Model A owners have a drive for history

Many club members turned out in vintage clothing.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

HOWLAND — Dale and Betty Smith didn’t mind taking longer than usual to travel mainly on Interstate 76 from their home in Wadsworth, Ohio, to the Avalon Inn.

After all, the 1931 Model A Ford Huckster they arrived in was built to travel considerably slower than 65 to 70 mph.

En route, the vehicle’s design and pickup bed made from oak wood — and perhaps the stained-glass rear window Dale Smith installed — caught the eyes of many passing motorists.

The wood body was built in Michigan. All the rest is from stray parts I put together into a car,” said Dale Smith, adding that he traveled 40 to 45 mph most of the way.

The Smiths’ vehicle was one of dozens of Model A cars that found their way to the Avalon Inn as part of Sunday’s fall banquet and car show, sponsored by the Five Points chapter of Penn-Ohio Model A Ford Club Inc. Perfect weather greeted the few hundred people who attended the event, which also featured a vintage clothing contest in which many club members dressed in wardrobes from the 1920s.

Making the journey from his Mansfield, Ohio, home was Robert Hall, who pulled up in his blue and black 1930 Ford Coupe Deluxe. Most Model A’s, which were built between 1928 and 1931, were equipped inside with little more than a speedometer, ignition switch and gas gauge; some lacked windshield wipers, so the passenger or driver had to use a cloth to clear snow or rain from the window, Hall noted.

Hall said his car gets between 14 and 21 miles per gallon, adding that many of the Model A vehicles’ engines have been modified to accept unleaded gasoline.

In the 1920s and ‘30s, most car owners had to change the oil themselves, something that was recommended roughly every 500 miles, he continued.

Typical of many vehicles of that time were three-speed transmissions, four-cylinder engines that got 10 to 12 miles per gallon, and 10-gallon gas tanks, noted Don Urchek, president of the local Five Points chapter. Gasoline was about 10 cents to 12 cents a gallon, and $1.50 or less was needed to fill the tank, added Urchek, of Cortland.

“Now, it costs me $30 to fill my [Model A] car,” he said with a chuckle.

Urchek, who owns a green 1929 Roadster with a convertible top, said many such vehicles also had a second stationary pedal to prevent them from “jumping around” while on rough roads.

The average Model A ranged from $350 to $850, with the more luxurious four-door Town Sedans being among the higher-priced vehicles, Urchek said. Added accessories often included wheel wells for spare tires, side curtains and an extra set of headlights, called cowl lights.

Urchek said he bought his vehicle in 1958 for $150 and restored it about seven years ago. That work included rebuilding the engine and replacing the upholstery, he added.

Many people in knickers and other outfits from the early 20th century filled a ballroom in the Avalon Inn, which was the site of the clothing contest. Music from the 1920s — such as Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians and Fanny Brice — was played.

The five-hour event also featured a 50-50 raffle and door prizes such as fashion catalogs from the 1920s and 1930s.

Penn-Ohio Model A Ford Club, with 14 chapters in northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, started in 1955 and the local chapter formed a few years later, said A.J. Pennington, Penn-Ohio’s tour director. The group has seven meets each year, as well as annual nine-day tours every June, Pennington noted.