tail light and door info

[dan plantz]

Would like to know the type tail lights my 1929 AA stake truck is supposed to have and whether only one or is both sides have the light? Also is anyone close to fl have a good solid drivers door. tks dan

[Brian T]

Hello Dan,
If I remember correctly it was around April 29 that they could have either drum or tea cup lamps, my May 29 had a drum lamp, but will need some work to make it look decent, they can be expensive to restore, I am told the re-pros are good quality, the re-pro tea cup lamps are junk, which I have, just another one of those things one learns, they originally only had 1 on the left side.

[dan plantz]

thanks for the reply. my aa was made july 29. dan

[gunmetal]

Mine is 8-3-29 and it has the drum tail light.

[Neil Wilson]

The A and AA left the assembly line with one tail lamp (left side for USA units).

Below is information in my AA TRUCK TALK – AA LAMPS & WIRING article in the April 2011 Double A'er newsletter.

Figure 3d – AA Vehicle - Drum to Teacup Conversion

Based on current information, the drum to teacup production conversion has a very gray time period for the AA vehicles. Based on the following documentation, the production start date has a range of anywhere between February 1929 to mid 1930.

The Ford Parts Price Lists shows that the commercial teacup tail lamp is for 1930 and 1931 only. This would apply to both the A commercial and AA.

The first engineering drawing for the commercial teacup lamp assembly is dated 8-1-1929. The first engineering drawing for the AA rear lamp wiring assembly used with the teacup style tail lamp is dated 7-10-1929.

The Judging Standards footnotes (page 18-2) indicate “commercial vehicles could have either a drum or teacup style rear lamp from February 1929 through March 1930”. The Judging Standards (page E-3) indicates that the teacup tail lamp was introduced for the AA in mid 1930.

Based on my research, I believe that the drum style tail lamp was used on the AA through 1929. And, that the teacup style tail lamp started production on the AA in January of 1930.

[dan plantz]

tks neil the info was helpful. dan

[Farrell In Vancouver]

"The Ford Parts Price Lists shows that the commercial teacup tail lamp is for 1930 and 1931 only. This would apply to both the A commercial and AA."

I am curious about the wording for this "Commercial teacup"
A fellow was chatting with me a the swap meet Sunday as I had asked about the tail light bracket for the 31 AA. He didn't have one but asked if I had any extra "painted" commercial teacups.
I said I had never seen one and I thought the headlight buckets were painted, but I had no idea the tail lamps were painted as well?
Is there any truth to what this seller says?
Also, he seems to thinks there were variants of the bracket as well.
I don't even have a part number, so what does a bracket look like for a 31 flat bed?

[markp213]

From what I have read, unless the truck left the factory as a "Deluxe" model, the headlights and taillights were pained black with stainless bezels. Both my 1930 A pickup and '31 AA truck have black head and tail lights with stainless bezels.

[Farrell In Vancouver]

I learn something everyday.
Mark, have you a picture of the bracket on your tail lamp?

[Neil Wilson]

FYI - Attached is the bracket used on most AA's with the tea cup style tail lamp (including the '31 AA platforms). This is an A bracket.

[markp213]

Hope these pictures help! Hard to get a good shot, so I included a picture of an extra bracket I have.

Neil, could you post a picture or drawing of where the tail light conduit goes from the back of the light to or through the frame of a 1930/31 Platform AA? I've seen it go through the hole, or up and around into the channel of the frame. Which is the correct way?

Thanks!
Mark P.

[Neil Wilson]

Mark,
It looks like the frame on you AA has been cut off. It may have been used as a dump truck at one point.

One attachment show the holes used on the frame for both the drum wiring grommet and the tea cup wire conduit.

One attachment shows the correct assembly sequence for the tea cup style tail lamp to bracket. Your assembly has the wire shield on the wrong side of the brackets. The two machine screws have black painted heads. The three bracket to frame bolts would not have modern day markings on the heads.

[markp213]

Thank you, Neil, for the correction on my setup! I guessed on the shield placement since my original one was missing. I knew you would have the answer. Yeah, it was converted to a dump truck for a while (back in the day), then back to a platform.

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Excellent info gents!
Which always drives another question:
What type of bolts were used to secure it to the frame?
In one shot it looks like Lag-Bolts into the stringer, but I don't put much stock in that, but plausible. Were they a fine thread bolts, nuts, and lock-washers, to the frame and the stringer recessed to accomodate the nut end?

[markp213]

I just replaced what was in there, but don't know what the original bolt/washer/nut combo was. I believe mine were coarse thread bolts, lock washers and nuts.