Garage Find

My coupe had a couple of valve sticking when I bought it. I tried to do a comp. check and got 0 on two and three. Put a good shot glass full of MMO in each and cranked her over with the key off. The next morning came out and drove her to coffee with some friends. After coffee I did a compression check. 94 psi in all four holes. HAVEN'T PULLED ANYTHING EXCEPT ALL THE OIL PLUCGS AND CHANGED ALL THE FLUIDS. That has been a couple of thousand miles back and it runs great now. Had to grease the throughout carrier to get it to go into first and stay there.
 
Synchro909 said:
Why pull the head if nothing is wrong? I'd check the compressions and if OK, drive on. IMHO, Pull the head when it needs it, not for fun.
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Love pulling heads! so easy and then pulling the valves to inspect and clean up is so simple, I decided to pull the drivetrain this weekend anyway and then the engine will be on the engine stand so it will be very easy to work on, I also have a transmission that I rebuilt, new pressure plate, balanced flywheel, clutch disk and U-Joint sitting on the shelf that I will install, additionally will detail the firewall, I enjoy working on these cars and find it relaxing, real easy to work on and were designed for the average person to maintain, just well-made cars so when you do repairs or maintenance correctly you will have one very dependable car.
 
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RawhideKid said:
No real need to pull the head unless it is backfiring or giving you running problems. Just add 8oz of MMO to the next tank of gas and 4oz per tank after that, them valves will free up quite nicely.

If you are pulling the pan, run ½qt ATF in the oil for a days drive before pulling the pan, it will help free up some of the sludge.
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Yes had it running for two hours and poured one quart of Marvel mixed with three gallons of fuel and added one quart to crankcase, did free up most valves but still have a couple of sticking intakes as she is popping through the carbuator, it is what you would expect for an engine not run in a couple of decades, anyway will be pulling drivetrain this weekend and will go through the entire engine, but I can tell it is a solid engine, no knocks, raps and she does not smoke.
 
inex01 said:
Agreed, will do when engine is on the stand, also will check all bottom end bearings and shim as needed, if neeeded
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When you put the engine on the engine stand, I'd drop the pan while it's right side up, so you don't drop any junk into the pistons. Or, even if the engine is on it's side, should keep junk from falling into the pistons.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
When you put the engine on the engine stand, I'd drop the pan while it's right side up, so you don't drop any junk into the pistons. Or, even if the engine is on it's side, should keep junk from falling into the pistons.
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Tom, you are on target! exactly what I always do, but additionally I will clean all internals really well. I am really looking forward to this project, it is so nice when you start with a car that is in such sound condition, all I will really be doing is parts replacement, just total enjoyment, I plan on working on her the entire summer and have the car ready for the road in the Fall.
 
inex01 said:
This past Monday I purchased a 29 Model A Sedan that was a project car that unfortunately the Gentleman could not complete due to Alzheimer's, included with the purchase are well over 5K in parts. The body is rust and dent free and looks like it had a cosmetic restoration back in the 80s and was last on the road based on license plates in 1990. The engine is numbers matching and got her running yesterday but has stuck valves because the car has not run in over 10 years I was told. I will pull the head and free up the valves and maybe do a valve job, I will definitely be pulling the engine anyway just to clean up the drive train and also will replace the clutch.Will also be doing a complete brake job all rods and cross shaft so will not have any slop. The largest cost I will have is a new interior. I have all mechanical parts needed to get her road ready. I do have a question, can the 30, 31 headlights fit on the headlight bar? the car has sealed beams and that just does not look right to me, also will be buying a nice chrome radiator shell. The wheels on the car in the pictures are a set that I had on the shelf and are 19" but will work for this car. I do not plan on painting because I like the look it has now.
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Yesterday I sprayed "Gunk" on the drivetrain, front end and power washed, also power washed the front end and rear end, I did find some bad wood in the top area, not much and as of now looks repairable, today I pull the drivetrain and will also remove all electrical. As far as the engine I did a compression test and all cylinders were at 60, but when I ran the engine and brought up the RPM she backfires through carb, most likely a weak valve spring or a broken spring, will find when I tear her down and will let you know, also will be posting pictures
 
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Ran engine and brought up to temperature yesterday then we "My Brother & I" did a compression check again #1 58, #2 60, #3 60, #4 62 , we then pulled the drive train and I removed the head & pan, the engine is bored to 30 and has no ridge and six out of eight valves are original Ford, the engine also has the original type of non-adjustable lifters. I just ordered Valves, Guides, Springs, and timing gears, also we found that the clutch disk is the original type, we did find cracks in the bell housing and the universal cover is the old style, it actually looks like the transmission was never out of the car? in additional to this the clutch and brake pedal are like new, it is possible that this car is a very low mileage original drive train, my Friend who is a certified Model A historian feels pretty strongly about this, just too many original mechanical items are still in place and not disturbed. Anyway now I will detail the firewall and check out the brake system

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BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Inex,
A GOOD used car Re-Con Man could detail out the paint & make it almost like a "show" car!
Bill Happyforyou
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Hi Bill, Unfortunately, this car was painted at least two times, the original body color was Green, but over the years the car was then painted Gold and finally black. I will most likely paint it all black unless I can get a good deal on Green, the black paint on the car now is pretty sad.
 
denniskliesen said:
What is hanging on the firewall above the steering column?
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That is a "Horn" it has a wire that is inside the passenger compartment and you pull the wire and it compresses a bellows to make a loud screech sound, never saw anything like it? anyway, it works and I will remove and restore and then put back on. Kind of neat
 
Flathead said:
No problems with springs falling out of the original style disc. Rugged construction for sure.
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I wonder if this type of design would be better that the spring loaded type of disk? I am not in any way an engineer but this type of design would not permit the clutch disk to chatter :confused:
 
A clutch disc with springs can chatter just as well as a plain one.
For chatter, I'd look at flywheel housing alignment, oil on the disc, clutch pressure plate problems, and loose or worn parts along the driveline.
 
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