tell a Model A related story

[Trapdoor2]

I guess we all have some sort of "Model A" story, otherwise we probably wouldn't be here!

My father was a WWII US Navy PBY pilot (and other stuff, he was in for 30, retired in 69). At some point after the war, he bought a '29 A Roadster Pickup. This was driven stock for a short time...but he was long legged and had trouble with seating. To fix that, he cut the back off the cab and welded on/built a curved back from an old Hudson roof. This added about 3" to the legroom. Custom seats were crafted, in black leather with red leather inserts. A hot-rodded Flathead V8 was installed, Lincoln transmission and Columbia two-speed rear end. V8 Wheels too. It was painted bright yellow with red wheels, the grill was red as well. They called it the "Yellow Dog". I have a newspaper article from 1951 where the Norfolk, VA police offered to time the local hot-rodders on a 'speed run' down a 1 mile straight road. Dad was clocked at 120mph in the Pickup, fastest of the day.

By the time I came along, the Flattie had been sold to a boat racer in San Diego and was replaced by a 322 Nailhead Buick. Dad was active with the SoCal hot-rod groups but the Pickup was generally used as basic transportation. He was one of the early R/C modelers in the area and I always got to ride in the bed on the way to the flying field.

My oldest brother took over the Pickup when he turned 16. In talking to him a few years ago, he told me that at 70yrs old he could probably still rebuild a Columbia rear-end in his sleep. Every time he raced somebody, it broke...and Dad made him rebuild it. I do remember rescuing him once. He had somehow (I never got the truth for that story) rolled both front tires off the rims. We had a 61 Buick Special wagon and loaded it up with spares to get him back home. I just remember some Naval language, a very quiet ride home and my brother riding his bicycle to school for a few weeks...

1n 1965, when Dad was offered a new position (he worked for Ryan Aeronautical as their Chief Pilot) in Alabama, off we went...but the Pickup was given to my brother, who stayed in San Diego. I was 8 yrs old but I always thought of the Pickup as mine and dreamed of driving it when I got old enough.

Of course, my brother traded it for a Hemi powered something as soon as we got settled in Alabama. I gave him grief for that every time I saw him after that. He's been dead for a few years now, but he was always apologetic for being a "stupid teenager". I guess we all go thru that...I certainly did!

Now that I have a '31 Coupe. I feel like I've come full circle. I'm keeping it as stock as possible. I've done my share of hot-rodding!

[woofa.express]

TRAVEL.
It was on an airliner flight from Hong Kong to England I made some curious observations. A 15 hour flight, all in daylight because we were flying west, following the sun so to speak. Unfortunately the first 2 hours was on top of cloud which deprived me of seeing much of China but when we reached clear sky’s China was a sandy desert. There was no clear indication we had reached Russian boarder but I observed several hours of farmland and cereal crops. Yes for hours. These crops didn’t look like they were high yielding because the plant had little flag (leaf). Of course this may well have been the variety of the plant, I was not to know. I would have loved to have spoken to the farmers but the logistics were not possible nor can I speak Russian. I once knew a fellow who also worked in the crop spraying industry and he told me if Russia got their arse into gear they could flood the world grain market. I can now believe that. Villages were close, perhaps 5 miles apart and rather large towns every 15 miles. Such a large rural population could not be sustained by agriculture in any western country. I could see no power lines and wondered how the people living there heated their homes in winter. You may say “do you expect to see power lines from that height” and of course not. However one can pick up tell-tale signs such as high steel pylons which show up in the sun or cuttings through areas of timber which was birch. I have an eye for power line as I spent a working life time looking out for them. I later was told heating was gas and that made sense of course. As we west and over Europe the crops seemed to improve and the yellow of canola looked magnificent as it does in spring in all countries.
The pilot, named Michael, we have called him Moo since he was a kid told as he had diverted 115 miles (nautical) right to avoid weather. He also spoke of St Almo’s fire on the windscreen for more than an hour. My wife asked if he would have warned other pilots so as they could avoid it. He said they would head into it for the novelty. I have never seen it; guess I don’t fly much at night where it is visible nor do I fly fast enough. So what is St Almo’s fire, from Wikipedia I have copied it below. I once had a departure from Darwin for Malaysia and I too had to divert more than 100 miles right of track and got as low as 50 feet above water in heavy rain. I’ve also climbed as high as 17,000 to avoid thunderstorms. That was futile when the airlines can’t outclimb them. Have you ever flown through a thunderstorm? It’s not nice.

