chassis swap

[Buckwheat]

Hello Everyone,

I have located a 1930 AA chassis with a good rearend and drive shafts. I have a 1929 AA currently.

Can I set the '29 body parts on to the '30 frame or should I try to adapt the '30 rearend to the '29 chassis?????

Which will be the easiest, fastest and cheapest route to take? I also want to eliminate the dual high unit while doing this, so I was thinking use the '30 chassis and shaft setup and move the cab and fenders.

any thoughts?

Buckwheat

[Neil Wilson]

The early 1930 AAs used all of the 1929 sheet metal. If your 1930 chassis is later than April of 30. then the location of the little brackets for the running board splash aprons might need to be re-located (not a problem).

If you put the 30/31 rear end in your 29 frame, you will end up with 30/31 wheel on the back and 29 wheels on the front.

I would switch your 29 sheet metal to the 30 chassis if I were doing it.

[manyolkars]

The early 1930 AAs used all of the 1929 sheet metal. If your 1930 chassis is later than April of 30. then the location of the little brackets for the running board splash aprons might need to be re-located (not a problem).

If you put the 30/31 rear end in your 29 frame, you will end up with 30/31 wheel on the back and 29 wheels on the front.

I would switch your 29 sheet metal to the 30 chassis if I were doing it.

------------------------------------------------------------ He will use his 29 Sheetmetal on the new frame. Its a February 30 frame. He will use the 30 rear axle. I think it would look great with the 29 front wheels, but it is his decision. I met a guy at a swap who has 1928 wire wheels for AA. They are beautiful and I want'em! BUT, my 1 1/2 ton Ford is a 1935. Anyone know if they will bolt up?

[Neil Wilson]

The bolt pattern for the AA trucks ('28 through '31) is 4" (maybe slightly more). I think that the bolt pattern was increased to 4-1/2" starting in '34. I measured center to center on two adjecent bolts.

I have three wheels with the larger bolt pattern. However, I found no dates on the wheels.

[popcorn-guy]

Hollander's show AA wheels to have a 5 on 6 7/8" diameter wheel stud pattern and the 35 has a 5 on 8" diameter pattern. My 29 confirms the AA pattern.

[Neil Wilson]

Alan,
What does "5 on 6 7/8" mean? Also, what is Hollander's

[bert]

That term means five stud on 6.7/8 inch diameter. From the center of axel to each stud would be the radius of 3.7/16 inches at 72 degrees ea.---bert

[alan w]

Hollanders is a publication that allows the "junk yards" to know what items are the same or similiar to other makes or mfg's. For example, what wheels have the same bolt patterns and what those patterns are, ie, 5 on 4.5" or 6 on 8" ect. I obtained my two issues via an advertiser in Hemmings. It's been a real resourse for me so far. I knew they existed since being a parts man years ago. Finally decided to get one for the years that I'm interested in. Luckily, there are reprints available of past issues for the years that most of us are interested in, at least on this forum. Note: these manuals are a subscription item for the auto trade and VERY pricey.

The vendor is: Bob Johnson's Auto Literature, 92 Blandin Ave., MA 01702 508-872-9173 vox, 508-626-0991 fax bjohnson@autopaper.com

The 16th ed., 1920's - 1948 will handle most of us. There is the 23rd ed., 1946 -56 that may be of interest to others as well. I opted for both issues and would have done just fine with the 16th. They are pricey at $49.00 ea but well worth the money when researching a swap of parts. If you have a Hemmings look under the Books & Literature For Sale section and you will find Johnson's advertisement, which is usually 2/3's of a page. The manuals seem to always be in the upper left hand corner of the ad.

I should point out that the manuals do not always give you dimensions of items, like the kingpin lengths and diameters, but they are packed with plenty of very useful information.