New to Model A and in a Pickle

[Bigsnapper43]

Join the local club!!! There is much info readily available.The book has already been written. Don't try to do another chapter. Utilize what has been learned by others. Listen then make a decision.

[Ernie Vitucci]

Wow...All such good advice...Your A is clearly worth the work...Ernie

[Canton_Model_A's]

I ran across this chapter of MARC. It is the Cape Henry group (not sure if they are active or not but they showed up on the MARC regions page.)

https://chmafc.org/

BTW What part of Chesapeake are you in. I was round Mt. Pleasant and Centerville Pkwy. Left in 2016 for SE Michigan.

[ModelA29]

I'm the guy who says throw the head on it a get it running. I don't know how someone can declare your pitting is "severe" from the images. If is is real bad there may be a loss of some compression and that cylinder may be a little down from the 10 hp it's expected to contribute.
Bottom line have someone from your local club check it out. https://mafca.com/chapters/
PS - join the local club first then MAFCA will give you a free year.

[Synchro909]

There is another option not spoken yet. You could sell the car - to me!!
Nice looking car BTW.

[Keith True]

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I have worked on old equipment all my life,and I can't believe how well some of the old junk ran and lasted after honing things like that.You could easily put thousands of dollars in that engine,and find you don't even like to drive it.I might/might not pull that piston out and hone it.I would put eyes on it first.It's easy to spend somebody elses money over the internet.Honing that cylinder and running it might give you a smoker,but not a grenade.I'm not that lenient when it comes to babbit.I had to break the pistons out of a V4 Wisconsin,and I honed up the pits.I got a set of used pistons,worked them over with a piston stretcher,and put it all back together.It was supposed to be temporary fix,last I knew it had over 2000 hours on that patch job.It is in a Bobcat used as garage muscle and plowing snow.

[Klattu1929]

I gotta throw in my 1 cent, If I was in your shoes so to speak, ya have to make a plan. First drop the pan and inspect the pan for metal debris, and sludge, and inspect bearings if they are bad ya might as well stop. Good bearings huge plus. Remove all pistons, keep track where the came from they gotta go back to the same hole. inspect ring groves in pistons. check the block for flatness, and head also. Me I would remove the valve cover and inspect the valve train, valves , etc. closely look at the valve seats. turn the motor over slowly by hand watching the valves and check the valve lash. So at this point I learned a lot about my engines condition, I have spent time, but not much money. Time to make a decision, things look pretty good, I'll install new rings hone the cylinders, add 1 new piston and reassemble it. Maybe spruce things up a bit while i'm into it, oil pump lifters whatever. main and rod shim adjustment. Time to decide. ya have to have some sort of plan.

[Chris28SC]

Thank you for all of the responses and great information. It gives me a lot to think about. I took everyone’s advice about getting involved with a local club. I reached out this morning and talked to a couple members this evening. I will post an update when I figure out what I am going to do.

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by Kurt in NJ

The engine in the picture just got a used piston was driven over 100k more with minimal oil consumption, sometimes it is surprising!

Kurt, is that a sleeve trying to fall down?

[rotorwrench]

Looking at the photos in post #1, I'd say that piston rings wouldn't last long trying to pass that. It likely won't clean up at .125" oversize either but it can be sleeved for sure. A lot depends on what shape everything else is. I certainly can't guess how the main and rod sizes are or whether the cam journals in the block are good to go. There are generally more possibilities for defects than there are for usable bores and journals. I've seen a lot worse but it's no spring chicken.

It might be worth looking around your extended area for another block or engine assembly. Clubs are the best sources for decent stuff. They could help with machine shops that are friendly the model Ts & As. The closer the better if you want to have your engine worked over. It helps if a person does a lot of their own work if funds are tight. There used to be more short blocks available but not so many now unless you can afford a new Burtz modernized short block. Bert's overhauled original long blocks are $6K these days. Shipping from Denver would add even more to that.

Model As can be run in pretty ragged out condition but they don't run well and chances for obvious oil consumption are higher than not. I like to know my stuff is is good condition for normal everyday service if I choose to do that.

[Harpo]

It's hard to tell how deep the pitting is from those pictures, but I'm betting a quick hone and a set of rings would get you going fine.

I understand the reasoning behind the widely varied answers here, but personally I'm inclined to look at 1930s problems through a 1930s lens, and not take a 21st century "make it perfect" approach. 😁

[john in illinois]

I would put a new head gasket on ,make sure it has plenty of fresh oil and start it as others have mentioned. Many times these things look worse than they are.
What would you have to lose?

John

[37 Coupe]

I bought a 1932 Model B from a guy in Williamsburg Virginia a year and a half ago. The reason I mention this is the previous owner had a lot of help from local Model A Club guys in that area of Virginia some good because the engine is a four cylinder like a Model A and some not so good help like engine removal and replacement not same as Model B compared to Model A but getting to my point. The real good thing they helped him with was pointing him to an excellent Model A and B engine rebuilder and also babbit redo. Schwalms in Strasburg Pa.. I do have an excellent running engine thanks to that advice.

[Bruce of MN]

Schwalm's is in Pennsylvania.

https://www.jbsautomachine.com/ is a way from you, but they did a good job for me and are Model A experienced.