1928 car repair mailer

[David J]

Thought this may be of interest . David J

 

[David Conwill]

I love this sort of thing! For those of you playing along at home:

Dear Sir:-

We’re writing this letter to you today because we want to help you get your money out of your Model T.

It’s still as good a car as it was the day the new Model A Ford was announced and there’s no need to sacrifice it.

The Model T Ford is still used by more people than any other automobile. Eight million are in active service right now and many of them can be driven one, two, three and five years and even longer.

Bring your car to us and let us look it over. You’ll be surprised to see how little it costs to put it in tip-top shape.

New fenders, for instance, cost from $3.50 to $5.00 each, with a labor charge of $1.00 to $2.50. Tuning up the motor and replacing commutator case, brush and ******** points costs only $1.00, with a small charge for material. Brake shoes can be installed and emergency brakes equalized for a labor charge of only $1.25. A labor charge of $4.00 to $5.00 will cover the overhauling of the front axle, rebushing springs and spring perches, and straightening, aligning and adjusting wheels.

The labor charge for overhauling the average rear axle runs from $5.75 to $7.00. Grinding valves and cleaning carbon can be done for $3.00 to $4.00.

A set of four new pistons and rings costs only $7.00. For a labor charge of $20.00 to $25.00 you can have your motor and transmission completely overhauled. Parts are extra.

Very truly yours,

C.R. GLEASON CO.
Bottineau, N. Dak.

According to one source, what cost $1.00 in 1928 would cost $12.61 in 2010. Thinking of that as roughly $12.50, that means fenders cost $43.75 to $62.50 each. Installation of those fenders ranged from $12.50 to $31.25. Exclusive of materials, an engine tuneup cost $12.50; brake service cost $15.75; front suspension overhaul & alignment cost $50.00 to $62.50; a rear axle overhaul cost $72.50 to $87.50; and grinding valves & cleaning carbon cost $37.50 to $50.00. Four pistons and rings cost $87.50, and the labor for a complete motor & transmission overhaul cost $250.00 to $312.50.

Very interesting. I’m not familiar with how long would have taken to perform those tasks, but my sense of it is that labor has gone up significantly more than parts in the intervening 83 years.

When we calculate the demand for T parts then versus the demand for T parts now, we may actually be getting a better deal on parts now than then, since there aren’t 12 million junk Ford sitting in junkyards for us to strip.

-Dave

 

[John Duden]

i have seen this on email, is'nt it cool!
John