My 1930 Model A

L

lucky_stripe_garage

Senior Member
So I officially own a 1930 Model A sedan. Got to bring it home this past weekend. Took some time off of work and spent the weekend figuring out the previous owners garage engineering to be able to get the car out of its hiding spot. It was parked there in 1976-79 and has sat ever since. So it got to see the sun for the first time since then. It took us a few hours, but it was completely worth every second. His family was very emotional, but was happy to see that the car was going to be running again as the old man had wanted before he passed away. I also came away with a truck load of extra parts, some new, but most old and had been replaced already. I have plenty to keep me busy for a few months trying to sort through everything and figure out where he left off. Any tips on getting the motor running again would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

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cool uncovering one that's been cooped up a while! Don't get in a hurry to start up till fluids are changed/checked, wiring and all is checked out and all is safe for start up. By the looks of it there will need to be some work to make roadable but you have the guys here on the barn to guide you.

Every year our Missouri Valley group does a start up... we take a car that hasn't run in many years... last years was an easy one ( link below), but we have done some that needed pistons, etc and get them going in a couple of hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWe8Ex_aWTI


I would bet a few hours and it's running. get hooked up with some local A guys.
Larry Shepard
 
Welcome to the family of Model A owners - What a great find!

If you don't have a copy already, it would be a good first reference book to purchase - Model A Ford Mechanics Handbood by Les Andrews

My first step would be to drop and clean the oil pan. There is a windage tray that does not drain during a regular oil change. There's no telling what has collected there since the last oil service.

While you're dropping the pan, remove the spark plugs and put a couple of tablespoons of ATF or Marvel Mystery Oil to help loosen stuck rings/pistons.

Remove the valve cover and clean out any debris that may be collected in there.

You may find everything clean as a whistle but knowing is always better than not knowing.
 
After speaking with the previous owners brother-in-law, he stated that the engine was rebuilt, but never ran after the rebuilding. I'll pull the oil drain plug and see what I find there. Is there any preference to which head gasket I should use after I pull the head to do that inspection? Also, here's a few more pics from Saturday.
 

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I would remove the plugs and pour some ATF down each cylinder, let it set for a bit, then hand crank the engine. If you can't hand crank it then I'd pull the head, otherwise I'd spin it over with the starter, then put the plugs back in and try to start it.

If you pull the head, the gasket may not need to be changed since it was never run and never retorqued. I'd spray both sides with Copper Coat and reuse it, but wouldn't pull the head unless there was a real need to.
 
How fun! The car trailer picture still looks very familiar to me as I've only had my coupe for a couple of months. I don't remember how many times I was startled to see that radiator shell in my rear view mirror on my 120 mile drive home. Take some video of the engine starting and post it on youtube if you can, that's so fun to see!
 
I plan on taking that video Art, I'll just have to figure out how to post videos on YouTube. We had almost 400 miles driving home. I'm sure my wife was annoyed by the end of it with all my comments about the car that was tailgating us. My oldest daughter (10 years old) is already trying to say that she's gonna be driving this after she gets her license. We were wearing t-shirts by the end of the day Saturday, then woke up Sunday to snow. So many first for this car already. Haha
 

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You say you got a lot of extra parts,some new,and some that had already been replaced.Save them all.You are going to find that a lot of the replaced parts are junk,and you are better off with the stuff that was taken off.It's not so bad now,but a lot of the stuff from the 60's and 70's was worse than a worn out original part.
 
When we were trying to get the wall out of the way, the brother-in-law came inside and said, "You see all these boxes of parts? You're taking them all." we ended up filling 4 of the 18 gallon sterilite tubs, as well as having parts loaded into the model a, extra bumpers, a steering column and rear end tied down to the trailer. Some of it does not go to the A, and some isn't even Ford. My wife got worried that we weren't going to have enough room for everything.
 
You did bring an empty tow vehicle didn't you?

That's awesome that they wanted you to have every little bit of what might or might not belong.
 
your first Model A is a once in a lifetime experience. Once it is running good and safe keep it on the road as much as possible. Get as many friends and relatives as possible involved. Let every old guy in town get behind the wheel. In other words enjoy the heck out of it. Wayne
 
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