Shay reproductions

The company was originally organized as The Model A and Model T Motor Car Reproduction Corporation.

After the initial 10,000 Roadsters, Shay planned to build these other replicas by batches of 10,000 units: a 1955 Thunderbird, a 1930 Ford, a 1932 Ford Roadster, a 1936 Ford Roadster, a 1937 Ford street rod, a 1940 Lincoln Continental, a 1965 Mustang and a 1924 Model T.
 
And what does POLITICALLY CORRECT/POLITICALLY INCORRECT really mean? Or is it just a term tossed around to sound INTELLIGENT??? Maybe I'm one or the other and don't REALLY know it??????------Bill W.----??????
 
I remember seeing dozens and dozens of yellow Shay Repro Model A cars down at the Ford area of the railroad yard near the Torrence Avenue Ford Plant in Chicago (known as "Old Yard" by those of us who moved cars for FoMoCo) .
 
In my opinon they are no more than a streetrod( yank out the 4 banger and put in a v-8 ). They have a pinto or mustangii suspension and driveline. Im not saying they dont belong becuase I dont care what someone wants to have and enjoy as a toy.I like all cars well not these tuner things but anyhow
Ive been shund just becuase something was in primer : with that person not knowing I purchased it out of a garage earlier that day and got it up and running to be at a event. BUT they are not the same as an A
 
Pintos and Mustang IIs never had a chassis: both were of uniboby construction. How different are the arguments on this thread than of those asking about running 2300 OHC Ford powertrains in their almost stock Model As? Both end up being differences of degree.

Something tells me that we're "flogging a dead horse" here!
 
William L. Vanderburg said:
I believe the Shays were limited to a production of 10,000 so they would NOT have to conform to modern automobile safety practices.

Ford provided the Pinto platform for the reproductions, and later Fairmount platforms were used.

The Shay's undoing involved that each car was hand assembled by 6 people and they only completed 2 cars a day. Orders were coming in faster than the manufacturing could keep up. The final straw was that the company was 9.5 million dollars in debt and only possessed 8 million in assets. Also there were 125 lawsuits against them in several states.
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It was not a Pinto or Fairmont platform but a specially constructed steel chassis using Pinto/Mustang front and rear suspension components probably an improvement on the sheet metal platform. Quite an undertaking in my view. Look up Shay Model A , there is an extensive web site explaining the construction.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
And what does POLITICALLY CORRECT/POLITICALLY INCORRECT really mean? Or is it just a term tossed around to sound INTELLIGENT??? Maybe I'm one or the other and don't REALLY know it??????------Bill W.----??????
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I think it is overused, and to me, it is used by people who hear an opinion/view different to their own, and disagree with that opinion/view.
 
I can't consider a Shay to be a reproduction. If it was a reproduction then any part of it would fit on our A's. It is just another fiberglass body on the frame of another modern car. At least modern when they were built.
 
I think they were a fair compromise betgween the real Model A and a modern car; I wish they had been equipped with more period-correct wheels, Headlights, taillight assemblies, and instrument board.
 
I think they did a pretty good job, considering they were NOT allowed to use Henry's EXACT designs, hence the slightly different "LOOK" I've seen pics of some that were altered to look more like a REAL Model A.
At a good buy, I would buy one for ZIPPO freeway speeds to go see Cindy in San Francisco! Almost bought one a few years ago. The seating & leg room is VERY comfortable!
Bill W.
 
A friend had a Shay until I talked him into getting a real A. Only problem he had was with the wheels. The spokes came loose and he had to have the wheels rebuilt several times.
 
For me, Replicas with new technology does not make sense. Whether Cobra, Shay, Excalibur, etc.
A Shay is a cheap alternative to Excalibur. For me, this has nothing to do with a Model A.
But if someone has joy, so everything's all right.
Shays are only cheap in America. In Switzerland is now a Shay for Sale about 45000.-Dollars. That is too much. See here: http://www.auto-zimmerli.ch/anz_1717/Ford_A_1929_Shay_16_Automat_Cabriolet.html
Whatever.
Greetings from Switzerland
Barney
 
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Paul in CT,

I believe the one you are talking about was called a "Glassic". A fiberglass bodied car made in Florida back in the '80s (?). They somewhat resembled a Model-A 2 door deluxe phaeton.

Bob-A
 
No, it wasn't the Glassic. Shay was in Michigan and went into bankruptcy, had overwhelming orders and a cash problem, was taken over by Camelot Motors in 1883?? I believe which may have been located in Fla. Camelots had a stronger frame.
Glassics were built in the 70s and had International Scout components I believe.
 
Special Coupe Frank said:
Was the wheel problem with the Shay or the real Ford ?


SC Frank
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The Shay had the wheel problem. The spokes would get loose. Don't know what year it was.

I have seen a number of Shays but have only seen one Glassic. There was a Glassic at Iola 2012. It looks even less like an A than a Shay does.
 
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