Hello from a new guy in Washington

montanafordman

montanafordman

Well-known member
Hi there, I have been lurking on here for a little while but I guess its time to introduce myself and become a part of all the fun! I'm a Cargo Pilot living in the Seattle-Tacoma area and was lucky enough to inherit a 1931 Ford Model A coupe from my grandfather who passed away about 3 years ago. He had the car sitting in his garage untouched for nearly 30 years before he started restoring it about 23 years ago after he retired from farming. I had a lot of fun memories with him and the car growing up.

It wasn't until recently buying my first home was I able to trailer it from Montana to Washington last month so I can enjoy it and work on it so I'm diving right in! I grew up with a farming background and always enjoyed working on machinery and my own vehicles so needless to say I"m not bashful about wrenching on it and I've got some background to fall on but I"m learning fast about everything Model A. :D I recently Joined my local Model A club and have had a lot of fun meeting new people and learning all they have to offer. They have been very helpful also! Here is the new acquisistion. :)

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The car runs great but needs brake, electrical (new light harness), and suspension work which I'm already making some decent headway on. I'm in the process of changing out the Radiator and was wondering if you all just put the hood over a saw horse when you take it off or how do you get it out of the way without damaging it or bending the sheet metal? Just laying it on the ground doesn't sound like a good idea so I'm curious what you all do? Anyway I'm looking forward to spending more time on this site!
 
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Welcome,
Nice car. Nice garage. I have always been told the preferred method of storing the hood off the car is standing up on the rear edge with a piece of cardboard, carpet, or rug underneath it. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me and we will both learn something.
Enjoy the car,
Jon
 
Welcome to the Barn. There is a lot of guys on here with a wealth of knowledge that are more than willing to help. I agree with JBR about the hood. I did exactly that when I removed mine to pull the motor.
 
beautiful coupe and my favorite color !
i also stand the hood on end when off of the car..on a cloth or something soft. welcome aboard to a great site...thanks again RYAN !!
 
I also store the hood on the rear edge on carpet.

Does the radiator leak, overheat, or have loss of coolant through the overflow?
 
Awesome car ... You will have nothing short of a blast working on her ... You have joined a great group of people that have the ability to answer any question and guide you through any problems you may have ... I know they helped me allot ... Welcome to the team
 
Thanks everyone for the welcome and nice comments. I guess standing the hood on end seems simple and obvious enough... ;):o Guess I just hadn't thought of that!

Tom Wesenberg said:
Does the radiator leak, overheat, or have loss of coolant through the overflow?
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The radiator that was in the car was beat up a fair amount. The backside had been hit by the fan at one time and brazed up. When I picked up the car last month it had been sitting for 3+ years and was still full of antifreeze but the fins were still a bit mangled in that area. It also had some bent fins and damage on the front but was holding coolant. I didn't have any overheating or leaking from the limited driving that I did with it recently. I later noticed the hood didn't line up quite straight and that only the top 2 bolts of the radiator shell were connected and only some wire secured one of the lower holes on the radiator shell because they didn't line up. It turns out the whole radiator was crooked and the metal bracket along one side had come loose at the solder points. I also flushed the coolant and then it started leaking so its time to get rid of the one in the car.

I was lucky enough that my grandpa had a spare radiator leaning against the wall in his garage that was in much better (looking) shape. The spare is an original with 1 piece tanks and dimpled fins with a baffle underneath the cap. The radiator on the car I'm sure is aftermarket and had no baffle under the cap. I have no idea why it wasn't on the car in the first place, especially since it seems to be in much better looking shape aside from a few bent fins here and there. The radiator shell also fits it perfectly on that one. :confused: Its possible he had intended to swap it in but didn't get around to it due to his health, or he pulled it out for some reason and had the other one in its place, I just don't know. I dropped off the original that was in his garage at Seattle Radiator Works to be checked out and repaired or rebuilt if necessary so thats what will go on the car when I get it back. The guy I spoke to seemed to know a bit about Model A radiators and showed me a couple they were currently rebuilding for some 40's era fords. Hopefully I'll have it back soon and I'll throw on a new water pump, hoses and clamps and be on my way! :cool: Notwithstanding the other "stuff" I have on my list...:D

I have always been a ford fan and a member at Ford Truck Enthusiasts (another online forum) for 9 years now and I love to tinker. Now that I have my new "toy" and joined over here my sickness is really getting out of hand! Anyhow I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and learning more about the car. Hopefully in time I'll be able to contribute as much as others have helped me out. Happy trails!

-Aaron
 
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Aaron,

Nice Model A. Off the subject my son is doing his first Solo today, in half an hour. I am glad to see you survived yours and that you're into Model A's. There is still hope for my kid. Over the phone, My wife said call when you are done. he said " don't worry Mom I'll call, or at least someone will." Rotten kid, my wife has been in a panic since.
 
