Gas & oil questions

J

jtucker

Member
My '31 coupe has been in storage for the last 60 years.
Can anyone bring me up to speed on current thinking about gas and oil for the Model A?

I assume 87 octane unleaded, but additives/no additives?

How about oil? I am installing a full flow filter. Detergent/non-detergent, real oil or synthetic, what viscosity...I live in Minnesota.

Thanks for any advice.
Jim
 
Drop the pan and remove the valve cover to clean out any sludge and debris. Use detergent 10-30 after this is done. after running the engine a few hours drain and refill with the same. Use any octane gas you choose, but I would use non ethanol if you don't run through it quickly or are planning to store the car for any small length of time.
 
In addition to what J mentioned I would after you drop the pan remove the dipper tray, see what is on the bottom, and then clean the oil pump screen.
 
Do everything as mentioned previously here and take your time to remove all sludge in those areas. Once things are reassembled and you're ready to add oil, remove the distributor and pour at least 2 quarts of oil down the distributor hole and then add the rest of the oil down the filler tube, as normal. This may sound odd, but it is an important step for engines that have been out of service this long and will ensure that the main bearings, valves, and lifters will be drenched with fresh oil long before the oil pump can get it there.
 
I agree about rust in the gas tank. My car had been sitting for about 40 years when I bought it. I removed the tank and took it to a guy who specialized in old tanks of any kind. After sand blasting the inside he put it in a bath that cleaned everything then pressure tested it for leaks. Well worth the effort and cost,
 
Thanks for ll the suggestions. I particularly liked the one about removing the distributor and pouring oil down the hole...I would not have thought of it. I saw a Utube video about the oil system on the A which determined that it could take 2 minutes of runtime for the oil pump to fill a new side mounted oil filter before any oil went to internal parts...had me a little worried abut bearing oiling...the distributor hole trick kind of addresses that problem.

I took the gas tank to "Gas-tank-Renew" which is a nationwide franchise I think. They did a really nice job of cleaning, resealing and painting the gas tank for me.
 
Should I be concerned about switching to synthetic oil in my 29 Model A. I am worried my car my start leaking where it never leaked before. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Yes! It will probably start leaking. I’am a firm believer in synthetic oil, but only if you start it from new or reborn.
 
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