Unauthorized accessories

1930artdeco

Well-known member
Hi All,


I thought I would start a thread of accessories that people have instead of one here and one there, So post pics of your unusual and unauthorized accessory.


1) Sun visor that dad found somewhere and installed. Probably aftermarket.


2) I got a pair of these off of Ebay and they are still n great shape. Obviously they need to be higher up in the window.

3) Foot pedal accelerator-never seen another one like it, it is fastened to a plate just like the one that goes around the shifter boot and hand brake for a 30-31 Model A. This was designed for Model A's









Mike
 

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There actually is a book available ; 'Those Wonderful Unauthorised Accessories' for Model A from the collections of Murray Fahnestock. Has just about everything ever available & always highly amuses my wife when I consult this venerable tome. She thinks if it were authorised accessories would be boring enough, let alone únauthorised'.
Cheers - Tom in NZ.
 
The American Museum of Speed in Lincoln NE has the largest collection of T and A accessories and engines anywhere. They also host the Speedster Reunion.
 
The Restorer did an article years ago on a gentleman from Wichita, Kansas who had many unique unauthorized accessories. The two I remember most were fender skirts on the rear wheels and headlights that turned with the steering wheel. I talked to several people that knew him from the local model A club who told me that he was deceased by then and his car was sold to someone out of the area maybe Indiana. The pictures in The Restorer of the car with the fender skirts made it look like a real high end automobile. I kind of liked them both!
 
I found some photos of accessories of the model A from Wichita that was in the Restore article many years ago.
 

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The headlights that moved with the steering wheel are Pilot-Ray Roadlites. You can see an add for them....
 
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That Felton pedal was probably made for a 9N tractor. The tractors only used a hand throttle and Felton made a foot operated pedal system. I saw them on the Ford 9N classified occasionally.
Terry
 
Here are some pics of an early Appleton spotlight made expressly for '28-'29
Model-A open cars. It is temporarily mounted on my '29 roadster in the pics. 035.jpg

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Bob-A:D
 

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I found some photos of accessories of the model A from Wichita that was in the Restore article many years ago.


Fender-mounted parking lights and spotlight were authorized accessories.

That car is definitely "accessorized"! I'd guess folks who bought Fords during the Depression didn't have a lot of extra cash for accessories. Although our Sport Coupe did have an unauthorized Fulton pull-up starter. No pix, but it was a lever that clamped to the steering column support - it worked a rod that replaced the starter pedal. As the name implies, the rod activated the starter when the lever was pulled up. Pretty handy as it allowed keeping feet on the brake and clutch pedals when starting.
 

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Here are some pics of an early Appleton spotlight made expressly for '28-'29
Model-A open cars. It is temporarily mounted on my '29 roadster in the pics.

Bob-A:D

Too bad they don't have the lens for it to protect the reflector.
 
I saw this advertisement for the "Bat" Super-Charger in "Those Wonderful Unauthorized Accessories". While at Hershey a few years back, I noticed one in a rusty pile of parts. Twenty dollars and it was mine. Cleaned it up, painted it, mated it to a new exhaust manifold and had them surfaced. Works great! I carry a copy of the advertisement with me to show people. I have yet to meet somebody who has ever seen one.
 

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Ruth,


Through the years I have collected spare clear spotlight lenses. So I'm sure
I've got few extras for it somewhere. After the pics of the light on my '29, I
placed the Appleton light in my display case.;)


Bob-A:D
 
This is a Model-A era correct accessory down draft carb set up made by Stromberg. Look on page 75 of the "Those Wonderful Unauthorized Accessories ......." book. I've got three of these set-ups and hope to restore
them some day.:cool:



Bob-A:D098.jpg

104.jpg
 
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