Model A cross-country migration

Please remember that oil changes are generally done at 500 miles, unless the car has been updated with an oil filter... then perhaps as much as 2000 miles.
 
I'm all for long distance road tours with a Model A. Our fathers (or grandfathers) did it as a matter of course. I've done several myself. Great experiences!

With that said, you should go into this with your eyes open.

A Model A is probably fairly different from anything you have every driven or maintained. For example...

There is no centrifugal or vacuum advance. You perform this operation yourself depending on speed and engine load with the lever to the left of the steering column. You "double clutch" to shift the non synchro trans. You "dial in" the appropriate air/fuel mixture with the GAV on the passenger side of the fuel tank. Plenty of other "quirks" that add to the romance of the A but can be troublesome until you get competent with them.

The car can go 60MPH, but it's not happy doing it for several days straight (unless it has been rebuilt with insert bearings, a counterbalanced crank, high compression head, etc). 45 is a good road speed. You'll probably average 40 MPH for the trip. 5 hours/day is about all you'll want to spend in the car :(. So, that is about a 12 day trip. Trust me...after 3 days rattling around inside a Model A, 9 more days isn't going to seem like much fun.

There will be 5 recommended oil changes along the way. You can probably get away with 2-3. Other maintenance will be required. Read all about it here...

http://motormayhem.net/wp-uploads/2009/04/Model-A-Instruction-Manual.pdf

If the previous owner has not installed a manifold heater, you'll freeze your butt off this time of year on certain stretches.

Since it sounds like you don't have experience with Model As, and certainly not with this specific car, you may want to hold off with the road trip until you have both. Have the car shipped to you. It is by far less expensive than driving it home even if you have no problems en route. If you do have a few problems (likely) the costs can really add up. Having the car shipped is also less expensive than going after it with a trailer.

Once the car is delivered, dig into it. Learn all you can. Inspect brakes, suspension, steering, engine compression, rod and main clearances, etc. Drive it further and further from your house as you repair things that need it and gain confidence in the car and your knowledge of it.

THEN, next summer, take that long road trip.

When you take that long road trip...either when you pick the car up in Oregon or next summer...please chronicle it here. Daily if possible. It will fun for us to "ride along" with you.

Good luck!
 
Tires are 3 years old. Co-pilot has worked on many cars. Both of us are very mechanically capable but as stated, the A is a new beast to us. I'm already committed to my non-refundable flights so I'm committed to at least get there and stare at it. I planned on changing oil every 1k. I was going to run a synthetic 15w-40 (I hesitate to state this knowing how people are with their oil opinions :)) I did plan on some sort of electric heater to keep the window clear. If things go as planned and I can figure a way to post I will. I am currently a flip phone owner and am not sure how to regale you with tales of the road until I get back. Starting in Bend, OR. Thanks for the tips I will be pouring over the links and reading up on maintenance for the car. Got insurance for the car that includes flatbed towing. I got one quote and the price was CRAZY to ship so I didn't look into it more. Prolly should have got some numbers from other places cause $700 sounds like a deal. He is including a pile of repair books and such so if we don't know what to do we can always read. Thanks again for the help and I will more than likely have a few more quandaries before I leave. Will also look into a manifold heater I keep forgetting to do it.
 
Check your car out and take your trip. A model A can drive in snow better than most modern cars. take some rope to wrap around tires as emergency chains. dress warmly and drive moderately. Have fun and allow plenty of time to sight see.
 
Lots of good advice here.
My thought......have a backup plan to get the vehicle home should transporting be required.


Mostly though.......good on you......what an adventure and best of luck!
 
I doubt 500 mile oil changes are necessary since you are not doing stop and go city driving plus it is modern oil being used.
 
Spent 3 months in Riverton Wyoming for work in the early 80s, fall/winter before Christmas. Winter starts very early, especially above 5000 ft. Most passes are marked as chains or 4 wheel drive required for winter driving. I had a company car with front wheel drive, thought I would not have problem. Started up a minimal pass, started slipping, turned around, ended up praying all the way back down, scared the beejesus out of me, slipping sliding all the way even though I was in low gear. Many times when snow is cleared the plows/blowers do not go down to the pavement, a layer of hard pack snow is left.


Some areas in mountains/foothills/wooded areas are not fenced along the roads and cattle have the right of way It is not uncommon to come around a curve and there are cattle in the road. Dawn/dusk are worse than fall hunting season Wisconsin for animals in the road, Mule Deer, and occasional Elk. Antelope are skittish, usually do not get near roads.


May want to consider having a tow rope or chain, shovel, jumper cables, perhaps a spare battery, road flares, other survival items. Winters are nasty at times, high winds, cold, snow.


Remember that Wyoming population is I believe only about 600,000 people. At night, even during the day, might have to wait a very long time until you see another vehicle, sometimes it is a long ways just to get help.
 
Hardly ever post here...Adventures are the very best.

