closed Cab Door Window Frame Mouldings Black Enamel
82-A Closed Cab Rear Window Frame Moulding Black Enamel
82-A Closed Cab Windshield Frame Lower Body Color
82-A Closed Cab Windshield Hinge Lower Body Color
82-A Closed Cab Windshield Pillar Mouldings Lower Body Color

88-A Platform Cargo Body Cab Color
188-A Stake Racks Cargo Body Component Cab Color
134-A Stock Racks Cargo Body Component Cab Color
134-B Grain Sides Cargo Body Component Cab Color
89-A Express Cargo Body Cab Color


Cab colors for '29 could be:

Rock Moss Green (with black belt & moulding optional) - French Gray stripe
All black - French Gray stripe
Commercial Drab (with black belt & moulding optional) - Straw stripe
L'anse Green, Dark (with black belt & moulding optional) - Straw stripe
Gunmetal Blue (with black belt & moulding optional) - French Gray stripe

I hope this helps.