St. Elmo's fire is a weather phenomenon where luminous plasma is created by an electrical discharge called a corona discharge. It appears as a faint, bluish or greenish light on the tips of pointed objects like ship masts, spires, or aircraft wings during a strong electric field, often caused by thunderstorms. It is different from lightning, which is a much more powerful electrical discharge, and is often accompanied by a hissing or crackling sound.
A video is shown below. Not a particularly good video but you can see what it is anyway. Moo said this took his entire windscreen and lasted more than 1 hour.
My next month’s story will be on this visit to Moscow which I found enlightening. It was only for 3 days but I made some acute observations. Was it what I expected? Well I didn’t know what to expect but I did learn a lot. I can’t tell a travel tale quite like Rick Steve’s but I’m sure you’ll find it informative.


from wikipedia, this link will show St Almo's fire. Moo said on this day it was a continuous fire and for more than an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX7t4t_UPk8

[woofa.express]

Moscow. Informative and interesting.

Patsy, Moo and I had 3 days and 2 part days in Moscow, enough to make a good observation and assessment. Here it is.
After landing and whilst taxing to the terminal I looked for Russian made aeroplanes and saw none. All western types. Moo said he counted 7; he had a better view from his front seat. The woman immigration official was stern and demanding. I asked several times for a smile but didn't get one. I found all government officials the same way even unpleasant. An official woman in a theatre gave Patsy a really harsh dressing down for hanging her jacket on the seat in front. Quite unnecessary. However with the military guards I found quite the opposite. Congenial in fact. These blokes stood guard outside official buildings and in the sleet, dressed in heavy coats. No doubt they stood there in the winter snow and wind as well.
Transport to the city and other destinations was made by train. The trains were frequent and crowded. The railway stations were large and were like an art hall, fine art. Pristine and ornate, in a way a bit like the Sistine Chapel. Much of it featured military and ex-military people who were probably heroes. The trains were fast and the wheels screamed on the steel tracks. It sounded like all the wheel bearings were dry. The carriages were old but basic and a few had broken windows.
Most of the Moscow residents lived in apartments which looked uninviting. There were power lines running everywhere but not as chaotic as Khartoum or Manilla. Some of the streets had trees which softened the appearance.
We stayed in the same hotel as Moo. About a mid 50’s or 60’s style. Most pleasant, much of the lining was wood and not overbearing with ornamentation, mirrors or chrome. Roomy. Staff spoke quite good English and were both courteous and amiable. The price was a little bit loaded as they probably viewed westerners as wealthy. Well no doubt wealthier than they.
Motorcars. The Russian made motorcar is a Lada of which I saw only 5. Four were abandoned on the roadside and the only one driving was ready to join it’s assembly line mates. They had corrosion so badly I wondered if they used salt on the roads or was the steel quality was poor. All the cars, with that 1 exception were European.
Since the Russians made good aeroplanes, perhaps not quite as good as American or European why they could not make better motorcars. In addition they had France building a navy ship and apparently China was building their new high speed trains. Just didn’t make sense.
I can well remember reading how Russians had to wait in cues to purchase a simple loaf of bread. Well their supermarkets are now excellent. When we entered our nap sacs were wrapped with cling wrap which was obviously to prevent theft. Two isles were dedicated to vodka alone. The only thing that bothered Patsy was the smell of dried fish. Foodstuffs were relatively inexpensive. Considering they have gone from food shortages to food apparentlymbeing plentiful will be the reason their president is popular.
Moscow city is modern and clean. Some arcades were artistic even enchanting. There was western fast food outlets, MacDonalds, Wendy’s were 2. Some lovely up market hotels which would have been beyond my financial reach. An Australian parliamentary minister told me Moscow was a very expensive place to stay but the government was paying his bill but not mine.
I couldn’t help thinking Russian people’s wealth had been plundered to build and maintain this city which was almost too good to be true. Mind you, here at home in Australian non-urban wealth is also plundered to support our coastal dwellers which is 85% of our population which includes 7 state capitals!
Somewhere I have a photo shot of myself speaking with exact look a likes of Joseph Stalin and Carl Marx. When I find it I shall post it.

