Dual Side Mounts

29RPU

29RPU

Senior Member
What 28-29 vehicles could have come with dual side mounts originally? I see a lot of Deluxe Roadsters that way, and some Pheatons now-a-days...but looking thru my "Model A Album" book which has many pictures that seem to be original, I don't see hardly any side mounts at all, and no dual side mounts (28-29). I talked to a guy who thinks his father's 28 Phaeton came that way originally and has pictures, he says, to prove it, but I haven't gotten a chance to seem them yet.

It appears that it really got started in 30 with the Deluxe Roadster and Deluxe Phaetons. What are the facts here?

Thanks as always for all replies! Tom
 
To the best of my knowledge no Model A came standard with dual sidemounts. They could be ordered or installed by the dealer. Maybe Marco will give us the straight scoop.
 
No Model "A"s can with dual sidemounts. Left side only [drivers] They were installed by the dealers. Not sure when the frames started to have the holes for [ 1- arm and 3 for bolts bracket] . I have a frame with No holes for a May/June 1930 car but Dimples in the frame where to drill for holes. But then again i have a unrestored 1930 Briggs fordor built in late 1929 with the holes. Think this car was build on a MONDAY because the hole is way to close for the side mount bracket to frame and where engine mount plate bracket is. Thinking there is 1 Model "A" with dual side mounts [a 1928 TownCar prototype for 1929].Think it has dual??? Don't know the real story on that car.Seen a picture of it once.
 
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I have a January 1930 roadster with dual side mounts on eyebrow fenders. Nothing has ever been removed off of the frame since new. Both sidemount brackets are riveted to the frame from the factory with 3/8ths inch rivets. Brackets which were added later were bolted on. So I guess a car could be ordered that way from the factory.
 
No Model A except Town Cars and Town Car Deliveries were built with dual sidemounts as standard equipment. The '30-31 deluxe roadsters and phaetons had a single left sidemount standard. A right side welled fender was offered through dealers in 1928. I have seen a few cars, all '30-31 that had riveted right sidemounts indicative of a factory special order. I have always thought that dual sidemounts were more a matter of practicality than cosmetics originally as owners wanted the extra spare to avoid the possibility of being stuck as a result of multiple flats in rural areas where road conditions were poor. I remember a '31 standard coupe with duals and the rear spare, perhaps the original owner was a traveling businessman.
 
On page 3 of Restoring The Model A Pickup by Mack Hills, it states “The spare was mounted in a left sidemount fender well to allow access to the rear bed. A rightside mount was also available. The cars later picked this up and it became a very sporty option.
 
In June 1929 my father bought a new Sport Coupe from the Bloom Auto Company, a dealership in Monroe, MI for $573.00. In additiion he opted for dealer installed side mounts, $24.00, 6 painted wheels $2.00 each and a trunk rack for $10.80 bringing the total price of his car to $619.80.

This information off the original invoice bears out the thought that dual side mounts were a dealer installed option.
 
As mentioned, it's said that the Town Car Delivery came standard with dual side mounted spares, but no other models ever did. Right side spares became available to the dealers in May 1928. I'm not sure just when they became available as special order from the factory without doing a little homework. They certainly were not common.

Side mounted spares are not exactly convenient on '28-29 models as they don't allow the doors to open very far. On open models it's even worse as the latch pillar behind the door is further forward than on closed models leaving very little room to slide through.
 
I seem to recall that only the 1930 Deluxe Roadster came with dual sidemounts as standard equipment - this being done to improve sagging sales, along with the introduction of the Deluxe Phaeton. My understanding was that the only others to have even a single sidemount as standard equipment were the convertible sedan, pickups and other service vehicles.
 
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