Begging to be a hot rod.
 

After thousands of dollars and several hundred hours over the last year my car is begging to be a hot rod. Drover to work yesterday with no problems. And as I was leaving work to come home 500 foot down the road she died without a sputter. This has happened a number of times over the last year and it's always been something different. I just think it's funny how much she's begging to be a hot rod. I'm scoping out of 283 right now and I think it will fit perfectly. :-)

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Really?

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

https://i.imgur.com/fT9QdPl.jpg?1

you don't have to leave the reservation..

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

If you want a daily driver, buy a Toyota.

David Serrano

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

The usual cause of "died without a sputter 500 feet down the road" is forgetting to turn on the gas.

Proper restoration to original specifications eliminates the need for modifications in most instances, a lot of reproduction parts don't meet original specifications, its not about how much you spend, it's more about the details of restoration

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Model A's were far from being perfect . There are several improvements that don't show that can be made .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

We used Model A's as daily drivers back in the '50s. The only time I had a problem was when the rubbing block on the points wore down and the car was only running on one cylinder.
This problem was not the car's fault, it was caused by lack of maintenance.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Am curious, hope you do not mind me asking - how many miles a year do you put on your daily driver? What have been the causes of your issues?

I have truck resuscitated after a 50 year storage nap. To make a daily driver needed a lot done to be reliable.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I have both hot rodded model A's and a "stock" model A. I'm still working out the bugs in the stock car and have only put 1000 miles on it but find it WAY more fun to drive than my hot rodded ones. We live 30 miles from the nearest town so every time I take it out it's 60 miles minimum. FWIW, a SBC will not "fit" without modifications. It's too long. You will have to either move the rad forward or recess the firewall. If you move the rad, you can't un a light bar or a hood, if you recess the firewall (4") you lose valuable leg room. Can you share some of the issues you've been dealing with??. Might give some of the experienced guys an idea of what's going on.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

From my experience , a higher compression head will make a world of difference in hill climbing and overall performance .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Also look into shape of the rest of the motor, and fit a better flowing carb, so I've read/been told.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I run dual model B carburetors on my roadster and my speedster with old aftermarket cast iron intake manifolds . More carburetors or a larger carburetor will help . I prefer to use updraft setup . Updraft won't give as much flow as dual down draft but has the cool look and doesn't flood as easily as downdraft setups can . I can drive them on the street the same as the original setup .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Two updrafts better than one updraft
One downdraft better than two updraft

Ever wonder why a stock a makes a sucking sound when revved up?..not enough fuel,like sucking a milkshake with a cocktail straw

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Sorry Purdy, was not questioning your info, from your previous posts I know you know your stuff. Was just trying to add to the conversation for possible others that improvement in one area can cause problems in other areas, and to mention that additional performance gains can be made with carburation.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Free flowing exhaust and warmer ignition helps . The spark comes from the coil . Hotter coils are available that look no different from any other replacement coil . I run the Pertronix flame thrower coil . More gap at the rotor tip will give hotter spark . I run a gap of thirty five thousands at the rotor tip . I get instant starts and power that can actually be felt .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Purdy- I think I have had an "Aha" moment . Will be going off topic so am starting a different thread on the Pertronix coil.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

No problem, your input is true and welcome . It can be really easy to go too far with modifications . Too much carburetion can be a common problem with dual downdraft carburetors . Some modifications need other modifications to be of benefit . No modifications are necessary for the original, model A , its a matter of personal choice . I'm just sharing a few of the modifications that has worked for me over the past sixty years .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

DannL Take a look at some Model As that have been hot rodded. There is a lot more to it than just dropping in a V-8. Updated brakes, steering, rear end trans, etc, Sell your current Model A and buy a hot rod. Most are for sale for less than half what they cost to build.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Ditto!!

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Ooops, I inadvertently added the price of five new tires, five inner tubes, and two new front brake drums to the "thousands of dollars" figure. ;-)

The car has a refurbed Zenith 2, new distributor body, rotor, base plate (and new wiring), new modern points, new coil and cable, new wiring throughout (entire car, braided copper . . . no aluminum), 3 fuses installed (at critical points), timed with a timing light (Verified many times), new plugs, new plug wires, new fuel shut-off. But, as mentioned, these parts they make today are really low quality. Car runs great . . . until she dies on the road.

First time it was loose wiring. Then the coil. Then HV cable to the coil . . . and yesterday I have no clue why it died on the road. Checked fuses, lifted the distributor cap to have a look-see, put it back on and the car started right up. Drove another 10 miles, not a single hick-up. Ten minutes prior, I was talking to coworkers and said . . . "now that I have gone through everything that could go bad over the last year, I shouldn't see any problems for a while". We laughed today when I told them what happened.

Naturally I will go through the works with a fine tooth comb for the 100th time. But, what I'm really interested in is getting a feel for the sentiment about hot-rodding her. Nothing drastic you see. Just a little spit and polish . . .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Definitely considering it, but always like to hear opinions. Makes for interesting conversation. I could keep her as is, of course. :D

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I have and have had many A's both Rod and Stock.
I have and have had problems with both.

It's just the nature of the beast.

With both, re pop parts are far from good.

As mentioned, there is a ton more work to do with dropping in a SBC and it is very expensive.

As mentioned, unless you are attached to that A, sell it and buy a Hot Rod that you like done!

