My First Model A - Questions

Welcome tot eh club and really looking car. Don't forget about the AACA, they have chapters all over the place. I guarantee someone in that club has a Model A.


As far as a hot rod goes, I agree (and this is my opinion only), that car is super nice to cut up. If you want speed there are some options like a high comp head, lightened flywheel, downdraft carbs, overdrive that will get you moving faster and still look stock. Just remember, the fast you go, the faster you have to stop. And mechanicals are not the best above 65 or so.


Mike
 
Our Model A club has a few hot rod modified. We are not strict in that regard. Before joining a Model A club talk to the president about your plans for your Model A. Best of luck with your decision.
 
Thanks guys. Overwhelming responses to my first day of posting. Thanks for all of the input, recommendations, and advice. I do plan to make my car a hot rod and I understand that goes against the grain of many of you here. Sorry about that. If I need to go somewhere else to ask model a type questions I understand. My hot rod plans are purely “do no harm”. Nothing will be cut. Not doing a chop or channel. No engine swap... Primarily just unbolting the fenders and putting on some period correct wheels and banger speed mods. I love the car and am very excited about learning all I can learn about Model As. I’m collecting and reading as many related books as I can get my hands on. Looks like the nearest Model A club for me would be Hub City out of Hagerstown. I will reach out to them to see if I meet their criteria for membership.
 
Fomoco998 said:
Nice car but it is yours so make it the way you want .
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Thanks Fomoco998 - At this point I plan to keep every part or bolt I take off in case I want to put it back to original. From the looks of the car it has been apart several times already. I discovered this week that I have been driving around with TWO body mount bolts, one on each side!!!
 
Surprising what you'll find when going over the car . When I bought mine it looked nice and ran well . Found allot of hidden problems in body ,brakes, and suspension . That was in 2017 and just now roadworthy . I have reworked and made allot of changes. Don't hurry and make it safe .
 
That's the best looking whitewall tire A I've seen! IMO. Go ahead and hop up the engine, taller gears, overdrive, etc, think twice about removing the fenders( mud guards) they keep your body looking nice and maybe illegal if removed? Again it's your car! I think it's a great looking A as is!
 
Tribal, you have a very nice car, and welcome to the forum. Drive it like you stole it.

Its your car and you can do as you like, I just hope that you keep it original. Original meaning ok to restore it, fix it, polish it, but not cut it up.
 
Fordbarn is a fantastic site but the information is primarily for stock or restoration. You will find a lot of information that will help with your project.



Here are some sites to check out for your banger project:
Piriano's Model A: http://modelaparts.net/index.html Loads of dyno runs with different engine setups.
Secrets of Speed: https://www.secretsofspeed.com/ A lot of banger speed parts and information. This also ties in with Scalded Dog Speed Parts. They just released a new high performance head that is NOT period correct but makes horsepower.
HAMB - (Hokey *** Message Board) - Overall a hot rod and custom car site, lots of information on not just Model A's
Snyder's Antique Automotive - https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/ Good source for parts in general and they have 5.5:1 and 6:1 heads that are very good. I am running their 6:1 head and cast iron exhaust header. Realize that there are many very good suppliers, I list this one because of their heads and they are good people to deal with.
Ford Garage:http://www.fordgarage.com/ Very good source for a lot of information including period correct performance parts.
FSI: http://www.fsignitions.com/FS_Ignitions_Home_Page.html Electronic ignition choices

I am sure you will find a lot of others but here is a start.



Good luck and enjoy your very pretty car.
 
GeneBob said:
Fordbarn is a fantastic site but the information is primarily for stock or restoration. You will find a lot of information that will help with your project.



