Stoneguards

Bick in New Zealand

Bick in New Zealand

Well-known member
Just venting a pet hate of mine. Recently at a local rally I was amazed that I and a couple of others were the only ones out of 20+ Model A's that did not have stoneguards on the front of their cars. Back in the day were these for protection or just emulating the bigger more expensive cars? In 40 years of Model Aing I have yet to see a Model A stopped because of radiator damage to the front caused by flying debris. Maybe they would be better to fit them to the back, where all the damage happens! The Model A radiator and surround is a thing of beauty why cover it up? On a side note I have only ever seen one original here, a rare beast.
 
Did it look anything like this one, Bick?

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I know it's a matter of personal taste, but I preferred the "naked" look too, and now the stone guard is wall decoration in the Garage Mahal.

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I really don't care what anybody does to their car. For my part, I hate the looks of stone guards. The model A radiator shell is a thing of beauty and the stone guard hides it. One guy said that he liked stone guards because they hide flaws in the radiator shell. I say you could probably find a decent radiator shell for less than a stone guard will cost. I feel that gaudy exterior accessories detract from the original beauty. I'm not a purist, I do love period correct accessories , added to the engine to improve driveability , such as higher compression heads, performance cams and dual updraft carb. setups but mostly draw the line at that point.
 
Jordan said:
want to sell it??
Click to expand...

Sorry, no Jordan.

I don't want to be responsible for someone else covering up their beautiful rad shell. :eek:

The stone guard will remain "wall art",.......

......unless some Sheik happens to offer me triple what it's worth. :rolleyes:

*tic*
 
'Did it look anything like this one, Bick?'
Was a long time ago, memory tells me mesh was finer. Do remember it was made by 'Goble Manufacturing'
That plate on your roadster should be here, most of our A's were built in Ontario, and NZ well what more can I say!
Cheers
 
I prefer the "naked" look also.

That being said, in the are were I live in the midwest, many of the secondary roads are surfaced with 3/4" crushed limestone. It is quite common when traveling the paved hiways to meet trucks hauling this rock. It is also common to lose a windshield by a flying rock either from the truck or kicked up by a vehicle you meet. This will make you think seriously about using a stone guard.

As you can see in the picture I reduced my chances of a rock through the radiator by 50%.;)

Windowrepair016.jpg
 
Bick in New Zealand said:
'Did it look anything like this one, Bick?'
Was a long time ago, memory tells me mesh was finer. Do remember it was made by 'Goble Manufacturing'
That plate on your roadster should be here, most of our A's were built in Ontario, and NZ well what more can I say!
Cheers
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've had people ask me if I'm from New Zealand, even though it's an Ontario plate.

I am unable to find any manufacturing markings on this stone guard. I'm aware there were some of the finer mesh ones from the period made by Globe Machine out of Cleveland, Ohio and the Otwell Company out of Detroit.
I'm wondering if this one could have been made by Skinner Manufacturing of Oshawa, Ontario. They produced parts and accessories (including the Lyon metal Tire Cover) for many of the cars before being bought out by Houdaille Industries.

This stone guard is unique in that it mounts with spring hooks that thread through the radiator fins and tubes. No visible clamps, etc.

Cost a fortune to re-plate, but it was in good shape with no dents.

Wish I could have joined the New Zealand tour last year. Some of our friends were there.

Cheers!
 
One of the reasons I finally gave up on Harleys is the bolt-on junk which, for many owners, constitutes customization. The Harley design is sublime, a thing of beauty in and of itself (with the exception of that ******* softail which pretends to be something it is not, but that is a rant for another day). I began to notice a correlation between adorning the human body with tattoos and tarting up these beautiful machines with chrome geegaws. Much money can be made off the urge to improve upon perfection.

The model-A design is also sublime. Admittedly, Edsel borrowed freely from luxury cars both foreign and domestic, but his attempt to provide an upscale look at a common price was a triumph.

When I bought my Model-A two years ago, the first thing I did was lose the stone guard. Next I have to do something about the naugahyde interior which is suspect is not original.
 
I have a stone guard on mine just for protection for the rad as well as preventing some people from trying to get the rad emblem off.
I do prefer the look of them without the stone guard on though.
I have only seen one Model A at the Stirling Ontario swap meet that modified the stone guard so that it sat between the rad shell and the radiator itself. It didn't hide the rad shell design and still offered protection.
 
I prefer the model A with no accessories, or very few. I do have a motometer. I think the stone guard looks like a pontiac. It strikes me funny that after 20 years of fords on deplorable roads without a stone guard, folks decided it was a good idea on a model A. My father used to call such accessories "gilding the lilly". I prefer the model A in it's beauty from simplicity. Form follows function.
 
I think most will agree that chrome stone guard's, do go good with curb feeler's and fender skirts :eek:.

To each his own ;).
 
Yes, to each his own, personal taste and all that. But I'm interested to see that in this thread at least, the naysayers are in the majority.

My opinion aligns with most already stated: I feel it seriously detracts from the beauty of the original design. When I bought my '28 Fordor the very first thing I did after the car was delivered to my driveway was to grab my tools and remove the stone guard and headlight eyebrows that had been installed by the previous owner.
 
Blue dot tail lights are another detraction! (in addition to the fact that in some states they are illegal)
 
Glad you brought that up Carl,
As many of you know, I have been leading the way for a bill to be pass'ed here in GA. that would outlaw blackwall tires with black wheels on all model A ford's [28-31] it's called the W/W law.
It is very close to passing, I have a lot of support here in the state, And If the voters here in Ga. agree in nov 2012,... All "A" model's in the state of Ga. will look like mine, And that's my opinion :D.
 
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If I had the skills, I would build a skinny, flat black stoneguard shaped like the exposed profile of the radiator! That shape is a classic art form.:)
Please don't jump on my case, but stone guards on 'A's" remind me of an old Chev.:eek: We do have freedom of speech, don't we?? Bill W.
 
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