With a story. I've been trying to get this car for 20 years or so.. and I'm glad I didn't get it then, because I probably would have screwed it up. Until yesterday, the car had not moved in probably 30 years. Belongs to a 70+ yr old lady who is a former co-worker of my dads. Never married, lived with her mother who recently passed.. and has owned many 'a's, always doing the work on them herself. Bad part about this one is she traded a roadster for it in the 70's.. I'd visit ever few years or so, ask if she'd done anything with it, walk around it and drool. Well, last Sunday, I drove by her house in my current project, told here about the A i was working on, and offered to get hers back on the road, just for the experience of working on an original, and to keep it from further deterioration.. And she agreed. Said she was never going to have time to do it, if I wanted to, she'd pay for all parts, and I could keep it as long as needed.. Brought it home yesterday. Hope to have it fired up soon, rework the brakes (already converted to juice), new tires, matching wheels, fix the top, etc.. and take it back to her so she can enjoy it. And maybe I'll get a chance to buy it one day... I think this should move my name to the top of the list anyway. Brian
Too cool. What year are the juice brakes? I just picked an A tudor sedan like that last week for my wife. r
Not sure, from the backing plates I'm guessing '39-'40 style.. It may even be one of the kits you could buy back when. The bracket that mounts the m/c is a manufactured item, not just a fabricated one.. i'll know more when I tear into it maybe. Brian
The Ansen aftermarket kits from the fifties used the original brake type for the car with a hydraulic cylinder adapted to reworked stock backing plates. They used some kind of early Chevy wheel cylinders that had the adjustment provision there. I think you could also buy the Ansen MC bracket separately to use with regular Ford hydraulics...the full Ansen kit contained everything needed for the conversion, and your olde plates went in as an exchange,,,
that is a really cool story. you know karma works in very specific ways. I wouldn't doubt that you see/own this car again at some point in the future. hopefully not for a long time, if you know what I'm saying, but you get the point. If I had the room and knowhow to do something like this I know I'd go to bed at night feeling really good.
Hey Brian...dont go tearing into it without me...I was about to quit work so I could come over and get started! Heck, I had trouble sleepin last nite...couldnt quit imagining the sound that 'banger is gonna make once we hit the switch. ....for those of yall reading this, you have got to hear all of the stories this lady has about her adventures in a Model A....she was telling Brian how to set the timing on this thing...in perfect detail none the less! This was no joke...telling him how to get it on TDC and lining up the notch in the distributor, all in perfect detail! From our past track record, we might need the help ! She forgot to drain the water out of the engine a few winters back, and the head cracked on it...so what does a 70 yr. young woman go and do???? Pulls one off her "spare" engine and starts tearin down her car to put it on! She is definatly one from a lost time... Looking forward to getting started! But we gotta go terrorize N. Alabama on Sunday in the little car ! Get off the puter and get to work! --reed
don't count your eggs to early. my dad did the same thing to his neighbors A and then he told my dad to leave it at his house but to consider it a gift to a good friend because the old man didn't have time or the health to drive it. then about a month ago he passed on and his succubus dumb bitch of a wife told my dad to screw off and she sold it to the highest bidder when she auctioned off her newly departed husbands things. fuck that bitch.
Eggs? I didn't even see the chickens.. once I return it to her in driveable condition, it's hers to do with as she sees fit. And I will have the honor of giving her the enjoyment of driving her "a" again.. if by some chance I get the opportunity to be the caretaker of it in the future, so be it.. Brian
Cool thread and great attiude! Working on a well used "A" with friends and a real spitfire of a vintage lady sounds like a worthy cause in and of itself. Wish I could join in the fun. Please keep us updated on the project. The juice brakes might be done the way we did the ones on my dad's 32 roadster. We used 39-40 Ford/Merc backer plates and brakes on the stock spindles. The spindle hole on the newer plates is bigger and the bolt pattern is wider. You can slip a model A piston ring over the stock spindle as a spacer to keep it centered and slot in the bolt holes to match the smaller pattern. May the Saints of Car Karma smile upon you and your rides.
Too cool of a story, I cant wait for you to get it back going and take it back to her. She is gonna be so excited, probably bring her back 10 more years of her life atleast. Thanks for sharing
Thats great. Feel free to pop over and do mine whe you are done with that one. Seriously though - the world needs more of these stories and actions.
Well said Panhead Pete! Kustom 52, you are doing the right thing in getting it going for her. Let her enjoy it for as long as she can. You carry the enthusiasm needed to get this Ol Girl going so help her out, Take verifiable receipts by so she knows that you are on the up & up & one day she may just say:"You did a mighty fine job on "our 31 Tudor"Good luck with the slight resto. It looks to be in pretty good shape to me.
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