1930 or 1931

Shortdog

Shortdog

Member
When I bought my Model A, It was registered as a 1931. That is what I registered it as. After doing a lot of research and looking at a lot of pictures I have come to the conclusion that it is a 1930. Doesn't make me any difference but I was just wondering how it got to be registered as a 31.

The motor number shows the motor was made in April 1930. I have read that they made moters in advance so it could have been 3 or 4 months before they used this motor. The motor number is also the Vin number on title.

The grill is like the 30 and the running board splash aprons are the same as the 30. I think this is a late 30 model. Maybe it wasn't restered until 1931. Anyone know how they did it back then. Thanks Johnny
 
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Some states registered and titled the car in the year it was sold, rather than when it was made.

You can tell the DMV that years ago a mistake was made and you'd like it to read 1930.
 
It's probably impossible to tell if it was ORIGINALLY registered as a '31 or if that was done by one of the previous owners over the last 86 years. It's also tough to tell if the radiator shell, splash aprons, etc. are original to the car or if they were replaced sometime in the car's history.

Also tough to tell if that is the original engine or a replacement without lifting the body and checking the frame number.

Cars MAY have been registered in the year sold in that time, but it is hard to imagine a Ford built around April of 1930 not being sold until 1931.

Does it have a round or oval speedometer? If the engine was built in April, it is likely an oval speedometer. The change over was in June of 1930.
 
You should be able to date the vehicle by the parts assuming it has the original chassis. The engine frame number is nice to know but you can come just as close with the parts. The engine could also have been replaced. The JS uses 60 days but your engine date could be only a few days or in some cases as long as a year (if pulled from the line for repairs) before the assembly date. Depending on where and when in the 4 or 5 year Model A production years your car was assembled will determine how soon your engine was installed. Just 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 vehicle is the more accurate your date will be. You should be able to date your vehicle accurately between 1 to 3 months of the actual date of assembly.
 
FYI

RG&JS Page 1-1 revised 2011 Under Engine.

..............The engine number should match the year and approximate month indicated for the vehicle (Refer to the table of engine numbers.) The assembly date for a vehicle may be as long as three months after the date the engines was produced (4 Months in 1931).
 
The year of manufacture can make a big difference. The VSCC only allows vehicles manufactured pre 1931 to be classified as Vintage and events are limited to those vehicles.
 
Dick Steinkamp said:
It's probably impossible to tell if it was ORIGINALLY registered as a '31 or if that was done by one of the previous owners over the last 86 years. It's also tough to tell if the radiator shell, splash aprons, etc. are original to the car or if they were replaced sometime in the car's history.

Also tough to tell if that is the original engine or a replacement without lifting the body and checking the frame number.

Cars MAY have been registered in the year sold in that time, but it is hard to imagine a Ford built around April of 1930 not being sold until 1931.

Does it have a round or oval speedometer? If the engine was built in April, it is likely an oval speedometer. The change over was in June of 1930.
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The speedometer is round. I guess I will never know unless I take the body off. I don't plan on doing that anytime soon. I am not going to show this car so it doesn't make any difference what year it is.. I was just curious as to the year. Thanks Johnny
 
My 94 year old father would always laugh at me when I would try to apply todays standards of cars to cars of that era. He would remark how they would find abandoned cars on the road during the depression and drag them home and put a car together from parts from 2 or three different cars. He would say that radiators, fenders and engine parts were always used on a "If they fit" basis not on what year they were of.
 
I think Tincup hits the big nail on the head.

Short of having a detailed history back it is probably safer to assume some or all the car is not original. There are cars restored in the sixties that pulled from a barn today might seem original, but made of like Tincup suggests.

I know people have done all sorts of things to put a title on their car too.

Unless you plan on judging the car it is best to just make it safe to drive and have fun.
 
Tincup aptly describes the reality of many Model A's today. I know of a standard coupe that is registered as 1930 but has a late '31 body on a mix of '30 and '31 fenders and running boards, with a '30 engine mounted to a '29 transmission and running gear. It all fits together, runs well, and gets nice compliments from most everybody although it disturbs the fine point guys.

I was told that in the years before the DMV issued different titles for such salvage cars the local office would make a decision about what year to issue the title under. With a Model-A, the default was often the year associated with the only number visible, and that was the engine number.
 
Apparently the State of Louisiana didn't know what a "Roadster" was so they looked at the picture enclosed and titled my car as a Two Door.

I didn't want to open a can of worms trying to enlighten them so now I have the worlds only Tudor with a rumble seat.

If you're not going to enter it in competition, I find that, where the DMV is concerned, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.
 
April 1930 3 months delay so your car could be as late as July if the motor is original. Have you looked for the assembly plant code in front of the seat?
 
Skeezixx said:
Apparently the State of Louisiana didn't know what a "Roadster" was so they looked at the picture enclosed and titled my car as a Two Door.

I didn't want to open a can of worms trying to enlighten them so now I have the worlds only Tudor with a rumble seat.

If you're not going to enter it in competition, I find that, where the DMV is concerned, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.
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I am well familiar with the DMV here in Louisiana. I am not planing on spending the rest of my life trying to get then to change the title. It will stay registered as a 1931. What part of LA do you live in.
 
Skeezixx said:
Apparently the State of Louisiana didn't know what a "Roadster" was so they looked at the picture enclosed and titled my car as a Two Door.

I didn't want to open a can of worms trying to enlighten them so now I have the worlds only Tudor with a rumble seat.

If you're not going to enter it in competition, I find that, where the DMV is concerned, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Click to expand...

In Michigan, they only title 2 doors and 4 doors and I believe station wagon even if they know what other body styles may be called in other states. They go by how many doors are on the car. Therefore, a Tudor, coupe, roadster, cabriolet, etc. are registered as a 2 door. Maybe this same practice is done in your state.
 
The first few months of 1930 SOME coupes were delivered with an electric wiper. The rest of 1930 and 1931 all had a vacuum wiper.

The Judging Standards and Restoration Guidelines available from both MAFCA and MARC will enable you to date many of the components of your car. In addition, there are date codes on items like the generator and starter bands, distributor plate, speedometer, etc. Of course those components may have been changed over the life of the car.
 
mine is titled as a 1931 2 door . actually a 1930 coupe . but it is my daily driver so no matter . it is a SAN francisco CAR
 
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