Projects Drdave accidentally buys a Model A. Now what?

It was bound to happen, even a custom guy is gonna end up with an earlier car eventually. I was at this auction, see, and there was this really solid ‘30 A Town Sedan. I didn’t give it much thought really, other than, “hey, that’s a cute dune buggy.” The auction was an airplane guy’s place and I actually went for equipment and maybe some airplane junk (none of which I ended up with). A friend of mine ended up winning an old Pietenpol barnstormer with a hopped up Model B motor in it (which plays into this tale in a bit). He got it super reasonable and as the lots went by, stuff was going pretty cheap. Up comes the Model A. I keep my hands to myself expecting to go beyond what I’d pay so no sense getting involved. As quick as it started, bidding stalls at what I considered a good deal. I couldn’t help myself....I just couldn’t let it go for that, so going once, going twice, new bidder in the back. No one counters me and the next thing you know I own an A model.











Good looking car really. Running, driving and all in working order. No doubt and older restoration. Paint is cracked and peeling, top leaked a bit, but I think I have that fixed. The interior looks to be the original, but is sagging a good bit, splitting at a few seams and has a bad spot in the corner of the rear seat. Floors, fenders, doors all solid. Only rust I’ve found is a spot at the bottom of the body in the passenger wheel well.

My first thought was flip it, but I had fun putting around town in @FLAT-TOP BOB’s T roadster when we were in Wellington last fall and I’ve thought it would be fun to have a little putter car like that. A closed sedan makes it even a bit more attractive. I could leave it as is and do just that, but hey, you know guys like us just can’t leave well enough alone. Just seeing the article in TRJ on Vern Tardel’s new book on making a quick hot rod out of an older restoration is suuuuper tempting. Dropped and raked, a bit more horsepower, juice brakes, new interior kit, done. I think that’s where I might be headed. Nothin' crazy, largely bolt in, and have a cute little rod.

I picked up some ‘35 wires and a T spring at the swap meet this weekend. The guy that bought the barnstormer is going to take the hopped up B motor out to replace it with an air cooled motor, so I might have a crack at that. Quick research leads me to think that might not be exactly bolt in and be a bit of a snag on working out a synchronized trans, and for the effort and money I might be better off stepping up to a flat head. I do have a good running 302 coming out of my dad’s ‘69 Mustang I’m redoing, but me thinks that’s further down the road than I want to go. 40-48 juice brakes maybe, but I haven’t looked into that a whole lot yet other to realize maybe self energizing F1 brakes would be just a bit better way to go. Dropped axle I assume and perhaps an F1 steering box? These are all things I dunno yet. @1stGrumpy sent me a bunch of links to threads he’s found helpful on his build which is much along the same lines I think I’d like to go. Search function and a few Model A books and here we go.....I don’t have a problem, I can quit any time. LOL

 

Looks to be in great shape. Good luck with it.

 

Congrats. Cool dune buggy. Lol.Snowman

 

Looks like a lot of fun! Enjoy the ride.

 

I think a Tardel style build would be great for that car. Maybe the V8 flathead and newer trans later if you get tired of putting. But leave the 302's for the Mustangs.

 

^This.

 

Looks to be a nice, solid car. If I had it to do over I would have looked for a nicer A than the one I bought late last Summer. Seems the more I look at my A the more I see that is just wrong or cobbled and pieced together. Oh well.....I wanted a project.

Good luck with your A. If 1st Grumpy is advising you I think you're in good hands!

Lynn

 

Neat.

 

Flatty be good,302 might need more room.

 

I like it, and I bet I'll like it even more with 16" wires and reverse eye springs/T spring and a bit of hop-ups. But if there's one thing I've learned it's that you never take a good running engine out of a driving car. It's never worth it. Bangers are fun, learn to love to double clutch. Too many engine swap stories end with "and it never ran again". If you want to build a project, buy a project.

 

Get back to work on your Merc.

 

Cool have fun

 

Nice car. I met Mr. Pietenpol once, at a fly-in breakfast back in the early 1980s. He was pretty old at the time but he still flew his Air Camper to the breakfast. I grew up in a town close by where he lived.

 

wise bid indeed ! ... show us its progress, whatever your plan...

 

I'd leave it alone aside from lowering and 16's. We've found that comfortable cruising in the '34 is 45-50- your A wil do that all day long. Nice score. Take us for a ride!


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Very neat car , me personally I’d never look at it as a trad hotrod perse I think it would be neat as a freeway flyer like Jim Jacobs 34 put it on a new chassis , Vega box, 9” something that goes 80 mph all day long, see the country... put a old roadster body on the stock frame

 

The putt putt original is a hazard to other traffic. One high compression head and you are running with modern traffic in town. Screw the crappy Lockheed 39-48 brakes. Go to Bendix self energizing self adjusting. Add the NuRex timing strip so you set timing with a timing light. Drill the distributor shaft do you can oil the top bushing. Yes on the dropped axle. Reversing the eyes made my tires hit the fenders. For 16 inch rims use 2005 Rave4 radial tiRes from tirerack. Ravfour-Toyota. Stupid phone won't spell right A one wire 12v
alternator makes sense. Later youmay want a 1984-87 Ford truck. fully synchronized 3 speed with overdrive. Its wonderful. Notice that all my changes are small and easy and you have a very traditional hotrod with a superb transmission

 

Great score! me I'm a hot rod guy, but that is such a nice car I like your idea of doing it quick and dirty to make a driver out of it with a little more power and Oh Yea the juice brakes. Before you think to hard about the 69 small block Ford get a tape measure and do a lot of measuring. Its doable I know I have done it, but those early SBF are way long in the front. The can be modified but for what you are wanting there are a lot of engines that don't require that work. Flathead would be very cool as well as a banger. Lot you can do to a banger to make them easier on Sunday afternoon.

