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Rob Jenner.Hi Craig, I totally agree. Pierce Arrow was in the business to make and sell cars. The two years; 1929 and 1930 were the highest production years in Pierce’s history. So they put cars together with what parts were redeadily at hand. I’m sure few cars would have been set aside for a hood with doors to become available, when a louvered door hood was available.
The exception would of course be for specifically ordered cars. With customer-dictated items.
The other ‘blending’ came within the next 20 or so years of the car’s use, history, and possible abuse.
Working on an 80+ year old car, the layers of dirt and grease and resulting ‘grunge’ make swapped out parts look like they are original. So an engine and transmission swap done in 1939 would look like the original engine. The same with many other parts and pieces.
For 1929, and 1930, there were a LOT of mid-production engineering changes and those showed up, often without any documentation. Later Parts manuals would eventually show the newer designed parts.
But like you mentioned, if a car was coming down the line, and an older design part was at hand, and the new-design part was not available, the older design part was installed.. This is how we have cars show up 80 years later with out-of-sequence parts.. An earlier serial number car with the new-design part, and a later serial number car with the older design part.
And of course the dealership maintenance departments I’m sure had their share in updating older cars with newer designed parts..
Isn’t Automotive Forensic work fun ??
Greg Long
Ok guys, here is the numbers off the distributor.
Anyone have a cap and rotor?
Check with John Wozney, he’s in the roster. I’m sure there are a few new ones still available.
Greg Long
The Pierce Arrow Foundation sold all available 668E reproduction caps and rotors a few years ago.
The last decent large cap Imsaw sold back three years ago for 1500. There was no rotor with it. The early large caps have been hard to find for more than 25 years. It’s a very difficult to find part in good condition. You can buy a Studebaker cap that works fine, but looks much different. If I owned a 1930 Series C I would put the correct smaller distributor on it. Much less expensive. What series is the car? Has it ever been established?
John Arkesteyn,
Send me an email at [email protected]
I think I have one of the caps and rotors reproduced a few years back.. I’ll have to look
through the piles of stuff.
Greg Long
John Arkesteyn: your engine is definitely a ’29 engine.
The 1930 engines had a belt-driven generator-waterpump.
Your engine has a timing chain driven generator-waterpump.
Does your engine turn? if so, have you run a compression test?
What is your expected plan of action for your car?
The photo here shows the timing chain and front drives on a ’29 engine.
Greg Long
John, the distributor that Jim Livings has for sale in the emporium is the correct one for your 1930 Model C, It falls in the hole where the 29 Distributor is now. The caps and rotors are a LOT cheaper and easier to find than the big cap and rotor. At $100 that’s a bargain. Karl
The car is for sale again….by John
