First Real Drive In The 29 Phaeton

sethkestenbaum

sethkestenbaum

Well-known member
I finally took the "new" 1929 Phaeton driver for a drive. I am new to Model A's and was looking for some guidance


1. The car starts right up. How do I tell what the best setting is for GAV and the spark retarder?


2. On several occasions I had backfires. Sometimes they were from the carburetor, sometimes they were from the exhaust. Sometimes the car seemed to send me a "whoosh" signal letting me know it was going to happen. The backfires seemed to occur most frequently in 2nd gear and while driving. I am trying to understand why each type of backfire occurs and how to address them properly. I did figure out that I shouldn't use the choke when starting a warm engine (duh! I said I was a novice.). Aside from this, how should I judge what to do and when to stop the backfires?

3. What are some "tests" I should do when I take the car out next?

4. WHAT A BLAST!!!!!! I can't wait to get the horn working

AHOOOOGA! - Seth
 

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Sounds like you running rich if it's backfiring. You need to close the GAV (clockwise ). The way I determine the best GAV setting is on a warmed up engine, fully retard the spark, pull the throttle about one third way down, close the GAV until the engine starts to run rough. At that point, open the GAV until engine smooths out. I run mine at that setting with minor adjustments on the road.

Congratulations on the first test run. The horn is definitely fun.
 
Congratulations Seth!

Your story sounds VERY FAMILIAR! We purchased a 1929 Phaeton a year ago this Sunday. On our first ride our car exhibited the same symptoms. Through trial and error we found that what JK suggested is about what we do to keep it from backfiring. While the engine is cold we close the GAV almost all the way (clockwise), but as it warms up we open up the GAV more. Now we seldom get a backfire. Don't be afraid to experiment with it. Each car is slightly different so your adjustments will likely vary from that of others. You can tell when the engine is happy because it runs smoother.

Post more pictures when you get a chance. And get out and drive. Its the best way for the Phaeton to teach you how to drive it. Listen to "her" and she'll tell you when she's not happy.

Robert
 
here are a few shots to show what I have. It looks great from 30 feet but needs work.
 

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The more you drive it, the better it will run. Yesterday I got mine out just minutes before a thunderstorm moved in. It's amazing how much better my car runs when it not at an extreme temperature. The incoming storm had caused the temp to fall 10-15 degrees. I felt like I was driving a car with an automatic transmission. I got her to third gear and never had to downshift even at a slow rolling stop sign. Anyway, the important thing is to relax, have fun and enjoy the ride.
 
Seth
If that is an original fan on the water pump I would look it over very close for cracks so you don't end up with this.
 

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jkcrosson said:
The more you drive it, the better it will run. Yesterday I got mine out just minutes before a thunderstorm moved in. It's amazing how much better my car runs when it not at an extreme temperature. The incoming storm had caused the temp to fall 10-15 degrees. I felt like I was driving a car with an automatic transmission. I got her to third gear and never had to downshift even at a slow rolling stop sign. Anyway, the important thing is to relax, have fun and enjoy the ride.
Click to expand...

You're right about the extremely high temps messing up performance. We just got over 4 days of extreme heat and I noticed that my motorbike was kind of slow. Today the temps dropped to the mid 80's and it went 5 MPH faster.
 
Your car looks great to me. Like JK said, the more you drive it the better it will run. While the weather is good get out and drive it. Once winter hits and the roads are coated with salt; that's when you can start working on it. But for now take some time and the get to know each other (you and the car) out on the back-country roads. There's plenty of time later "fix 'er up."
 
I recommend you get a reprint of the original owners Model A handbook that came new with every car. It gives a foolproof guide to starting & driving a Model A plus basic maintenance. Every Model A owner had to learn this first.
Im sure you will love driving it without backfires!
 
Tudortomnz said:
I recommend you get a reprint of the original owners Model A handbook that came new with every car. It gives a foolproof guide to starting & driving a Model A plus basic maintenance. Every Model A owner had to learn this first.
QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more.

Enjoy your Phaeton!
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