Basic advice

I fixed the warped carb this evening, and I was going to hold off on the leak as long as I could and just add as needed, but as for the flush I'm going to have to wait until I have time to drain it and remove it. I really appreciate all the advice and I hope to keep updating as I get time to work on it. I'm just suprised it ran back then because the carb didn't have the gasket between the half's or where it mounted to the manifold.
 
A car that has been stored that long will need a COMPLETE overhaul/restoration to EVER drive well. It was "probably" worn out/broken, when it was parked!
Bill W.
 
Actually it ran fine when it was parked, the only reason it was parked was that my great grandfather passed away84, after that it sat in his garage in the dry until 02 where it was moved to a shipping container beside my grandfather's garage and sat there until last week when I moved it into the garage to get it up and running again the brakes work great, the ****** is as smooth as silk and the motor is sound minus the oil leak, the carb, and the possible over heating
I've got a pretty considerable background in automotive and equipment repair all I needed was someone with more experience with model a's to give me some advice on what to look out for, not someone to tell me it has to be completely restored before I'm able to drive it
 
Mr. J,

Welcome to the club. Since the car sat for so long did you flush out the tank? What about installing the little pencil filter that goes in the gas shut off valve? One little flake of rust will ruin a trip-for awhile at least. Sounds like you have the rest under control. If you end up pulling the engine, you might as well pull covers and check the bearings, valves and clutch while you are at it.

Mike
 
"I'm going to flush the radiator and block out tonight, any other ideas on what would cause it to over heat would be great"

Welcome to the Ford Barn!

TW & RK gave you excellent advice on cleaning your cooling system and I too endorse [FONT=&quot]Rust911[/FONT] over vinegar for rust removal.

As a precaution, remove any lingering grease/oil with dish soap as it will reduce chelant effectiveness. Back flush to get the most sediment possible out of the system.

Add Rust911, filling to just above the radiator flues. Start the engine and allow it to warm up. The Rust911 works better/faster if heated to 150°.

Let it sit for several days starting the engine periodically to heat/circulate the cleaner.

Once you're satisfied you've killed all of the rust in your system, drain and back flush with regular water. As a bonus, save the Rust911 and use it for soaking other rusty metal. The solution will be totally black when used up.

Refill to just above the flues with 50:50 mix of distilled water and your favorite antifreeze.

Most Model A overheating problems are caused by a crudded up radiator. If you later determine the radiator needs to be rodded out, cleaning the system is a great first step.
 
Thank you, I flushed the tank out with 5 gallons of gas, I've got a filter but I haven't put it on yet and I plan on washing it out the next chance I get. I really appreciate all the advice and will keep posting as I go with it
 
And I will check the motor over with a fine tooth comb when I get it out thank you for the advice:D
 
So I ran it today awhile and got it upto temp low speed, I ran it a couple of miles and stopped and checked the temp and it was 180-183 sitting at idle, is that normal? I don't know what temps they are suppose to run?
 
Mr. J said:
So I ran it today awhile and got it upto temp low speed, I ran it a couple of miles and stopped and checked the temp and it was 180-183 sitting at idle, is that normal? I don't know what temps they are suppose to run?
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It'll be fine as long as it stays below boiling. Check the upper radiator hose some time to see if its got a thermostat in it.
 
Will do, I plan on draining the radiator and putting evaporated or rust911 whichever I can get ahold of and running that thru and then back flushing the whole system:)
 
Mr. J said:
Will do, I plan on draining the radiator and putting evaporated or rust911 whichever I can get ahold of and running that thru and then back flushing the whole system:)
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If you do a back flush with the radiator still installed, all you will do is complicate the whole situation. When you use a rust remover you want all those loose rust flakes to exit the block, you do not want them entering the radiator, that is the first cause of radiator blockage.

Remove the radiator, lay it flat, use a gallon of vinegar and let that soak a day or two.

Plug the block return and fill the block with rust remover, you can warm this up by running a minute or 3 providing you have a liquid in the block to absorb the heat, DO NOT run the engine empty of liquid. You can save and reuse Evaporust or Rust911, so drain that out through a filter of some type then hook the pressure system to the outlet (some use a pool pump, or a sump pump) and flush out the engine separately. I have even used a old nylon stocking over the return port, just hook it over the pipe with a wire tie. You don't want any of that engine crud in the radiator.

When you remove the radiator leave the short hose and metal pipe hooked to the block, you can use the radiator end of the pipe with the short hose to close off the engine before using your rust remover. Turn the pipe from the radiator position to pointing down so when you flush it it is pointing into the bucket to catch the release of the rust remover. Then you can just remove the bucket with the reclaimed rust remover and pressure flush the rest of the crud from the block to the ground through whatever filter you use. You can even use a second bucket full of water and use that as your source for the pressure flush return and pickup.


 
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Bill is probably more correct then you think. The engine pan and valve galley are full of gunk assuming 40 years of sitting with most likely non detergent oil. Possibly stuck rings,even though it runs ok. If you do clean the galley don't get gunk down the gravity fed bearing feeds. Also I'd be Leary of using detergent oil. Sometimes you get away with it, and sometimes, like the engine I'm rebuilding now, you don't.
 
Just a thought, also make sure your oil return pipe is not leaking. I had an oil leak in the area you described and discovered a crack in the oil return pipe. Not a big crack, but a leaker nonetheless.
 
Still recommending you soak and flush your radiator with Simple Green before you use the rust remover. I would think having a radiator clean of grease and dirt will allow for a better result with the rust remover.
 
Ok, so clean with simple green then run the evaporust a couple of days and then remove the radiator again and back flush it and flush the block?
 
Mr. J said:
Ok, so clean with simple green then run the evaporust a couple of days and then remove the radiator again and back flush it and flush the block?
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I wouldn't go to the trouble of R&R the radiator at this point but it is a good idea to isolate and back flush the radiator and block separately.

You will need to fabricate a couple of adapters from test fittings. It's also extremely helpful to incorporate an air hose connection during the back flush. Macgyver your adapters as appropriate.

Adapter Fabrication


[FONT=&quot]To back flush the radiator, remove the radiator hoses and connect the adapters to the upper and lower radiator nipples. Connect a garden hose (with air if possible) to the bottom nipple and run water though the radiator backwards to the normal flow. [/FONT]

For the block, [FONT=&quot]install[/FONT][FONT=&quot] your [/FONT][FONT=&quot]garden hose adapter to the water outlet on top of the head - Again, use air blasts as it really loosens up a lot of sediment. [/FONT]
 
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OK so I finished flushing the radiator, not much rust mostly grease, I used blue wolf degreaser which worked like a charm, now it's running at about 165, but anyway today I got to looking and I noticed a number stamped right in front of the seat on the drivers side that says nk5209 and I was wondering what it meant any info would be appreciated
 
That is an assembly plant code that says it was built in the Norfolk Va plant and was more than likely the 5,209th car to be assembled. The actual meaning of the number at this point in time is still speculation.
 
The NK5209 is a body stamp, not the engine/frame stamping. NK stands for Norfolk, VA. 5209 is the number of bodies manufactured to date at the plant. There is a debate on whether the number is the number of bodies like your car or the total made to date. I tend to believe it is the style you have i.e. coupe, tudor, roadster, etc.
Rusty Nelson
 
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