1931 Ford model A coupe, fords biggest success since the model T 

I'll take a shot...Danny and the juniors " At the Hop"

Very handsome design in all body styles. A family friend who grew up on a farm during the 30's told me he used to burn diesel in his family's two Model A's when he was a teenager during the summer because it was so much cheaper than gasoline. The engines sputtered and coughed, but they did run on diesel if it was over 72 degrees outdoors.

Beautifully restored Model A.

Danny and the Juniors - At the Hop.

Paul Shinn is a Model A expert! Nice guy .

I had a ‘31 standard coupe, with a 289 hipo installed. That was Fun !!

Hello Jay, the 1930s was such an exciting time for the automotive industry!!! Manufacturers were experimenting a lot & were becoming more sophisticated each year!!! This Ford with its rumble seat is simply stunning!!! Thanks for sharing this exciting video!!! 🎄⛄🤶

Still thinking on that beautiful bullet bird. Model As always fascinated me, simply from how easy some guys can cobble one together from scrap to working in no time. Mad respect for those OG mechanics.

Thank you for showing my screen-shot video at the end.

Hey Jay! This 1931 Ford is a masterpiece. A beautiful car! 🙂

The water pump is conventional and what the fan is attached to. The model "T" had a planetary 2-speed(plus reverse) transmission. The Model "A" had a conventional transmission. The Model "A" had a water pump and an ignition distributor. The Model "T" had no water pump but there was an add-on kit. It also didn't have an ignition distributor but instead a set of 4 coils with vibrating points.

I owned and drove a 1930 Model A Town Sedan for 18 years. It was not always my first car. It was very dependable - with some effort. It was a love/hate relationship. As a Teen, I fortunately had enough self-imposed ego to overcome some of the snarky remarks. Sometimes, I drove it for fun and sometimes for necessity. Far superior to the Model T, it did what it was designed to do, and not one ounce more. I have owned some true classics, Rolls-Royce, Pierce-Arrow, Willys Knight, Mercedes etc., but while I had a lot of admiration for those, I never lost my total respect for the Model A. Perfection in simplicity to transport the nation.

Just some additional info: 1928-29's had 21" wheels. The 30-31's were 19". Also, the 1931 radiator shell had body-colored paint insert at the top. The 'footrest' next to the throttle is the starter. It pushes a rod connected directly to the starter motor. On the steering column are two levers: one is a hand operated throttle, the other is for spark advance. The bare-metal stud jutting forward from the engine block is removed, turned around, and helps locate top dead center for engine timing. As late as the mid-1960s, Montgomery Wards had a separate, extensive catalog just for Model A parts. There are over 200,000 Model A's still on the road today. It's a beautiful thing.

Hi . That was the timing gear cover. Water pump is above. Nice car!

At the hop, Buddy Holky. Great tour of the unique Model A. This one is prime.

Jay..just found your videos..vrry nice tons of info. I have been rebuilding A's since 1975. I just like to see them running again. 😂 on my 5th and last one now. In Florida. Keep up tbe good job. Michael

Very nice video! Not on Facebook.

Well done my man , just another treat !

Nice info. The 28-29 cars weren’t smaller, but were more cramped in the dash area due to the lower cowl.

Nicely done ! If you want to put a big smile on your face - drive one - it’s awesome !

I'll admit I've never paid much attention to cars of this era, but this is a really beautiful example of one! The seats look amazing,🤩 would make me want to just curl up and take a nap! It is really cool seen seeing it up close and in detail on here and learning about them, gives me a greater perspective and appreciation of them for sure! Lovin' the vocals 😁😎😃

Seems fitting model A featured later... So much content on model A's. But nobody else gives the little details you do on this channel!

I understand that the gangsters Bonnie and Clyde had a Ford with the V8 and they loved it for a getaway car.

You recently did a T Bird and a Model A Both are currently in my stable. Thanks for featuring them. A positive on the Model A is the club and tech support along with the parts availability. The positive on the TBird is that it is so good looking inside and out.

I have a 1929 two-door model A.. museum quality. Yes that is definitely an aftermarket. Air cleaner. Original will be stamped with Ford..

