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-   -   Success with improvements for touring (https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113090)

CarlG 08-01-2013 02:36 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jordan (Post 698521)
I have one of those in my car, I call it a 4 speed :D The shifter is 5 inches back, but you could never tell just looking in the car. At least, nobody's ever walked up and said "wow I can tell you have an overdrive in this one".

Same here, except that my shifter is only 2 inches back. When I get the carpet re-done, it won't be noticable at all.

Jordan 08-02-2013 12:10 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarlG (Post 698603)
Same here, except that my shifter is only 2 inches back. When I get the carpet re-done, it won't be noticable at all.

it's probably closer to 2 inches than 5. I just wasn't near the car when I posted so I couldn't measure.

Motmo 08-04-2013 09:19 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I'm relatively new to this hobby and appreciate these conversations. I enjoy hearing both sides of the debate, although not so much the tension it creates.

When I have my car out around town I often find myself in conversations with complete strangers. I share what I have learned and it usually ends up being a fun history lesson for them. It's a great opportunity to keep people both young and old connected to our past.

I support anything someone does that keeps one of these cars out of a barn and puts it out on the road for everyone to enjoy.

It's human nature to stick to what works as much as it is to tinker and explore. I would hope that if we all met face to face we could shake each other's hand and appreciate that we all share a common interest. I wish some of these threads displayed that a little more.

Happy driving everyone!

-Mike

Dtolson 08-19-2013 02:51 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I took my first road trip with the truck last weekend. 120 miles to show my 91 year old father. He had a 31 pickup before going in the army in 1941 and it brought back many good memories for him. He snapped the keys up and took off in it! The truck seemed to settle in around 43 mph. I'm not looking for high speeds out the Model A but from a safety standpoint, I was somewhat of a nuisance on the 55 mph state roads. Any suggestions?

columbiA 08-19-2013 06:06 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Install an over-drive and you will never drive an A without one,unless you are happy to hold up traffic at 45 or so.As for riding the brakes down a long steep hill,just double -clutch it into 2nd gear and let the engine keep the car at a reasonable speed.It will certainly prolong the life of the brakes.

Ron W 08-19-2013 06:57 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I have the F150 conversion. No double clutching! Downshift at any speed. It's wonderful!
BTW, when someone pulled out in front of me last week, I found that my well adjusted mechanical brakes will squeal the tires if you push hard enough. Ron W

bettlesr 08-19-2013 08:44 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I also have the F150 trans. On the last tour we took, it got over 26 MPG.

Tom Wesenberg 08-20-2013 12:40 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

3.27 ring and pinion or the F150 both seem like good choices for more speed.

Yesterday my neighbor was driving his Army Jeep and pulled onto the shoulder to let faster cars go by. The cop gave him a ticket for driving on the shoulder.

Rock Hornbuckle 08-20-2013 12:59 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg (Post 710035)
3.27 ring and pinion or the F150 both seem like good choices for more speed.

Yesterday my neighbor was driving his Army Jeep and pulled onto the shoulder to let faster cars go by. The cop gave him a ticket for driving on the shoulder.

That's what stupid cops do!:D

modelAtony 08-20-2013 10:47 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird (Post 710210)
Tom,
I strongly considered the F150 method, and have ridden in cars with that setup (it sure is slick) but did not want to cut into the crossmember

If you use the AA bellhousing you do not need to cut anything.

Ron Lachniet 08-20-2013 10:55 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

You only need to grind about a 1/4 in. in one small area on the cross member and you would never see it. It makes driving a pure pleasure and almost eliminates vibration. I love it!

Ron W 08-20-2013 01:31 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Use a kit with AA bellhousing. I did my own and it is close but no cutting of metal. The floor will need to be modified just a little. Other conversions are nice too. Try to find someone with others that you might consider. Ron W

Terry, NJ 08-20-2013 10:34 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

As a native New Jerseyian, We don't get to meet many Texans here, but I never met one I didn't like! I like your explanation of the situation. While I have made some modifications out of desperation, My only excuse is high cost of maintaining strict adherence to historical standards. This tends to induce a certain mental conflict. I regard these cars as historical atifacts, not playtoys to explore my wilder side with. I'm trying to stick to methods and standards as much as possible. Regards, Terry


Quote:

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C (Post 697098)
Again, your perception. :rolleyes: ....but not a factual statement! ;)





That is probably a very true statement! :o



With regard to the FS Ignition system, I have actually been a dealer for them for quite a few years now so I am very 'versed' on how they work. I initially installed them on my banger-powered race cars. I also used to (4 to 5+ years ago) install them on quite a few customer's cars. I did that for a couple of reasons. The main reason was back then, reproduction distributor cams were being manufactured off-shore and the points did not break at true 90° apart creating timing issues.

