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EFV-8 Club Forum / 1940 Ford Discussion / 1939-1940 Radiator caps

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1939-1940 Radiator caps     plymboy 07-31-2023 @ 4:59 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 58 Joined: Jul 2014 Kube's latest book reports that only the non-pressurized cap is correct and that each one possessed the 91A stamping on the thumb turn bump. I have checked. with a couple of folks who are senior judges and deputy judges, and their response is they came with and without the 91A. One commented they were most likely found on 1939 Deluxe car and discontinued later. Is there a definitive answer? kubes40 07-31-2023 @ 5:42 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3374 Joined: Oct 2009 The drawing for the cap clearly indicates the 91a on one ear. This cap was supplied to Ford in 1939 and 1940. If memory serves, without looking into my files, it was Stant that supplied them. After that, I do not know if they were still supplied and / or changed to the 91a being eliminated. For 1940, your cap needs to have the 91a to be correct. Later caps produced for service replacement parts had steel rivets in the center vs. brass. I mention this only to point out that things often changed in later years from what was installed upon the assembly line. Many judges that have been around a long time were occasionally indoctrinated to "I seen it both ways". A tribute of sorts to a man that I knew and highly respected. That "I seen it both ways" permeated the '40 Ford field to such an extent that many folks, to reiterate, kind of adopted that as truth. Mike "Kube" Kubarth This message was edited by kubes40 on 7-31-23 @ 5:45 PM ford38v8 07-31-2023 @ 9:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 RIP Benny Alan plymboy 08-02-2023 @ 3:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 58 Joined: Jul 2014 Kube could you please post that drawing or documentation on the radiator cap? kubes40 08-02-2023 @ 4:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3374 Joined: Oct 2009 No, I am unable to do so. I did not copy every drawing I'd inspected at the Benson Ford Research Center. Never saw the need. Mike "Kube" Kubarth plymboy 08-04-2023 @ 11:33 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 58 Joined: Jul 2014 In searching for information on the 1940 radiator cap I came upon the 38-39 book published under the approval of the club . There it states "Drawings do NOT show any printing on the outside of the cap" This is information from the Ford achivies. Is there any other documentation?? ford38v8 08-04-2023 @ 12:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 Plymboy, The full quote from the 1938-3939 Book is as follows: "Drawings do not show any printing on the outside of the cap. However, it was common that manufacturer's trademark, Ford scripts, part numbers, and other markings were not shown on the drawings but did appear on the part." Further, the Author of this book was extremely careful to not make definitive statements that hadn't been thoroughly researched and found to be true. This can be seen in his style of writing throughout the book. You'll notice that he indicated that Stant "appears" to have been the only manufacturer of the 91A cap, and in the above quote, it was "common" to put marks on parts even if not on drawings. I would take this to mean, therefore, that further documentation was not to be found. Alan kubes40 08-04-2023 @ 12:57 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3374 Joined: Oct 2009 "Any other printing" as in 4#, etc. Those caps were service parts released in, I believe. 1942. Mike "Kube" Kubarth ford38v8 08-04-2023 @ 1:06 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 War production service caps, due to copper shortages, were made optional to have steel rivets, NOT before. Alan 40 Coupe 08-07-2023 @ 5:41 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1650 Joined: Oct 2009 The 35-36 restoration book list the 35 cap to have a steel rivet which was changed in April/May 1936 to a brass rivet. The 37 restoration book list the rivet as brass. The 38-39 restoration book list the rivet as brass. It also has a sentence that a steel center rivet was made "optional" during the war. I have several of the 91A style caps with steel center rivets all with 91A stamped into the cover ear, none of these caps came in a box. I also have a Ford boxed cap with the steel center rivet The box is printed with the Ford part number and the cap is without the 91A stamping, which IMO is post war replacement.

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