model a shocks question

[bouke97]

I have a new set of Model A shocks that I am selling and I was asked if they were original. Does anyone know how to determine if they are original or reproductions?

[MCHinson]

I would visually compare them to photos in the MAFCA Judging Manual. If you don't have access to a judging manual, you could post some photos here and somebody could probably take a look and identify them as either original or reproduction.

[Guest HeyPop]

Quickest thing to look for is either Houdaille or Ford on the casting. There were a couple other manufactures of shocks during the period, but a true Model A usually had Houdaille shocks front and back.

[mlander]

The only other Rotary shocks made to my knowledge were the Gabriel Rotary Triple Vane shocks made from 1930 to 1937 only a few were manufactured and they went on cars such as the Nash lower priced cars, Stutz 1929 and later and a very few other cars not made by the Big Three. In 1937-38 Chrysler went to Tubular shocks and Gabriel quit making Rotary shocks entirely as did Ford in 1948(?).

The only place I have seen Gabriel Rotary shocks are on a Stutz in the museum in Las Vegas you cannot miss them if they all are marked as these four were with the name GABRIEL in raised letters. I do not know of any other Rotary Shocks made other than the Gabriel and the Houdaille (Hoo-Dye).

M.L. Anderson

Edit:The Mercer Automobile Company was a live-wire firm and almost every new automotive development appeared on the Raceabout. Houdaille shock absorbers were imported from France and the first cord tires used in America ran on the second place Mercer in the 1913 Indianapolis race. In 1925 the firm went into receivership.

Edit #2:Read your interesting comment about the Houdaille (Hoo-dye) shocks and would like to comment about the real reasons, (I think) of just why the Houdaille shocks were so difficult to repair etc.

The Houdaille shocks were invented in 1908 In France by the Houdaille Company and were the first shock to my knowledge to have the Double Action feature. One must remember that at that time modern Hydraulic shocks just did not exist as Houdaille?s patent must ?prove?. Very few of the shocks were made as the problem of making a good seal at the pressures and vacuum seem to indicate were needed to produce a good and dependable product. One must remember that in 1908 plastic seals of good sealing characteristics were unknown. Look at the new seals for valve stem sealing we have today and one will see that we have come a long long way in sealing knowledge since the first forty years of the Twentieth Century. The Houdaille Double Action Hydraulic Shock remained the one and only Double Action Shock until the patent ran out and Ford used this fact to put the very same shock on the Ford line of Cars and particularly on the Model A. General Motors also started to put double action shocks on the their products around the same under the name Delco-Lovejoy. By 1928 or thereabouts Gabriel also started to make shocks almost identical to the Ford shocks and they were used by small manufactures such as Nash, Hupmobile etc. This kept up until about 1937 when Gabriel stopped manufacture of Rotary Hydraulic Shocks and went entirely too Tubular shocks which Chrysler adopted completely from the Plymouth thru the Imperial.

http://www.tocmp.com/manuals/Ford/Haudaille/pages/houdaille%2031_jpg.htm

M. Houdaille, a French citizen patented the first hydraulic shock in 1908 + 17 years = 1925, just 3 years before Ford put their own shocks on the Model A. Just 3 years after the patent ran out. I wonder if Ford ever paid any money to M. Houdaille for the use of any patents, doubtful! Ford even went so far as to put the FORD logo cast into the cover in script. Whether he put them on all of them I don?t know.

One place I ran into seemed to believe that Lincoln did put Hydraulic shocks on their cars before the Model A got them. Does anyone know?

EDIT #3;

I just today found this about the Houdaille Shocks and their history and altho it does not have much application to the Gabriel shocks it is very interesting. It does explain a little about the triple vane that Gabriel used. Three places open after any one is opened. You may have to use "OPEN HYPERLINK".

M.L. Anderson

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1205/hdis.html

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1205/hoper.html

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1205/hreb.html

[JoeMarsh]

Quote

 

Hi I am rebuilding Gabriel rotary shocks from a 1931 Hupmobile or at least trying to. Does anyone know how these come apart or have a drawing for them. Gabriel has no information at all.  I have the lever removed and the oil plug. I have spun off the large out side ring but the top doesn't seem to separate from the body.  I believe they are single acting shocks. That is resistance in one direction only.

The number on the back of the casting is L40000.

 

Thanks,

Joe