Why so many upgrades??

Russell Reay

Russell Reay

Well-known member
Newbie here again. I am still collecting books and reading catalogs, and watching videos in preparation for dismantling my car. I have noted the availability of 12 volt conversions, new distributors, improved carburetors, high compression heads, oil filter kits, and exhaust headers all of which will make the engine more powerful and the car go faster. I have noted several apparently credible persons comment that it is risky to beef up the Model A engine too much, because the center main bearing is a known weak spot. Do owners really make numerous such upgrades, or do they normally choose just one or two to solve a specific problem?
 
IMO, the use of performance improving upgrades is a balancing act. I have used all of the things you have mentioned but not without improving the middle main bearing's chances of surviving it all. I took pity on the bearing and used a counterbalanced crank shaft and pressure fed it. The others, I left with standard oiling. That motor has now done about 40,000 miles - most of them towing my camper which weighs about one US ton at 50 mph. Going faster is not the only reason engines are upgraded. I think I would have been walking a long time ago if I hadn't taken those measures.
 
Russell Reay said:
Newbie here again. I am still collecting books and reading catalogs, and watching videos in preparation for dismantling my car. I have noted the availability of 12 volt conversions, new distributors, improved carburetors, high compression heads, oil filter kits, and exhaust headers all of which will make the engine more powerful and the car go faster. I have noted several apparently credible persons comment that it is risky to beef up the Model A engine too much, because the center main bearing is a known weak spot. Do owners really make numerous such upgrades, or do they normally choose just one or two to solve a specific problem?
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I would R & R to whatever configuration the car is in, drive it for a while before making any decisions as to what conversions you "think" you need. There is nothing wrong or needed with original and lot's of $'s will not make that much difference. It's tough to improve on the design of Henry.

IMHO, John
 
Keep it stock, but put add an alternator, turn signals, and led tail lights.
Remember, whatever you put on that is not stock, you better be ready to fix it yourself, have your own spares and not expect too much help from others on tour with you.
 
Russell Reay said:
Newbie here again. I am still collecting books and reading catalogs, and watching videos in preparation for dismantling my car. I have noted the availability of 12 volt conversions, new distributors, improved carburetors, high compression heads, oil filter kits, and exhaust headers all of which will make the engine more powerful and the car go faster. I have noted several apparently credible persons comment that it is risky to beef up the Model A engine too much, because the center main bearing is a known weak spot. Do owners really make numerous such upgrades, or do they normally choose just one or two to solve a specific problem?
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Welcome to the barn Russell. That is a very good question and you will get many answers in what I am sure will become a mullti page thread.

For me personally, I bought a model A in part for the experience of owning and driving a pre war car. I want my A to be as correct as possible.. To that end,, I have spent much of the past 6 months since I bought my Coupe ( my first A) removing many "mods" from previous owners. It is a good solid car but it is what it is. If I want to go fast, have air conditioning, need quiet, or want to listen to a good stereo, I drive one of my other cars. I have no desire to drive 60 mph in my A on the interstate. Where I live I don't have to either.

I do live in a very hilly area and am considering a mild high compression head to help maintain speed up the hills. The only other modifications to my car now are seat belts and a second tail light.

I get a chuckle every time I go to our local classic car museum. There are 3 model A's on display. All presented as "original". Even with my limited model A knowledge I could fill a page with things that aren't correct on each of them.

Like I said you will get a hundred opinions on this and most will be valid based on what the owner wants from their car. I figure there is a fine line between "just a few mods" and having for all intents and purposes a hot rod.

Cheers
 
Jacksonlll said:
Keep it stock, but put add an alternator, turn signals, and led tail lights.
Remember, whatever you put on that is not stock, you better be ready to fix it yourself, have your own spares and not expect too much help from others on tour with you.
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I couldn’t agree more ! My sentiments exactly. Wayne
 
I am happy either way. My 1930 coupe was bone stock and I loved it. My 1930 Fordor has all the features to make it go fast, and I love it too. Just as long as it is a Model A. If I bought a stock car today I would leave it that way. My Fordor was hopped up when I bought it and I have detuned it slightly but am going to keep it the way it is now.

If I were you I would go with the safety features such as turn indicators and leave it at that until you get some miles behind the wheel. You may find after a while that you want an alternator and a higher compression head, or not.
 
I would add to the list the headlight reflectors that Bratton's sells. They improve the lighting immensely.
 
Jacksonlll said:
Keep it stock, but put add an alternator, turn signals, and led tail lights.
Remember, whatever you put on that is not stock, you better be ready to fix it yourself, have your own spares and not expect too much help from others on tour with you.
Click to expand...

Very confusing advice. "Keep it stock" BUT.
If you say "stock", there can be NO "buts".

It is either keep it stock or modify it with some saftey stuff.

Remember, if you modify it, you will go down in history as a hot rodder....lol
 
I'll echo some of the previous sentiments. Keep it stock, drive it some and get the feel of it , go back and upgrade if you feel it's needed. I'm finishing up a 30 Tudor and it is bone stock except for LED taillights, signals, and a 5.5 head. It would not have gotten the head but I discovered a crack in the old one.

Good luck, have fun, welcome to the forum!
 
Good Evening...I'm sort of a 50/50 Model A guy. If you're going to drive the old girl around town...then Lap Belts, Turn Signals, and an Alternator might be all you really need. A second Tail Light, if one has not been added, is helpful for visability in traffic!

