1920

Body Type Factory
# Price
Shipping
Weight
Production
* Total
Touring $575 1500 165,929
Touring ## $675 1650 367,785
Runabout $550 1390 31,889   The 1920 Ford line illustrations were the same as those of 1919. Electrical (starting) equipment was optional on the open cars and when so-equipped they had no side lamps.
Runabout ## $650 1540 63,514
Sedan ## $975 1875 81,616
Coupe ## $850 1685 60,215
Chassis $525 1020 18,173
Chassis ## $620 1255 16,919
Truck Chassis ### $600 1380 135,002
Truck Chassis #### $640 ----- -----

Total   + 941,042
# Price effective March 3, 1920.
## Includes starter and demountable wheels.
### Price with solid rubber tires.
#### Price with Pneumatic tires.
* Fiscal year 1920, August 1, 1919 to July 30, 1920.
+ Ford News, Nov. 1, 1920, gives a figure of 996,660.

Note: Starter was an option on the open cars at $75. Weight 95 lbs. Demountable rims were an additional $25. Weight 55 lbs.

ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS: 3,659,972 to 4,698,419 calendar year. 3,277,852 to 4,233,351 fiscal year (August 1, 1919 to July 31, 1920).

MODEL YEAR DATES: August 1919 to August 1920.

BODY TYPES: Touring, Runabout, Sedan, Coupe, Chassis and Truck.

MAJOR MODEL YEAR FEATURES: Continued in the styles of previous years with but minor changes. Wooden seat frames of the 1918-1919 cars were replaced with metal ones as used in 1915-1917. A new body was announced in June 1920, with parts specified for production, but apparently the new type was not standard until 1921. (See notes under 1921.)
Oil lamps discontinued on cars supplied with electrical equipment.
The frame was modified in mid-year and now used the channel type running board brackets, replacing the forged brackets and truss rod assembly used since 1909.
The oval gas tank became standard during the year, except in the closed cars.
New rear axle pinion bearing spool (forged, exposed bolts) was a running change in 1920.

COLORS: All cars were painted black, with black fenders.

UPHOLSTERY: Imitation leather in the open cars. The pattern was a stitched vertical pleat design on both seat bottoms and backs. Closed car upholstery was same as 1919.

FENDERS: Front: Curved and crowned as in 1919.

SPLASH APRON: Same as 1919.

RUNNING BOARDS: Same as 1919.

HOOD: Steel. Hold-down clamps had two “ears” and were of forged steel. Handles were pressed steel but were now made in such a way that they can be fastened to the hood without a separate rivet. (A “hole” appears where the rivet was.)

DASHBOARD (Firewall): Wood, fitted outside the front cowl, hidden by the metal cowl weather strip.

CHASSIS: Same as 1919. Painted black.

STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY: Pressed steel, black painted, quadrant, Zinc-plated spark and throttle levers, with flattened metal ends. Gear case was brass but zinc plated, one-piece assembly. Wheel was 16” outside diameter, made of “Fordite” (synthetic material), and painted black. The wheel spider was now pressed steel and painted black. Horn button was on the left side of column but light switch was now on the instrument panel on starter cars. Non-starter cars used the combination horn/light switch used previously.

FRONT AXLE: Same as the 1919 cars.

REAR AXLE: Same as 1919.

DRIVESHAFT HOUSING: Pinion bearing spool was changed to the forged type with the exposed bolts. Integral front housing for universal joint assembly. Both the old and the new types were used until about June 1921.

REAR RADIUS AND BRAKE RODS: Brake rods now were split at the ends, eliminating the forged forks. Brake rod support brackets rattlers were of the type which go out and wrap down around the rods but were of the reinforced (stronger) design, which continued until the end of Model T production in 1927. Radius rods were of pressed steel with split ends.

WHEELS: Used 30 by 3 tires in front; 30 by 3-1/2 in the rear. Front wheels used taper-roller (Timken) bearings except in the non-starter, non-demountable open cars. Hub caps had “Ford” in script letters. “Made in USA” on all caps. Demountable-rim wheels were standard on closed cars, and optional on the open models; and used 30 by 3-1/2 tires all around.

SPRINGS: Non-tapered, front and rear. “L” shaped shackles of the forged type. Oilers were pressed into the springs and none were used on the shackles.

RADIATOR: Same as 1919.

ENGINE: Same as 1919. Lighter rods and pistons were introduced during the year. Starter was still optional on the open cars. Front fan belt pulley was now larger.

ENGINE PAN: “Three dip” with wider front “snout” which will accommodate the larger fan pulley that finally appeared this year.

OIL FILLER CAP: The mushroom-shaped cap, made of steel, with three flutes.

ENGINE CRANK: The plain steel sleeve type as used since 1914.

ENGINE FAN: Driven by a leather belt from a pulley at the front of the engine. During the year the fan was changed; the hub was now aluminum with a welded blade assembly bolted to the hub. The pulley was larger to match the larger crank pulley, introduced at the same time. Adjustment was by means of a bolt/nut arrangement located on the right side of the front plate and bearing against a boss on the mounting end of the fan bracket as in the earlier design.

MANIFOLDS: Exhaust pipe flared at the manifold and is held in place with the brass nut but with no packing. Intake was cast iron.

CARBURETORS: Kingston Model L2 or Holley Model G on early cars, then Kingston L4, Holley Model NH, or Ford “F”.

CARBURETOR STOVE: Sheet metal type which rose vertically at the rear of the carburetor and mated with the exhaust manifold at the rear corner, being held by the rear manifold retaining stud/nut.

MUFFLER: A new pressed steel type with no tail pipe was introduced. It had a single mounting bracket on the rear head. This design continued until the end of Model T production.

FUEL TANK: Cylindrical, under the front seat. Mounting brackets clamped to the tank. Outlet was between the center and the right side, between the frame rails. The oval tank was introduced during the year and became the standard tank on all models except for the Coupe and Sedan (which continued the square tank under the driver’s seat). Some coupes used this new oval tank under the seat, apparently experimental, but most used the square tank in the turtle as in the previous year.

TRANSMISSION: Three pedal standard-design. Pedals were of the plain type. Transmission cover was cast iron, and modified to accept the starter. Tapered inspection door, held with six screws. The door was of pressed steel with an embossed pattern.

COIL BOX ASSEMBLY: Ford. Same as used in 1919. Starter cars no longer had the ignition switch on the box; it was moved to the instrument panel.

LAMPS: Magneto powered electric type on the non-starter cars, and six volt electric on the starter models. Black steel rims, with clear lens. Side and tail lamps were similar to 1917 on the non-starter cars. Starter cars had a small electric tail light and did not have side lights.

HORN: Magneto powered electric.

WINDSHIELD: Upright, with top section that folds to the rear. Frame was bolted to the brackets. Painted black. Starter cars no longer had the integral mount for the oil side lights.

TOP: (Open cars). Top color was black on all open cars. Same as that used since 1918.

SPEEDOMETER: No longer standard equipment.

TURTLE DECK (on Runabout): Similar in style to the 1919. Handles were pressed steel and painted black.

COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTION
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© Bruce W. McCalley. Rev. January 28, 2007