Guys, let me put a little backstory on this. For many years, this poster (Tom) was a College Educator and a Methodist Minister who excelled in both of those fields. This next sentence is an observation that comes from knowing him for 20+ years. He is, unfortunately, mechanically challenged on many areas on the automobiles in his collection (-which includes a Model-T, (2) Model-As, an Early V8 Ford, and a Jeepster) ...so unless it is the most simple or basic task, he can easily be overwhelmed. Please understand there is no shame associated with this level of competence however knowing when to back away is a skillset best learned. (He does not have the franchise on this BTW!)
Furthermore, suggesting that he should ask for assistance from the local Model-A Clubs is basically a wasted effort (-as are many local chapters) because these 'club members' have seemingly become members in a social club where members rarely drive and/or work on their Model-As and are seemingly more interested in going eat at a restaurant once a month, or drive to an ice cream shop in their modern car where they can fellowship with other 'club members'. Therefore I have learned this is some of the worst advice we can give someone here is to suggest a local club help them fix something.
Respectfully, I realize that most of your advice is meant with good intentions however most don't know all of the facts pertaining to Tom's vehicle, -and as such IMO you are leading him down a path that only exacerbates the problem instead of helping him. Tom's Roadster left my shop nearly 2 years ago after a lengthy re-restoration on his vehicle after it was totaled in a crash. When it left my shop, the vehicle was running & driving (-which included starting) fine. Tom's vehicle is still awaiting a few backordered parts to make it a finished restoration, and as such it likely has not been driven much, -if any during that time from then until now. Because of that backstory, it is unlikely the Condenser became faulty just because it was setting in a climate controlled environment. Likely the Timing did not need to be adjusted either, -however this was some of the advice he received when he was instructed on how to correct the starting issue.
The comment about having Fuel is often misleading as to whether it is all fresh, or old stale Gasoline. We have found stale Gasoline (-often older than 60-90 days) can cause a Model-A to either not start, -or to start but barely run. A rebuilt Carburetor can mean many things too. Dried Gasoline in a new rebuild can plug passages or cause the Float Valve to stick where the Fuel cannot adequately fill the Bowl.
I will also say that my experiences may be a little different than others however just because there is spark showing at the Points, -or at the Rotor arcing to the Distributor Body does not indicate whether the gap on the Points is sufficient to create a strong enough spark across the electrode to create combustion. Gas-fouled Spark Plugs will provide a ground path where the spark energy has somewhere to be diverted however the Engine often times will not start under these conditions.
And finally, how has it been determined the Battery is fully charged? Is one of the Battery terminals loose at the post where proper amperage cannot be carried to the Starter? Is the Terminal(s) corroded?? Remember, a shorted cell can still fool a meter as it is not dropping the total voltage of the Battery yet it is affecting the total cranking amperage that it can deliver. This effectively could cause a slow-spinning Starter.
Although what I am about to say will come across as biased based on my business, something does need to be understood by many here and on social media. From the time when Model-As were new, the Ford authorized Agency that sold the Model-A was required to have a Service Department to repair that Model-A. Likely a larger majority of Model-A owners back in the 1930s did not have the skillset to capably work on their Model-A. For that reason alone, there were Shops that served those owners. During the 1940s & 50s, those Shops were rarely utilized for making Model-A repairs due to the Model-A's age and value. At that point it was predominantly the shadetree mechanic that kept some of them going. Then, during the late 50s -70s when popularity of the Model-A ownership was happening, and local Clubs were a thing, the Model-A restoration & repair was performed by a skilled owner. I would guess that 85%-90% of the Model-A Club members were doing their own restoration work, ...and approximately 10%-15% hired their work done, -or they purchased a restored one to use. Today those numbers are seemingly reversed where only 10%-15% have the ability and the skillset to capably work on their Model-A.
Therefore, for the smaller percentage who do have the skillset that are incorrectly assuming anyone can work on these is not prudent for several reasons. We live in a different age today, and what worked back then does not always work best for today's environment. Again, as mentioned above, there is not any reason for shame to recommend a Model-A Owner who might be struggling with an issue to seek someone who can capably make the repairs for that owner before the Owner wastes a lot of their time & $$ and ultimately loses interest.
(We can debate this in a separate thread if so desired.)
