Model A Ford.... I keep threatening.....

[3930dave]

.... To Buy One.....

Model A Ford (or B, 18 ) Owners, Present or Past:

Comments, Likes, Dislikes, availability of Parts etc ?

What brought me to the keyboard today ? :

1) First coffee of the day.
2) Long-weekend here, so a bit more time.

3) Last, but definitely not Least ! I just spent $2400 CAD getting a hold of (hopefully next week), the ONLY (repeat that >>>> ONLY <<<<<) New ISL turbo-actuator Cummins had on the continent.

Fortunately that ^ was for Work; otherwise I couldn't type this, as I'd presently be locked up in a rubber-room somewhere if it was for a personal vehicle.

(I know there are other options out there; some are even worth considering, but Work at the moment is of the mindset to only buy from Cummins. Talking to mother-Cummins yesterday morning, their 'RX version (in-house Reman) of that actuator is 200 Days Away. I didn't slip an extra zero in, that is Two Hundred Days).

4) I may be wrong (posting here to find out)..... but I suspect that it is probably easier (and, you do it less often ) to find and GET parts for cars that were made long before I was born, than the "Quality" Hi Tek junk I'm servicing today......

Questions Posed, Rant Off (Ok, well, turned-down a bit, at least for now...... )....

Back to my Coffee....

Rgds, D.

 

[Frankenkubota]

model a? here the geezers call them a models.

i would love to find a beater that ran, just to zoom around my trails. I've seen video of those cars driving thru what looked like a swamp.

flat heads sound cool!

 

[Jstpssng]

If you're into old cars, buy one. You should be able to have fun with it for a few years and then sell it for what you paid for it. What's the sense in busting your tail if you can't spend it on something you want?
My father had one for a couple of years... one of many old things he bought, had fun with for a while, then sold. I always wanted to go out to the local takeout in it and buy my parents lunch there, but one day he sold it on a whim.

 

[Ford850]

We happened to be in New Philadelphia OH a couple weeks ago while the Ford Model T International Club was having a meet. Hundreds of old Fords lined the streets and were driving everywhere around town. Those old cars parked diagonally shoulder to shoulder for blocks! It was surreal since we didn’t know about it and stumbled on it by chance. If that doesn’t get you thinking about getting an old Ford, nothing will.

 

[Jstpssng]

We happened to be in New Philadelphia OH a couple weeks ago while the Ford Model T International Club was having a meet. Hundreds of old Fords lined the streets and were driving everywhere around town. Those old cars parked diagonally shoulder to shoulder for blocks! It was surreal since we didn’t know about it and stumbled on it by chance. If that doesn’t get you thinking about getting an old Ford, nothing will.

There used to be a rally every fall down in Western Maine, and they would ride the back roads checking out the foliage. It was fun to come around a curve and have a string of those old cars coming at you.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I was at a car show in Eureka Springs, and while looking at a Model A sedan, I noticed an A/C compressor on the little 4 cylinder. I asked the owner about it, and he said it worked great, and he had plenty of power. He also said that the engine, although it looked original, was a later model...probably industrial...I have seen the little Model A engine on combines made in the 40's.

 

[3930dave]

I'd be driving mine on modern roads, but I know what Franken means....

Somebody on here (think it was Paystar) described working on a highway job up North.

Bad enough driving through a construction site; I can imagine how painfully slow time must drag working those..... He got chatting with an older fella, who lived by the highway. Gent wore work clothes, but by the look of his property and driveway, he'd done OK for himself.....

His comment (when asked his favourite vehicle today) was something like "Model A. Will go places w/o blinking, that my modern 4x4 trucks stumble on".

I hadn't thought about it much, till reading Paystar's post a while back.... It makes sense though. For much of the year, rural "roads" back then would make many training loops at a modern Jeep off-road centre look pristine.... That's what the "cars" of the day had to be designed to deal with.....

Rgds, D.

 

[qstott]

Me and my dad In the picture. He has the new one (1931), and mine is the old one(1930). He bought his first and a few years later a friend of mine that helped him wanted to sell me his along with a shop full of parts. He had engines, transmissions, frames, wheels and a ton of small parts. They are fun, especially if you like to tinker. You can buy just about anything you need for one except a frame. Reproduction stuff is better than it was, but original parts are usually preferred. They guy I bought it from said it’s more like driving a tractor than an current automobile.

 

[3930dave]

He also said that the engine, although it looked original, was a later model...probably industrial...I have seen the little Model A engine on combines made in the 40's.

History repeating.... I'm thinking of the later inline 6, that may even today be available Industrial. One of my favourite engines, for what light-trucks used to be used for.....

Rgds, D.

 

[Cat385B]

I click on this to read, and vroom, off the neighbor goes.

 

[3930dave]

Apple announces a break-through feature on their next phone !

TBN membership: 1) Yawn 2) Click to Next Item

'3930 types up something about a product that launched the year his Dad was born, while drooling coffee on his keyboard 7:30am Saturday morning....

TBN membership: in 2 hours, 7 very interesting posts of meaningful feedback...

^^^^ Why I Hang Out Here ^^^^^

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

The guy I bought it from said it’s more like driving a tractor than an current automobile.

I'm glad that sales-guys like you are rare, in the real-world.

Beautiful cars, and picture.

Rgds, D.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd be driving mine on modern roads, but I know what Franken means....

Somebody on here (think it was Paystar) described working on a highway job up North.

Bad enough driving through a construction site; I can imagine how painfully slow time must drag working those..... He got chatting with an older fella, who lived by the highway. Gent wore work clothes, but by the look of his property and driveway, he'd done OK for himself.....

His comment (when asked his favourite vehicle today) was something like "Model A. Will go places w/o blinking, that my modern 4x4 trucks stumble on".