At minimum, upgrade your AAA coverage for towing. Get car thoroughly checked, brakes, tires, gas tank, radiator, lights. We look forward to your book/video.


Better yet, store and wait till spring - or get hauler and do your "test drive" in spring.
 
The A will do it if you don’t speed the guts out of it,
Mine is basically stock!
We are on the return trip home from the national rally here,it’s about 2700klms each way.
Do a couple of oil changes on the way ,and get a members list from the model A club of America,so you can contact a member if you need help along the way,
Lawrie
 

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People are sure molly-coddled these days! Must have been raised by single mothers, or dads with no sense of adventure. Up through the '50's, cross country trips like this were made in Model A's in all kinds of weather. People thought nothing of it; if all you could afford was a well-used A, that's what you drove. True, tires, tubes, points, coils, generator brushes, etc., were available everywhere but nowadays you carry such with you. No such things as cell phones then, either!
Sounds like you've thought this over and have back-up plans in place. Don't obsess over oil changes. Those old A's back in the day often lived on drain oil. A guy short on funds would just dip into a gas station's used oil tank and be on his way!
 
Sounds somewhat similar to how I got my second Model A home except I only had to drive 1100 miles. From my experience I'd recommend the following to someone without any Model A experience:


1. Certainly the old owner knows what you are attempting to do. Hopefully, he will take pity on you and perform a lot of the pre-trip maintenance issues for you so that you don't have to spend days in his garage preparing the car. Don't leave until the car is ready to go. I suggest you prepare a pre trip check off list itemizing the cars systems and share it with the old owner. You might even offer to pay for this service from someone in the Bend area that the current owner recommends if the current owner is hesitant to provide it.

2. Take at least a full day with the current owner and drive around one of the best small towns in America, Bend Oregon. Go out to the volcano at highway speed for the 15 miles or so and climb to the top in low gear. Become proficient at crank starting the car. Once you put on 100 miles or so, you will be as well prepared as possible.

3. With the Model A Club roster of members and phone numbers you have already ordered, find a couple of name on your trip route and contact them before you leave home and explain to them what you are doing. These contacts may be the difference in you making it or not.


When I did this trip, I had every imaginable spare part and tool and needed nothing. Good Luck to you...……..
 
A 48 mile trip is nothing, so just think of this as fifty 48 mile trips back to back.


The biggest hazard will most likely be other bad drivers. The fools like to speed and tailgate these days. No one seems to know the rules because they don't know the meaning of merge, yield, and the guy on the right has the right of way. The idiot on the left will pull out every time. Distracted drivers..........don't get me started on that!
 
FordTudor1931 said:
Matt,


The idea of driving the Model A across the country is great, but your timing is way off. You will most likely hit snow and ice crossing the Rockies. We just got back from Seattle to Michigan driving and it is a very long drive even in a modern car. I wish you all luck, but time your mountain crossings to the weather reports. It can get nasty and the roads will be closed if it is bad.
Click to expand...

Sound Advice

Wait until Spring to do your trip


Jim
 
I wish I was doing it with you. A few other items to check: good spare tire, two gallon gas can, jack & tools, Good cell phone, insurance coverage with towing, winter jacket,socks and jeans. Ask when the wheel bearing were last packed. See if you can get a list of members along the way. Everyone is usually ready to help. SLOW moving Triangle on the back. Cars come up on you very fast! HAVE a BLAST!!!!!!
 
In 1998, I flew down to Las Vegas to look at a "freshly restored" '29 Phaeton with a "newly rebuilt engine" and made a purchase deposit on it. I toyed with the idea of driving it back to Minnesota (1,645 miles) thinking it would be a great adventure. A number of people advised that I don't try it; I eventually took their advice. Six weeks later, with my wife and 16 year old nephew as back-up drivers, I pulled a trailer behind my pickup to retrieve it.
We drove non-stop to Las Vegas, loaded the car and spent one night at a motel to catch up on sleep. We then drove straight home taking turns driving.

When I got home, I unloaded the car from the trailer, checked the tire pressure and engine oil, and drove towards town, 5 miles away, to fill the gas tank. Less than a 1/2 mile from the station the piston in number 4 cylinder seized. It was a bit of a hassle loading it on the trailer to bring it home. I can't imagine the "adventure" I would have had if I had caught a flight to Las Vegas and tried to drive it home. The point of relating my experience, I don't think you should try doing this.

I also sense that you are very determined to embark on this adventure. I seriously hope you make it. If you make it or don't, it will be a 2,400 mile adventure. Good or bad (I hope good), please let us know how it went after you make it home and then let me know when your "Book" is completed. I would like to purchase a copy.
Good Day!
 
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Just to add to what Redbird said, check all the tires. Many antique cars have very old tires.

I was amused by a recent story in the one of the club magazines. A guy took a long trip in his woody with old Garfield tires on it. I think he had to replace all the tires on the trip. What was he thinking?
 
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