Best of luck.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

That's the first thing I always check. When the valve is off, she would have never gotten me as far as yesterday. But, the gas was fine. I suspect another "electrical" hick-up. Since fixing electrical hick-ups is my job, I think I could have weeded this problem out of the system by now. Could be the new coil or condenser going out. The HV cable? May have to replace each component one at a time. Or everything at once . . . again.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Do not think it has been mentioned in this string. The points block is grounded through the distributor body via the lower plate screws. The distributor body is grounded via sitting on head, the ignition armored cable and cable clamp to the head/stud. and the distributor holding screw holding the distributor stationary.

So clean/remove paint from the distributor body where the lower plate mounts. Remove paint/clean the bottom of the distributor that sits on the head and remove paint/clean on the head where the distributor sits. Make sure the distributor body threads the ignition cable screw into are clean and paint free. Insure the ignition cable clamp is paint free/clean where it sits on the head and clean/paint free on the clamp where it clamps the ignition cable.

I had issues with a new rebuilt distributor that the bottom , ignition cable threads, and plate mounting holes/mounting bosses had not been masked and therefore painted. It would run somewhat OK at med/higher revs, but missed at lower revs. My theory is the grounds were punching through the paint when the generator raised the battery voltage, but weakened at lower revs.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

It takes dedication to learn the mechanics of any car, the Model A is no different. Older restorations necessitate through investigation to weed out inferior parts sold years ago, worn parts, and make proper adjustments at periodic intervals. ie preventative maintenance.
Les Andrews books on maintenance are a big help and leaning on the expertise of Club Membership is invaluable.
The Model A is a reliable car when you can root out problems before the happen.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

they made 5 million of them,they are still coming out of the wood work..hot rod or restore,its up to you..just finish it,dont tear it apart and let it sit for years

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I agree, just don't "hotrod" a restored one and don't "restore" a hotrodded one. Either buy what you want (hot rodded or restored) or start with one that needs a lot of work and can go either way, in other words, start with one of the ones that "came out of the woodwork". My hot rodded truck started as a rusty frame and a few panels sitting in a field and my hot rodded 28 tudor started as just a body shell sitting in a field. Perfect candidates for a hotrod IMO. BW, I didn't "build" either one but I saw pictures of how they were found.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Dannl, go for it if you have endless amounts of money, tools, know how and are willing to continue to trouble shoot after the fact.
Instead of building a hot rod, sell your A and buy a completed Hot Rod. I think it would be way cheaper and from a time point of view you would be able to drive it immediately. Just my humble opinion.
Gerry Birch Bay WA

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

My opinion, it takes many professionals to design a car which is comfortable and easy to drive. Seems most “hot rods” are simply concoctions welded together with modern components in a garage with no concept of drivability. I mean, what do we need engineers and designers for, just give me a torch and I can build a car. I believe that is why you see a lot of them sitting, very uncomfortable. And many more never get beyond the cutting and chopping stage. Just my thoughts and maybe don’t even know of what I speak.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I think this reply is a favorite . . .




It kinda says everything.



I would never chop or channel. And I wouldn't want to do anything that couldn't be reversed at a later date . . . with a grinder.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I mostly only do mods that don't show . The dual updraft carburetor setups are the only mods that show on most of mine . I do run mallory distributors on a couple of ours .

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Restorers paint by numbers ,hot rodders allow the art to drive the work..both require skill,one requires vision and skill

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Just like very few can paint a good portrait, very few hotrodders are as artistic as they think they are and lack true vision. Just like back in the "American Idol" days, some people honestly thought they were the next Whitney Houston and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, many hotrodder think they are artists with vision and their cars look like crap. The difference is that if you are wanting to be a recording artist, what you produce has to appeal to others. If you want to be a hotrodder, your creation only has to appeal to yourself.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

I've seen tasteless, lousy restorations and hotrods..poor workmanship and cheap parts run both ways

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

When I bought my 30 Tudor in2007,my wife said she would like to be able to drive places.

I restored all the mechanicals to new condition. Engine rebuild with touring engine from Antique Engine. Rebuilt trans, drive shaft ,rear end, front end and steering,
shocks and brakes. 1,000 for just the brakes.

Since then we have driven 27,000 miles and only got stuck on the road with a flat tire. No mechanical breakdowns. Longest trip 4,000 mile round trip to Montana. So Model As can be very reliable.

Took a will to make every thing right and spend the money. I love the car.
Ps I also have a hot rod in my avatar,30 Av8

John

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Sounds like 'you' want a hot-rod. Do what you want to do. You CAN make your car go faster and be much more reliable and STILL keep it mostly original.



I put a Weber down-draft and intake on my 31, changed to modern distributor guts, changed the brass bands to plug wires, and use modern spark plugs. After adjusting to the need for more fuel (vapor lock), the coupe will do 65 easy for long distances.

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

Curious what is to be gained by changing out the brass bands for plug wires:confused:. I can perhaps see it if you have a radio as I suspect that the brass bands would cause interference with the radio but performance wise I don't understand. I find with my car that power is not the limiting factor in my cruising speed it's RPM. Perhaps dictated by my lack of experience with these old birds but, being that they are not balanced, anything over 50MPH makes me nervous about engine vibration and what it is doing to my babbit and crank so I usually cruise at around 45MPH. I know that these were designed to run at 65MPH and I believe were even advertised as such but still. My concerns likely come from the fact that I am so used to engines running butter smooth that the vibes created in this one makes me "stand up and take notice".

Re: Begging to be a hot rod.
 

just because you turn it into a hot rod don't mean it's not going to stop running on you
just need to fix the problem each time and drive it