[woofa.express]

Coming soon.
A story from my friend Bob about his trip to Russia. At and agricultural show the tour guide ( security officer) lost sight of Bob. That was why he had difficulty in departing Moscow. It's an intriguing story.

[woofa.express]

Bob Adams and his wife Wendy made a visit to Russia in 1984.
This is the one incident that is noteworthy and whilst that is so, it varies quite differently to my visit made in 2023. I am not endeavouring to promote Russia but twenty odd years had elapsed between his visit and mine.
This is Bob’s story.
Six of us went to an agricultural field day. The six included two Americans. The Americans and ourselves became unintentionally separated from the group, but a short time later I spotted our tour guide (read security officer). She was almost delirious about losing not only us, but particularly the Americans. For this, she would need to submit a written report, particularly since she too was being watched.
A Lada car came and picked up Wendy and I from our hotel some four hours prior to departing Moscow. One hour before the plane was due to depart, we were still jumping through hoops with the Russian officials at the airport and seemed no closer to the departure lounge. They would not return both of our passports at the same time, only offering to return one passport at a time, and holding onto the other. I made my way to JAL (Japan Airlines) to register my concern.
The JAL Moscow manager provided instructions to run through the Russian officials once we get our hands on both passports, assuring us we would not be shot if we join the other transit passengers. He then advised, “I’ll take you out on the tarmac and when I say go, RUN ONTO THE PLANE!”. We did so, running past the officials to their surprise to join the transit passengers. With only a few minutes left before departure, the JAL manager took us to the boarding steps where he and an official argued. Just as the aeroplane door was about to close, we each got a finger in our back. “Go!”, yelled the JAL manager, and we bolted through the plane door as it was closed behind us. The steps were removed simultaneously. We were away, and we were greeted by the Japanese air hostesses with a crystal glass of French Champagne each with the words “Welcome to Japan Airlines”.
Now do bear in mind some 39 years had elapsed between Bob’s visit and when Patsy and I went. The reason being Mr Gorbachev had become president and people became free of communist restrictions.
I have spent time working in both Malaysia and Borneo and occasionally spoke to Russian ship crew who came to take on palm oil.
I spoke to Russian crews onboard cargo ships coming into Malaysia to take on palm oil. Gorbachev was not popular with them, they said he made times tough. In any shift to more open markets there is a time when money needs to find it’s true value and its own level. Argentina is going through that now with a realistic president Milei. We here in Australia will aswell when our government stops spilling money for no good reason and gets to be conservative.

[George Goodridge]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Hello All,
I usually don't post but do watch the Model A Forum. I own 2 As and a 39 Ford V8. I'm now in my 80s and have been working on old Fords since I was 14 years old.
I want to pass on a family story from my mother--long departed--about her first drive in a Model A. She grew up in Detroit (born in 1907) and saw Detroit in the boom town years thanks to Henry Ford and the automobile. About 1928 or 1929, she was invited to a fancy dance at a local country club by a "reputable" young man who had a new Model A. She wore a new dress and went to the dance in the A. Someone spilled a drink on her dress early in the evening so she asked her date to take her home so she could change dresses. Her date was drunk already (my mom never liked alcohol, and it was Prohibition) so he asked her if she could drive and he would stay at the party. She said "yes" and got the keys to his Model A. She then drove home and back wearing another dress. Apparently, she got a ride home after the dance with another man as her date was too drunk to drive.
Of course she had never driven a car before, she said, but she had watched her father drive and knew the basics. She said the Model A bumped up and down a few times, but it started and ran OK; and she got better at driving as she told us. Also, as residents know, Detroit is flat as a board and just starting a Model A rolling is easy. I'm not sure how she shifted but she never changed her story; and she was an excellent driver of manual transmissions; including to my knowledge a 1940 Olds and a 1950 Ford station wagon with the standard 3 speed manual. She never dated that reputable guy again.
She had lots of Detroit stories in the late 20s and the Depression, but I'm, running over. Thanks for reading .