I believe that all with magneto as opposed to points has copper wires .

You might want to change the title to: 1931 Ford Model A Coupe: Ford's big success following the Model T Amongst other things, this is not a 1939 Ford...

I'm glad you walk us around these cars Justin. When I build the model cars, items like those drip rails are really lost on the model kit because the detail is lost through the reduction in sizes from the original to the model kit. Basically the drip rails in 1/24th scale is a line of solid plastic.

All Model A cars and light pickups used the same chassis, so they were just about all the same length. Note the Station Wagon was a bit longer than a coupe or sedan, but they all had the same wheelbase.

Air cleaners were after market.

Yes, the air cleaner was an aftermarket add on. No, that's not the water pump you pointed to. That's part of the timing gear cover. No, the rear view mirror wasn't aftermarket. That's an original or possibly reproduction. The song I couldn't hear clear enough to identify. The car you showed while singing (sort of) Little Deuce Coupe looked like a '38 Ford Deluxe Model. Having owned my own A since '64, I've learned a few things about them.

Model A's didn't come with air cleaners. The one on this car is an accessory called an Air-Maze. If the engine pans on both sides of the engine are intact, the Model A doesn't need an air cleaner as the pans keep the dust from the road from reaching the carburetor. In fact, those air cleaners degrade performance and can catch fire if there's a backfire. Most restorers don't use them.

That button next to the fuel pedal is to in gauge the starter motor.

Beautiful car... I mean....

Honest Abe Lincoln and Mr Peanut would have plenty of head room in the Model A.

If you get the chance, go over and look at that Checker Cab!

Very nice version of the Model A. Thanks for the shout out! But please, DON'T SING!

My maternal grandmother had a 1931 Model A until the mid 70's. I had the opportunity to ride in it a few times in the late 50's, early 60's. Very original, old but not worn out. I remember it seemd very solid and the huge diameter wheels/tires made for a smooth ride even on primitive roads. My guess is Danny & The Juniors - (R---_A--_R----_I-_H---_T-_S----) hints for anyone else

Song...at the hop

Wow! there's how to REALLY isolate your inlaws! Put them in the rumble seat and then pull down the window shade! Where do i buy one! LOL!

At least you wouldn’t get your fingers caught in the drip rail.😊

No air filter nor oil filter. Change oil every 500 miles.

Model T had 5 different body changes from 1908-1927. 1909-1914 - Characterized by a nearly straight, five-sided hood, with a flat top containing a center hinge and two side sloping sections containing the folding hinges. The firewall is flat from the windshield down with no distinct cowl. For these years, acetylene gas flame headlights were used because the flame is resistant to wind and rain. Thick concave mirrors combined with magnifying lenses projected the acetylene flame light. The fuel tank is placed under the front seat. 1915-1916 - The hood design is nearly the same five-sided design with the only obvious change being the addition of louvers to the vertical sides. A significant change to the cowl area occurred with the windshield relocated significantly behind the firewall and joined with a compound-contoured cowl panel. In these years electric headlights replaced carbide headlights. 1917-1923 - The hood design was changed to a tapered design with a curved top. The folding hinges were now located at the joint between the flat sides and the curved top. This is sometimes referred to as the "low hood" to distinguish it from the later hoods. The back edge of the hood now met the front edge of the cowl panel so that no part of the flat firewall was visible outside of the hood. This design was used the longest and during the highest production years, accounting for about half of the total number of Model Ts built. 1923-1925 - This change was made during the 1923 calendar year, so models built earlier in the year have the older design, while later vehicles have the newer design. The taper of the hood was increased and the rear section at the firewall is about an inch taller and several inches wider than the previous design. While this is a relatively minor change, the parts between the third and fourth generations are not interchangeable. 1926-1927 - This design change made the greatest difference in the appearance of the car. The hood was again enlarged, with the cowl panel no longer a compound curve and blended much more with the line of the hood. The distance between the firewall and the windshield was also increased significantly. This style is sometimes referred to as the "high hood".

