So confusing

H. L. Chauvin said:
A. The original French word for an automobile Dashboard found in older dictionaries may seem odd today.

B. In Model T and old cars English manuals a fender is called a mud guard; in French, auto manuals, a mud guard is <une garde-boue>.

C. Next, all European horse drawn buggies had a vertical panel placed on the front of buggies near one's feet to prevent horse manure from falling into one's buggy, so this panel, in French, was called <une garde-crotte>, or a nicer English translation, a manure guard.

D. Some of the first experimental European cars were made with buggies where the instruments were installed on the buggy's front vertical panel; hence, it became known in English as a Dash Board; but in French, the dash board, was referred to as <une garde-crotte>.

E. Seems if one ever travels to old French Indo-China, old French Equatorial Africa, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Morroco, the old former Belgium Congo, Belgium, parts of Lebanon, France and other areas, these Model A owners would very probably select the above picture "A" for the correct Dashboard.

But, just a Semi-World-Wide experience and opinion if one wants to check it out while traveling.
Click to expand...


And the British call the hood a bonnet, the trunk a boot, and the rumble seat a dicky! :D
 
I would call A the upper dash rail, and even the upper inner dash rail.

And the front of the gas tank panel that is behind the intrument panel.....just the dash.

I got the knickers in a twist of one dude in the HAMB a while back.

I called the term "tailshaft" .

He said it was a a driveshaft and shouted words to the effect.....this was a USA site, and I had better talk in his language.

I argued the point, that over here, a drive shaft is a front wheel or rear wheel half shaft that protrudes out from the differentials.

We call your "driveshaft " a tailshaft or a propeller shaft to differentiate .

He got real pissed and said I was the first guy who he ever put on the ignore list.

I still chuckle about that.
 
pooch said:
I would call A the upper dash rail, and even the upper inner dash rail.

And the front of the gas tank panel that is behind the intrument panel.....just the dash.

I got the knickers in a twist of one dude in the HAMB a while back.

I called the term "tailshaft" .

He said it was a a driveshaft and shouted words to the effect.....this was a USA site, and I had better talk in his language.

I argued the point, that over here, a drive shaft is a front wheel or rear wheel half shaft that protrudes out from the differentials.

We call your "driveshaft " a tailshaft or a propeller shaft to differentiate .

He got real pissed and said I was the first guy who he ever put on the ignore list.

I still chuckle about that.
Click to expand...
Some people get bent over the slightest, unimportant things. The guy that sold me my first model A has been working on and playing with model A's his whole life (he was 72 at the time) and called what Brent has labeled "B" the "monkey face". The guy who had a caniption over "tailshaft" would have a coronary over "monkey face" I suspect.
 
Again, while it is fun to listen to the different terminology used around the country, this thread was about Ford's nomenclature. Ford's nomenclature was the same no matter whether this was a US manufactured Model-A, --or an export model.
 
I believe the instrument panel (labeled B in the photo) can also be called the "dash assy." because of the parts that are included within the unit. There is the ignition, amp-meter, speedometer and gas gauge contained as a package. This is attached to the dash and covered by the dash board (labeled A in the photo).

This is my best guess as someone that expects the common name of some object to be different in other parts of the country.
 
NCRebel said:
I believe the instrument panel (labeled B in the photo) can also be called the "dash assy." because of the parts that are included within the unit. There is the ignition, amp-meter, speedometer and gas gauge contained as a package. This is attached to the dash and covered by the dash board (labeled A in the photo).

This is my best guess as someone that expects the common name of some object to be different in other parts of the country.
Click to expand...

I started this out to be a fun little exercise to learn a little trivia but in true Fordbarn fashion, it took a departure from the topic at hand, so we'll chase this rabbit a bit. :D Again, I find this is often a problem when working with different folks from different parts of the country (-or world) here trying to determine what part they are working on, however there was only one proper name for each item when Ford made the item no matter whether the vehicle was for sale in England, Michigan, or wherever. To be blunt, why don't we all (hobbyists, car owners, Judging Stds. writers, Parts Dealers, Fordbarn posters, et/al) try to refer to and use correct nomenclature for each item?
 
