1928 AR identification

B

Barn Hunter

Junior Member
I have an early '28 tudor without engine, interior or steering. It has a trans with park brake in front of shifter but also has a mounting hole for the parking brake by the drivers kick panel. Fluted headlights, no fender mount taillight, tail light mounts to bottom drivers side of body. Are there definitive ways to determine if it's an AR or an early 28 made with some leftover AR parts?
Thanks in advance, Brian
 
First, There is no such thing as an "AR" car or truck.. That was for parts replacement only.. With out an engine # or frame # it can be hard to tell what you have with out seeing it.. From what you have said it sounds like one built from mid-late June until Nov.-Dec.1928
 
Is there a date on the gas tank?

Also, is there an assembly plant code?

See my website under Additional Studies...then go to Letters, Numbers and Codes for an explanation.

If in fact the body and the chassis were a "match" when it was originally assembled in 1928, we might be able to come up with something to the mystery but who knows what might have happened before you got the car.

Pluck
 
Thanks, Steve. That's a wealth of information on your site. I can't find a gas tank number but found an assembly code # on the front subrail. It's F16012 so it looks like a Detroit car? I might try to get the body lifted to see if there's a # on the frame.
 
As for the front motor mount...there's no engine, but someone told me to see if the front cross member turns up at the rear toward the engine, which it does. What does that tell me? I have seen AR designations on other sites but don't really know much about these.
Thanks again, Brian
 
While Ford never made an AR Model A, the term AR has, in the model A hobby, come to mean a very early '28. There have been many threads on Fordbarn as to the meaning od AR, AR etc if one wants to do a search.

As for your car, there is a multi page section in the Restoration and Judging guidlines that covers "Early 1928 Vehicles" that covers differences between "Very early 1928 vehicles" and "Early 1928 Vehicles" in the front axle, brake systems, just about all the areas.
 
Thanks, Mike. I would be very interested in checking out the Restoration and Judging guidelines. Where can I find it? I just moved up here to Ga. from Miami 2 1/2 years ago.
 
There are so many things that are different in an early 28. Rear fenders, front fenders, wheels, hubs, ebrakes, fender brackets, gas tank, clutch, gas cap, carburetor, choke rod, throttle mechanism, valve cover, popout switch, transmission, radiator shell, hood welting, headlight switch, hood. The list goes on and on. It would be easier to list what isn't the same.

I'd say if you don't have a multi-disc clutch and left hand ebrake it isn't an early 28. However they could have been changed.

I have an early 28 open cab pickup and am continually finding differences as time goes by especially since I'm painting a 29 and have something to compare it to.

Email me and I can forward you hundreds of pages of information about all the differences another forum member sent me.
 
The solid front engine support was changed in Nov 1928, it just show you that the car was made prior to that. Many cars carried the hole on the side of the body for the left hand brake but were equipped with the brake lever in front of the gear shift. This change on the brake took place June 1928, if that helps.
 
Barn Hunter said:
As for the front motor mount...there's no engine, but someone told me to see if the front cross member turns up at the rear toward the engine, which it does. What does that tell me? I have seen AR designations on other sites but don't really know much about these.
Thanks again, Brian
Click to expand...

Brian,

Again, go to my website and view the section on the frame. There you will find the article I did for The Restorer a few years ago.

Also as stated above, the MARC/MAFCA Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards will be a great trove of information for you.

Pluck
 
Brian, once you get a copy of the Judging Standards you can make a make a calendar table with months across the top and list major or easily dated parts on the left of the table from the JS. Color in the date ranges for each part you find on you car. If you do enough parts you will end up with a "best fit" date range of when you car was most likely assembled. The more parts you date and the more original the car is the more accurate your date will be. You should be able to date your car accurately between 1 to 3 months of the actual date of assembly. This will help you identify parts that have been replaced later on.
 
RonC said:
Brian, once you get a copy of the Judging Standards you can make a make a calendar table with months across the top and list major or easily dated parts on the left of the table from the JS. Color in the date ranges for each part you find on you car. If you do enough parts you will end up with a "best fit" date range of when you car was most likely assembled. The more parts you date and the more original the car is the more accurate your date will be. You should be able to date your car accurately between 1 to 3 months of the actual date of assembly. This will help you identify parts that have been replaced later on.
Click to expand...

What RonC has said is correct IF someone before you did not just peice it together with this and that.

A lot could of happened in the past 80 plus years but if you are lucky, then RonC's method will help you find the "best fit".

Pluck
 
2206.jpg


Here's a picture of the solid front engine mount used until November 1928.

The best way to identify your car is to look in the Judging Standards. That book has a lot of information and should be part of every Model A owner's library.
 
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