[woofa.express]

Hello George, now that you have started writing, don't stop.

I couldn't run a sentence together when I started writing in this forum, at school I never passed 30% in English and even now totally dependant on spell check. It has been writing in this forum that has smartened me up.
Plus it has been listening to Europeans whose first language is not English. They use concise words, Andrea Rieu who talks to his audience plus a local newspaper story teller who doesn't go bang bang bang with facts only.

Keep going George. put the rubber on the road.
gary

[woofa.express]

We have a new national hero. A 13 year old.

Mother and 3 kids went paddling in the sea some at Toby’s Bay, some 160 miles south of Western Australia’s capital: Perth. The 4 were on 2 paddle boards and 1 kayak. This was about mid-morning an off shore wind developed which intensified during the day and blew them out to sea. Young Austin Applebee was sent in the canoe to fetch help but he was swamped and overturned. Now the wind, chop had increased and the swell was said to be 10 foot. Austin’s canoe was swamped and overturned. He had no choice but abandon his life jacket and swim. He made the 4km to shore and ran a further 2km to raise the alarm. Mum and the 2 kids were rescued as night fell.
Austin had swam 4km (2.5 miles) followed by a 2km run and when his Mum and 2 siblings were picked up they were 14km (8 miles) out to sea.
Ironically Austin had recently failed a swim test for his instructor said he was unable to make 350 metres.

For those who wish to read the newspaper report, the link is below.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/appel...eal-c-21604905
Screenshot 2026-02-19 at 05.16.32.jpg

[Jim Brierley]

Woofa, It's taken me 20 minutes to catch up with your post, am I slow reader? Not really, but I've just gotten home from the hospital with broken ribs and pneumonia. Moral of the story, don't get old! I'll be 89 in April.

[woofa.express]

Hi Jim.
I'll write you a story of my friend Graham who flew through a tree in a show-off display at an airshow. He also had broken ribs as well as broken legs. Ego still intact. cheers, gary

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by woofa.express

We have a new national hero. A 13 year old.

Mother and 3 kids went paddling in the sea some at Toby’s Bay, some 160 miles south of Western Australia’s capital: Perth. The 4 were on 2 paddle boards and 1 kayak. This was about mid-morning an off shore wind developed which intensified during the day and blew them out to sea. Young Austin Applebee was sent in the canoe to fetch help but he was swamped and overturned. Now the wind, chop had increased and the swell was said to be 10 foot. Austin’s canoe was swamped and overturned. He had no choice but abandon his life jacket and swim. He made the 4km to shore and ran a further 2km to raise the alarm. Mum and the 2 kids were rescued as night fell.
Austin had swam 4km (2.5 miles) followed by a 2km run and when his Mum and 2 siblings were picked up they were 14km (8 miles) out to sea.
Ironically Austin had recently failed a swim test for his instructor said he was unable to make 350 metres.

For those who wish to read the newspaper report, the link is below.
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/appel...eal-c-21604905
Attachment 581797

A hero for sure ! I saw this awhile back on national TV

[atch]

This isn't a very impressive story but today Sherry and I took the sedan into town, about 15 miles away, for lunch and to exercise the car since it hadn't been started in over two months. According to my trip log we drove 43 miles. Sherry recently injured her leg and had been using a walker to get around for over a week. The last couple of days she has been getting around the house without the walker and had developed a severe case of cabin fever, seeing as how she's been confined to only a couple of rooms in our house for quite a while. Car ran flawlessly. As soon as I free up some space in my shop and the weather is warm enough I'm going to do a complete lube job on it; my first time on a Model A. I've done dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of other cars back in my teenage days when working in gas stations. Yeah, when there were actual service stations. With the lube chart telling me what to lube I'm pretty sure I'll get it done ok.

Note: the trip log I mentioned is a legal requirement here in the US state of Missouri. Any vehicle running "Historic Vehicle" license plates must have a log on board and be filled out every time the car gets driven. You get fined if you're caught driving your car without it.