Please Drive that Model A.

Jacksonlll

Jacksonlll

Well-known member
There is a lot of great advice at this site, but I must tell you new Model A'ers that you must drive your car. Join a local club and go on short and long tours. To do this, the club will help you get it running the way it wants to run. A good running A will continue running well for a long time as long as you drive it. Sure, we tinker with them a lot and probably cause more harm than good. Leave it alone, give it good maintenance and drive the devil out of it.
The A wants to start, it wants to run, and it can take whatever you give it. It is a very tough little car.
You should get to the point where you are driving it 2,000 to 3,000 miles per year. The A is not just a Parade car.
Now, if you only drive it around the block a few times a year, then it won't run good and it really does not matter what oil or plugs you use. Just shine it up and look at it.
A lot of our club members don't drive their cars, but a lot do. If you want to have fun with it, Please Drive It.
 
I totally concur with JacksonIII! I have driven the sedan many thousands of miles across country and it made it trouble free. They can handle being driven! But join with others and get out and drive! My Summer Tours that Model A Times puts together let you travel far and wide with friends. You see new places and renew old friendships all with the Model A. I know this is a Chevy commercial but let's change it to "Drive the Model A and see the USA!"
 
Good point.

Our Model A sits all winter after we winterize it, fog the cylinders turn it over once every 2-3 weeks by hand, etc. Never run the engine.

This spring when I got it out of hibernation, it fired on the second revolution of the engine and has purred like a kitty ever since.

Those Model A's are great little cars really. I let our Mustang sit all winter (new car) and not only did it have a stone dead battery from parasitic drain, it ran like hell until we could get it to settle down. You can let an A sit for LONG periods of time and they'll still pop off!
 
I agree with driving the Model A. Some antique cars just are not drive-able. They can be difficult to operate, have a low top speed that doesn't co-exist well with today's traffic, and are hard to get parts for.

This is just not the case with the Model A. I could never see myself just looking at and polishing my A. When I walk into the shed, the A is literally shaking with excitement to get out on the road. And with the proper maintenance and adjustment, it never fails to deliver a great drive. Plus, when we are on tour with other club members, it gets to see its buddies!
 
All old cars require frequent exercise! No freeway's and try to stick to 4 lane hiways, lots of city driving, but I keep my T limbered up year round.
 
You are all wrong!!! If I leave it in the garage I can look at it anytime I want and there is zero chance of it every failing on me when I'm on the road. I don't have to worry about the roads, the corn in the gas, what oil to use, what antifreeze (if any). I can just open the garage and show my friends the car.

:cool:
 
Agreed. My A is a daily driver - for ten years now - and works damn hard, especially in rush hour traffic or when I am late for an appointment. Must say, the "courtesy" factor of the other motorists in their computerized capsules is a big help. Incredibly cheap to run. Oil change every 500 miles is a must. And easy too: You just do one "early" oil change when the odo gets to the next "500" mark then every time it clocks over or show 500 you know it's time for the next change.
 
Also drive the car at least five days a week starting Spring through Fall, winter once a week. Yesterday drove my Roadster to a car show that was 60 miles away in 88 degree temps and she stayed cool and performed perfectly, stay on back roads but she will and does cruise very comfortable at 50 MPH. These are the PERFECT antique collector car anyone could ever own, what other 80 + year old vehicle can be driven, have parts available and you can work on yourself? there are not any! Thank you Henry Ford for making such a great car that is all I can say.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top