Purist-Tech

By: Wayne Mandeville

Have you ever heard of a “scribed” bolt ? Probably not unless you are one of the really unique purist that restores a Model A to absolute perfection. To be honest with you I had never heard of such a thing until a recent visit to see my daughter. I got a good and practical education on some details that I had not been told about or even read in an article. I will share with you my experience.

While driving in her neighborhood I saw a garage door up and a gentlemen working on a Model A. Being the nosey and curious person that I am, there was no way of stopping me from visiting talking to the owner. It proved to be quite an interesting afternoon. I introduced myself and told him that I owned a Model A and had an interest in the hobby. Edgar was working on his 31 Tudor and installing the original shock arms and linkage on the rear of the car. After only talking for a few minutes he began working again and just kept on discussing how long he had the car, where he purchased it, and how he got to the point of wanting to restore it for show. He had a 1931 coupe in his basement that he drove for pleasure but said that did just not satisfy all his interest and needs in Model A’s. He just wanted to see how he could do in competition so decided to build a 100% fully restored car. That was what he was working when I arrived and my presence did not distract him at all.

After getting the linkage on the perch ball and shock arm, he slipped the arm on the shock, installed the locking bolt and nut, and had the cotter pin installed before you could blink and eye. I thought man how did he get that done so fast-----it takes me longer just to get the hole in the bolt to line up with the slots in the castle nut. Edgar was no spring chicken so I thought his eye sight must be somewhat less than perfect. So I asked him how he was so fast and successful, was it just luck or what? He had a little grin and told me to look closer at the top of the bolt. The bolt had a small scribe made in the top with a file or some other object that was parallel with the hole in the bottom of the bolt. That way he knew exactly where to get the proper alignment of the hole in the bolt and the slot in the nut to allow the cotter pin installation.

Now for the interesting history of how he learned the trick. His grandfather had worked in the Rouge Plant in Dearborn on actual assembly of Model A’s. He had shared with Edgar how some production lines did not have the best of lighting and some of the more experienced (older) men could not see as well as others, so they were allowed to be creative to keep up with production. Remember that Henry was building a low cost car and he wanted to keep the costs down, so any ideas were welcomed. Many workers “scribed” or marked bolts so alignment of the castle nut slots and the final installation of cotter pins would be much easier and faster. Edgar’s grandfather used to joke and say that cars with “scribed” bolts were the best built cars because they were built by older and more experienced workers. The younger tradesmen could see better but still did not have the expertise that the old folks had. Makes sense to me.

I asked if there were any Ford published documents or memos that could back this up, and was told flat out by Edgar that his grandfather’s word was the documentation! I did not question that anymore. I find the story quite unique and am convinced that it is true. Stop and think. When you have been checking bearing clearances have you ever noticed the marks on the main cap bolts? Most have a mark of some sort to assist in the alignment of the nuts of the outside of the block. I am positive you know what a pain in the wazoo those cotter pins can be and those marks do help. That help is what makes me think Edgar’s story has a lot of truth.

Have any of you heard or seen “scribed” bolts on your car? I looked our car over close and observed two suspension bolts with such marks. I could not find anything in the judging standards that would support or deny the activity. What have you heard of know about this practice? Write an article or let me know. It is only one more interesting part of Model A history to share and enjoy.

I eventually had to leave Edgar and his project to get to supper, but the thought and his enthusiasm of an accurate and correct restoration keep on my mind for a while. Think I am going to see how he does in the judging and see if the marks are acceptable. Will keep you posted. He plans to have his car judged next summer.

Wayne