Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Hi all,

I recently purchased a Model A engine. According to Steve Plucker's index, it was produced on November 19, 1930. What's interesting, however, is the old rebuilder's tag from Berkeley Automotive Center in Berkeley, California. All the information is listed, but I am confused about the 301 date code. It can't be March 2001, because there's no record of BAC in any city directories.

Anyways, I wrote about this engine and its previous owner for a feature on The Jalopy Journal (which you can read here) but I'm always looking for more. It seems to me that this engine has never been fired since the rebuild, and I think it's a great candidate for a future project.

Thanks for looking!
Joey

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

First month of a year ending in 3? 1983, 1993, 1973?

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

You have a crankshaft on its last cut in my book..Berkeley had a big industrial area and a number of repair shops before the elites took over.Berkeley Forge is still in operation.Today,the homeless line the streets of the industrial area,its sad,that area is steeped in history.Kaiser built liberty ships and Ernest Lawrence created the first particle accelerator there..

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

That industrial area (west of San Pablo Blvd, north of University and south of Gilman) was still there in a lesser form in the early 1980's. I was doing ventilation system design at the time and I remember working with two clients in that general area. One was a specialty foundry, at the time I was working with him he was working to reproduce the windshield stanchions for a Jaguar XK120 in brass, which would subsequently be plated. Another was a one-man operation who manufactured high-end guitars.

And now you have latte shops, high end kitchen supply, and clothing "boutiques". And a Lumber Liquidators outlet. Sigh, the "good old days".

BTW, the particle accelerator was quite a bit east, up the hill on the Cal campus, late 1930s. (I wasn't around for that one...) E. O. Lawrence's lab got torn down somewhere along the line.

JayJay

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Berkeley Automotive Center was located at 2611 Shattuck Ave in Oct. 1946 – there's an article in the Oakland Tribune about a burglary at the radio shop next door. By 1953 it seems to have moved a few doors down to 2619. It's mentioned in recent obituaries, so it may have been in business as late as the '90s.

The sign on 2619 (corner of Shattuck and Carleton) is still visible.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

That location is quite a bit farther downtown than the industrial area I was speaking about earlier.


JayJay

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

I've seen three digit date codes mean a number of different things. Tires used to use a 3-digit code but with the last digit being the last number of the year, there is no account of what decade it may be. A lot of times a code for the week of the year is used (52 in all) and sometimes it is the biweek of the year (26 in all). Three digit codes for tires gave way to 4-digit codes on tires in the year 2000.

If the code for that engine rebuild is week and year then it could have been around end of July of 1941 or 1951 but it's hard to say so many decades since. It may have been late July of 1931 but it wouldn't even have been a year old yet by that time.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Thank you everyone for the great information. @alexiskai, I am going to have to drive over there just to investigate one day. Such a neat ghost sign.

@Jack Shaft — I'm not very familiar with Model A cranks. Do you think this crank would be too weak to use with a high-compression head?

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

She'll hold up just fine,its on its last cut in my book. I'm pushing about double the stock power out of a stock A crank on babbit..run a lube line from oil pump to center main and a harmonic balancer. Keep your bearing clearances correct and run it.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

I worked field service in the Bay area for over 35 years..yep without a doubt the Bay Area and the city has changed..still get to the old Kaiser Shipyards (now an industrial park) occaisionally and eat my lunch at Ford Point,the Richmond assembly plant..

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

What happens if ya flip it over and take a rod journal open, and see what ya got. It it still has shims, and seems to platigage within specs, why not spend $10 on a quart of paint, and put it back in and try it?

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Well you have an engine.

You have no clue what is inside it. That tag could be 2 beside the house rebuilds since.

You need to take it apart and see what it really is. It could be worn beast with cracks that make it scrap metal. Or you might find a new cam and crank from some rebuild since the tag got put on it.

Just dont know till you crack her open and get you micrometer out.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Jack Shaft Your saying 30/30 is the maximum under cut for a Model A crank before it is unreliable?

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

No I didn't say that,I said its 'on its last cut in my book' meaning in my opinion I wouldn't run it beyond that in a performance build. The key words being "my" and 'I'...torsional vibration with a stock crank is bad enough in my opinion.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Thank you everyone for the great input. This is a backup engine for my current build.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Some other thoughts I had...

It has a header on it, that implies it might have been raced.

In any event, the engine came out for a reason.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Kevin,

You make a point about the header, I don't know but the flywheel is full size.
I doubt it was "raced" in any event, disassembly is necessary.

I will note though, I have had a few motors come thru here from "reputable rebuilders" (one with tags). In most cases, these were sleeved as a matter of course. (I find it odd that all 4 holes require sleeves) Some, not all have had one slip down, or being really soft ledges really bad.

John

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

Don't worry, the header is mine that I just slipped on there for pictures.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

When crankshafts go undersize, it requires that main bearings be reworked with thicker babbitt material to compensate. The pouring of babbitt requires a different set of forms in order to get that thicker material. The thicker material is likely a bit harder to peen in prior to align boring the new bearing sizes. This and strength concerns is what limits how far a crank can be turned.

Re: Rebuilt Model A Engine: What do I have?
 

About blocks that are sleeved:

For a number of years H&H (in LA ?) would re-sleeve EVERY engine.

Maybe they found a railroad car full of Standard pistons and rings!

ADP = Additional Dealer Profit.

One guy told me that they re-sleeved them whether they needed it or not!