My First

R

racer32

Senior Member
I've wanted a Model A since I was a kid. When my father was just out of high school, he bought and hot-rodded a 31 coupe. It was his first car. The coupe was long gone when I came along, but he always told stories about that car, and I always dreamed of one day buying and building a car like the one Pops had. I've looked for years, but the right car never came along at the right time. Either I had the money and couldn't find a decent car, or a good deal came along and I was broke. Not this time!

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1931 flamingo said:
Sounds like it's going to be Hot Rodded.....................
Paul in CT
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For now it's staying stock. IF anything other than the banger ever goes in there it'll be a while...maybe a LONG while. No plans to cut it up EVER. This one is too nice to cut on. I'm planning on adding hydraulics brakes, lowering it a little, and changing to 16" wheels. Maybe, at some point in the future, it will end up with a flathead V8 and a later trans. I'm a long-time HAMB'er, but it's not posted THERE. :D

The Ford Barn was recommended to my by some friends who are long-time members of the Model A club. I've been peeping and reading the forum for a while now, and have learned a little. I know I'm going to need help from guys who know the stock A's, so hopefully I can get the old girl back in action with the stock running gear.

I've been tinkering a little and trying to figure out what's what with the car. It's a late 31, and as I've been studying up on here I'm finding a few mods have been done over the years- it no longer has the pop-out type ignition switch, it's got a Tillotson X carb, and someone added a sediment bowl to the fuel shut-off up on the cowl. The condensor has been moved to the coil, as well. As far as I can tell everything else is stock.

AS of right now, she's not running....no spark. The fuel lines, sediment bowl, and carb are in need of some attention, too. Seems to have good compression, though, so hopefully I can get it started pretty easy. If it runs, I'll be a happy man.

As far as history, I've got a folder with quite a bit of info on the car. I'll post some of that later. The car was purchased from some friends of mine who were planning to build a hot rod, but a cash crunch forced them to sell it. Once I saw it, and we talked about what my plans were for the car, they decided I was the guy who should be her next caretaker.
 
ALL RIGHT ! ! Good News. Anxious to see more pictures and if there are questions this is the place to come.
Welcome
Paul in CT
 
It does look nice. Is that color scheme original? Pretty nice. It's your car, but here's hoping you gain an appreciation for the original and keep the mods to a minimum.
 
What a nice little car! Consider keeping the 19" wheels and other stock items, like the brakes...

There have been so many modified A's with the changes you suggested that the bone-stock ones are starting to look more interesting. The antique look gets more attention than the modern look. 16" wheels look modern.

A while back, a little boy pointed at my Model A and said, "Mom, what's wrong with that car?" Evidently, he had never seen anything like it. The mother just said, "It's just an old car, that's all." :)

Thanks for sharing!
 
The hydraulic brakes went out on both my modern cars this spring and summer. I just got one back on the road and now I need to fix the other. Model A machanical brakes stop as well as hydraulic brakes, and they never leak or get stuck cylinders from rust. I'd sure stick with the stock brakes.

I would install a filter in the shutoff valve in the tank bottom, if someone didn't already do this. The glass sediment bowl on the firewall is correct. The A's started with cast iron sediment bowls on the firewall, then changed to glass, then back to cast iron. Glass is nice because you can see what's in the gas. Cast iron is nice because they are so easy to drain off the sediment.

If you feel the need for more horsepower, a 5.5 head will look stock and give you a good boost in power. The ignition system is very easy to fix and maintain. If you are a club member I'll bet there will be several guys that can help. or you can ask here. The top right of the page has a "SEARCH" feature with much information on the ignition system.

The stock Model A is a lot of fun and is by far more rare than the hot rods.
 
The power of the model A is the lack of rubber. They can sit for years and be started, run and stop. No rubber seals to rot and as Tom says no rusty wheel cylinders.
I'm an antiques collector, all are on loan to me, when I go they are "loaned" to someone else. Leave them stock, someone in the future will thank you.
It is however your car.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
The hydraulic brakes went out on both my modern cars this spring and summer. I just got one back on the road and now I need to fix the other. Model A machanical brakes stop as well as hydraulic brakes, and they never leak or get stuck cylinders from rust. I'd sure stick with the stock brakes.
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This is why i bought a model A. Yes that was the main selling point.
 
I agree with Tom and Willie Krash. Its your model A but you can save some headaches by keeping the mechanical brakes. Usually a common sense adjustment at the wheels and brake rods will give pretty good brakes. You really don't have to spend thousands and replace every part of the brakes for them to work good. I don't think that the 39 thru 48 hydraulic brakes are as good or dependable as the model A mechanical brakes. The model A can sit for a lifetime without brake cylinder or brake line failure and still have brakes. I'm not trying to be bossy, its your car.
 
My Vicky's brakes were real iffy when I bought the car - had to really plan your stops and it they got wet the the car didn't want to stop at all! We rebuilt the brakes being sure to put new cast iron drums on it. NOW when you hit the brakes it will pretty much stop on a dime... Not interested in juice on mine.
 
making the stock brakes as good as they were when new will be cheaper and easier to maintain than hydraulics; and when set up properly they stop as just as well.

you'll have fun, we guarantee......
 
Ditto all the above, Les Andrews book should now be on your Christmas List. Welcome, and Nice Find!
 
I bought my first Model A, with the intention of making it a hot rod. But the more I drove the stock Model A, the more I liked it and there was no way I was going to make a hot rod out of it.

Sold the roadster last year and two weeks later I bought a 28 Tudor so I could drive it year round. Today, I have no intention of making it a hot rod, it's pretty much stock, except for the alternator. The mechanical brakes stop very well.

Yours looks too nice to hot rod it, keep it stock.
 
Congrats on the car! It looks good. The guys are right. A nicely restored bone stock Model A will do every thing you need it to do and it is a real piece of history.
 
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