I bought a stock 31 a model I am going to leave it mostly stock so the cops don’t bother me when I get my p plates but I was just wondering what are some must have upgrades I could do to make it better
What are "p plates"? I would put on hydraulic brakes. Check the age of the tires (from the date code). Replace them if they are over 10 years old no matter how good they look. If it is 12 volts I would upgrade the lights with the "brite" bulbs from Ron Francis Wire Works, https://www.ronfrancis.com, (800) 292-1940. Buy the reflectors from Bratton's Ford Parts, (301) 829-9880 (they have the best). If it is still 6 volts get the brightest bulbs that the vendors sell (from the engine compartment shot it looks like it is probably still 6 volts). I would get an aftermarket high compression cast iron head to raise the compression a couple of points. From there it is a matter of how good is the engine and how much money do you want to spend. Add your general location to your profile, you never know when it will be helpful. Also become familiar with fordbarn.com. Be sure to get the paperwork straightened out before you do anything. Go slow, spend a lot of time reading and looking at other cars before you decide which way you are going with it. It looks solid and will turn out to be a good car when you finish. Charlie Stephens
I raced flat 4 banger powered A speedsters in the Great Race across the country and I'll tell you if I had your car, the first thing I would do is get a floater brake kit for the mechanical brakes, unless you intend to swap over to hydraulic brakes. Secondly, if you can afford it, a Mitchell style in-driveshaft overdrive unit will give this car the ability to drive at reasonable highway speeds, they work really slick although they are not cheap. A swap to a '39 transmission is also popular and makes shifting a lot smoother, it's not a bad way to go. Reds (I think) offers a header for this car that can retain the updraft carb if you want to leave the intake alone, and it's not real pricey, like $200 I think. That and a different muffler might give the engine a bit of attitude for a cheap price. If you were considering some visual modifications, I'd reverse both spring eyes to get the car to sit a little lower, possibly a flattened front crossmember would help give it a little bit of rake. I'd also consider some wire wheels from a '35 Ford which are early style but allow you to run a 16" tire, and I'd pick out some big and little rubber to run on them. Not too crazy cartoony, but maybe 5.50 or 6.00 for the front and 7.10 for the rear, something like that. It would sit really nice that way. I am also a big fan of using a '32 grille on an A, it can be done while still retaining the hood and the original radiator. That's a pretty big laundry list of mods I guess, but each one could be done without tearing the car down for too long and all would in my opinion be well worth doing. It's a nice looking car, I'd be happy to have it, in any configuration.
Thanks Charlie the p plates are a probationary licence that you get when you turn 18 in Australia that restrict you from having a v8 or bigger an most performance mods and they are required for 4 years before you get you full license
Thank squabloe already reversed the eyes in the front and got some 35 wires and I am getting some 32 wires for the back so I can get some bigger tires. And how do the floater brakes work?
Hope you're following this regular banger thread: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/march-2018-banger-meet-equinox-time.1098819/ They're all about the bangers.
I can only guess what a Mitchell overdrive would cost where you live. If you have 4.11 gears in the rear end I would consider changing to 3.54 (I have a set in my '31 RDPU). If they are 3.78 I would probably leave them (that is what I have in my AVATAR with a 181 Mercruiser Marine engine, wish they were 3.54 but they are OK). Original transmissions are OK once you get used to shifting them, of course a '39 transmission is better but in my mind not worth the cost. Don't tackle too many things at once or you will have a car in the garage for a long time. If possible save the parts you take off you might want to go back to them later (like the wheels). The wiring looks a little frayed in your picture, you might want to add a fuse. Will this become an everyday driver? Charlie Stephens
Check out the link that Waxhead posted. It's not pricey and it'll make it stop a lot better than stock without having to swap everything out to hydraulic (which is also a good way to go) Keep in mind that the width of the '35 wire wheels is more than the width of the '32 18" wires, even though the diameter of the 18" wires is more. You might end up with tall and skinny in the rear, short and squat looking in the front, with a mix like that.
Learn to set the points, and the timing and what it sounds like when it's right. This seems to give a lot of people a lot of problems. Nice car and good luck with it.
you could have a look at Vern Tardel's book "Hot Rod your Model A" ignore the section on putting a V8 flathead in it...for now... he covers upgrading brakes, suspension, trans, etc..
My Roadster has juice brakes, 12 Volt Alternator, Stromberg 81 and Downdraft intake and 16 inch wheels. I just bought an adapter from Clings to put a 39 Trans int.
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