'28/'29 Rescue

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
Post Reply
gearling
Posts: 61
Joined: October 30th, 2015, 6:59 am
Body Type: AA
Model Year: 1929

'28/'29 Rescue

Post by gearling »

I really fell in lust with this thing when I found it! PTO, worm gear drive rear end, whats not to love? It only took a couple years and two moves to get it from Wichita KS to North Texas, but I finally got the old '29 ('28 ?) home this Spring. A big dose of life prevented doing much with it til now, but I have finally begun to work on it. Hey, it was running when it was parked in that pasture 30 years ago. A battery, fresh gas, burnish the points, and oh yeah, get the engine unstuck! Refitting and redecking the wooden flatbed, replacing the tires with some used but intact ones (well, I'm poor, and it just wouldn't look right with brand new tires anyway), and, of course... the reason for buying it in the first place : "Honey, I really just had to get something to fit those wire spoke wheels I had." :D Yeahyeahyeah, I shouldve done my research before buying those wheels for the '29 bodied 1930 AA, :shock: but then again, I wouldn't have had a poor excuse to acquire this beauty. Don'tcha just love it when a plan falls together ?
Attachments
IMG_0839.JPG
IMG_0839.JPG (143.14 KiB) Viewed 4481 times
s-l1600-7.jpg
s-l1600-7.jpg (655.13 KiB) Viewed 4481 times
IMG_0840.JPG
IMG_0840.JPG (143.06 KiB) Viewed 4481 times
gearling
Posts: 61
Joined: October 30th, 2015, 6:59 am
Body Type: AA
Model Year: 1929

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by gearling »

More pics...
Attachments
s-l1600-4.jpg
s-l1600-4.jpg (402.05 KiB) Viewed 4480 times
image-2.jpeg
image-2.jpeg (41.71 KiB) Viewed 4480 times
s-l1600-5.jpg
s-l1600-5.jpg (401.98 KiB) Viewed 4480 times
gearling
Posts: 61
Joined: October 30th, 2015, 6:59 am
Body Type: AA
Model Year: 1929

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by gearling »

Many thanks to JBeavers for selling and delivering the wood flatbed many moons ago. I'm finally getting to work on it. I have been at odds with myself over modifying this wood bed to fit my truck, because I love to keep things in their original state and usually go to great lengths to preserve rather than to modify. However, this bed apparently came off a dually truck. It has previously been modified to fit a AA, since evidence shows the rails were once parallel. I intend to narrow the bed by about 22 inches so it will slightly overhang the running board width, and I might even bob about a foot and a half off the back, so it just overhangs the end of the frame. :shock: I hesitate, but... I will make a clean job of it, and once its finished it will look authentic and correct. Whether you wish to criticize or cheer me on, I welcome your opinion!
flatford39
Posts: 474
Joined: September 24th, 2009, 3:06 pm
Body Type: Express
Model Year: 1928
Location: NE Illinois

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by flatford39 »

What kind of gas cap does it have??? Screw on or Bayonet style. If it's the bayonet style that is an early 30 and the wheels on it are correct.
flatford39
Posts: 474
Joined: September 24th, 2009, 3:06 pm
Body Type: Express
Model Year: 1928
Location: NE Illinois

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by flatford39 »

Also what is that PTO operating. Was this a dump truck in an earlier life???
KimVanOrder
Posts: 753
Joined: August 11th, 2013, 4:25 pm
Body Type: 82-A Platform
Model Year: 1928
Location: Hamilton, Mich.

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by KimVanOrder »

Sweet Ride !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KVO
Dec. '28 AA
gearling
Posts: 61
Joined: October 30th, 2015, 6:59 am
Body Type: AA
Model Year: 1929

Re: '28/'29 Rescue

Post by gearling »

Thanks for the shared interest in my pasture find! Here are some things I've learned about it, and if I am mistaken on any points, please do advise accordingly.
It has the screw on gas and rad caps, as does my other AA which is a '29 bodied 'early' '30 (June) which I have heard is correct for commercial AA trucks.
The chassis is different from my early '30 AA. The worm drive rear end, I believe, indicates it is a '28/'29, and the previous owner called it a '29 based on the engine number. Henry was frugal, and I'm sure we've all heard about '31 A's leaving the factory with a '30 numbered block, a '30 splash apron on one side and the correct '31 on the other.
The PTO, I am told by the previous owner, ran a water pump, and the pump and tank were kept in service by a local fire department when they upgraded the truck. The PTO has a number of possible implementations like making it into a wrecker or dump truck. I thought about using it to run a compressor to run air tools or toot a train whistle, or even blow air through a collapsible rubber hose to make flatulent noises. :lol:
Another interesting bit is that the steering has an aftermarket cantilever setup that apparently had a tongue that caused the front wheels to follow the track of a tow vehicle, making the thing a kind of towable tanker! What a fun bit of history! As with all my vehicles, I enjoy making them mechanically sound, but do very little to alter the appearance. I drive my coupe around with decades old cobwebs and dust to keep it 'barn fresh'. Some people love that, others hate it, but IMHO, it is an old car and I have no desire to make it look better than factory new. I'm happy to let people lean on it and have their kids crawl into it for photos. Its amazing how people make a bee line for the thing, passing by beautifully restored cars, just to get a look at an unrestored, unmolested, original, running and driving A ! :mrgreen:
Post Reply