1929 Ford Model AA Truck, 2007 improvements
Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio
The truck's roof before and after replacement
The 1929 Ford Model AA truck located at Texas Transportation Museum is owned by Mrs. Pat
Monfrey. It was purchased when she and John, her husband, owned the San Antonio Falstaff Beer distribution
company. They bought the vehicle in the 1970s and had it painted as a Falstaff Beer delivery
truck for promotional purposes. Pat kept the business going for a few years after John regrettably
passed away before deciding to move into a different line of work. It was at this time, in the
late 1980s that she gave the vehicle to TTM as a long term loan.
How the truck looked before the work was done
Over the years the truck has been put to great use by the museum. Countless visitors have ridden on it
around the museum's grounds. It has also been entered into any number of parades, including the
Battle of Flowers, the Flambeau, the King William, Fourth of July, Christmas events. It was probably
never more at home, as a green beer truck than in a recent St. Patrick's Day parade where, even in its
rather poor condition, it still managed to win a prize!
How the truck looked before the work was done
By the early 1990s the truck was not being used much. In fact not many of the museum's
vehicles were in running condition. The museum was coming out of a very low point in its history
but fortunately a new wave of volunteers began to join, all keen to see the museum grow to its
full potential. It was recognized that the 1929 Ford Model AA had attributes that would make it
a fine working vehicle, both at the museum itself and in parades but there was a serious problem.
It's seventy year old flywheel, which is engaged by the starter motor to get the engine going, was
missing several vital teeth. If the engine stopped with the flywheel in a certain position, it was
very difficult to start the engine. Fortunately, our good friends at SMT Truck Lines volunteered to
help. They took the truck and set about looking for a flywheel for the antique vehicle. One was
found in faraway China. It was ordered and delivered a month or so later. Once fitted, the truck
started each time every time. SMT also did some other work, such as replace spark plugs, and other
items. By the time it was returned to TTM, it was back in business.
How the truck looked before the work was done
By the end of the 1990s another serious problem emerged, one museum volunteers decided to tackle
in house. The interior of the fuel tank had become badly corroded, which meant the fuel line was
constantly becoming clogged with rust flakes. No shop would touch the vehicle so we set about
removing the tank ourselves. (See picture on main automobile page on this site.) After we cleaned it out we used a commercially available cleaner and rust
inhibitor. Reinstalling the tank, which is located between the cab and the engine, proved to be
even more difficult than removing it but we got it done. We try to make sure the tank is kept
full to help prevent more rust forming from condensation. We also installed a modern inline fuel
filter inside the cab, which does a better job than the original glass style one under the hood which
relies on gravity alone. The new filter allows the driver to see what is wrong from within the
cab and can be switched out in less than two minutes if necessary.
Repairs under way
Although we did our best to keep the vehicle in good condition, performing not only work needed to
keep it running, like replacing batteries and spark plugs, we also tried to keep the vehicle
looking its best by removing the classic instrument panel and fixing it up. We installed a fuel
gauge which works with a thin metal rod and a cork which floats in the gasoline. If the tank is over
full, gas actually sloshes to the gauge which is what took the paint off the front in the first place.
We tried to get a cable to activate the speedometer and odometer, which we knew worked, but could
not find one that fitted the AA truck, which needs a longer one than a regular Model A.
Ray's Model A Repairs, Restoration & Parts
Our major concern was the terrible condition of the roof. This is entirely supported by a wooden
frame which had become rotten. It was around this time, early 2000, that we first heard about and
met Ray, of Ray's Model A Repairs. Even he was reluctant to do the work at that time as a correct kit was not yet
commercially available and the cost of hand making all the wooden pieces would have been astronomical.
Fortunately a kit has subsequently come onto the market, as appreciation for the trucks as well
as the coupes, sedans and convertibles has grown in the last few years, making the supply of parts for
AA's a lot easier to find and less expensive.
Ray's Model A Repairs, Restoration & Parts
In all this time, the museum had not heard much from Mrs. Monfrey, who had moved to Houston. Current
museum manager Hugh Hemphill, then museum board chairman, who had been involved in a good deal of
the work to keep the truck in the best shape possible, was able to track her down and contact her.
A series of pleasant communications followed about the truck. Pictures of it in parades and other
events, like the Christmas Extravaganza at the museum, or at the San Antonio Founders Day event, held
in San Pedro Park were sent to her on a regular basis. It was hard to hide the state of the roof
and Mrs. Monfrey decided it would be in the best interests of the longevity of the vehicle if it
was replaced and volunteered to do so in the Spring of 2007.
Ray's Model A Repairs, Restoration & Parts
Ray was contacted and pictures of the truck were sent to him. He decided he could do the work
and tracked down the various kits that would be needed, as the parts for the roof and the visor
are sold separately, and the vehicle would need both. Once these arrived, the old looking truck
was loaded onto a trailer and pulled over to Ray's place. It is worth mentioning the truck would hardly get up to
30 MPH and even then it would be straining. As such, driving it to Ray's was not a
feasible option.
One long term volunteer mentioned it used to go 40 MPH quite easily, despite it's low ratio, heavy
duty rear end and transmission, designed to haul heavy loads, not for speed.
Ray's Model A Repairs, Restoration & Parts
While the roof was the main focus of the exercise, Mrs. Monfrey agreed to a small amount
of extra work. This included fixing the parking brake, getting the brake lights to work again,
and replacing the headlight surrounds which has lost their old nickel plate "chrome" a long time ago.
