New England meet-- what to expect?

R

rwiegand

Junior Member
We are hoping to acquire a Model A in the next year or so, and are trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. I see that there is a "New England Meet" in Long Island in September, a few hours drive from here. I have no idea what to expect from such an event and am wondering if it's worth the time and expense to attend. The web site and meeting flyer has wonderfully detailed information about the meal menus and hotel amenities to be offered, but I haven't yet found a program agenda.

Are there talks or demos? Cars to be seen? Swap meet? Cars for sale? any hands-on sessions? (I've never driven an A) Or is it primarily a social gathering?

Thanks!
 
Hello and welcome,

Where are you located? I am sure someone around you would be more than willing to show you the ropes of driving a Model A. In the mean time there is YouTube, not the best but it will do in a pinch.

Since you are in the New England area I suggest looking up MARC and finding a region to join. You will learn a lot about the cars, probably ride/drive a few to learn about which body style you want. Plus you will meet some really awesome people.

Also decide what you want the car to do. If it is just you and your significant other, then a coupe is fine. IF you have kids or want to do long distance touring then get a sedan. But beware that the fordors have a LOT of wood that will have to be checked before hand. If the wood is bad then a frame off is in order and that gets REALLY expensive. But you will have a great riding and touring car when you are done.

Mike
 
Take the few hours drive, spend the day(s) wandering around the "site", look, ask questions. Someone may even take you for a ride. Enjoy.
Paul in CT
 
If you can drive a standard you can drive one .

I just took mine out ( without a plate going to the DMV tomorrow) and "learned" by the thrid time I went around the block.
The main thing IMHO is to let the engine rev down before shifting as the trannie is not synchromeshed so you have to let the gears line up before shifting .
Artdeco is alspo spot on there is a great clip talking you thru it on youtube .
All the Best ,Fashion Frank
 
Thanks very much for the responses! We're in the western 'burbs of Boston and have joined MARC and the local Minuteman Model A group.

I expect that choice of model will be a major topic of discussion. Ever impractical, I love the look and thought of a roadster. My wife wants a roof, a back seat, windows that will keep the rain out and a heater(if not AC).
 
If you want a Fordor, the 1931 Slant Window sedan (Models 160A, 160B, and 160C) are primarily steel, without all of the structural wood that is used in the earlier Fordors. Of course, if you want to avoid structural wood bodies, you could also select a Tudor instead of a Fordor Slant Window sedan.
 
There will probably be 150 to 250 cars there. The "big" event is the tour on Saturday and the car display/picnic at the end of the tour. I think you'd be very impressed with the variety and number of cars in attendance. You might even find a few for sale.
 
Thanks for the additional information! I guess I'll see how the bathroom remodeling project has progressed and decide. There are many demands on weekend days.
 
rwiegand said:
Thanks very much for the responses! We're in the western 'burbs of Boston and have joined MARC and the local Minuteman Model A group.

I expect that choice of model will be a major topic of discussion. Ever impractical, I love the look and thought of a roadster. My wife wants a roof, a back seat, windows that will keep the rain out and a heater(if not AC).
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Hey Rwiegand we only live 50 miles apart ,I live in Woonsocket R.I. and like you I just joined the R.I. Chapter.
I wonder why they are calling it a "New England " event because people here in New England don't really consider New York as part of New England.

As an aside have any of you ever put motor flush in your engine before dumping the old motor oil?
The engine on the car I just bought was rebuilt and looks brand new although the oil is black as coal , so I was just wondering what you fellas take on that would be?
I remember a guy once telling me " yea it will "scrub " out your engine but if your engine is old the oil actually creates a "seal" and if you use it ,it can create leaks where the old caked on oil is acting as a seal " .

All the Best , Fashion Frank
 
Frank,

Just change the oil, run it until it gets hot and change it again. You may want to use a detergent oil. If there is that much sludge you will have to drop the pan and clean it out along with the valve chamber.

Mike
 
Buy a 4 door sedan and make the wife happy. Once she has settled in, then you can eye up "your" roadster. The sedans are great tour cars.
 
1930artdeco said:
Frank,

Just change the oil, run it until it gets hot and change it again. You may want to use a detergent oil. If there is that much sludge you will have to drop the pan and clean it out along with the valve chamber.

