A189

[Steve Ciccalone]

Trying to post a picture. Engine was stamped 11/2/27, dob 11/25/27. matching numbers and lowest # surviving car known to date. The car was repainted incorrectly a later '28 color, Balsam/Valley green in Sweden, where it was originally sold on 3/7/28 and stayed until 2000 when it was brought back to NH. Car was originally Dawn gray with Gunmetal blue belt and moldings.

 

[WTSHNN]

This is really a cool car Steve! Is it a trunk or rumble seat?

 

[Blessyouboys]

Is that Charlie Bass's car?

 

[tamagrouchy]

Nice car. How early is it in the numbering scheme?

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

The very early roadsters and five window coupes came from the factory initially as trunk cars only although they were fitted with the rumble seat riser pans. The sport coupe was the only car that came through with the rumble. Service letters in late December described dealer availability to refit the cars with rumbles. This was due largely in part due to early production issues as by 12/31 the total output of the Rouge, Kearney and San Francisco was less than 5000 cars and trucks.

I bought this car from Charlie in late 2006. According to the engine release records found by George DeAngelis, A189 was the 454th engine sent to the Rouge on 11/25, two engines after A616, the other verified very early matching numbers car that survives today.

 

[tamagrouchy]

WOW, 454th, that IS early. I am just guessing but, I bet after things got going that number was an hours production. Thanks for preserving that very early Model A treasure.

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Actually production quite slowly. By July 1928 only 200,000 or so cars were built by all the assembly plants on line and roughly only 850,000 or so by the end of 1928. However, by mid-July 1929, the 2 millionth car, a cabriolet, rolled off the line.

 

[d.j. moordigian]

Steve... Sorry, but I don't understand what you said about the numbering system. Could you please explain. Thanks, Dudley

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Hi Dudley. All engines were stamped in order from 1 going forward. However, they weren't released in the order of stamping. As an example, while production started 10/23/27, A1 didn't get sent to the line until 11/1/27.

 

[gz]

Great car. I saw it when Charlie had it on display at the Meadowbrook Concours in 2003 as part of the Ford Centennial display. I did not realize he sold it. Congratulations on the acquisition!

 

[Netclassics]

The car was repainted incorrectly a later '28 color, Balsam/Valley green in Sweden, where it was originally sold on 3/7/28 and stayed until 2000 when it was brought back to NH. Car was originally Dawn gray with Gunmetal blue belt and moldings.

Hi Steve
What makes you so sure about the original colour of the car?
Can you please verify the in some way? Did you find that paint under the green paint?
Before if become repainted around 1998 in Sweden it was in a totally other colour. Not green and not Dawn Grey. It was already repainted before the restoration in Sweden.
I have the original body wood for the A189 in my hand and it is not Dawn gray and Gunmetal blue a see on those parts.
Do you have a register of colour cars were painted in? If so it will be of very big interest to hear more about that.
It is also so that I have the radiator that was at the car before restoration tok place in Sweden. Can be interesting to compare with what you think is correct for the car.
The gasoline tank looks later than was assumed at the very early cars. I’m still "sure" that the tank that was at the car as it left Sweden was correct. I was there as we did lift the tank off for repainting and under the tank towards the torpedo it looked like is can have been the "original" colour. It was not, if I remember correctly, dawn grey.

Interesting to get some response for you guys that are experts on the early Model As.

I’m just and Model A driver and collector since 40 years so I do not have the proper skills to say what is right or wrong for this special car.

My best regards to you all of you

Lars Hedström
Sweden
netclassics ¤ hotmail.com

 

[Great Lakes Greg]

Would this car have open bumpers, or was it close enough to the first 200 rule to blend parts and have closed ends?

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Greg, no open end bumpers on thgis car. The engine was the 453rd released to Assembly. The rear bumperettes could have been open or closed. I've seen dated photos from the end of November showing both.

 

[2manycars]

Is the black windshield frame and stantions correct for this car? I see it has the early laced radiator shell. Does it also have the very early light switch?

 

[dean from bozeman]

Steve, is it possible to put some more photos of A189 on Fordbarn? his car is truly a treasure.

It is amazing to hear from Lars Hedström from Sweden. Though oxidation does funny things to paint colors, it would be very interesting to see the paint on the original body wood.
If it is different than Dawn Gray it might show that there was more of a variation than thought in the colors of the very early '28s.

 

[peters180a/170b]

Steve , the Fine point judges are coming out...l.o.l. You own the A189 and did not say its 100 % correct but it seems you should see what else Netclassics had to say and show[ pictures of the restoration]. If you need help RE-Restoring the car let me know,,,i can still block sand and sand blast...and do your frame[in a nice glossy black] l.o.l. :>) GOOD MORNING Dean, up with the chickens? See ya in a few weeks[ Hershey]

 

[Roadster62]

Great looking car Steve, thanks for starting the thread. Bob

 

[Elcastor]

Very nice car Steve. I too would like to see more pictures.

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Dean, I will photograph the car shortly and post some photos. The black windshield frame and stanchions are shown in the first brochures for roadsters and phaetons and were that color at least through December 1927. This is in the JS.

Lars, as far as the paint, Balsam and Valley Green was not released until mid-1928 and then only for the fordors. This is also in the JS. I recently saw the first salesman's manual for the new Ford owned by Jim Brand. It is not dated but the lines drawings show only the earliest of parts, most notably the large low engine number pad, the three piece front cross member and the single eye/single eye brake system. No engine higher than A616 has ever been found and documented with the big low pad. The latter two items were obsoleted after the first 1000 or so cars. I own three of these chassis, A189, A435 and A1031 that are in this configuration. This manual lists only four colors for the new Ford, Niagra Blue, Arabian Sand, Dawn Gray and Gun Metal Blue in Light and Dark shades as combinations. All show a French Gray stripe with that color used for reveals in coupes and tudors done in Arabian Sand Light and Dark. Jim also had a set of period Ford color chips. The Dawn Gray Light and Dark really looked gray and not the more greenish tone shown in the Paint Guide. Lars, I have the photo album of your friends restoration. At the start, I noted the car to be brown but with the gas tank removed, it is clearly gray on the upper inner firewall. Now, it is possible it could be Niagra Blue as it appears from Jim's paint chips that this blue also had some gray in it. Lars, as you know we've talked in the past of reuniting the parts you have with the car and I will contact you privately about that. The radiator is the earliest version and I would like to put it back in the car.

The on-off-dim switch is missing but it has the earliest light switch at the bottom of the column. Lars, I'm quite sure that tank is the correct one for the car. The earliest version of the tank has no vertical re-enforcement on either side of the coil. A616 is the last car I've seen with this tank. Interestingly, A616 was the 454th engine release and A189 was the 456th. Sorry about by mistake above. I'll post a photo of this tank later.

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

The first three photos are of the first generation gas tank. Note the absence of the hole for the vacuum line present on the second generation tank. Also interesting to note are the data plate rivets with the split points on the engine compartment side of both tanks. The last photo is the tank in A189. There is no hole for the vacuum line but I expect it was filled during the restoration in Sweden as it seemed it had no purpose.