Cool! Thanks for posting. I may get heat for this but one stuck open valve may "fix itself". The engine could run on three cylinders and with heat and oil it may let that valve relax and start moving. Can't hurt to try.
If the grandfather had owned these right-hand drive open cars for a long time, it's possible that he bought them from a man who advertised in "Hemmings" and "The Restorer" in the late 1960's, offering right-hand drive roadsters and phaetons from South America. These were not incomplete rusted hulks pulled out of junkyards down there, but cars still with tops and mostly drivable, as I recall. Lots of Deluxe Phaetons! His name was Sam Sherman, or something like that. He imported them to New York. He stated a price for the cars and then added that the buyer had to pay all shipping and import duties. His ads in "The Restorer" usually showed three or four roadsters and phaetons, sometimes pictured in a box of four.
Do any of you old-timers in this hobby remember those ads? These two barnfinds from Grandpa sure look like that ilk of imported right-hand drive Model A's.
Do an
Ok Synchro, what is a Dickie Seat? I trust that it is not a rumble seat.
None of which will keep it from running! Engines in this condition used to be driven cross country! Gas stations and parts stores used to sell "re-refined" oil for cheap. You just added oil as needed and kept going. If a spark plug fouled, you scraped it out with a pocket knife, etc. and kept going. Certainly no problem going to the local drive-in for a cone or a root beer and back home!For one thing, those valves are way past useful. The margins along the top edges are gone. These are important to help dissipate heat from the valve heads. These valves have been refaced too many times, removing the margins.
Also, the seats in the block are too deep. The valve heads should above the block, not inside or level with the deck. The seats have been ground too many times, which lowers the valve heads. Sitting that low in the block, the heads will overheat, especially the exhaust valves. I am guessing the damage you see around the valve heads was caused by these conditions.
The cylinders look as though the rings have been scraping due to dirty oil or overheating.
Just from the photos you posted, I'd say this engine is due for some MAJOR machine work = new valve seats installed, new valves, bore the cylinders for the next size pistons, etc. If this engine runs at all, you'll be lucky. I wouldn't trust it driving to McDonald's, though. And you can bet there are more problems inside the engine than what we see in the photos, such as broken bearing Babbitt.
'Sorry.
Marshall