How much can I beat on this car?

R

roblesterjr04

Senior Member
I see a lot of threads and posts about proper maintenance with guys checking this joint, or trying to fix this leak, or constantly adjusting the carb to get that perfect mixture.

My question here, is if I just stick to the lube schedule, and keep an eye on my oil, and my engine runs reasonably ok, do I need to worry? Can I just drive it until I have a real problem?

I ask because I've been rebuilding the body of a 1929 Fordor I picked up. The engine ran (and still does) even though it looked like it came out of a lake. I treated it with rust-stop and painted it, and it still runs well. Fresh oil, almost all the gaskets, new water pump, and a fresh timing. She starts and runs well. Haven't checked oil in trans or rear yet, but plan on doing that before I actually drive it more than around the block. I'm gonna re-hab the brakes and then send her off to paint.

the point is, I didn't do a frame off, even though it could use it. I didn't pull and rebuild the engine, even though, by some standards i've seen here, other folks would have. It's my first time with an A, let alone a complete restore.

If it runs well, and its safe and fun to drive, how much work do I really need to put in to it, other than fixing it and making it look nice?
 
Hi Rob,

Where to begin ?

Any idea of how many miles are on your car ?

Did you drop the oil-pan, and or pull the head to have a look at any of the internals ?

If not, I would treat her gently.

Run non-detergent oil, and change every 500 miles at first.

Run only water in the cooling system until you have determined that there is no coolant leakage into the combustion chambers / crankcase from head-gasket / cracks.

ANTIFREEZE will wipe out the babbitt bearings, so do NOT add antifreeze until you're certain that the cooling system is tight.

Beyond that, if this is your first pre-WW II car, there's a learning curve beyond that crash-box gear-shift.

This is not a rev-making engine: it achieves max horsepower at just 2200 rpm. anything faster than that is considered over-speeding the engine. (flame suit on).

There is a 65 pound flywheel in this beast: the engine accelerates and decelerates slowly. It is NOT at all like a modern car.

The Model A DOES have torque... lots of it, and at low RPMs. You don't have to give rev it much to get moving. From a standing-stop, I give the foot-throttle a little goose, and as the engine is winding-down from that, let the clutch-out and the momentum of the engine and flywheel get you moving. Plan on 1-2 upshift around 10 MPH, and 2-3 by 20 mph. The higher you rev it in between shifts, the longer you'll have to wait for the engine to slow before you can get it into the next gear.

I would keep it under 40 mph for a while, until you have some miles on it, and the engine loosens-up.

Make sure your brakes are properly adjusted and working, make sure that you have cotter-pins EVERYWHERE there is a castle-nut: they are on the car for a reason.

If the engine does not knock, or smoke excessively, you should be able to drive it as-is until it starts behaving badly.

If it blows lots of oil-vapor out through the oil-fill / breather pipe, DO NOT be tempted to stuff steel-wool, rags, paper-toweling in the top of the tube to reduce the mess... doing so will prevent the crankcase pressure from dissipating, and the pressure will blow-out through the rear main bearing, taking a lot of oil with it, quickly emptying your crankcase, making a mess on your driveway, and possibly soaking your clutch disc in oil. (Don't ask how I know about this. :( )

If you're a little more concerned, pull the oil pan, and valve cover, clean-out all the sludge, pull he rod and main caps and check condition of bearing babbitt and clearances, and pull the head, and clean-out carbon from piston tops and cylinder head, and note any oversize markings, sideways piston slop in the cylinders, condition of valves, etc.

That way, you can better assess how worn the engine is, and if there's anything approaching the point of catastrophic failure.

If things are just "worn", so long as the babbitt is decent, and there are no cracks in the cylinder block deck between exhaust valve seats and cylinder bores / valve pockets, you can probably reassemble with new gaskets and drive as-is for a while, while you work on other things.

One thing you definitely shouldn't do with a Model A is let it overheat, especially repeatedly... the blocks are prone to cracks as noted above, and the supply of un-cracked blocks is shrinking.

Biggest thing when driving it is to take your time, and don't push the machinery.

Find your local chapter of the Model A clubs, and find a mentor who can advise you and walk you through a lot of this stuff...

I've been wrenching on and driving old cars for 40 some years, and thought I knew my onions, but the Model A is a "new" old world to me, and I still have a lot to learn. ;)

Good luck !
 
Thanks for the tips!

I have done the pan, and MAN did it need it. Did a full sludge clean on it, including the valve chamber. Haven't pulled the head, and yes, i ran only water long enough to determine no coolant leaks (internally), and now i have half anti-freeze, half water. I've already gotten the hang of the non-syncro transmission. Thanks for this information, it's made me feel better about driving it without tearing down the engine and rebuilding it. No smoke, and no serious blow back as you've described.

I'm excited because the body is now fully assembled and ready to be painted soon. Need to change the oil in trans and rear end, and finish the brake rehab, and after that, she's ready for the main road!
 
Sounds promising... bear in mind that usable crucial original parts such as crankshafts and engine blocks are getting fewer and more expensive, and that machine work on the Model A engine by people that KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING is becoming quite rare, and pricey.

Which is a way of saying, drive and enjoy, but don't "beat on" your Flivver. :cool:


I see by your avatar that you are in Hanover ( West of Gettysburg, I believe), which is about 1.5-2 hours west of one of the best Model A engine shops east of the Mississippi, Schwalm's Babbitted Bearings, in Lancaster.

When you're ready for serious engine work, there's a good shop within a reasonable drive. :)

Happy Motoring !

Frank
 
NOW JUST DRIVE THE SHXX OUT OF IT AND ENJOY IT! There a lot tougher than they appear, When the time comes that it's worn out you'll know it. Been driving A's since 1960, back in the day I really beat on the poor thing. Nowadays I drive one almost every day during the non-salt season. Regular maintenance, and your golden. JMHO

Frank PKNY
 
Kudos to Special Coupe Frank for his excellent advice! I wish I had somebody looking over my shoulder when I first put my barn-find 1931 coupe on the road. A newly resurrected Model A can seem to be in much better shape than it is, so pay attention to all of the maintenance details before running it hard.
 
Congrats on your A. Watched your video several times. Did not see any smoke, or hear any strange noises, looks like you were having fun. Enjoy.
 
I think you've answered your own questions. you've done quite a bit already and seem to
know what you are doing. everyone on this board doesnt have the same view as to how much to do or not do to their cars.
It is truly up to you and what you are comfortable with. The more time you spend with your A, the better you will know it.
 
Make it safe, make it presentable and drive it as often as possible. Take all your friends, relatives and whoever else needs a happy day. Wayne
 
For me, it took about a year of weekends to slowly remove the 47 years of neglect, and get everything dialed in just right. Now, I just drive it.

Do I beat on it? No. But, I don't pamper it either. She's is happy at 45 mph, and will do a lot more for short spurts. She corners great, and stops on a dime. Not bad for 86 years and 89,000 miles. I find her to be every bit as reliable as my '98 Durango.

I would say, take your time to get it properly set up, and then enjoy the fact that this car was built to be a reliable driving machine.

Ken
 
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