The second reason why I quit was I was experiencing quite a bit of module failures with units I had installed and with folks who had installed their own units. JD & Mel was very helpful with working with me on warrantying them and troubleshooting but the 'pain was not worth the gain' when my customers were having failures while on tour or out driving. Paying a tow bill to get back home and the stress' involved with the downtime slowly created customers asking why are we doing this.

Then along comes a US manufactured dist. cam. that is CNC machined with exacting tolerances while simultaneously designed to increase the coil saturation time to increase the coil's spark output. Adding to that was my ability to hone housing bushings instead of reaming them and the quality of shaft fit came up where the distributer could produce a timed spark very near what a 'Hall-effect' triggered system could produce.

Later in time we concluded that it was a voltage spike and/or an intermittent ground issue that was the likely culprit of the FS failures. Again, running extra wires to circumvent this, or carrying extra distributors/modules as back-ups for the minute gain just did not seem practical. So for me it begs the question just how hot of a spark is necessary to have a good running engine? My view is for a low-compression engine such as a Model-A (under 7½:1 CR), "lighting off" the fuel mixture is not that hard to do with a stock ignition system, especially with the combustion chamber design and slow RPMs. Maybe I am still "gun-shy", ...or maybe I'm just lazy, but if a set of points will create nearly the same result with less cost and greater reliability, why take the chance?

So I guess I will back-up and offer my apologies for stirring the pot. It is your car, and you are the one that it must please. Best wishes to you and I bid you many happy and safe touring miles ahead.

(signed; from a former Texan himself)

.


inex01 11-26-2015 06:03 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird (Post 696979)
if you could have absolutely no wobble or play in the dizzy shaft...if you could have the cam lobes absolutely the same exact distance apart and all absolutely the same exact height...
e-ignition changes all this...the spark is in the exact right place at the exact right time each and every time, for each and every cyl. and yes it has centrif. advance...and if i didn't see/drive/hear it myself i never would have believed it. Now I can see why these are used extensively in the Great Race. The engine vibration is nearly non-existent and the nasty harmonic is gone. This has to be intuitively better for the bearings, and if you can't believe the bearings will be happier please don't waste valuable bandwidth by complaining about it.

I installed my FS Ignitions yesterday in my 31 Sedan in the stock distributor and totally agree with all your comments, I can hardly believe how much smoother and seems to have more performance. :)

sphanna 11-26-2015 10:59 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

"OK, first off I am in this for all the touring I can get. So if you don't like what I have done, simply put, don't do it. This post is for the benefit of those who have considered these changes for their car but weren't sure about them. And, the Dallas club has a bunch of excellent tours every yr."


"This all boils down to being easier on the car and easier on the driver."

tbirdtbird: I appreciate carefully restored stock A's. I also appreciate those who do as you have inorder to make their cars safer and more relaxing for touring.

I'm giving you credit for your well thought out mods to your car. The first paragraph explains your intent for the post. Your last sentence also was appropiate and true. I give you credit to have the good sense to know your car's limitations and your common sense operating skills.

I personally appreciate your post. You made no attempt to diminish other's way of thinking. I can see that your post could be helpful to some who were weighing the pros and cons of some of the mods. Some of the comments do not give you proper respect for having common sense in what you do.

I have some of the mods on my car and you are correct. Some mods are easier on the car and enhance the driving comfort. I hope to meet you on a tour sometime.

1wonton 11-26-2015 11:21 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I prefer the quirks and idiosycrasies of my original car. I grew up trusting the original product and would be ashamed of driving a Frankenstein car. Why not put a Pinto engine in it, radial white-wall tires, 12 volt battery, etc., etc., etc. A Model A is a Model A and when you start changing it you loose the experience and fun of the original car.

1crosscut 11-26-2015 11:39 AM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Brings to mind the movie Ground Hogs Day..............
Are we off and running again???

Rex_A_Lott 11-26-2015 01:11 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

Probably so...A funny coincidence, I had chili for dinner and then I opened this up.:) Happy Thanksgiving!

bill44 11-26-2015 01:20 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

I think they are great improvements. I like to tour too, and have done a lot of modifications to make touring easier. Most of which cannot be seen unless you know what you are looking for.

denis4x4 11-26-2015 02:52 PM

Re: Success with improvements for touring
 

The roads in the late twenties, early thirties were such that a stock A was more than adequate as a touring car. Too, there was nowhere near the traffic we incur today. I know that there are purists out there that run thousand of miles every summer with stock A's, sometimes on the interstates. My hat's off to those hardy souls. On the other hand, I prefer to equip my A with aftermarket products that make my touring experiences less stressful by MY standards. If we were to strictly adhere to the standards set by Brent and Ryan, this would be one of the most boring sites on the Internet!


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