After 70 YEARS in existence no one can tell what has taken place with a car. Even if the 19whatever has been stored it's ENTIRE LIFE, it was made IMPURE at the FACTORY. Parts were MADE & INSTALLED by a PERSON. Model T's need FITTING. Factories used over runs from the last year's model. Every effort was made to keep the Model T factory "line" moving. FORD used BLACK paint, because it dried faster than COLORED paint. Some autos were knocked down at the factory, shipped by train, Re-Assembled at small town dealerships. The dealers would hire ANYONE to help put the cars back together. If a part was missing/broken, the workers would MAKE a new part. It didn't have to MATCH the other side, it just had to FIT. Workers even used the CRATES as floor boards. Often, when a dealer sold a car, it was TITLED ON THE DATE OF SALE, not the year it was made. Non-USA made Ford Roadsters & Tourings had all working doors. FORD used custom parts as early as 1913. If you needed a replacement part, dealers only had what was available, which probably was a metal piece. 1916 was the last last year of the BRASS era. From 1917 through 1922, saw these changes: 1917 a steel radiator shell; 1919 demountable rims & electric starter; 1920 cowl lamps became an option. 1923/1924 cars were identical to each other, but some bodies had steel doors; balloon tires; nickel plated radiator shell; the CENTER DOOR SEDAN was dropped; a real TUDOR SEDAN was made and Henry FORD renamed the Four-door Sedan, to be "FORDOR" after himself, which is now a registered trademark for the Ford Motor Company. In 1926, the doors and the body sills were steel. Everything was about to change: Lower cars; driverside doors became usable; chrome bumpers and COLOR. The 1926 and 1927 styles were identical, except wood spokes were replaced by the "new" wire wheels. In May of 1927, the MODEL T assembly line was shut down. FORD built more than 15 MILLION cars from 1914 to 1927. The first Model A cars rolled off the line in early DEC.1927. In less than 30days FORD had sold all of the 4000 cars they had built. These are "AR' BODY STYLES, made in 1927, but sold as a 1928 car. Do you have an "AR"? Go to our "AR" Information Page. Email us if you have questions. |