I hadn't thought about it much, till reading Paystar's post a while back.... It makes sense though. For much of the year, rural "roads" back then would make many training loops at a modern Jeep off-road centre look pristine.... That's what the "cars" of the day had to be designed to deal with.....

Rgds, D.

A Model A Ford weighed 2200-2400 pounds. My 4x4 Silverado is around 5500. Yes, there certainly is a difference.
An earlier CJ5 was also around the same weight as a Model A. They were great hunting vehicles... many topo maps have old roads labeled as "Jeep trails."
now we build roads with an excavator so rather than becoming impassible due to mud; trees tend to grow in so that eventually they are impassable. Take the trees off, maybe scuff the grass off with a dozer; and the road is usable again.

 

[3930dave]

A Model A Ford weighed 2200-2400 pounds. My 4x4 Silverado is around 5500. Yes, there certainly is a difference.
An earlier CJ5 was also around the same weight as a Model A. They were great hunting vehicles... many topo maps have old roads labeled as "Jeep trails."
now we build roads with an excavator so rather than becoming impassible due to mud; trees tend to grow in so that eventually they are impassable. Take the trees off, maybe scuff the grass off with a dozer; and the road is usable again.

I know a heavy-truck shop, that has a sharp young tech, who is already wise beyond his years.

He rebuilt a circa 1980 Jeep, that had been a plow truck for an apartment complex. He's already figured out that weight, tires, suspension and gearing matter more than mega-power, for much off-road travel. He's made himself a very agile mountain goat, that shows the strengths of the original design......

One of the other guys at that shop commented "Ya, compared to that thing, my Dad's new Wrangler looks like a School Bus"....

Fizx doesn't change much ....

Rgds, D.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I suspect the green is a re-paint...

 

[Jstpssng]

I know a heavy-truck shop, that has a sharp young tech, who is already wise beyond his years.

He rebuilt a circa 1980 Jeep, that had been a plow truck for an apartment complex. He's already figured out that weight, tires, suspension and gearing matter more than mega-power, for much off-road travel. He's made himself a very agile mountain goat, that shows the strengths of the original design......

One of the other guys at that shop commented "Ya, compared to that thing, my Dad's new Wrangler looks like a School Bus"....

Fizx doesn't change much ....

Rgds, D.

Every time this thread pops back up I hope to see pictures of your new "A"...

I missed a deal on a clean CJ5 a few years ago. It looked good, had no rust whatsoever, and had the straight 6 with 5 speed. When I popped the hood though the entire engine compartment was covered with oil, and as i hadn't seen Fluid Film before, mistakenly thought that the rings were gone and it had a serious case of blow by.
Some of the new 4 wheel off road vehicles, i.e. Razors, share a lot in common with those old Jeeps.
One big difference though is the price.

 

[ultrarunner]

Model A Doc here... at least that was my name for decades starting when in High School I was the weekend manager for the Early Ford Store...

Only fitting since a Ford Model A is the first car I owned and bought at age 12 with money I earned...

Working at the shop proved to be a
great way to support my hobby and meet a lot of interesting people from a wide cross section as my customers ranged from truck drivers, judges, airline pilots, doctors and even did a brake job for the chief of police in my teens...

Model A's were high enough on the evolutionary scale to be able to be able to transverse the globe... club members drove the Alcan highway, coast to coast tours, around the world tours and to the tip of South America...

With 5 million made and made with quality materials such as forgings, four wheel brakes, shock absorbers, safety glass windshields, and readily available parts Model A's continue to stand the test of time...

They also tend to store well because of mechanical brakes avoid having to rebuild wheel and master cylinders from long periods of inactivity...

I've pulled a boat with mine... taken vacation trips and even towed a modern car off the Bay Bridge to the delight of many...

 

[ultrarunner]

A well maintained Model A will stop straight and sure, top speed about 65 depending on year and axle ratio.

The sweet spot for touring is about 45.

I enjoy the classic roadster with rumble seat but my basket case pickup actually gets used for Home Depot runs...

It you bring friends a sedan might be a better fit...

The 28-29 models are not as sleek in styling and use nickle plating with 21" wheels.

The 30-31 use 19" wheels, stainless steel trim which buffs up great and have a sportier look as the bodies are more refined...

The popular engine upgrade is often referred to as a B or C engine...

Simple drop in swap but in stock form the later engines have a beefier crank with pressure lube and the C also had counter weights...

With a stouter bottom end compression increased providing a substantial HP increase over the A 40 HP.

A Police Head with high compression was available for the A giving same HP but higher compression is harder on stock crank...

A simple oil filter kit is popular for those long distance tours...

A weak spot is the original two bladed radiator fan as they tended to rust internally after about 50 years!

Also a thermostats in radiator hose for those in cold climates...

 

[3930dave]

View attachment 713122

I suspect the green is a re-paint...

Original run-flat tire !

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Every time this thread pops back up I hope to see pictures of your new "A"...

I missed a deal on a clean CJ5 a few years ago. It looked good, had no rust whatsoever, and had the straight 6 with 5 speed. When I popped the hood though the entire engine compartment was covered with oil, and as i hadn't seen Fluid Film before, mistakenly thought that the rings were gone and it had a serious case of blow by.
Some of the new 4 wheel off road vehicles, i.e. Razors, share a lot in common with those old Jeeps.
One big difference though is the price.

You and me both (first para)....... my newer (but still old) vehicles + day job keep me hopping..... been sorting out some issues (knock wood) on my 7.3 lately.....

I can dream though.... and this thread has helped fuel the fire.

Out for my morning constitutional, caught up with my neighbour, who's just dumped about $5,300 CAD into his Sprinter, to deal with dzl emission issues.....

Vintage is starting to look better all the time.....

Rgds, D.