Data Plate Rivet Update Photos

[Steve Ciccalone]

I have attached some shots of data plate rivets. The fist photo is A1031, a matching number early car. I'm confident this plate is the original. Note the rivet heads on the engine side. I don't have a picture of my 10/23/28 sedan but the rivet heads are on the engine side. The next two photos are my original 5/30 coupe and the 6/30 wagon. rivet heads are on the engine side. It is interesting to note that the '28 rivets appear to have a slightly broader and flatter head than the '30 style. Then of course there's Dave Lopes' '29 that I believe has the rivets installed reversed. Even if there were engineering drawings and instructions about orientation of the rivet, it would have been easy for someone on the assembly line to reverse the direction. I tried to post two two photos of very early tanks that show the original rivets reversed but they failed to load.

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Sorry, the second photo is another photo of A1031. The 5/30 coupe is below.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I have attached some shots of data plate rivets. The fist photo is A1031, a matching number early car. I'm confident this plate is the original. Note the rivet heads on the engine side. I don't have a picture of my 10/23/28 sedan but the rivet heads are on the engine side. The next two photos are my original 5/30 coupe and the 6/30 wagon. rivet heads are on the engine side. It is interesting to note that the '28 rivets appear to have a slightly broader and flatter head than the '30 style. Then of course there's Dave Lopes' '29 that I believe has the rivets installed reversed. Even if there were engineering drawings and instructions about orientation of the rivet, it would have been easy for someone on the assembly line to reverse the direction. I tried to post two two photos of very early tanks that show the original rivets reversed but they failed to load.

Interesting, --but accurate statement Steve. In judging situations, maybe this falls under the category of judge them for "how they were supposed to be" instead of how they could have been??

.

 

[Rich in Tucson]

Hello Steve,
Is the hole to the left of the data plate of A1031 original and is their another on the other side in the same position? I have a '28 open cab pick up body with two holes that appear exactly like the one on A1031; they are very neatly done and do not appear to have been crudely added like most firewall holes.

If original, what were they for?
Thanks for any info.

 

[RonC]

Anything is possible at the assembly end. I have 31 style frame with a 1932 engine date stamped with the early style number stamps. The early style number stamps should have been phased out in March 31.

 

[AJ]

In regards to that hole on the left of the data plate. My 29 roadster has something similar, with a brass push in plug. Let see if I have a picture...

Sorry, no close up at this time. But you can sort of see it in this photo. By the way, I replaced the missing data tag with a home-made VIN tag for easier DMV inspection. I used stock type steel, two-legged, manual type rivets.

 

[Charles Reese]

A1031: notice a rubber grommet on the sediment filter as it passes through the firewall and a different style to the filter itself .. is this unique to the very earlys?

 

[fritznbud]

Well let me retract my statement from the other day, after seeing Steve's rivet pics. The bag of assorted rivets from Mike's are nothing like the originals. They have a nice twist type shaft but no heads like the real McCoy's.

 

[Roadster62]

Were all Model A data plate rivets drive in type, or were there split rivets that were also used? I may be remembering Model T split rivets, not sure.

 

[Steve Plucker]

Generally: 28-29's are split; 30-31's are drive-in.

I wonder if the early 1930 commercial vehicles using the 28-29 style gas tank, up through June of 1930 when the new cabs were introduced, used the drive-in rivets also OR did those types of tanks continue with the split rivets?.

Anyone?

Pluck

 

[Charles Reese]

Mr. Kelley: think you are right. guess these old eyes are failing me ... i unwrapped my truck and took a better look ... seems to be a 'line' in the casting that (at the angle in Mr. C's photo) looked to me like a break in a rubber grommet. apologize for wasting FB space

 

[Roadster62]

Thanks, now I remember seeing the split rivets with the head on the inside and the split on the engine side, looked very odd, but that happened when they built the car.

Generally: 28-29's are split; 30-31's are drive-in.

I wonder if the early 1930 commercial vehicles using the 28-29 style gas tank, up through June of 1930 when the new cabs were introduced, used the drive-in rivets also OR did those types of tanks continue with the split rivets?.

Anyone?

Pluck

 

[msmaron]

Who can do restoration on an original plate???

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

Mr. Kelley: think you are right. guess these old eyes are failing me ... i unwrapped my truck and took a better look ... seems to be a 'line' in the casting that (at the angle in Mr. C's photo) looked to me like a break in a rubber grommet. apologize for wasting FB space

Well, I thought the same thing. It sure looks like a rubber grommet with the split at the top.

And, what's up with that hole to the left and just above the lip?
My 2-23-29 Tudor has the same hole, except it's on the driver's side. I thought some previous owner must have drilled it to run a wire for something, but this makes at least 3 cars I can remember seeing the same hole.

 

[Steve Plucker]

Well, I thought the same thing. It sure looks like a rubber grommet with the split at the top.

And, what's up with that hole to the left and just above the lip?
My 2-23-29 Tudor has the same hole, except it's on the driver's side. I thought some previous owner must have drilled it to run a wire for something, but this makes at least 3 cars I can remember seeing the same hole.

Tom,

I think that same hole is on my September 1929 Standard Coupe's tank also on the left side.

Pluck

 

[Steve Ciccalone]

Marco and I had a long discussion about the hole in the '28 and '29 tanks on the pasenger's side. It seems that aside from the earliest tanks that had no vertical re-enforcing ribs (by the way shown in Steve Plucker's great tank article in the current issue of the MAN) that had no hole, the purpose of this was to run a vacuum hose for a windshield wiper. Several people have found a drawing for a corresponding early intake manifold and several examples that had a flat boss to be drilled for a fitting. For whatever reason, the vacuum wiper was not phased in until mid-29 but that hole should be left when doing a resto as it was factory. I personally don't have any tanks with a hole on the driver's side but obviously Tom and several people have them. My wild guess is that perhaps when Ford contemplated installing the vacuum wiper, perhaps they hadn't settled on the routing of the line or perhaps they were incorrectly drilled and got through anyway. It wo uld be interesting if these are -A1 or -A2 tanks as Steve writes in his article.

I'll be back to A1031 in a short time and will look at that filter per Charles, Timothy's and Tom's posts.

 

[Peter J]

No data plate but I have the 4 holes on the left side (29 sp.coupe) just above the gastank lip. I pretty sure it's Canada assembled also but cant track it down.
Pete

 

[Tudortomnz]

If your Coupe is Canadian, it will not have a data plate in '29 but will have holes for one as all tanks were made in Detroit. There will be Robertson screws on interior hardware [ dash, garnish frames etc.] & engine if still original will be stamped '*CA' or another following letter.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Just to muddy up the waters a little bit, if you notice in the post about the Vicky For Sale, there is a link to the pictures. When you study the firewall closely, look at the orientation of the body tag.

.

 

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Ha, ha. Real careful weren't they.