Barn fresh AA farm truck

mramc1

mramc1

Member
I just found this truck 5 minutes from my house. I think it's a '30 AA, but could be an early '31. I need to verify the frame number as the engine is not original and is from a '29 car. Last licensed in 1957 this truck was used to haul cabbage in WNY. It is (was) green with black fenders. The odometer shows 9893 miles. The wheel base is a staggering 183 inches!! The rear frame was extended with channel iron bolted to the outside of the stock AA frame.

Plans call for a cleanup and getting this sucker running. I want to drive it around my house and maybe throw together an A speedster to haul around on it's back. Enjoy.

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Leaving the farm.

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The back 4 ft were not covered in the barn and the flatbed rotted away.

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Years of field mud under the hood. The engine turns freely.

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Cab is very solid. No holes in the floor and minimal rust in the door bottoms and cowl.
 
31 gas tank, one 30 front wheel, one 31 front wheel, splash aprons appear to be 31, frame is a 31 parallel frame. My first A was an AA. I love these trucks
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
31 gas tank, one 30 front wheel, one 31 front wheel, splash aprons appear to be 31, frame is a 31 parallel frame. My first A was an AA. I love these trucks
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How can you tell a '31 vs '30 gas tank? Is the fuel filler spout different or the shape of the tank itself different? I have several '30 and '31 cowls and never noticed any difference in the tanks except for my indented Murray cowl. On this truck the firewall is not indented and the roof is not all steel so I know it's not late '31. Also the cowl band seems to be painted, not stainless. Is the difference in the wheels how much hub lip there is?
 
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Looks like it has BB rear spring setup. Look and see if the gas tank
ever had the steering column attached to it. If not and it has the fuel
shutoff in the cab then it is a fairly rare tank, only used a couple of months.

Bob
 

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NICE FIND !
That is in very good condition. It, probably, looks rough to your friends, but, actually, very restorable !
Thanks for posting the photos.
MIKE :) (mikeburch)
 
mramc1 said:
How can you tell a '31 vs '30 gas tank? Is the fuel filler spout different or the shape of the tank itself different? I have several '30 and '31 cowls and never noticed any difference in the tanks except for my indented Murray cowl. On this truck the firewall is not indented and the roof is not all steel so I know it's not late '31. Also the cowl band seems to be painted, not stainless. Is the difference in the wheels how much hub lip there is?
Click to expand...

Wheels you can tell by a raised bulge near the bolt pattern (look at the front left VS the front right - you can see it)

Yes it does appear to have a BB rearend mated to the AA frame - if the welds are solid go thru the brakes and drive it as that setup! 99% of the people you will meet with it wont know any better :P
Join usover at http://forums.aa-fords.com/index.php wealth of knowlege on there!

Also check out Neil Wilsons site: http://aafords.com/ tons of research of his and tons of pictures snowing the differences and where exactly to look on your frame rail for the number.
 
Very nice find.

FYI: I just heard of a late 1931 AA 157" with the metal top cab for sale.
It is located in the Lake Elsinore, CA area, if anyone is looking for one.
I have not seen it.
The guy is asking $5k and it is not running.
 
I've got a "AA" 1930 truck but it don't have what ever that is on the drivers side fire wall. I'm curious as to what it is.
 
mramc1 said:
How can you tell a '31 vs '30 gas tank? Is the fuel filler spout different or the shape of the tank itself different? I have several '30 and '31 cowls and never noticed any difference in the tanks except for my indented Murray cowl. On this truck the firewall is not indented and the roof is not all steel so I know it's not late '31. Also the cowl band seems to be painted, not stainless. Is the difference in the wheels how much hub lip there is?
Click to expand...

pre 31 gas tanks had the steering column clamp soldered and riveted to the tank. 31 columns are suspended from the dash rail and the tanks have no clamp. Commercial cowl bands are painted, not stainless as are the radiator shells with rare exception. 30 wheels have no re- enforced center. I have a Jan 31 AA. It has a Sept '30 engine number matching the frame number, and '30 wheels, but the 157" parallel frame was released in Jan 31. Take off the wheels and you will find a date of manufacture stamped on the inside hub area. Often the 31 wheels were added later on duals to accommodate larger tires, and as replacements because the 30 style cracked at the hub. Wheels were also all mixed up over the years, so they cannot be used to determine the date of manufacture of the truck. Your splash aprons have welting between the nose and fender, so its a 31 fender. 30's had the nose spot welded to the fender. If you remove the cab when restoring it, you will find the number stamped into the frame below the cowl. That number can be referenced in the Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards, for date of manufacture.
 
I looked at the truck last night before the big rains came. The tank had a mount on the bottom of it, but someone along the way cut it off. You can see there is also a ring mark on the column where the tank drop used to attach. Must have been loose or damaged so they added the later '31 style bolt on column mount.

The wheels all match and do not have the reinforced hub. The right front hub looks like it is raised in the picture because of mud on it, but is flat and is the same as the left front as well as the rears.

As for the rearend I suppose that it was extended and had a BB rear installed maybe right in 1932 or 33 as it was originally used to haul coal in PA before it came to NY and became a farm truck. I can see the original AA frame is inside the channel iron frame extensions. Also the springs sit on top of the rearend, not cantileaver like all the other AA pics I have looked at. I definitely want to lift the cab to see if the AA serial is still visible.
 
Gold Digger said:
I've got a "AA" 1930 truck but it don't have what ever that is on the drivers side fire wall. I'm curious as to what it is.
Click to expand...

It's a fuse block and maybe some kind of voltage regulator. I haven't gone into the electrical yet so not sure why it was added.
 
Very nice looking truck. The rust should polish up very nicely. Take a look at some of the before and after pictures of my truck on my profile page. Might be something you would consider doing.
 
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