No matter what you decide it is a very cool car and good luck with the build...

 

Very cool! Congratulations David!

 

Congratulations, you made a good purchase. Snag that Model B. It is about as near to a bolt in as you will ever find (assuming you use the Model A transmission), about as difficult as putting a 283 in a 55 Chevy. You cut off the back of the Model B oil pan (see photo of the one that has been cut when I put it into my ’31 RDPU). Once the back of the oil pan has been removed everything will bolt in using the Model A flywheel housing. There are probably only a few parts that are airplane unique and they can probably be easily sold and replaced with the car parts (how about a few photos?). I assume since it was used in an airplane it was properly built. It is one thing to “walk” home but entirely a different matter to “fall” home. With a properly built block there are a lot of parts that will bolt on (see second photo for a nice flathead I saw at LARS a couple of years ago, current or original overheads are even better). Drive it as is and you might decide to keep the original transmission. If you decide to go to a ’32-’39 Ford V8 transmission there are kits to do that. If you want to go to a modern transmission there are a lot of people that have done that but it gets more complicated. I would keep the original Model A transmission as I did in my RDPU.


The ‘40-48 juice brakes would be good. Are the Lincoln Bendix brakes better, of course. It is just a matter of money. Remember you will need adapters to use the ’35 wires on the later drums (see http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/40-ford-wheels-on-a-model-a.750368/#post-8330045). I think I have read if you use F1 brakes you will have trouble using the wire wheels, they will require a VERY thick spacer. You might search the archives. The Lincoln Bendix brakes might be a better way to go. You will need the same adapter to use wire wheels on the Lincoln drums that you did for the Ford drums. They make a strong battery box for the Model A that incorporates a master cylinder mount.


The F100 box is a good idea. Randy Gross is the person to contact, (714) 292-8660, [email protected]. Search on fordbarn.com and you will see a lot of good comments about his product. I have been to his house and seen his product. It seems straight forward at first but to do it right it is a lot more complicated that you would think. He converts them in production “lots”. If I needed one he would be the source I would use.

Charlie Stephens

 

Charlie Stephens you use the 12" backing plates, shoes and bits with 1940 drums. No thick spacer needed. F1 box? Do you mean F15o transmission or steering box? I am still using the A box but with rollers

 

Good to hear that you can use the 1940 drums and solve the problem. Are they a bolt on or is there machining required? When I said F1 box I made a typo, I meant to say the F100 steering box. I have gone back and corrected my original post.

Charlie Stephens

 

Bolt on. I have a post with,pictures and info

 

Wow, great find but you know that flathead has to go in there and then........
Congrats and hope you have a lot of fun with it.

 

Congrats on your new acquisition! Welcome to the dark side!!!

 

Personally, I like the A 4 doors better than the 2 door sedans. I'd do it with stock paint, dropped down with full fenders, healthy flathead V/8, juice brakes, 35 ford wheels and a T-5 transmission. I did a ratty ol 33 pickup with a stock 59AB and a T-5'.....loved the way it drove!
On second thought, I might even keep the 19s on it but slam the suspension.

 

Dave... There is one other transmission option that works well but is a little pricey. Mitchell Mfg. makes a very nice synchronized transmission using the original Model A transmission housing but with new gears and such. The nice thing about this is that there is no modifications necessary, it's a true bolt in. They also make a overdrive unit that is a bolt in deal as well.
http://mitchelloverdrivemfg.com/products/model-a-transmission/

 

LOL....dunno about that.

That one hits home a bit....I"m guilty of that. Wise advice there, thank you!

LOL. If you ever knew me as a kid when I was building models, this whole thing makes perfect sense.....lots of projects, very few finished ones. LOL

Thanks for all the advice guys, I sure appreciate it. Simple is certainly the plan. Good news is that this will be just for around town 30-40mph and not something I need to be a reacher. Glad to know the Model B is largely bolt in. I'll have to weigh the cost of acquiring that vs just hopping up the one that's in the car a little. Brakes are another thing I'll have to research a good bit, since I'd like to go with the 35 wires and didn't think about the bolt pattern not fitting the later brakes. I'm encouraged that the current trans may fit the bill just fine for what I want to do with the car for now. If it ends up being a keeper, maybe the flathead and T5 on down the road....after I finish the Merc. I don't need @stanlow tapping his foot behind me because I'm knee deep in a Model A instead of my Merc.