Welcome and very nice car. It's alot easier to remove the hood with two people. Looks like your car has a nice new home. Great garage. Ron
 
Welcome to the fordbarn. You have a nice car and I bet you will find more early fords in your garage soon! My first car was a 31 Model A Victoria then I bought a 67 Mustang and then a 39 half ton pickup, then my dad bought a 47 tudor, lol!!

Do as the guys have said and set the hood upright on its rear edge on a piece of cardboard or carpet. Have a friend help you lift the hood off of the car. If you have time show us some more pics of your coupe. We love pics here on the barn. Have fun and good luck with your ford.
 
30ccpickup said:
Aaron,

Nice Model A. Off the subject my son is doing his first Solo today, in half an hour. I am glad to see you survived yours and that you're into Model A's. There is still hope for my kid. Over the phone, My wife said call when you are done. he said " don't worry Mom I'll call, or at least someone will." Rotten kid, my wife has been in a panic since.
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Nice! I'm sure your son will do great, its certainly a memorable time. When I was flight instructing it was probably one of my favorite moments and most nerve wracking when I'd send my students up for their first solo. They always did great and would come back with a huge smile. Flying is a passion and if your son has it I wish him the best!
 
Welcome to the "club" and that is a nice looking Model A.

Now, about that shop........ it has way too much empty space, and way too clean/organized!
 
Yes, very nice looking. I too am new to this an going to start to restore my early 30 that looks alot like yours. good luck with your A
 
Elcastor said:
Welcome to the "club" and that is a nice looking Model A.

Now, about that shop........ it has way too much empty space, and way too clean/organized!
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Thanks! I've waited a long time to have my own garage / workspace! Its my first house so my biggest complaint is that my garage is very small for a 2 car garage but it was finished nicely. On the other side I have a small workbench and I installed some pegboard and extra flourescent lights also. My house was built in 1997 in Seattle so unfortunately it wasn't really made for larger vehicles. My F150 will only fit in the side the model A is currently parked, and must be about 3 inches from the front wall to close the door. My wifes Honda Civic (or the Model A) will fit with only a little more room on the other side because of the stairs into the house and the furnace and water heater. It still beats filling the spare room closets in our old apartments with my tools and taking over my sisters garage or working under a carport though! :) It looks organized in the picture but I've got parts strewn all over now! :D My wife laughs when people comment on our garage. She says I make some pretty epic messes in there but I"m always good at cleaning it up!

Seth Swoboda said:
. If you have time show us some more pics of your coupe. We love pics here on the barn. Have fun and good luck with your ford.
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Sure! I'll try to get my album set up before too long. In the meantime here are a few linked pictures. I'll try to get some interior shots uploaded one of these days too.

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Nice looking car and garage. I assume the rural pictures above are from where the car used to be, and now you live in a cramped neighborhood, like I do.

I never could understand why garages are always built so small. My garage is also a very tight 2 car space. Adding a few feet to width and length costs so little extra, but adds so much to the roominess.
 
Montana,
You got some good advice on the hood, but this is better...

Prop the hood up on the living room carpet to form a tunnel. The kids can crawl through it, and the wife will enjoy seeing it in the living room when her friends come over. Other car parts are also welcome. Use your imagination.

Good luck with the wrench, from Colorado!
 
Aaron, welcome to the barn. Which club did you join? Also are you in Tacoma or Seattle. I'm in the Galopin Gerties so if thats the case look forward to seeing you at the next meeting. TB
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
Nice looking car and garage. I assume the rural pictures above are from where the car used to be, and now you live in a cramped neighborhood, like I do.

I never could understand why garages are always built so small. My garage is also a very tight 2 car space. Adding a few feet to width and length costs so little extra, but adds so much to the roominess.
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Yep. My Grandpa lived in Gildford, Montana which is about 30 miles west of Havre along HWY 2. Both of my parents grew up on Montana's "Hi-Line" farming (they now live in Bozeman). My Grandmother still lives there and we have a farm (and house) that we keep up and stay at on my moms side of the family also. I really wish I could hold onto the rural lifestyle and would have loved to farm myself but land and equipment issues didn't allow me that option. I try to get back whenever I can though and recharge from the busy lifestyle out here.

I hear you on the garage issue. I can't understand why they couldn't have added just a couple feet! Most people out here don't even use their garages for their original purpose anyway. They might get 1 vehicle inside but it seems nowadays they use it for nothing more than extra storage.

Newshirt - Good one!! ;) I'll forward that to the Mrs. Actually, maybe I'll surprise her.

Tacoma Bob said:
Aaron, welcome to the barn. Which club did you join? Also are you in Tacoma or Seattle. I'm in the Galopin Gerties so if thats the case look forward to seeing you at the next meeting. TB
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I'm also in the Galopin Gerties. I have a long way to go learning names but I'm making some headway. I've made it to the last two monthly meetings and a few breakfasts. Its been a great time! You'll have to track me down at the next meeting. Allan, Mike, and Don were already nice enough to come out to my place and check out the car and offer advice on what needs to be addressed in the near and long term. I'll see you out there!

-Aaron
 
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