New 29 Coupe

I run a Tillotson and it's been easy to maintain over the years as long as I don't leave fuel in the bowl too long. They warp easy if tightened to the manifold too tight but other than that, I'll continue to run it till I happen upon a good Zenith or Marvel-Schebler unit.

There are a lot of wood restore products for aging wood. Jamestown Distributing lists most of the good stuff. If nail holes need filled, I use tooth picks. If it's rotten then it's done. Your standard likely has a good bit less wood than the Special coupes had. The Standard has more metal so that's a good thing.

Snyder's sells seat springs if yours are too rusty but they are expensive. Very close to OEM though. My Sport Coupe had to have new seat wood as well as new spring boxes but it was worth getting good quality stuff. I know my time is worth more the older I get.
 
rotorwrench said:
I run a Tillotson and it's been easy to maintain over the years as long as I don't leave fuel in the bowl too long. They warp easy if tightened to the manifold too tight but other than that, I'll continue to run it till I happen upon a good Zenith or Marvel-Schebler unit.

There are a lot of wood restore products for aging wood. Jamestown Distributing lists most of the good stuff. If nail holes need filled, I use tooth picks. If it's rotten then it's done. Your standard likely has a good bit less wood than the Special coupes had. The Standard has more metal so that's a good thing.

Snyder's sells seat springs if yours are too rusty but they are expensive. Very close to OEM though. My Sport Coupe had to have new seat wood as well as new spring boxes but it was worth getting good quality stuff. I know my time is worth more the older I get.
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The spring box certainly has a bit of surface rust, but appears to be salvageable. I'll look into the wood restorer, and I may even use some high grade boat varnish on it before it get's sealed up from putting in new headliner and possibly roof vinyl.

I'm planning on rebuilding the carb as soon as I get the kit, and I may pop the head off and inspect everything, as well as clean it and put in a new gasket.

Model A Canuck said:
The next thing you should do would be to join your local model A club they will be able to help answer any questions you have about your model A.You will also meet like minded people who also share the passion for the model A
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Thank you for this! I reached out and am in the process of getting some networking together. :)
 
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complete coupe seats can be found in the 150-200. range on Craigslist.

I had one sitting here for 3 years, but now gone.
 
ronn said:
complete coupe seats can be found in the 150-200. range on Craigslist.
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Shipping could be a deal killer. Check your local club members. Mine was perfect and now sits on the shelf. I swapped it out for a more comfortable Glide seat upholstered with orig materials.
 
I had a '29 Standard A coupe when I was in college in '68-69. Same color as yours (rattle-canned Rustoleum hunter green). Not a stock color, but in the same vicinity as the stock rock moss green that the original paint color was. I like it so much, I've painted my '29 Model AA that color now.
All the above advice is spot on. I put a diode inside my cutout cover instead of the stock cutout, which sometimes can stick and drain the battery. You would also be wise to refresh the entire front end - bearings, races, kingpins, bushings, etc., before rebuilding the steering box. Same thing with the brakes - a full rebuild and inspect the rods and clevises, especially around the anti-rattle guides which can wear on the rods so much that it makes them weak and prone to snapping apart.
I know you'll be thrilled when you get it going again, warming it up and getting it to idle with that beautiful tick-a-tick-a-tick-a rhythm. In college I seldom used the electric starter to get my coupe going, instead hand cranking it to impress the girls who often asked to take a ride in it. Oh, one other thing. Make sure you have safety glass in it, and new or still serviceable felt window channels in the doors. It saves the glass, does wonders for keeping out the cold and makes it easy to roll the windows up and down.
 
Welcome from a relative newby. I was counseled to add a fuse. Available from Snyder’s and others, it mounts on top of the starter. It isolates everything except the starter. Several experienced contributors here mentioned witnessing (or owning) a Model A that burned to the ground with no warning.
Having a fuse came in handy when one headlight kept blinking off. It blew the fuse over and over as I tracked down the short circuit. I wouldn’t argue against a cutoff switch which will also isolate the starter, but it’s not passive protection.
Pro-tip: when those little glass tubular fuses blow they’re freaking hot and remain so for quite some time. Ask me how I know, as they say.
Another pro tip: cinch a small zip tie around each fuse when you buy them. It makes them easy to grasp when removing. Also keeps your fingers away from the scorching hot glass/ metal.
P.S. - I run a Tillotson, too. I’ve had no problems since buying a rebuilt one from a reputable expert. It had been run on his test engine before shipping. I’ve heard “they warp” but I wonder how much this is related to overheating the engine, and the aforementioned bolt over-tightening. Two advantages that are seldom mentioned: They’re less sensitive to the gas adjusting valve (GAV). Also, it weighs less than the cast iron Zenith. For me it’s easier to hold in place with one hand while bolting it to the manifold. This may not be a concern to anyone else.
 
