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Old 10-28-2020, 03:07 PM   #18
Kurt in NJ
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the Littlefield
Posts: 6,159
Default Re: What is a "reasonable" speed in a Model A for one to get "reasonable" engine life

The first engine I broke it in slow and easy, rarely over 50, lasted 3000 miles before the rear main crumbled----the engine I have now I knew it would do 67 on the third day of driving, from then on I have driven it trying to break it--- all day at 65, lugged it starting in 3 rd gear, practiced high speed downshifting, ran it on dyno at 3200 rpm, held it in first, second foot to floor to see max speed in each gear

In talking to past owners of model A that drove them to college, they drove as fast as they could to go home to visit girlfriends--over 50 passing every car they could even though they also said they had to put oil in every 100 miles ( used oil)

I was reading in a 1925 Belkin hardware catalog, gears for model T to make car go 55---- people have always gone as fast as they could
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