If you are going to go touring, then take a look at a Mitchell Overdrive, Higher Compression Head and a larger Four Pound Pressurized Radiator, as they would most likely be about the minimum necessary, to keep up with Touring Folks...ENJOY...Ernie in Arizona
 
Why so many upgrades? Because these cars were only state of the art for four years. Due to how fast the automotive world was developing they needed some help to stay competitive as daily drivers. Look at the differences between the A and B engines. Ford bumped the HP 25% in '32 by bumping the compression, adding air flow and changing the oiling strategy. Obviously the A wasn't "perfect" regardless of what some forum personalities keep moaning. As said above, get your car running before tearing it apart so you know what you want to keep and what you want to change. There's no right or wrong answer to how you build your car as long as you achieve your goals and enjoy the car enough to actually use it and not let it collect dust.
 
Stingray70 said:
Welcome to the barn Russell. That is a very good question and you will get many answers in what I am sure will become a mullti page thread.

For me personally, I bought a model A in part for the experience of owning and driving a pre war car. I want my A to be as correct as possible.. To that end,, I have spent much of the past 6 months since I bought my Coupe ( my first A) removing many "mods" from previous owners. It is a good solid car but it is what it is. If I want to go fast, have air conditioning, need quiet, or want to listen to a good stereo, I drive one of my other cars. I have no desire to drive 60 mph in my A on the interstate. Where I live I don't have to either.

I do live in a very hilly area and am considering a mild high compression head to help maintain speed up the hills. The only other modifications to my car now are seat belts and a second tail light.

I get a chuckle every time I go to our local classic car museum. There are 3 model A's on display. All presented as "original". Even with my limited model A knowledge I could fill a page with things that aren't correct on each of them.

Like I said you will get a hundred opinions on this and most will be valid based on what the owner wants from their car. I figure there is a fine line between "just a few mods" and having for all intents and purposes a hot rod.

Cheers
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I am in the middle as I want my car to be mainly stock but I do want drivability on 2 lane roads that frequently are posted at 55 in my area. A stock model A will do 55 to 65mph but the engine is racing and I would not want to hold speeds above 50 in a stock car. Start with lap belts regardless of anything else. My solution was to go with the mild 5.5 HC Head and you will see a bit more power but more so is it's ability to climb hills without dropping into 2nd. My solution to hold 55 to 60 is a Mitchell 26% overdrive however this is not yet installed. The Mitchell will allow you hold lover RPM's and still run 55 to 60 all day long. People do much more tan me but for my needs I do not think I will be going beyond the 5.5 head and the Mitchell overdrive. Please note to go 55 to 60mph your car has to have a good front end and be in top shape. I have had to fix multiple things to make my car safe at speeds in that range. Also keep in mind you still need to stop her so keep a very good distance to do so safely.

Ron

Ron
 
I enjoy experimenting with "period-correct" upgrades and accessories for two reasons. First, most of the actual history of the Model A is the history of everything people did with the cars after they left the factory – and that includes modifying them to suit individual purposes. I like learning about which functions people wanted to improve and the often ingenious engineering they used to improve them. That leads to my second reason, which is that doing upgrade projects is an excellent way to learn-by-doing the basics of internal combustion engineering and physics.

So my modifications have been a combination of solving specific problems (mostly safety) and tinkering for the purpose of my own education.
 
700rpm said:
"Upgrade" is the most ill-used, misused, and incorrect term in the old car hobby.
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Amen!!


The secondary part of why most people upgrade is not really 'safety', but it makes the hobbyist feel better justifying it to themselves and others.

The 3rd term that is so mis-used is the word "Touring". I have been around the Model-A hobby for all 60 years of my life, and around MARC/MAFCA for 55 years. Most hobbyists do not realize that 30-40 years ago, hobbyists still reliably toured in their Model-As driving many miles all over this country without Overdrives, Alternators, electronic ignitions, downdraft Carburetors, F100 steering gearboxes, etc. The speed limits in those days rivals what we find today. Some might argue that traffic is different today, -and even that is not necessarily true. People only believe what seems believable to them, and most people believe it takes upgrades to be able to 'tour' with their car, ...and most will agree that you will never convince them any differently even with proof.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
Amen!!


The secondary part of why most people upgrade is not really 'safety', but it makes the hobbyist feel better justifying it to themselves and others.

The 3rd term that is so mis-used is the word "Touring". I have been around the Model-A hobby for all 60 years of my life, and around MARC/MAFCA for 55 years. Most hobbyists do not realize that 30-40 years ago, hobbyists still reliably toured in their Model-As driving many miles all over this country without Overdrives, Alternators, electronic ignitions, downdraft Carburetors, F100 steering gearboxes, etc. The speed limits in those days rivals what we find today. Some might argue that traffic is different today, -and even that is not necessarily true. People only believe what seems believable to them, and most people believe it takes upgrades to be able to 'tour' with their car, ...and most will agree that you will never convince them any differently even with proof.
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I agree with Brent on this. Back in the 70's there was a national MAFCA meet in Nashville, TN. The local club here in Va took about a dozen A's down, all without any mods in them. Was a great trip and no major issues!
 
All good comments. I am still learning what makes a Model A, and how people lovingly and practically own and operate them. Since mine runs and drives OK, my major goal is to make it presentable and usable before putting it on the road. Seat belts, turn signals, and brake lights are on the short list of add-ons.
 
Pete said:
Very confusing advice. "Keep it stock" BUT.
If you say "stock", there can be NO "buts".

It is either keep it stock or modify it with some saftey stuff.

Remember, if you modify it, you will go down in history as a hot rodder....lol
Click to expand...

Haha. So true, Pete.

To each his own, but I just don't understand the close mindset. Why not just let people do what they want to do with their own cars?

Why in the world would another car person not help another car person if they added such minor mods as an alternator, LED lights, etc.

If that happened in a club I belonged to, I'd be looking for another one to join.

It's this fixed, closed mind set is what drives young folks away from the hobby.

Jeez, fellas. Lighten up.
 
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