Dad's 1929

[hoof]

My dad bought this model A from a friend. He wants to drive it and not work on it so he just gave it to me and told me he would "borrow" it for car shows but I could keep it at my place.
I knew nothing about model A's when I started. The car had been running but had the distributor pulled to be rebuilt, and never reinstalled. So my 13 year old boy and I dug right in. I told my boy we were doing it just how it would have been done in 1929, we took the laptop in to the garage and looked it up on google. Luck brought us here.
Once the distributor was timed I had an engine that ran like this;
http://vid991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/doebyc/engine start.mp4
I rebuilt the carb next (I had done tractors and a '53 Plymouth before so I had a little experience). When I started it back up after the carb work I saw it spitting fire out of the back of the engine. I thought I had a bad head gasket, but a buddy who knows much more about A's than I do pointed out there was no exhaust gasket left on the rear of the manifold. So I torqued the head back down, put on a new exhaust gasket and now I have this;
http://vid991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/doebyc/good engine.mp4
Now if I can just straighten out the brakes, steering, seat (I am 6'4") and.....
CHAZ

 

[Jim/GA]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Model A! I suggest you edit your profile to include something about where you are located; there are probably others near you that can help you with the trickier parts of the car (like brakes ).

The engine sounds good.

To help you with your repairs and adjustments, I recommend you buy a copy of the Model A Mechanic Handbook - Vol. 1 by Les Andrews

https://mafca.com/cart/index.php?productID=166

While you are at the MAFCA site, join up. Family membership is $40. You can also give you Dad a membership as a gift. You will both receive 6 fantastic full-color issues of a great Model A magazine each year, get access to great technical support for your Model A, and you and your son can join in on some fun activities. (He is the same age I was when we got our first Model A!)

Most important is to have fun!

.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

You did good, and there's no better way to learn.

Wish I had a Model A when I was 13, but I got my dad's 1950 Studebaker when I was 12, so I guess that's just as good.

 

[hoof]

What is the old saying "the customer can have any color Ford he wants as long as it is day-glow lime green?"

 

[C26Pinelake]

You won't lose it in the parking lot, that's for sure! Welcome to the Barn. Wayne

 

[Synchro909]

My dad bought this model A from a friend. He wants to drive it and not work on it so he just gave it to me and told me he would "borrow" it for car shows but I could keep it at my place.
I knew nothing about model A's when I started. The car had been running but had the distributor pulled to be rebuilt, and never reinstalled. So my 13 year old boy and I dug right in. I told my boy we were doing it just how it would have been done in 1929, we took the laptop in to the garage and looked it up on google. Luck brought us here.


How long have laptops been around?

 

[JohnLaVoy]

Welcome, there are many MAFCA members in the Pennsylvania area and they have some great tours I think you can reach out to some of them for suggestions and help. Look at mafca.com to find contact information in your area.

Looks like a really nice 29 Briggs Town Sedan, that is what mine is too!

 

[ian Simpson]

My dad bought this model A from a friend. He wants to drive it and not work on it so he just gave it to me and told me he would "borrow" it for car shows but I could keep it at my place.
I knew nothing about model A's when I started. The car had been running but had the distributor pulled to be rebuilt, and never reinstalled. So my 13 year old boy and I dug right in. I told my boy we were doing it just how it would have been done in 1929, we took the laptop in to the garage and looked it up on google. Luck brought us here.
Once the distributor was timed I had an engine that ran like this;
http://vid991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/doebyc/engine start.mp4
I rebuilt the carb next (I had done tractors and a '53 Plymouth before so I had a little experience). When I started it back up after the carb work I saw it spitting fire out of the back of the engine. I thought I had a bad head gasket, but a buddy who knows much more about A's than I do pointed out there was no exhaust gasket left on the rear of the manifold. So I torqued the head back down, put on a new exhaust gasket and now I have this;
http://vid991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/doebyc/good engine.mp4
Now if I can just straighten out the brakes, steering, seat (I am 6'4") and.....
CHAZ

Hi, I am 6'4"and have no trouble driving our 1928 Tudor with the seat risers in the reverse position. My buddy Clarence who is 6'3" needed to set the risers back past the cross member and re-enforced them with an extra cross member made from channel iron.

Good luck with the car

 

[Jim/GA]

Wow. Now that's a bright green!

My wife's family used to have a pickup truck on the farm painted that color. They called it the "3 mile truck", because they could see it out in the field 3 miles away.

BTW, that's a pretty high end body style. Not sure if you knew that.

.

 

[hoof]

I had no idea it was anything other than a run of the mill fordor.

The seat on my car has already been "modified" and if I move just the seat back I can only go about an inch until the pedestal (for lack of a better word) will show in front of the seat bottom. My plan right now is to cut the front of the pedestal off, move it back and bolt it back together with the seat slides bolted down where I want them. Before I go hacking at anything I will post pictures and solicit opinions.

CHAZ

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

That's a nice looking 29 Town Sedan, and you just can't beat a Town Sedan for class and comfort. Even though the color isn't stock it sure looks nice. Here is another non stock green Coupe owned by Dusty, and again it's a really beautiful car. Then there is another non stock green Model A, which is my puke green 29 Tudor. That's a magnetic SPAM sticker on the passenger door.

Welcome to the GREEN car club.

 

[Randy in ca]

...........I told my boy we were doing it just how it would have been done in 1929, we took the laptop in to the garage and looked it up on google........

Ha, Ha!! Computers have made almost everything so much easier it's hard to remember how we ever got along without them!! Even harder to imagine what the next great leap might be.