VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 31 Luggage rack footman loops

The back of the 31 luggage rack takes two footman loops that have a center to center on the holes of 2.25 inches and they are chrome. Does anybody know anyone that sells that size?

I have one good used one.
bwbugay@aol.com

I believe that some of the footman loops were painted instead of chromed.

Matt,
If you call Wendy at I & I reproductions they may have some. They use to repro the rack.

The only good documentation that I found in looking through some of my literature is a page in the eary 1931 Accessory brochure. It clearly shows bright footman loops matching the stainless strips in appearance. All the other photos or illustrations are difficult to determine whether plated or not. Lighting of the photos, artist retouching etc. makes verification uncertain. My observation over the years also indicates plated footman loops. But since I have never taken a NOS trunk rack out of the sealed box much less two or three (due to variations in manufacturing differences might be found even in NOS parts) I can not be certain just right! Right?

We do know that "Oval Slotted Head Bolt (No. 10-24 x 1/2" Cad. Plate)" with Lockwasher and "Hex Nut (No. 10-32 Zinc Coated) are listed under the footman loops on page 128 of the Feb. 1, 1932 parts book. The Footman Loops, part no. 140619 are listed on that page and also on page 274 of the same book. On the later page they are listed as "Footman Loop (1" N.P.). N.P. is nickle plate. Now as long as you force the nuts onto the bolts the information will answer your question????

Ya, that's a tough one! I have had at least six all original 1931-32 accessory folding trunk racks over the years and all of them had painted footman loops. A friend of mine purchased a new old stock folding trunk rack at the VCCA national meet way back in 1986, and that rack had painted footman loops as well.

The December, 1931 price list for the 1932 accessories show the folding rack and it appears that the footman loops are painted. The picture of the folding rack in the 1932 accessory catalog also indicates that the footman's loops are painted. I still have two original folding racks in stock so I checked the footman loops on those. On both racks the footman loops are painted. Scraped the paint off of one of the loops and it is bare metal underneath.

Does that mean that's the way it is? No. Small items such as this have been known to vary both in design and in finish, and this could possibly be one of them.

An interesting side note is that the 140619 footman loop was also used on the 1929 cabriolet folding top rest strap, which the parts book indicates was plated. So, it does appear that the footman loops used on the folding racks could have come both ways....painted and plated.

I have two that came on one I found in poor condition. They were rivited on and not bolted. I could not tell if they were plated but they art very pitted. If I were to paint them they would work as I could fill the pits.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Restoration Specialties has these footman loops. Their website is www.restorationspecialties.com

I just bought some from them. They come plated, but could of course be painted and they are the right size for the folding luggage rack.

All the Best, Chip.