Motometer Wings

A TRUCK

A TRUCK

Member
Hi Guys
Just wanted to find out....what is the correct way for Motometer Wings to sit?
The tips of the wings curve down. Do they point to the front of the car or do they point towards the windscreen?
Any pics would be greatly appreciated.

Basil
 
the tips of the wings point to the rear of the car and face up or the bird would be going backwards and grounded
 

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The scapulars and coverts face forward, as in flight. The trailing primaries face the windshield. Unless you want your wings to fly backward, which may ruffle some observers feathers.
 
I place all of my car's radiator cap 'Wings' up-side-down, which pushes the car with a down-ward pressure. This helps keep the car 'grounded' when negotiating rutted dirt and gravel roads. When driving on smooth flat, straight paved roads, I reverse it, so that the wings help 'lift' the car, giving me better gas mileage.
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insomniacshotrods (see 6 posts below) - aside from the optional side-opening of the water cap (I assumed you quickly 'slapped' it on your car for the photo to help demonstrate your point), I believe you DO have the correct mounting of the Winged Ornament. The way you have it is the way I have always seen it on cars. Following both convention and my own sense of 'how it should be done' - I installed my just like yours. Like a real birds wings (eagle or otherwise) the thick part is the 'leading edge' (as in an areoplane wing) - the foreward-most part, leading to the 'trailing edge' at the rear of the wing, thinning down as it goes. So the thin edge should be towards the car's windshield. Ofcourse the feathers are up.

I realize that there are always going to be people who like to personalize their toys, lord knows I do - so up-side-down, backwards, painted, brass, chrome, nickle - it really only matters to the rooster who is 'struttin' his stuff'.

To continue with my own personalizing, after a stint with the 'Wings', I came to think that I they over-stated the cap - I began to think that they were a bit too much 'Clutter', and removed them. getting back to just a Motor Meter. Later I removed even the MotorMeter, and remained with just a plain stock 'Eaton' radiator cap. So I transcended gaudy and returned to 'chaste'. It is called 'evolution'. Or perhaps, 'Getting Old'.
 
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I have always thought wings on a motometer were seen in the early to mid twenties ,ie. the Model T era?
The era adverts of the Model A do not usually feature them.
Someone may prove me wrong in this.
 
Tudortomnz said:
I have always thought wings on a motometer were seen in the early to mid twenties ,ie. the Model T era?
The era adverts of the Model A do not usually feature them.
Someone may prove me wrong in this.
Click to expand...

I never gave it a thought till you brought this up.

I have a file on my computer with over 200 vintage photos of A Models. I went through all of them and saw mostly standard flat caps, a few quails, a few motometers, two flying ladies, and a bowling trophy but not one set of wings!
 
Skeezixx said:
I never gave it a thought till you brought this up.

I have a file on my computer with over 200 vintage photos of A Models. I went through all of them and saw mostly standard flat caps, a few quails, a few motometers, two flying ladies, and a bowling trophy but not one set of wings!
Click to expand...
I love to do things "my ways" just to irritate folks! "THEY" even say I have my hinge mounted mirrors UPSIDE DOWN:D Model A'ing is supposed to be FUN! I'm going to do my woodgrain in 1/4 sawn OAK, even! I've practiced already & it's quite easy. Like, whatever wood grain you "create", somewhere in the WORLD, there's a grain that looks like it. Before I sold Minerva, I had planned to do silvery grey grain on the black interior trim parts & call it "BLACK EBONY" I saw a nice Black coupe once, with ALL the exterior reveal mouldings done in Mahogany woodgrain & it looked EXCELLENT!:)
Bill W.
 
My car had just a cap that matched the gas cap on it when i got it. I put on a locking rad cap and a moto meter i already had,but it was missing something so i got my wings ha. Used permatex 2 to seal the top of wings to moto meter ,then rubber gasket at bottom of wings,then a dab of permatex on the bottom of cap where it all goes through,then brass nut. No leaks. Had to research some pics to see which way the wings went. Still looks backwards or upside down or something. But gives it that old car feel to me.
 
insomniacshotrods said:
My car had just a cap that matched the gas cap on it when i got it. I put on a locking rad cap and a moto meter i already had,but it was missing something so i got my wings ha. Used permatex 2 to seal the top of wings to moto meter ,then rubber gasket at bottom of wings,then a dab of permatex on the bottom of cap where it all goes through,then brass nut. No leaks. Had to research some pics to see which way the wings went. Still looks backwards or upside down or something. But gives it that old car feel to me.
Click to expand...

Wait just a minute! This cap looks different from all the others I have seen. The wings and cap appear to be one unit instead of two separate pieces.
And it appears to open to the side instead into the paint of an open hood.
 
skeezixx you need to turn your cap another 1/4 so the hinge is in the rear and maybe a small drop of blue paint to fill in your chipped radiator badge.
 
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