It’s been a busy few months since my last column. Model A Days at the Model A Museum for the Grand Ribbon cutting and opening of the New Addition was spectacular! A grand turnout of cars and of course one of the things I do is the “First Start” as they call it , where I spearhead getting a long dormant Model “A” that hasn’t been running in 35-50 plus years to come back to life and make run. It is quite the task at times and always educational and a lot of fun. This year we did a 29 coupe that hadn’t run in 47 plus years. I had the Mishawauka High school kids help with this one. I had them going through all the various steps in checking for Compression, Spark, and fuel to make run. And then…. Of course… it came to life 52 minutes later. What “A” Grand Day!
Now on to a few technical observations and notations… and then some questions.
A” Revisiting of points….. original style for now.
Last month I spoke of several sets where I had the point spring arm break on very new points (current production from suppliers). Things looked good on them and were until the tension arm snapped in two. I have had several questions asked with regard to what are the best points to purchase right now. At this point… I’m not sure I have an answer yet. I’m asking all of you to help with this one. Especially if you drive your “A” 3-5K+ per year and are still on the same points I’d like to hear from some of those that are having a great positive from their current produced/supplied points. In the spirit of this conversation our first questions is about points!
Question: I’ve had two sets of points that had the rubbing block wear down without many miles on them. Is there a good source for points? Jim S.
Answer: The common sets of brand names are the CS30 ( Echlin CS30) from Napa ( napaonline.com) and the “Standard” brand points available by many auto parts supply houses. I purchased on a limited basis from RockAuto.com, and they do handle them for a very reasonable $15.31 each.
One of the things to remember is that the point spring tension is more important than you might think. The correct spring tension should be somewhere between 20-24 oz with a point spring scale. I know.. who has one of them. Just know to little will cause poor performance and erratic ignition, and too much will cause more than normal rubbing block wear…. Which is a problem with some points I hear. Cam lube as I previously covered last issue is important. Bonified cam lube is still out there as well as Vaseline or petroleum jelly. Also inspect your distributor cam to ensure it has a smooth surface as I have seen some cams that are very rough, causing premature rubbing block wear.
Question : My header on my 1930 coupe appears to not hold my moldings well. What are my options? Wilbur J.
Answer: One given is your wood will not get any better on it’s own, and to hold the important header moldings a good repair is absolutely in order but knowing your question and the history of them total replacement is best. For a decent handy guy it is totally doable. The complexity is the fact of the headliner and top condition. You need to evaluate that yourself and know that to be done well and right both need to come out.
Can repairs be made, yes, with some of the epoxy wood repair kits like JB or others that are a two part . In the end they must hold your fastening nails and tacks well or you will wish you had just replaced them.
So going on to the replacement, the best kit is from Classic Wood in North Carolina. The header can be done by itself but know there are tonque jounts protruding from the side rails that fit into the header. Tabs on the front of the windshield pillar need to be carefully moved outward for the header to be removed, all attaching screws etc.
Note many times when the header moldings don’t hold for the top the windshield screws holding the windshield up don’t bite well anymore either.
Shaping of the header on the sides to accommodate the body are also necessary. Patience, some (homework reading) as well as a local member if there is one who’s done it, are all good help. The rest is time and materials as they say.
Question : I have a clunk noise when I go over bumps. I haven’t been able to pinpoint it down yet. Gene C.
Answer: Typically noises when on a bumpy road or with suspension up and downs are linked to one or more items.
-Shock arms loose on the shocks. – ensure all 4 shock arms are tight on the square of the shock.
-Shocks studs and adjusters not hitting brake rods – make sure brake rods are not bent. Look for witness marks!
spring U-bolts front and rear tight, making sure clamped well. Springs can and do move within the crossmember. Look for any rust color ( if surrounding area is painted) , as the rust color typically indicates movement in the associated area.
– Radius cap and ball tight – best if original style as rubber ball style doesn’t fair well
– tightening up body bolts doesn’t hurt either.
Sometimes having someone push up and down on the bumper in the garage can help identify. Other causes like bumper supports and even loose hubs etc also cause noises.
It is a good idea to give things a good “snug and tighten” . You will be amazed how many things shake loose. Now that I’ve given you a lot to go on… you have some work ahead!
Question: I seem to be running out of power after 35 mph. It is timed properly and I have a Tillotson carburetor on it. Seems to be running OK below 35. Wilbur G.
Answer: I know you have said it is timed properly but are your advancing it on the column when you drive? Start and idle full retard ( up), and running/driving, spoark advance lever at 9 – O’clock or more. Experiment with it on the road.
Also, you haven’t mentioned the GAV adjustment, so lets cover a few bases.
First travel down a level road at 30-35 and open up the GAV/Choke rod another ¼-1/2 turn and check for change. Is it better or the same. You might even pull out the choke slightly to see if it helps. If so it is saying you have fuel in the bowl but not enough coming into the carb throat through the jets. So you either need more GAV counterclockwise or you have potentially a carb issue.
I would also ensure you have good solid fuel flow. Undo the fuel line at the carb and make sure it streams out well. Many times tanks, fuel valves, and even poorly vented fuel caps can effect the fuel flow. Once verifed check the proper level of the float between 5/8 and 11/16 on the carb. It is accomplished best by the gasket thickness on the float valve but you can tweak the tab slightly on the Tillotson,
Along with proper timing and advance when driving, and some diagnosis and remedy if needed on these items it should improve.
Question: I was replacing my front crank pulley with some help from the “on-line” crowd, and noticed that there is a steel spacer that seems to be missing on my engine.
Do I need it? It was running OK but my crank pulley had a chunk out of it.
Melvin K.
Answer: Kudos for your efforts and keen eye that you had something missing. It is called the front “oil slinger” and does several things. One it helps to sling the oil downward into the pan and away from the crank pulley, and it also acts as a spacer to ensure the front crank pulley and sleeve are spaced outward properly so when the crank nut is tightened they are in fact “tight” It actually does one more thing… unintended, but makes seeing the small dot on the crank gear difficult…. But with a keen eye it is still visible behind the slinger. Remember, the dot is always to the right of the keyway!
Install the missing slinger. Originals are best but repros are available. Once installed and with new pulley, it should extend slightly beyond the end of the crankshaft. Snyders new manufactured pulleys are excellent.
Question: I am going to install a new high compression head soon. Do I torque it more than the standard 55 Foot pounds. Mike S.
Answer : The short answer is no. 55 Foot pounds should be adequate. You can go to 60 but going more always is a risk of block/ thread integrity.
I recommend new studs if old are deficient, and new head nuts. Clean threads and surfaces. Follow recommended patterns and instructions with the head if any along with the proper gasket. I like the “Best” brand Graphite and torque in stages of 35, 45,55.
I surface the water neck flat and use black Permatex oil resistant RTV between it and the head surface – no gasket.
Re-Check twice following initial install and torque.
Till next time….
Larry Shepard
