Model A Activity for the Youngsters

[Paul in Colorado]

I will sometimes take my Model A to school activities or youth groups and use the following outline to help them understand how a car works. I will ask the questions, and then show them the parts we are talking about on the Model A. I also use a framed copy of the lubrication diagram to help them see the parts. I have a plastic model of a four cylinder engine that I use to show them how the engine works. They can also get in the car and honk the horn. Both the boys and girls enjoy it, and I hope it may get them interested in our old cars. Besides, it is fun for me!

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]HOW TO BUILD A CAR[/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do you make a car go?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You need an engine[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What does an engine need to run?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Fuel and a spark to ignite it[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How does the fuel get into the engine?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]From the gas tank to the carburetor – Gravity or fuel pump[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What does the carburetor do?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Breaks up the fuel to ignite more easily - Like a spray bottle[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Modern cars use fuel injectors to inject the fuel directly[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What ignites the fuel?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Spark plugs[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How does the spark plug know when to fire?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The distributor sends the spark at the right time[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we change the speed of the engine?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Step on the gas pedal[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The carburetor (or fuel injectors) feeds more fuel to the engine[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The engine runs constantly – How can we keep the car from moving?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The clutch disconnects the engine from the car[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Push down the clutch pedal to disconnect the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]An automatic transmission disconnects the engine by itself[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The transmission can also be put into neutral – No connection [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The engine likes to run in a limited speed range – The car runs from a crawl to highway speeds. How do we match the engine speed to the car speed?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The transmission – Different gears for different speeds[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we change the gears in the transmission?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Use the clutch to disconnect the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Use the shift lever to engage different sets of gears[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Use the clutch to reconnect the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]An automatic transmission does this by itself[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we connect the transmission to the wheels?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The drive shaft[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The wheels go up and down over bumps – The engine is fixed in place[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we prevent the drive shaft from breaking?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A universal joint allows the drive shaft to move up and down[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The drive shaft goes down the length of the car – The axle goes across the car[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we change direction to drive the wheels?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The differential changes the direction of the driving force[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When a car turns, the outside wheel travels farther than the inside wheel[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we allow this to happen and not skid the tires?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The differential allows the wheels to travel at different speeds[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Now that we have the car moving, what do we do when we come to a stop sign?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Step on the brakes[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The engine is still running and trying to drive the car – How do we disconnect it?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Push down the clutch pedal[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shift into neutral if you want to stay stopped[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]An automatic transmission does this for you[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do the brakes stop the car?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The brake pedal is connected to the brakes on the wheels by rods[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Brake shoes are pressed against the inside of the drums[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Modern cars often use disks and calipers – like bicycle brakes[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Modern cars use hydraulic lines to push the shoes[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we start the engine?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Turn it over with a crank[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What if I’m not strong enough to turn the crank? (Or I’m lazy?)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I can use an electric motor (starter) to turn the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A small gear on the starter motor turns a big gear on the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The starter disconnects when the engine starts running[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Where do the starter and sparkplugs get their electricity?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]From the battery[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The battery only holds so much electricity – What happens when it runs out?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The engine stops and will not start again[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The lights and other accessories will not work[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do we keep the battery charged?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Have the engine run a generator (or alternator)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The generator keeps the battery charged so it will start the engine[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This car is completely computer controlled. Where is the computer?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The driver’s brain[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Modern cars use a computer to do the things the driver does[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Who designed this car and figured out how to make everything work?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Henry Ford and his engineers[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What would you say if I told you this car just came together over hundreds of years?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That’s ridiculous![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If we admire the designer of this car, how much more should we admire the designer of the universe and all that is in it?[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How ridiculous it is to think that this universe just happened without a designer![/FONT]

 

[Gary WA]

Great Job!

 

[KeansClassics]

Those are great questions to get the young future hobbiests to thinking about how a car works! The more youngsters you can bring in, the better the hobby will be! Thanks for doing the world a favor! Kids today really dont understand cars anymore. Fifty years ago kids my age knew all there was to know about cars, now most of my friends dont even know how there car works, they just hop in and go.

Keep up the good work and thanks again!

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Great job. You're informing them about more than cars and they need a complete education.

 

[Paul in Colorado]

You are free to use this and modify or expand it as you choose. If you want it as a Word document, PM me and I will send it to you.

 

[roccaas]

I got the chance to talk with a Physics class about Bernoulli's principle, vaporization, Reynolds' number, viscosity, Stoichiometric ratio, etc.

An updraft carb is especially useful as most folks learn about Bernoulli from the smokestack example. One kids eyes lit up when he understood why the intake manifold was up against the exhaust manifold to increase vaporization of cold gas until the choke plate can be opened.

 

[roccaas]

Teaching them to double clutch and double de-clutch would also be useful to their education!