CarlG
Well-known member
Wise man!
Success with improvements for touring
- Thread starter tbirdtbird
- Start date
Curt Campbell
Senior Member
Great post tbird.....great ideas indeed. Its a shame people are so defensive.
Its your car....your $$...do as you please.
Its your car....your $$...do as you please.
pat in Santa Cruz
Well-known member
I like all A's. The woodie is being slowly restored back to all original from a touring car, since its not a great touring car....too uncomfortable. My Slant, OTOH, is for touring and has E ignition, HC head, counterweighted crank, Stipes 330 cam, overdrive, Winfield carb and manifold and cast iron drums with Teds floaters on the mechanical brakes. Its a great touring car. My AA will be stock to the JS, and my infidel pickup has the dreaded and blasphemous pinto in it.
BILL WILLIAMSON
Well-known member
At least, it's a FORD engine in yore pickumup! Now a chevy would really be BLASPHEMY
Ain't nobody got no SCRUPLES?? (no, thet's NOT a Dog
snack!) Buster T. (Bill's laffin' STUPID!)
Pete
BANNED
"Tube shocks are a cheaper fix than a properly working original shock, but definitely not better. You can't tune the ride quality on a tube shock. You can on an original shock."
I almost always agree with what Brent has to say but that statement must have come from a weak moment because I know he is an ex racer.
One thing for sure though, most of the kits are cheaper.
I haven't seen one yet that is worth using though. They have taken an existing shock that fits the space available MECHANICALLY and adapted it with little if any consideration given to compression rebound rates suitable for a model A.
HOWEVER, tube shocks that are readily available and adaptable to model A's are easily located used on Ebay or many racing websites. These are for sprint cars or midgets. Some are adjustable, all are available in increments of compression and rebound that can be adapted to almost any car that was ever made. Usually a sprint car shock that has been
"used up" on the track can be used on the street for at least 20,000 miles of good service. I have done this many times. The ride can be "tuned" to almost anybody's requirements. One big problem here is, most people don't know what is "good" because they haven't tried different compression/rebound rates.
The mounting hardware for the model A shock kits that I have seen looks to me like it was designed by a bunch of (expletive deleted).
Brent is right on one count, the stock shock is easier to "tune".
They sure don't work as good as a race shock though.
I have stock shocks on one car and race shocks on another right now so I have tried both. The PROPER tube shocks are FAR superior.
I almost always agree with what Brent has to say but that statement must have come from a weak moment because I know he is an ex racer.
One thing for sure though, most of the kits are cheaper.
I haven't seen one yet that is worth using though. They have taken an existing shock that fits the space available MECHANICALLY and adapted it with little if any consideration given to compression rebound rates suitable for a model A.
HOWEVER, tube shocks that are readily available and adaptable to model A's are easily located used on Ebay or many racing websites. These are for sprint cars or midgets. Some are adjustable, all are available in increments of compression and rebound that can be adapted to almost any car that was ever made. Usually a sprint car shock that has been
"used up" on the track can be used on the street for at least 20,000 miles of good service. I have done this many times. The ride can be "tuned" to almost anybody's requirements. One big problem here is, most people don't know what is "good" because they haven't tried different compression/rebound rates.
The mounting hardware for the model A shock kits that I have seen looks to me like it was designed by a bunch of (expletive deleted).
Brent is right on one count, the stock shock is easier to "tune".
They sure don't work as good as a race shock though.
I have stock shocks on one car and race shocks on another right now so I have tried both. The PROPER tube shocks are FAR superior.
Kurt in NJ
Well-known member
I have been thinking of some modifications for "touring" that would be nice---a fuel injection/ignition intergrated with knock and mixture control,auto trans, 4 wheel independant suspension with 4 wheel disc brakes, power steering, integrated ac,heat automatic climate control, power heated seat with memory---so if I use the A engine and grille with a motormeter will it still be a model A if some of the other parts come from other cars??
Can a properly restored "blue ribbon" car tour with touring modified cars ---or will they have trouble keeping up?
