A truck year ID

[Guest popeye31]

I picked up on a Truck body today It looks like a 30-31 but the guy that sold it to me said it was a 29. I told him it was a 30-31 because of the body line on the cowl that curves up into the windshield post and that the 29s didn't have that body line. well he replied back that it was an AA and that they had the bodyline before the 30-31 year. Is this right ?

[MCHinson]

I think that he had it backwards. If my memory is correct, the earlier body style actually was used longer in the AA trucks, so there are earlier 28/29 body style trucks that were actually produced into at least 1930.

Over the past 80+ years a lot of Model A's have been put together with later or earlier bodies on either earlier or later frames and titled as whatever somebody happened to find easier at the time. Trying to put together the legal paper trail normally required to title some of these "assembled" cars and trucks can be a nightmare.

It certainly looks 30/31 to me, but with 28/29 headlight buckets... Good luck.

[A by the sea]

It is a 30-31 body.

Ford did use the boxy 28-29 cab into early 30 then switched over.

Keep in mind it would have had a painted steel rad shell too. As pointed out it is likely a put together body and if it is titled as pre-30 then they are just using a title that was laying around.

Does the firewall have an indent where the gas line comes through? If so then it is a 31 body.

[Guest popeye31]

The indent you are talking about is it on the right side of the firewall and does it apply to all body styles. My tudor also has a hole that is indented.

[JFranklin]

The 1929 had a gas cap with threads rather than tabs.

[Guest popeye31]

I have a 30 truck and a 30 sedan I worked on a 31 truck today and saw the indent you are talking about you cant mis it. the indent is huge and is shaped like a teardrop. so if only the 31s had the indent than I have 30s bodies.

[MCHinson]

Not all of the 31s had the indented firewall, so the lack of the indented firewall does not mean it is a 1930, it could still be a 1931. It is never that easy....

[Guest popeye31]

So I'm married to two women . a young one and an older one . sounds fun.

[Dave Henderson]

Definately not a pre-'30 body. Incidentally, some of the earlier '30 trucks had the '29 style bodies that were updated with a twist-on gas cap rather than the '28-'29 threaded style cap. From what I can make of the picture, it appears to have the 1930 style 2-piece splash apron. But, like so many Model A's, it could be a truck that was kept going with a mixture of parts from various years. If it does in fact have the "indented" firewall, it couldn't be other than a '31, unless, and it's unlikely, that someone changed the firewall. Of course, there's always another exception..... could be a '31 body on a '30 chassis!