The "Pine Tree Model A Club” accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements, the fairness of any prices, or the quality of any goods or services mentioned in the

“Pine Tree Model A Newsletter”.
Comments are welcomed and encouraged and should be addressed to Jonathan Harris, President
Pine Tree Model A's,
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Or (207) 650-0713

Hello Fellow Model A Friends,

The Pine Tree As have decided to cancel our 2020 New England meet. It has been moved to Sep- tember 10-12, 2021. It will be held at the same facility at Sunday River and we will visit the Bob Bahre collection on our Saturday tour.

This was a tough decision for us to make having prepared for it over the last year. Though the COVID19 deaths in Maine are considered low, our Governor is very cautious, and places of business that host groups of people are not allowed to open up for more than fifty people using masks and social distanc- ing of six feet. Currently, the Governor’s office has no plans after August of reducing these restrictions which makes it difficult for us to plan. Our financial risk would be considerable if we went forward.

I want to thank MARCOM and the Long Island Chapter for graciously moving their dates to 2022 and 2023 respectfully so we could move our meet to 2021. For them it was a matter of asking the hotels to move their events forward a year without losing their deposits. So many thanks to both chapters for their understanding!

We are planning on returning everyone’s registration money. Our meet treasurer started the refund today. Your room reservations at Sunday River will be carried over to 2021. If you do NOT want to keep your room reservation please contact Sunday River directly. We are now looking forward to celebrating 2021 in Maine. See you all then.
Thanks,
Jon Harris and David White, Co-Chairs, 2020 New England Meet

Ramblings from a Rumble Seat: an Occasional Column by John Brissette

Have you ever wondered about your Model A before you got it? I mean way back before it was a desira- ble collector car. I know the history or our two Model A’s back 60 years or so but not their early years when they were daily drivers, maybe somebody’s first new car or a second car for a more affluent family. I’ve often wondered who owned them and how they were used.

The first time I saw our early 1931 Tudor was in 1962 when my future brother-in-law drove it to our house and took me for a ride. I became instantly attached to it and was thrilled when he asked my dad if he could park it in our back yard because he didn’t have a safe place to keep it. I spent hours in and around it memorizing its features and figuring out how things worked. I spent my allowance on books about Model A’s and learned all that I could. I impressed my by then brother-in-law by showing him how to adjust the gas/air valve. He thought it was just the choke.

My dad was less impressed with the car. He was a kid when Model A’s were new and he thought that old Tudor had seen a rough life. It had been painted black with a brush (later I learned the original colors were Kewanee Green and Elkpoint Green). The left side of the car was banged up pretty badly with both front and rear fenders mangled and the running board replaced with a 2x6. The top had rotted and been sprayed with a heavy coat of undercoating. The driver’s door glass was cracked and the passenger win- dow completely missing. The speedometer gear cap was smashed and the cable removed. The odometer was at 50,320 miles (during restoration it was reset to 0). Most of the interior was gone and the side pan- els were covered in checked oil cloth, probably old table cloths. The front tires were worn out Goodyears with the cord showing in places. The rear tires were snow tires, knobbies my dad called them.

My brother-in-law bought the car in 1960 from a friend who was going in the Air Force. I don’t know how many owners the car had before that but my brother-in-law and his friend were from Hart, Michigan, which is a small town in the lower peninsula on the shores of Lake Michigan. Although it is possible the car was purchased in another part of the state or out of state, it is likely that the car was purchased and spent its early years in western Michigan.

Over the years clues to the car’s earlier “life” became evident. The engine number doesn’t match the title and since my brother-in-law didn’t change it, the original was replaced sometime before 1960—not unu- sual for a Model A. (When I took the car apart in 2012 I was able to confirm that the number on the title matches the number on the frame.) When I got the car the rear bumper cross brace was the tubular ver- sion, which was phased out in early 1930. Since the rear bumpers were the correct 1930-31 type, it is possible that Ford was simply using up stock when our car was built. However, being a full year after changing the part makes that explanation seem unlikely. There was no evidence that the rear bumper brackets had ever been removed and no significant damage to the rear of the body so I’ve been curious if, why, and when such a replacement would have been made. Perhaps the damage to the left side and smashed speedometer cap and rear bumper damage all happened at the same time.

Inside the car I found two relics of previous owners. Under the back seat was a scrap of old newspaper. What made it particularly interesting was it was in German. My dad told me it was common for people to subscribe to newspapers from the “old country” so that probably explains it. In the springs of the front passenger seat I found a small hat pin. It has two pins affixed to a small button-shaped metal ornament stamped with a flower. It does not appear to be an expensive item but finding it in the car makes a treas- ure to me.

Now that the car is restored, any other clues to previous owners or how it was used have been erased. But, sometimes I still wonder....

Take care and drive safely,

John Brissette