Model A Trip...Should I???

Houston Rodder

Houston Rodder

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My new Model A Coupe is running perfect. The motor, transmission, clutch, wiring, & tires are all fresh. There is a certain car show in Austin that I want to go to next week, (400 miles round trip). What if I take my time, is that too far for a stock Model A. Well somewhat stock, I do have high compression head, cam, Mitchell Syncro ******, & Mitchell Overdrive. I can cruise pretty easy at 55. I'm nervous because I've never gone that far in a banger Model A. Additionally, I'll be by myself with no real support. I did take a 200 mile roundtrip a few weeks ago, no issues. What do ya'll think?
 

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Jim Parker Toronto said:
take a cell phone and your AAA card!
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That's what I would do.

The only time I needed to call AAA was when I ran out of gas, and that was my fault, not the cars.

Take a hand full of tools and may be some spare Ignition Parts.

Other then that, go for it.

Chris
 
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Houston Rodder said:
My new Model A Coupe is running perfect. The motor, transmission, clutch, wiring, & tires are all fresh. There is a certain car show in Austin that I want to go to next week, (400 miles round trip). What if I take my time, is that too far for a stock Model A. Well somewhat stock, I do have high compression head, cam, Mitchell Syncro ******, & Mitchell Overdrive. I can cruise pretty easy at 55. I'm nervous because I've never gone that far in a banger Model A. Additionally, I'll be by myself with no real support. I did take a 200 mile roundtrip a few weeks ago, no issues. What do ya'll think?
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Geez like a new car go for it.
 
I am going to the same carshow next wekk you are talking about. I plan on driving mine the little over 200 mile round trip. Mine is nowhere near as nice as yours. All stock banger motor and ****** with only new water pump, coil, wiring, distributor, and tires. I think I should make it but I will have my daily with a trailer in case of trouble.

I'd say do it.
 
No problemo, with a car mechanically up to snuff. I put 8k miles on my coupe last summer, we have folks in the club who drove Boston to Vancouver and back last summer.
Coupes are also very comfortable.

Steve
 
Take a look on the back, inside page of Les Andrews troubleshooting book. Theres a pretty comprehensive list of stuff you might want to take on tour. You can pick whatever you think is appropriate but its a good checklist.
 
Get Hagerty's or another Classic Car insurance with roadside assistance. They KNOW to send a flat bed. AAA is great, but I did have them show up with a Hooker one time.

Extras to take: Carb, fan belts (2), distributor if you have one, 600 WT/STP, Water, Oil, wiper blade, appropriate tail and head lamp bulbs, a set of pre gapped plugs. A nice blanket or tarp in case you have to go under the car. A real quality jack and something to block the wheel. An extra innertube is nice in case there isn't a handy corn field full of dry husks to pack into the tire carcass circa The Depression. Empty gas can since the gauge is analog.

A chiropractor and some Aleve for post run kinks in the back.
 
Do it! Thats no a far distance at all. Just carry your tool pouch, spare carb, points/condensor, and anything else you want and you'll be set!
 
GO!!!!

People have driven around the country 1000's of miles.
I beleive there was a father and son that drove from South America to Alaska.

Model A's remain to this day because they are durable and dependable not because people bought them and then hid them away.
 
think about it...each tank of gas is about 160-200 miles ( depending on your driving and cars appetite). How many tanks of gas have you driven without trouble? Surely at least three? 400 miles is a good trip for a shake down and to build confidence in the car. Because of Murphy's law, take the advice offered regarding parts and AAA insurance and have a blast. I just returned from a 1200 mile trip to Death Valley with no trouble. I have driven 2500-3000 miles trips to and around Oregon three times, all without a hitch. The cars I traveled with that did have trouble had fan and pump shaft trouble, water leaks and head gasket trouble, flat tires and timing gear trouble. So bring what you might need to deal with those as well as the other suggestions above and don't push the car too hard on the hills or too fast on the flats and odds are you'll have one of the best rides of your life.
 
Sorry guys, I'm being a wuss. But I do not have a spare carb. How bout I take a can of cleaner? What kind of issues have ya'll had with a properly functioning carb?
 
Houston Rodder said:
Sorry guys, I'm being a wuss. But I do not have a spare carb. How bout I take a can of cleaner? What kind of issues have ya'll had with a properly functioning carb?
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Turn your pants around so the zipper is in the front and drive the car!!! :cool:

What spare parts do you cary for your modern car? Carry the same ones for your A. :D
 
carburetor trouble on a good one would probably be loose parts or rust /dirt in a jet, all of which you can fix on the road if you have some carburetor tools and a can of carb cleaner with you. On the Death Valley trip with 15 cars, only one had carburetor trouble and it was not a stock carburetor, nor did it disable the car, just ran crappy on hills.. In Pendleton, the 115 degree heat caused some vapor lock problems with starting a hot engine, but its not like it was a disaster, just hard starting and rough running for the first few minutes until cooler fuel got in the bowl.

Like Mike says, just drive the car. If you're really nervous, get AAA Plus, then in the worst case you can ride home for free in an air conditioned cab with stereo and fix the car in the comfort of your own garage. I have driven my sedan 30,000 miles in the last 4 years without one breakdown. I don't think twice about jumping in the car for a 200 mile day trip.

If its a good runner around town, it will be great on the open road. Model A's did not get their reputation for reliability without good reason.
 
Unless that motor has at least 500-1000 miles on it, you might want to avoid the Interstates and sustained running above 50 MPH...

Just sayin'.... no sense in "cooking" a fresh/tight motor...

I think it's a reasonable endeavor.... take your time, enjoy the ride.
 
Since 90% of carburetor problems are ignition, I wouldn't worry about the carb but I would (and do) carry extra ignition parts. Points, condenser, coil, at least one plug, rotor, and spare attaching hardware in case you drop stuff in the grass. I actually now carry a complete timed distributor in addition to the parts mentioned. Gar Williams
 
Tell us more about the car show in Austin. That would be a nice shakedown cruise for the almost new S/W. Austin is about 250 mi. from me and I would not hesitate to make the trip. ken
 
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