It should be mentioned right now that Ray is absolutely meticulous about his work, as befits a retired
US Air Force jet engine master mechanic. If the work he performed on F4 Phantoms over Vietnam
and Germany was not perfect, the planes just might fall out of the sky. Ray brings this same
attention to detail and perfectionism to each and every Model A that comes into his shop and
ours would be no different. Ray opened his shop in 1971 and has kept very busy without ever
having to advertise his services. He relies on word of mouth and his reputation is extremely
good. We were lucky he agreed to take on our truck. Soon enough he began to find more and more items
he thought we should be aware of. Mrs. Monfrey, who cares a great deal about the truck, agreed to
take care of just about everything Ray suggested. The vehicle just might never be so lucky to
be in such good hands again.
Our 1929 Ford Model AA truck on its way home
The work to remove the roof was actually done at Ray's place by museum manager Hugh Hemphill. He also
did a certain amount of transportation duties, taking parts to San Antonio Brake & Clutch downtown,
to save Ray the effort. Ray did all the rest, which was a lot. The roof kit, fortunately made of wood,
did not fit at all well, as it is a one size fits all for both the 27/28/29 types and the 30/31 which
have significant differences, if you are talking about fitting a kit onto them. Ray had to
painstakingly
size all the parts, no men feat when you understand all the holes are pre-drilled, so changing anything
could affect how other parts might align. The visor kit was easier but the original metal frame had
surface rust all over it, so it had to be cleaned and re-painted. Then we started into the more
difficult stuff!
Back at TTM
When the truck first arrived at his place, Ray went through it, just to check it out. He soon
began finding things that he thought really should be done. The webbing under the hood at the radiator
and firewall was completely worn away, making the truck much noisier than it needed to be as well as reducing
the life expectancy of the engine covers. More importantly he noticed the original water pump
belt pulley, which was constructed of two parts, had broken apart, causing unnecessary vibrations and
potential damage to the motor. Replacing this would involve tipping the engine up, as the pulley
sits in a special cutaway in the chassis. This also provided an opportunity to replace the motor
mounts. Tipping the engine also meant removing the radiator completely. It was at this time he found
that the bottom radiator pipe was found to be badly corroded and in imminent danger of failure.
Details of the new roof on our 1929 Ford Model AA truck
And so it went on. Taking the drums off to fix the parking brakes was a nightmare. These, like
many items on the vehicles, may not have been removed since the vehicle was built in 1929. Ray
rebuilt the carburetor and tuned the engine. He fixed the choke and fuel mixture control, which
is on a long rod on the passenger side. He cleaned up the gear lever connections on the cab floor.
He fixed the starter motor actuator rod, which had bad habit of coming off from all the vibrations
as the vehicle was being driven. New radiator and gas caps were installed to compliment the spiffy
new headlight surrounds. Ray noticed the doors were sagging badly. He re-hung them and then built
up the striker plates which had become badly worn to ensure the doors stayed properly closed
now they were back in the right place. New chrome pieces were fitted on the door opening rods.
Details of the work done on our 1929 Ford Model AA truck
Altogether, with delays as esoteric parts were ordered or taken out for outside work, the
truck was at Ray's place for almost six weeks. So many small, seemingly
insignificant details were
attended to, it's hard to list them all. When he had the front window removed, he replaced the
weather stripping around it. He cleaned up the brass rods that keep it open for
ventilation. he
installed correct side window guides as the old ones were completely gone on one side and barely
hanging on on the other. He removed a generic starter switch which placed live electrical wires
dangerously close to the fuel tank. He installed a correct cable from the transmission to the odometer
and speedometer, bringing them back into service. In all of this he was consistently polite and
positive. It would pain him to see something incorrect that he could fix. We were indeed lucky to
obtain his services.
Details of the work done on our 1929 Ford Model AA truck
The museum also does not underestimate Mrs. Monfrey's generosity. We are so lucky to have the truck
in the first place, but to have Pat come forward to provide the financial support to return it to
excellent running condition and to improve its appearance is quite extraordinary. TTM is far from
being a wealthy museum. We have seen our financial situation stabilize and improve significantly
over the last few years but, even so, it would have been some time before we would have been in a
position to allocate so large a chunk of our all too stretched resources to any vehicle, even one
we appreciate and use as much as we do this one. In doing so, we hope we are honoring the memory
of John Monfrey, whose idea it was to acquire the vehicle in the 1970s. We run it in the same
parades and events that he did. In the course of any given year it is seen by thousands of people.
A good number even get to ride on it, experiencing an older form of transportation in a very real way
that is impossible to duplicate.
Details of the work done on our 1929 Ford Model AA truck
If we had known how well the truck would drive after ray had finished with it we would probably
have simply driven it back to the museum. It drives so much more smoothly and quietly. It also cruises
quite happily at 35 MPH. It can go faster, to around 45 MPH, but you definitely get the impression
that you are pushing it. That additional power is for hauling heavy loads, not driving fast. The
future of the truck is now looking as good as its wonderful new roof. As the vehicle spends most of
its time indoors, we hope it will be a long, long time before anyone has to think about replacing it, maybe another
eighty years. When that happens, we hope the truck is still at TTM, delighting visitors and parade
goers. We also hope those folks in the future are lucky to find someone as skilled as Ray to do the
work and as generous as Mrs. Monfrey to help pay for the considerable cost involved.
Our 1929 Ford Model AA truck back in business, Summer 2007
If you would like to contact Ray's Model A Repairs, Restorations & Parts the best
way to do so is by phone. Ray is old school, and does not do e-mail or the internet. His shop is a
little hard to find, on the outskirts of San Antonio. His number is:210-659-1527.
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