Accidents you have experienced...

Warning this post may not be suitable for all those that have invested blood, sweat and tears in their beloved A.


I started building my first Model A last November. Since, I had rebuilt the engine and ******, rebuilt the front and rear end, painted them, painted the engine, and frame then put it all together. Since June I have been working on the body and have finally got all the rusted out spots replaced, dents out surface rust removed and last saturday morning placed the first coat of primer on. Since I had new cabinets installed in my shop saturday afternoon, I went a head and just sat the body up on the frame for temporary space consolidation. Saturday night I left it there, Sunday afternoon I went to the shop and had just opened the shop door when my sons rode up on their four wheeler saying that it wasnt running right. So we pull it in the shop in front of the Model A. I thought that I probably needed to ajust the carb on the four wheeler and so lifted it shoved a concrete block under it to get some clearance and started it up. It was idleing rough so I turned to go get a screw driver took maybe three steps then vroom and crash.

Turns out my youngest son thought that if he reved the engine tight it would just cough like it had been but instead it reved tight, jumped off the block, into the frame and engine, over the top hitting the body hard shoving it back into the new cabinets crushing everything in between and finally falling off of the jack stands holding the front up, in turn bending the frame right at the rear engine mounts.

After telling the boys to leave me alone for a while,crying, picking up everything that I had tipped over and threw; I stayed up all night tearing it all back apart. I skipped work yesterday and today working on it.

The outcome, the last two evenings have been my most enjoyable days working on the ole A. Why? My boys have been right there beside me when before they always had somewhere else to go or do.
 
Does starting a car with the crank only to find out is was in gear & jumping out of the way while trying to reach for the parking brake & hold the car back with your hands while it drags you into the newly created opening in the car made in the house count?
 
Latest heart breaker was at a car show, when a carnut/gearhead/hot rodder I know was admiring my coupe. I showed him everything and explained all he had questions for. He wanted an estimate in hours of labour, and joked that his hot rods never took ten years to complete (implying I am slow?) He's a good guy and has helped out alot with specialty tools and advice etc. and he does know cars. Well coversation over he goes to walk on to see the rest of the cars, and I do the same. I heard his wife ask him about the rumble seat, and he returned to show her how it looks closed.
If you own a 28-29 you know what happened when the deck latch contacted the paint. I could only stare at them gob-smacked, heartbroken. Oh well suck it up, she's a driver, and she will get her character from everyone and everywhere.
 
Working on my A in the garage with the door up because I had the motor running on and off adjusting the carb. Once I got done, I decided to take a run around the block to see if it was running right...

Unfortunately, somehow while I was working (vibration?) the metal handle on the inside of the garage door (that latches the door shut) had turned so that the handle was just lower than the roof of the car. I heard the "thunk" as I backed out and stopped in a hurry, but it left a three-inch scrape in the paint on my roof.

Since the car is painted a non-standard / non-stock color, there's no way to match the paint and fix it, so I'm just living with it for now.
 
dan said:
...Since the car is painted a non-standard / non-stock color, there's no way to match the paint and fix it, so I'm just living with it for now.
Click to expand...
Most automotive paint shops can match colors with this spiffy machine they have. They can even put it in a rattle can if you want.
 
It was July 1958 - I just turned 16. Two years earlier, I bought my first car from a neighbor - a little coup (non Ford) Two years tearing it down, interior and all. I worked any odd job I could find just to save enough for a professional paint job when I was finished with mods etc. It was my life according to my parents and most friends. Well, back to that day in July. A call from the paint shop said my car was ready so Dad and I picked it up. ($110.00 - can barely by paint for that today) To save money, I removed all brightwork before body and paint work. So - a long Saturday afternoon putting brightwo back on. Finally finished, I stepped back to take a look. It was a beautiful black piece of art with proper stance and look for the time!

Mother stepped out and wanted to know if i would take her on the maiden voyage as she had an errand to run. Of course! Down town we went, hoping all my friends would see my pride & glory. Our town square had straight pull-in parking spaces. We parked and as I was pulling on the emergency brake, a lady pulled in next to me. She was quite large and she opened her door with authority right into Mother's door.

I honestly have not been the same since!!!
 
Pluck,

You probably thought of this but could you not take your seat back off and take it to a qualified upholstery shop and have it patched? Some of these good guys do a great job.

Sorry to hear about your "accident". I assume that brother is not your favorite brother any more.
 
"I NEVER touch somebody else's car why do people take it upon themselves to fool with YOUR antique car??"

You have probably noticed that many people regard these cars as part of the public domain. I once came back to my roadster pickup and found two people sitting in it! On more than one occasion I have returned to find people have opened the hood and are looking at the engine.

My personal rule is I don't touch anybody's car without permission. Even if I am looking at a car to buy, I have the owner start it and drive it, then I ask permission to touch it, open the door, the hood, the trunk, etc. And I don't care what the condition of the car is; it's not mine, and I need permission to touch.

But obviously not everyone sees it that way, especially the general public.
 
700rpm said:
"I NEVER touch somebody else's car why do people take it upon themselves to fool with YOUR antique car??"

You have probably noticed that many people regard these cars as part of the public domain. I once came back to my roadster pickup and found two people sitting in it! On more than one occasion I have returned to find people have opened the hood and are looking at the engine.

My personal rule is I don't touch anybody's car without permission. Even if I am looking at a car to buy, I have the owner start it and drive it, then I ask permission to touch it, open the door, the hood, the trunk, etc. And I don't care what the condition of the car is; it's not mine, and I need permission to touch.

But obviously not everyone sees it that way, especially the general public.
Click to expand...

It's not just at car shows, when I was in the Air Force, as a technician, I would accompany the plane to airshows. The preflight servicing after the show had to be very in depth. The places where people will leave a coke can is phenominal.
 
My first car, a '30 fordor in 1963. Was backing down a long hill in neutral and couldn't stop due to poor brakes. It got to whipping side to side and finally made a right turn into a 3' diameter pine tree at about 25 MPH! I wrapped the spare tire around the tree and left the hub cap imbedded in the bark when I pulled away. I ended up in the back seat when the front seat bolts broke. I cried, but that was the start of my Model A Ford education.
 
I had my A at Fairfax Station on display. We do a train/old car show there each Christmas time. Good fun for lots of kids.

I lookout from the station and the Cabbie is full of kids. I ask the father and he sez it is old car. When questioned about his right to touch it he grabs his kids and stomps away, kids crying. In his incompedency to think, he locks his keys in his modern. We were courteous to him as he waited 4 hours for the lock smith. Another time I watched adults remove the "do not touch" signs to let their kids into the car. I guess my worst was to watch a lady put her steel-tipped purse on my freshly painted fender. I asked her for the price of the paint job. She had a screaming fit and promised all who could hear her that she would not be back...
 
I have a few maintenance items to take care of this weekend and after reading through these posts I am now scared to death to go near the A

dusty
 
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