Can a properly restored "blue ribbon" car tour with touring modified cars ---or will they have trouble keeping up?
Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
Depends on the roads you are touring. Interstates most likely not, back roads why not.
Special Coupe Frank
Well-known member
Just a quick comment about the shocks....
It seems that finding rebuildable OEM Houdaille units is getting more and more difficult, and not always a guaranteed success, and Mr. Stipe may not resume production of his shocks, due to his move and down-sizing...
So, while tube shocks may not be "as good as" properly functioning Houdailles, perhaps they are better than no shocks at all ?
It seems that finding rebuildable OEM Houdaille units is getting more and more difficult, and not always a guaranteed success, and Mr. Stipe may not resume production of his shocks, due to his move and down-sizing...
So, while tube shocks may not be "as good as" properly functioning Houdailles, perhaps they are better than no shocks at all ?
Mitch//pa
BANNED
kurt should we throw in a VVT system also? you know how that sludge can play hell with those sensors
dlshady
Well-known member
<snip>
Now, let's fight over whitewalls been a while
Well, that'd be pointless. Everybody knows that Model A's have blackwalls, just like Chili has beans...
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
Well, that'd be pointless. Everybody knows that Model A's have blackwalls, just like Chili has beans...
Whoa....I used to think the same thing, but several years ago I was at the neighbor's and she asked if I wanted a bowl of chili. I told her I didn't like kidney beans, and she said real chili doesn't have beans. She said beans are just used as a filler and if you go to the Texas chili cookoff the winners don't use beans. Her chili was good.
Now, maybe we can convert kidney beans into a Model A fuel, and put corn back on the table.
dlshady
Well-known member
Whoa....I used to think the same thing, but several years ago I was at the neighbor's and she asked if I wanted a bowl of chili. I told her I didn't like kidney beans, and she said real chili doesn't have beans. She said beans are just used as a filler and if you go to the Texas chili cookoff the winners don't use beans. Her chili was good.
Now, maybe we can convert kidney beans into a Model A fuel, and put corn back on the table.
BLASPHEMY!
Everybody knows that chili without beans is merely meat sauce...
Rex_A_Lott
Well-known member
Ity funny you compare chili and Model A's....there's about as many ways to cook chili as there are people making it...just like everybody's idea of a Model A might be different.
Bowls of chili and Model A's...there are no bad ones, but some are better than the others.
Bowls of chili and Model A's...there are no bad ones, but some are better than the others.
dlshady
Well-known member
Ity funny you compare chili and Model A's....there's about as many ways to cook chili as there are people making it...just like everybody's idea of a Model A might be different.
Bowls of chili and Model A's...there are no bad ones, but some are better than the others.
That's exactly why I made that comparison.
Now, if we could just do something about those delusional people running around thinking their meat sauce is actually chili...
Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
Ity funny you compare chili and Model A's....there's about as many ways to cook chili as there are people making it...just like everybody's idea of a Model A might be different.
Bowls of chili and Model A's...there are no bad ones, but some are better than the others.
Your absolutely right!!!!!
You can make your chili anyway you want. You don't have to add anything specific to make it better but you can experiment.
If you want to enter a chili cook off you have to follow their rules, different rules for different cook-offs. The international chili society has no beans, but a local one may allow it.
The most important person to please is the person making the chili.
TDO
Senior Member
I also have made some changes to my 30 coupe , Just dropped in a T-5. I have 16 inch tires . the rest of the coupe is original. It's easier on the car and me . And in todays traffic It's a lot safer. Sure is nice to down shift here in these West Virginia mountains instead of riding the brakes. But on the other hand to each his own. And one other thing , better gas mileage, and at todays gas prices that's a real plus.
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I was thinking someone needs to make a planet gear system (overdrive) that would fit inside the bell housing. That way the car would look stock, and the speedometer would always be accurate.
Jordan
Well-known member
I have one of those in my car, I call it a 4 speed
The shifter is 5 inches back, but you could never tell just looking in the car. At least, nobody's ever walked up and said "wow I can tell you have an overdrive in this one".