Import form Argentina

J

jeepguy1948

Well-known member
There has been some talk lately about cars imported from South America. Here is my story: 6 months ago I purchased a ‘30 Phaeton that is a RHD imported from Argentina. I am currently traveling for work so anything and everything that I can say is from memory only. I know very little about, very little of the cars story but I found an old registration under the front seat which shows that the car was in the US in 1979. I have no idea when the car was actually imported I only know that it was prior to 1980. I have confirmed that the car is from Argentina because the headlight reflectors and lenses say “made in Argentina” on them. Most people are unaware that on the RHD cars the gas pedal is located between the clutch and brake pedals. When asked “how hard is it to drive a RHD car?” My answer is this: shifting with the left hand?, not really a problem. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road?, not really a problem. Operating the gas pedal between the clutch and brake pedals?, with size 12 shoes that’s the problem. Getting going from a standstill on a hill with a car close behind is not easy. The car is in such beautiful condition that it is hard to believe that it is a restoration (it is hard to explain why I think it may be an original car). It did have a B motor in it when I got it (unfortunately this motor was toast). I have since installed a “A” motor that I bought from another club member. My current biggest problem is that the steering box needs attention. I would really like to get the Mel/Randy Gross F-100 box conversion but we have been unable to source a RHD core (if anybody has one I would pay a premium to buy it)
 
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RHD F100 boxes nearly impossible to find, they are not a mirror image of a LHD one , im currently fitting one & its tight, have you tried a short pitman arm RHD version ? we produce them , Also have new worm & sector for a rebuild , It is posible to move the go pedal to the right side , with a round pedal ,can be cut off & rotated 180 , weld on gives more foot room down the right side ,
 
My coupe came with made in Argentina reflectors and never left the US. A lot of A parts have been made in Argentina for the US market, of variable quality.
 
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The story told to me by a restoration shop owner friend was that in the 1960's through 1980's, virtually all the Model A parts coming into the USA from off-shore first went through Carlin Manufacturing in Texas. Carlin would go through the parts and separate the rejects from the usable parts and then distribute them to vendors according to quality and price. If you've been in this hobby since that time, you know who bought the inferior parts to resell and who bought the quality (for that era) parts. Most of these parts came from Argentina and Taiwan, presumably where Model A's were still being used for daily transportation as taxi cabs and beasts of burden.
Maybe getting a little far afield here from the OP's story, but the following does relate to what's been posted in this thread so far. My friend the restoration shop owner visited Carlin once to pick up some parts for his business. At the time, cut rate places like Rick's Antique Auto and J.C. Whitney were selling parts almost cheaper than quality vendors could buy them from Carlin. My friend asked how they could do that. Carlin told him that those businesses bought only the rejects and inferior parts that had been separated by Carlin - and at fantastically low give-away prices. Their philosophy was that although customers would be dissatisfied with the fit, quality and functionality of most of the parts, the sellers still came out ahead and made a profit for two reasons.
Firstly, a return policy was offered, whereby the vendors would accept the dissatisfied customers' parts IF the customer paid the return shipping charges, plus suffering a 10% "restocking charge" by the vendor. Being basically parsimonious as a group (i.e., cheapskates), Model A customers didn't want to lay out good money after bad in return shipping charges. Carlin said that 9 out of 10 dissatisfied customers simply kept the defective parts rather than spend a few extra dollars returning them. The businesses could absorb the lone customer's refund who did return the defective parts because they made a profit from the other nine who didn't.
Secondly, those shady businesses knew that many of their customers simply bought the parts and stockpiled them for the day when they would restore their Model A's. Many never got around to doing that and died or sold their cars. So, the defective parts weren't discovered until the car left the customer and the new owner was left holding the bag. Of course, those companies' sales policy got them off the hook when the car changed hands from the original purchaser. The return policy only extended to the original purchaser.
So, that's how such places were able to dump junk from Argentina and Taiwan on the Model A community for so long with impunity. We as owners were to blame for keeping these places in business because we shopped with our wallets instead of our brains. Some of us never learn that in this life you usually get what you pay for. Buy cheap, get cheap.
Marshall, a burned former customer to the tune of $1250 in defective parts (in 1978 dollars)
 
While there is some good information here which I do appreciate I want to point out something. The idea is being passed around that I have a US built car with import parts on it. I want to point out that it’s right hand drive so not likely a US car. For all I know the entire car is a re-pop but I wanted a driver not a fine point car and I’m pleased with it.
 
While there is some good information here which I do appreciate I want to point out something. The idea is being passed around that I have a US built car with import parts on it. I want to point out that it’s right hand drive so not likely a US car. For all I know the entire car is a re-pop but I wanted a driver not a fine point car and I’m pleased with it.
 
While there is some good information here which I do appreciate I want to point out something. The idea is being passed around that I have a US built car with import parts on it. I want to point out that it’s right hand drive so not likely a US car. For all I know the entire car is a re-pop but I wanted a driver not a fine point car and I’m pleased with it.
 
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It is my belief that no Model A were made RHD in the US and that Canada was the main source of them. England also made them but with a smaller engine. All of the Model A's sold here in the day arrived as kits from Canada and assembled here with some uniquely Australian components. I know nothing about Argentinian cars.
 
Hey Jim, at some point this car is going to have a Brierley cylinder head on it. I have it on the shelf ready to go (my real name is Don Picini).
 
The post Marshall made earlier in this thread explains a lot and reminds me of the bad old days of model A parts buying. Back in the mid 60's I bought parts from both Rick's and Warshawsky (J C Whitney). I was a poor college student at the time with very little money. There was an interesting post sometime back about Rick Freeman being a total crook and fleeing from the law. Thanks Marshall for reminding me of a low point in my model A restoration life and using the 50 cent word "parsimonious". BTW, like Marshall, I still have a few Rick Packs I bought back then and never used.
Rusty Nelson
 
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