Here are some sites to check out for your banger project:
Piriano's Model A: http://modelaparts.net/index.html Loads of dyno runs with different engine setups.
Secrets of Speed: https://www.secretsofspeed.com/ A lot of banger speed parts and information. This also ties in with Scalded Dog Speed Parts. They just released a new high performance head that is NOT period correct but makes horsepower.
HAMB - (Hokey *** Message Board) - Overall a hot rod and custom car site, lots of information on not just Model A's
Snyder's Antique Automotive - https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/ Good source for parts in general and they have 5.5:1 and 6:1 heads that are very good. I am running their 6:1 head and cast iron exhaust header. Realize that there are many very good suppliers, I list this one because of their heads and they are good people to deal with.
Ford Garage:http://www.fordgarage.com/ Very good source for a lot of information including period correct performance parts.
FSI: http://www.fsignitions.com/FS_Ignitions_Home_Page.html Electronic ignition choices

I am sure you will find a lot of others but here is a start.



Good luck and enjoy your very pretty car.
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GeneBob - Thanks! These are very helpful.
 
Very Nice Coupe!! I'm also in Maryland.

Here is a nice example of what someone did on here with the vibe your after "with" fenders. :D
 

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Tribalmonkey said:
Thanks guys. Overwhelming responses to my first day of posting. Thanks for all of the input, recommendations, and advice. I do plan to make my car a hot rod and I understand that goes against the grain of many of you here. Sorry about that. If I need to go somewhere else to ask model a type questions I understand. My hot rod plans are purely “do no harm”. Nothing will be cut. Not doing a chop or channel. No engine swap... Primarily just unbolting the fenders and putting on some period correct wheels and banger speed mods. I love the car and am very excited about learning all I can learn about Model As. I’m collecting and reading as many related books as I can get my hands on. Looks like the nearest Model A club for me would be Hub City out of Hagerstown. I will reach out to them to see if I meet their criteria for membership.
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My experience with the A' :I had a small block Chevy in my first A. Crazy roof, hydraulic brakes. It was fun for sure, but It never satisfied the itch. Making a 90 year old car go fast rarely works as well as you'd hope. If you want a fast car, I'd say buy a newer one. Even my 4 cyl ford fusion will out run most flathead cars. a 90 year old with a couple hundred horsepower likely won't handle as fast as it goes,and can make driving it more a chore. Now? I have a stock/restored 30 Coupe. I love just to stare at it, something so different than what's on the road today. I'm also going way overboard on a restoration to a 30 roadster( with hopped up banger). I'm on the young end of visitors to this site at just 31. But I promise if you drive the A' the way it is you will learn there is something special to the originality. But even here guys modify a little to suit their needs. 12v cars, aftermarket mitchel over drives, even as far as AC and heated seats! With 90 years of parts built for these cars the easiest things to do is to leave them(Close to) stock.

Your car looks great though. Good luck with it!
 
Harpkatt said:
My experience with the A' :I had a small block Chevy in my first A. Crazy roof, hydraulic brakes. It was fun for sure, but It never satisfied the itch. Making a 90 year old car go fast rarely works as well as you'd hope. If you want a fast car, I'd say buy a newer one. Even my 4 cyl ford fusion will out run most flathead cars. a 90 year old with a couple hundred horsepower likely won't handle as fast as it goes,and can make driving it more a chore. Now? I have a stock/restored 30 Coupe. I love just to stare at it, something so different than what's on the road today. I'm also going way overboard on a restoration to a 30 roadster( with hopped up banger). I'm on the young end of visitors to this site at just 31. But I promise if you drive the A' the way it is you will learn there is something special to the originality. But even here guys modify a little to suit their needs. 12v cars, aftermarket mitchel over drives, even as far as AC and heated seats! With 90 years of parts built for these cars the easiest things to do is to leave them(Close to) stock.

Your car looks great though. Good luck with it!
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Thanks for your insight Harpkatt. Yes, I am having a blast with my 91 year old car. I certainly do not plan on going very fast in my car. That would be pretty scary. However, I do really like the early days of hot rods and what those guys were able to do with what they had available to them. Like I mentioned before, I do not have any plans to do any serious modifications. No SBC swap or add disc brakes... I really like the traditional look and feel. Really enjoying the car. So much fun!
 
Seems like we are hung up on this topic of my interested in traditional 1940s hot rods. I appreciate all of your recommendations. I’ll pop back in if I have model a specific questions. Thanks!
 
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