Do the yellow checker cab 🚖 please

You need to correct the title on this video. It's a 1931 as you said, not a '39 the heading of the video says. Another great video. Thanks.

Actually the number of Model T's built was closer to 15,000,000, not 16,000,000.

13:40.....if you "unloosen" the knob, isn't that tightening it?

Interestingly, Ford built all metal bodies, whereas GM built wooden frames, to which metal panelling was attached. This was to lead to the latter boom of Ford hot rods, as the GM vehicles had mostly rotted away.

Just a quick comment, I’m not exactly sure of the years but believe that after ‘29 there was a body line budge that on the 31 you show has a yellow pin stripe .

Braking on all vehicles, including motorcycles, was very primitive early on, with only rear wheel braking coming first, and only via cables for years, then came the addition of front brakes finally, which constitutes 80% of the stopping power. Even so, as you have pointed out Jay, even following the advent of hydraulic brakes, they were not boosted till many years into the future. Further, the advent of dual boosted brakes were introduced in the 60s on most cars. The response of un-boosted drum brakes, although progressive, took great effort to control during emergency stops. Disk brakes, much less disk brakes on all 4 wheels, took a long time to arrive.

Why are you playing At The Hop by Danny And The Juniors? That's 1950's music, '58 I believe. Maybe you played it because that's when a lot of us Model A guys grew up. And Little Deuce Coupe. You must know that's Beach Boys stuff about the '32 Ford, virtually the only Ford that some hot rodders care about. You could have been playing Henry's Made A Lady Out Of Lizzie, which came out in '28, I believe, if you wanted to play a real Model A era song. I played it on my sax in my Model A video. And that Mitchell overdrive is not Model A era. It's strictly aftermarket. The first overdrive to fit a Model A was the Columbia Overdrive. But it wasn't offered until about 1940, as I recall.

So the Ford AA was Ford's first HD chassis cab? Sort of anyway. Minus the cab. "Introducing the 1931 Ford Super Duty!"

I'm always fascinated at how long it took for car designers to move away from the idea of a carriage without horses as the motive power. In a sense, cars did not forward till the 50s, becoming its own entity as a transport medium.

👍

How would someone get into the rumble seat? You answer the question.😮

good luck Jay,,,,I couldn't hear, nor understand what the hell it is?

Actually, the Tudor was the most popular Model A. It's the reason they made far more Tudors than any other body style. No Model A brand new did 75mph, 55-60 MPH at best. The Air Maze (filter) is after market as they came with no oil or air filters. A stock model A will barely run with a regular air filter installed, it will choke the engine out because ford didn't add an air balance circuit to the carburetor further on down the road. Also running a paper filter UNDER the carb is the fastest way to burn your car to the ground. They get soaked with gas because of gravity and a backfire or the heat from the exhaust pipe will light it up.

Too bad they don’t make them like this anymore. Is there a chance of finding a ‘36 cord to do a show of?

Model T doesn’t have a fuel pump either. The fuel was fed to the engine by gravity.

Jay, just FYI It's not Boga-rat-ton Boca Raton is pronounced Boca-Ra-Tone 😃 Just here to help 👍

When you pointed to the cam gear side cover, you referred to it as the water pump. Nope. The water pump is in front of the cylinder head and connected to the fan and belt.

75 MPH..? Naaah... Downhill with a tailwind and a couple of flies pushing, maybe... Otherwise, I LOVE MODEL As...

Great video! Have you driven a car with mechanical brakes? It would be interesting to compare a1938 Ford and a 1939. I'm betting the difference wouldn't be great, if the brakes are set up properly.

1939 Ford Model A??...it came out for the 1928 model year...built through 1931 model year...long gone by 1939...except maybe copies that were made in Russia, etc...not sure about those....

That’s mother in-law seat you put her there when it’s raining.

It does not look like any fuel bulb I have ever seen. No glass.

The car looks like it is very spacious! How tall are you?

The music clips you play at the end are far too long - make 'em shorter!

What did Ford do after 1931 if the Model A was only made until then?

"blind back" - would this style be known as a "Coach"?

It can't reach 120

I always has problems getting in and out of my 31 model A, my feet hits the edge of the door.