Mike
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Hey thanks Mike for responding .
Yea I was kinda worried about using the motor flush and perhaps doing some type of " damage" to the motor .
Like I stated earlier the motor has been rebuilt , looks like you could eat off of it but I don't know for certain how many miles are on it since the rebuilt.

On the one hand I want to try to remove sludge if there is in fact any , but at the same time I don't want to hurt the engine in any way.

I think I will do as you suggest ,but for example Mobile 1 detergent oil is quite pricey so perhaps I will fill it the first time around with something like Wolfs head oil as the " flush " oil and then put in a good oil such as Mobile 1 detergent for the "final " oil.
I would love to hear your thoughts on that as I am going to try to do it later today but I think I will hold off until I get your take on that.
Again thanks for helping me out .

All the Best , Fashion Frank
 
I just bought a Town Sedan last week and live about 20 minutes from where the event will be held. I don't even know how to drive it yet but am going to change the oil and get it all checked out ASAP to practice. Hopefully, I will have my vintage plates registered in time so I can take her up to the meet. I'm planning on going Friday night and staying over to Saturday for the cruise down motor parkway. This is the can't miss portion of the event I've been told. I would expect there to be some cars for sale or at least there will be people who know of some good cars for sale in the area or closer to you. Now get that bathroom done!

The Ford Model A Club of Long Island is very friendly so don't hesitate to contact them with any questions you may have. Some may even let you take a cruise in their A with your wife if she needs further convincing.
 
Just drain the oil then bend a wire to 90* and stick it up through the drain hole and spin it to scrape the pan bottom, then carefully remove the wire and see if it picked up any sludge. If it did, then I'd drop the pan to clean it out. If not, then just change oil and drive the car.

The advantage of removing the pan is you can look for small pieces of babbit laying in the pan bottom, you can check the rods for tightness, and you can look at the cam lobes for wear.
 
Our club is hosting the meet this year on Long Island,

Are there talks or demos? Sometimes, but we don't have any formal seminars planned for this year's meet. However, some of the best demos occur at the repair tent!

Cars to be seen? The parking lot at the hotel is full of all different body styles.

Swap meet? We are have a swap meet this year

Cars for sale? There are usually some for sale, check the bulletin board.

any hands-on sessions? (I've never driven an A) There's no formal program for having novices drive cars, but if you talk to an attendee, and strike up a friendship, who knows?

Or is it primarily a social gathering? A big part of the meet is the banquets with entertainment.

We also have a grand tour planned through beautiful country roads. That ends on a show field, where the attendees will vote for their favorite cars in 8 categories. Trophies will be awarded on Sunday to the winners. There is a prize raffle with a large variety of prizes from car parts to wine baskets to repair manuals, etc., and a 50/50 raffle
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
Just drain the oil then bend a wire to 90* and stick it up through the drain hole and spin it to scrape the pan bottom, then carefully remove the wire and see if it picked up any sludge. If it did, then I'd drop the pan to clean it out. If not, then just change oil and drive the car.

The advantage of removing the pan is you can look for small pieces of babbit laying in the pan bottom, you can check the rods for tightness, and you can look at the cam lobes for wear.
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Hi Tom thanks for the added advice and BTW thanks all round you have been helping from the first time I posted here .
I'll get a coat hanger wire and try that .
If I any sludge as you say then I'll order a gasket ( I assume there must be a gasket for the pan )and drop the pan and do as you suggest.

All the Best , Fashion Frank
 
Draining oil -cleaning motor

When I got my dad's model T that had been in storage for 64 years I drained the old oil and filled the crankcase with Kerosene. I let it sit for a few days and then drained the kerosene - it was almost a black as the oil. Next I filled the crankcase with cheep oil and let it sit for a few hours. Then I drained the cheep oil and refilled it with good oil. I didn't start the vehicle or turn it over until i had the good oil in the vehicle.

BTW - almost all of todays oils are better than what was available back in the day and oils like Mobil 1 are overkill for an A or T

i hope this doesn't start an oil debate :eek:
 
fashion frank said:
...I wonder why they are calling it a "New England " event because people here in New England don't really consider New York as part of New England....
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FYI, the New England Meet has been going on for 58 years now. It started with only New England Clubs taking turns hosting the event. But as years passed, additional clubs joined the rotation. The Long Island Club joined the rotation and hosted its first New England Meeting in 1993. This will be the 4th time the LI club has hosted. The New Jersey club is another non-New England area club that is in the rotation hosting the meet.
 
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