Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingray70
Welcome to the barn Russell. That is a very good question and you will get many answers in what I am sure will become a mullti page thread.
For me personally, I bought a model A in part for the experience of owning and driving a pre war car. I want my A to be as correct as possible.. To that end,, I have spent much of the past 6 months since I bought my Coupe ( my first A) removing many "mods" from previous owners. It is a good solid car but it is what it is. If I want to go fast, have air conditioning, need quiet, or want to listen to a good stereo, I drive one of my other cars. I have no desire to drive 60 mph in my A on the interstate. Where I live I don't have to either.
I do live in a very hilly area and am considering a mild high compression head to help maintain speed up the hills. The only other modifications to my car now are seat belts and a second tail light.
I get a chuckle every time I go to our local classic car museum. There are 3 model A's on display. All presented as "original". Even with my limited model A knowledge I could fill a page with things that aren't correct on each of them.
Like I said you will get a hundred opinions on this and most will be valid based on what the owner wants from their car. I figure there is a fine line between "just a few mods" and having for all intents and purposes a hot rod.
Cheers
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I am in the middle as I want my car to be mainly stock but I do want drivability on 2 lane roads that frequently are posted at 55 in my area. A stock model A will do 55 to 65mph but the engine is racing and I would not want to hold speeds above 50 in a stock car. Start with lap belts regardless of anything else. My solution was to go with the mild 5.5 HC Head and you will see a bit more power but more so is it's ability to climb hills without dropping into 2nd. My solution to hold 55 to 60 is a Mitchell 26% overdrive however this is not yet installed. The Mitchell will allow you hold lover RPM's and still run 55 to 60 all day long. People do much more tan me but for my needs I do not think I will be going beyond the 5.5 head and the Mitchell overdrive. Please note to go 55 to 60mph your car has to have a good front end and be in top shape. I have had to fix multiple things to make my car safe at speeds in that range. Also keep in mind you still need to stop her so keep a very good distance to do so safely.
Ron
Ron