I think the differences in terminology used when referring to cars changes over time. If one of us went back to 1928 and referred to this or that by its current name, we would probably get lots of blank looks from the people of the day.
To add to the variety, terminology varies greatly between countries. Sometimes it is easy to see how a term came to be used, other times not. For example, lug and lug nut. Where did that come from? I had to look up the meaning of those when I first heard them. We call them wheel stud and wheel nut. No confusion. Same for a Zerk (WTF is that!) for grease nipple.:confused:
Some that seem to have changed over time are "ring gear" which used to be on the flywheel but you guys refer to the crown wheel (in the diff) by that name now. Split pins have become cotter pins. The list goes on and on and like has been said above, some get their pink panties in a twist over the most trivial of things.
Amusing thread!;)
 
The Ford body parts list show the firewall as being the "Dash". The belt rail has two different names in that book depending on if it's an open or closed car, but they are similar.
 
If you follow the Fordbarn long enough you will become familiar with the range of automotive terminology used around North America and the Commonwealth. If you can't become comfortable with all the variations, then you have a problem that only you can deal with.
 
Different names of auto parts throughout the World may be interesting for some:

I have worked alongside several foreign mechanics in several foreign countries from the 1960's through the 1980's.

Also rebuilt several American made & foreign made engines in foreign countries, bought new diesel engines and gasoline engines, as well as bought American made engine parts from foreigners in foreign countries.

If one just walks in and asks a foreign parts dealer or a foreign mechanic for an engine valve, a spark plug, or an engine crankshaft, using our typical English terminology, my past experiences have been that this was about equal to asking for auto parts from a typical American Auto-Zone salesman in Ancient Greek.
 
Oh well. This problem with experience and correct nomenclature (lack of) will only get worse and more irksome with time; even though many of us are dedicated to keeping and preserving knowledge and correct terminology on its deserved high platform. One misnomer that particularly irks me is calling a wheel a "rim". Later "T"s had de-mountable rims on their wooden wheels. Model A's have WHEELS, and their outer rims are not separate unless you chop the all the spokes away.
 
Don't even get me started on "Model A" versus "A Model"!!! It seems that the term "A Model" is/was used more frequently in the South than elsewhere. Considering Ford called his new car a "Model A" in all advertising (besides "The New Ford"), how in the world did a large portion of the geographic United States manage to reverse the word order to "A Model"? :)
Marshall, Yankee Boy
 
Worked YEARS on Jaguar, lots of unusual nomenclature names--LOL & tryin' to communicate with the Service Reps' THICK British Brogue!
Also worked at a Citroen' dealer, talkin' to those 2 French Reps was QUITE a chore! They came in an Older type Citroen' that looked like a SECTIONED '34 Ford Fordor. Like the POLEEZE Cars, in a French Movie!!
Working in a wrecking yard, I learned to "translate" lots of PARTS NAMES, like: Do Hickey & Thing-a-ma-Bob!
When Parts Interchange books came out, they were a BIG help, also.
Bill Jackofallsilliness?
 
I guess it's kinda like in Illinois you drink a can of 'pop', but once in Minnesota a waitress asked me if I wanted a 'soda' ??? I thought she meant a glass of water with baking soda?? Huh:confused::confused:

And in Germany if you want a 'pop' you ask for a Coke. An orange Fanta was an 'orange Coke'.

Plus all they had in Germany was Coke. Pepsi ya gotta go to Belgium. But I did find my favorite Dr. Pepper in Luxembourg tasted weird though I think it was a Coke in a Dr. Pepper bottle.
 
Jim Huseby said:
One misnomer that particularly irks me is calling a wheel a "rim". Later "T"s had de-mountable rims on their wooden wheels. Model A's have WHEELS, and their outer rims are not separate unless you chop the all the spokes away.
Click to expand...
I find it interesting (and funny) what insignificant things can grind ones gears. For me, it's when people say "RPM's" when it's actually "RPM". Insignificant and I know what they mean but to me it screams "automotive ammature". As far as the rim/wheel thing, I usually call them wheels but have/do call them rims as well. never really thought about it before but you make a great point. For me it will be wheels exclusively from now on. I don't mind quirky nicknames, like my previous example of "Monkey face" or referring to a distributor as a "dizzy" but I don't like terms that are intended to be actual but are just wrong, like rim and RPM's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top