Radiator caps enhance antique Ford aesthetics

Ford propeller-styled radiator cap
T. Lucas photos

Toni Lucas

"A lot of people don't know that Henry Ford was big into aviation and that he made Ford airplanes," explained local car enthusiast and  Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) Director Garnet Heinzig during the recent Harvest Festival at KBPV September 21.  "This was an authorized accessory by Ford  for Model A's 1928 - 1931," he said, displaying a radiator cap that had a propeller.

Garnet Heinzig with 'Emily Car'.

Due to the wear and tear of the propeller that spun while driving or in the wind, and the number of these caps that were crushed when the cars got scrapped few of these original radiator caps remain.  "You don't see a lot of them around."

The motometer on the back of the propeller cap

The original propeller blades were made of Bakelite, a form of plastic.  An additional feature of the propeller cap and the regular cap was a motometer, a thermometer on the back that could be seen by the driver while inside the cab of the vehicle.  "When the fluid is up in the circle, that's your normal operating temperature."  The newly acquired cap will adorn Heinzig's 1930 Model 'A' Coupe, fondly nicknamed Emily Car.

"On a long straight road in Florida, we topped out at 75 miles per hour.  We can cruise 50, 55 miles per hour comfortably. We can keep up to traffic pretty well."

Heinzig has driven Emily Car in 7 Provinces and "all the  States east of the Mississippi."  He would like to drive Emily to the Pacific Ocean sometime.

A 'Flying Quail' radiator cap

Another novel Ford authorized radiator cap is on a 1929 Model A Ford displayed at KBPV.  This car is owned by Ray Degan a car collector who also is a Director at KBPV.  The design of the cap is called the 'Flying Quail'.  Heinzig related  that Henry Ford was at his estate close to Detroit and "He saw a quail in flight.  It struck him so well, it inspired him, and he had designed an authorized cap."

Ray Degan in his 1927 Model T Ford truck

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