1931 flamingo
Well-known member
I know the A guys say that the pans aid in cooling (and cleanliness). I'm wondering how many flatheads running "warm" would benefit from the re-installation of the engine pans??
Paul in CT
Paul in CT
engine splash pans?
- Thread starter Seth Swoboda
- Start date
Seth Swoboda
Well-known member
I have them on my "A". I think they make the engine compartment on the A look more complete. I they won't be going on the 39 pickup due to the fact that I now have Reds Headers installed. This thread has been a good read, keep them coming......
Ford furnished his Cars, Commercials, and Trucks with factory-installed Left and Right hand Splash pans ( maybe the exception were Cab-over Engine Trucks). This began in 1932 and followed through to 1942 - maybe even later.
As already pointed out, they were a "nuisance" to the mechanic and frequently were not reinstalled when disturbed. That is why so few original cars still exist "with their pans on". Perhaps the only legitimate reason for removing the right side pan was when installing the original Ford Hot Air Heater as they would not work together. This applied to the 1934 through 1946 Fords when the heaters were offered.
These splash pans bring back memories of an episode that happened back in the 1970's : I stopped one day at this small town Ford Dealer in New Jersey hoping to find some old Ford parts. As it so happened, he did not have many old parts in his parts bins. BUT upstairs in his attic he had a collection of a dozen or so of right hand splash pans. Most looked like they had been removed the day before. They had shiny black paint with little-to-no road debris. Some still had the little antisqueek fabric pads attached. They were probably "new car" take off pans, and were removed when the Dealer installed the Ford hot air heater, which would have been popular in that area. There was also a couple of left hand pans in similar condition - probably removed years ago during a maintenance procedure.
OH! Those were the "good old days"!
Lincoln.
As already pointed out, they were a "nuisance" to the mechanic and frequently were not reinstalled when disturbed. That is why so few original cars still exist "with their pans on". Perhaps the only legitimate reason for removing the right side pan was when installing the original Ford Hot Air Heater as they would not work together. This applied to the 1934 through 1946 Fords when the heaters were offered.
These splash pans bring back memories of an episode that happened back in the 1970's : I stopped one day at this small town Ford Dealer in New Jersey hoping to find some old Ford parts. As it so happened, he did not have many old parts in his parts bins. BUT upstairs in his attic he had a collection of a dozen or so of right hand splash pans. Most looked like they had been removed the day before. They had shiny black paint with little-to-no road debris. Some still had the little antisqueek fabric pads attached. They were probably "new car" take off pans, and were removed when the Dealer installed the Ford hot air heater, which would have been popular in that area. There was also a couple of left hand pans in similar condition - probably removed years ago during a maintenance procedure.
OH! Those were the "good old days"!
Lincoln.
blucar
Well-known member
I think that what many contributors to the old car forums fail to understand is with the passage of time, and the fact that the vehicles "we deal with" where just old cars that people with limited resources tried to keep running for as long as possible.
Fast forward to now.. We have people that have no idea what the original equipment on a given vehicle was... To add to the confusion, if you attend car shows that feature mostly hot and/or street rods you will very seldom see vehicles with splash pans under the grille or in the engine compartment.
On many occasions I have attempted to point out to a vehicle owner that the pan under their radiator is missing and that the addition of one could make their engine run cooler because the air flow would be forced through the radiator in lieu of being deflected to the ground...
As a general rule my comments fall on deaf ears... "Don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up".
I have to agree that engine compartment splash pans are not generally needed on vehicles traveling the modern improved roads on a limited basis, however, air deflector shields/splash pans under, around, the radiator is a whole different story...