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Osage Orange said:
I had a '29 Standard A coupe when I was in college in '68-69. Same color as yours (rattle-canned Rustoleum hunter green). Not a stock color, but in the same vicinity as the stock rock moss green that the original paint color was. I like it so much, I've painted my '29 Model AA that color now.
All the above advice is spot on. I put a diode inside my cutout cover instead of the stock cutout, which sometimes can stick and drain the battery. You would also be wise to refresh the entire front end - bearings, races, kingpins, bushings, etc., before rebuilding the steering box. Same thing with the brakes - a full rebuild and inspect the rods and clevises, especially around the anti-rattle guides which can wear on the rods so much that it makes them weak and prone to snapping apart.
I know you'll be thrilled when you get it going again, warming it up and getting it to idle with that beautiful tick-a-tick-a-tick-a rhythm. In college I seldom used the electric starter to get my coupe going, instead hand cranking it to impress the girls who often asked to take a ride in it. Oh, one other thing. Make sure you have safety glass in it, and new or still serviceable felt window channels in the doors. It saves the glass, does wonders for keeping out the cold and makes it easy to roll the windows up and down.
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Thanks for the advice! I know for sure everything but the front windshield is plate glass, and the windshield has a crack in it that has been there for many years. Planning on replacing all but the rear window, as it has a sticker on it that I don't want to remove that was custom made for my uncle. I will be replacing the felt as well. I appreciate the sentiment about crank-starting! When I was in my early teens I remember having to crank-start our old Farmall B/N because the starter needed rebuilt. Haven't tried that on my car yet.

David in San Antonio said:
Welcome from a relative newby. I was counseled to add a fuse. Available from Snyder’s and others, it mounts on top of the starter. It isolates everything except the starter. Several experienced contributors here mentioned witnessing (or owning) a Model A that burned to the ground with no warning.
Having a fuse came in handy when one headlight kept blinking off. It blew the fuse over and over as I tracked down the short circuit. I wouldn’t argue against a cutoff switch which will also isolate the starter, but it’s not passive protection.
Pro-tip: when those little glass tubular fuses blow they’re freaking hot and remain so for quite some time. Ask me how I know, as they say.
Another pro tip: cinch a small zip tie around each fuse when you buy them. It makes them easy to grasp when removing. Also keeps your fingers away from the scorching hot glass/ metal.
P.S. - I run a Tillotson, too. I’ve had no problems since buying a rebuilt one from a reputable expert. It had been run on his test engine before shipping. I’ve heard “they warp” but I wonder how much this is related to overheating the engine, and the aforementioned bolt over-tightening. Two advantages that are seldom mentioned: They’re less sensitive to the gas adjusting valve (GAV). Also, it weighs less than the cast iron Zenith. For me it’s easier to hold in place with one hand while bolting it to the manifold. This may not be a concern to anyone else.
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Thanks for the tip on the fuse! I will certainly be adding one since I would prefer it not burn to the ground! My Tillotson leaks like a sieve, so I will have to address that soon. I've also noticed the plugs show it running rich a lot, which makes me wonder if it was setup correctly to begin with, or whether it had the GAV adjusted properly. Hopefully I'll get everything situated properly without having to do a full engine rebuild.
 
all good advice.
this looks like a great starting point for a lot of fun.

get a set of engine pans installed. originals fit better but repos can be made to work.
 
Chris in WNC said:
all good advice.
this looks like a great starting point for a lot of fun.

get a set of engine pans installed. originals fit better but repos can be made to work.
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Was looking into that, actually. They seem to pop up on eBay every so often, so I'll definitely get a set! Thanks!

Question on this: I know they bolt to the frame but where do they mount on the engine? Oil pan bolts?

Model A Canuck said:
How is the floor in this car?
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The floor is in good shape, actually. Has solid floorboards, and has all of the cover plates. The only thing missing is the boot for the parking brake and the foot rest for the accelerator.
 
As far as the safety fuse goes, there is more than one design. Our coupe came with the flimsier one. We drive our car whenever the roads are dry and the weather reasonable. It logs several thousand miles a year. The ends of the fuse holder slowly worked loose and failed. I have seen multiple club cars come into the shop with the same issue. It may strand you on the road unless you plan for it.

You can install a modern auto spade fuse holder that is sealed to the elements. If you are careful, it will be black like the loom and doesn't really stand out when opening the hood.
 
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