New guy! Many questions

[davidGR]

Morning everyone.


I finally made the dive, drove up to Lansing and picked up a 1930 Model A Fordor. Older Restoration from a gentleman in Fruitport MI. It ran and I got to drive it. Apologies but I am going to have many questions. Some which may have been answered before so forgive me for that, but on the bright side I have noticed in all your posts that you guys love pictures so I took some in garage for your viewing pleasure, if anyone has any specific places I should snap pictures of let me know. I have Les Andrews books coming in the mail.


First: I think I have a dead battery, I think I left the head light switch on (they're broken so I didn't notice them being on) What the best way to charge this battery, I only have a 12v charger/ maintainer, do I need a 6v one? I'm going to get a new battery on the way home tonight from AutoZone, Are they the same size etc? Also did not come with a cranks so that was out. I like keeping my wrist intact.



Second: I have no shocks, I think the original owner may have took them off for another project, does anyone know if I need them? I will probably get them in the near future? I not a 100% original guy and have looked at the newer bolt on after market shocks, Thoughts


Third: No Headlights or parking lights, I opened the lenses and found the passenger side was smoked up on the inside and the drive was fine? I assume these things aren't run in series, so I would if its up in the switch, how does one get access to that?


Fourth: What are some immediate things I should check mechanically? Brakes stop it pretty well.


Fifth: I've always have had bad luck with clutches, how long does the Model A Clutch typically last, how can I check the status of the clutch etc?


And last, the question of price. I ended up paying 11,200.00 for this guy, good price? Going rate? did I get taken? your thoughts. I know typical answer is you paid for it so enjoy it but I just curious what you guys think.


If anyone's in Grand Rapids MI feel free to stop on by!


Thanks Guys

[rfitzpatrick]

I think you have a bargain !! Tho I will be watching for the information about the repairs you receive from this web-site.
I've a '31 Pickup, the enjoyment I like is making Hand-Signals when I drive --

[ryanheacox]

First: Yes, I would get a 6v charger/maintainer. Does your car have a fuse holder mounted on the starter switch? For the time being, you can pull the fuse to keep the battery from draining. I believe the battery size is Group 1 but I doubt AutoZone will have more than one 6v size.

Second: Are shocks completely necessary? No. Also, if your car is like many, the leaves in the springs probably don't slide against each other very well and will give a similar damping effect as shocks.

Third: What do you mean by smoked up? The light switch is at the base of the steering column. Release the wire bail that holds it in place and then it can be taken apart and inspected.

Fourth: Check all the fluids, do a grease job and make sure nothing sounds funny is all I can suggest. You can check out the points but if it's running well I'd leave well enough alone.

Fifth: I'd say the clutch should last quite a while given the type of driving most of us do.

From the pictures I'd say you got a good deal! Welcome to the FordBarn!

[wmws]

Congratulations. It looks like you got a nice looking car. The mechanicals are hard to tell from a distance.
To help with your questions it apears you have a 6 volt battery. So you need either a new 6 volt or a 6 volt charger. I would suggest getting a 6 volt smart trickle charger like a Battery Tender. They are not expensive and you may be able to save your old battery.
You can drive your car with no shocks but it will ride and handle better with them. Modern tube shocks work fine if you don’t mind the look and they are cheaper.
For your lights I would get a test light or multimeter and see if you have juice to the lights. The switch is at the bottom end of the steering column.
There are many things to check. The Les Andrews book will help you there.
If the clutch is working well it is probably fine. They will last a long time if not abused and kept in adjustment.
Join a local club. Other members will be a wealth of information and can advise on any problems that may come up.
Have fun and be safe.

[Charlie Stephens]

You pictures sure got you off on the right foot, thanks for taking the time to post them and welcome. If you end up buying a new battery (maybe your old one can be charged) be sure to not let the salesman sell you new cables that are designed for 12 volt cars. The 6 volt cables are a larger diameter. Get them from a place that knows what they are doing, like Bratton's. The clutch life should be the same as a modern car.

Charlie Stephens

[Chuck Dempsey]

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Your new ride looks REALLY nice! Welcome to the Barn....

[davidGR]

Originally Posted by ryanheacox

First: Yes, I would get a 6v charger/maintainer. Does your car have a fuse holder mounted on the starter switch? For the time being, you can pull the fuse to keep the battery from draining. I believe the battery size is Group 1 but I doubt AutoZone will have more than one 6v size.

Second: Are shocks completely necessary? No. Also, if your car is like many, the leaves in the springs probably don't slide against each other very well and will give a similar damping effect as shocks.

Third: What do you mean by smoked up? The light switch is at the base of the steering column. Release the wire bail that holds it in place and then it can be taken apart and inspected.

Fourth: Check all the fluids, do a grease job and make sure nothing sounds funny is all I can suggest. You can check out the points but if it's running well I'd leave well enough alone.

Fifth: I'd say the clutch should last quite a while given the type of driving most of us do.

From the pictures I'd say you got a good deal! Welcome to the FordBarn!

By smoked I mean that the inside of the bulb was all blue and smokey.

[Kahuna]

I think you got a great deal

[Brentwood Bob]

Great car!
There should be a local model a club. Maybe a member can chime in and invite you to their next meeting. No substitute for learning about your car.
You may even avoid some expensive mistakes.
Google model a restorers club, or model a Ford restorers club to get the websites.

[Jacksonlll]

There is a wonderful Club in GR. Join them and all of your questions will be answered.
Grand A's 616-490-2739

[Y-Blockhead]

Love those 1930 Briggs Three Window Fordors (see Avatar). Looks like you may have a Town Sedan to boot (cowl lights, rear seat fold down center arm rest, etc.) Nice car.

Your car will ride and handle much better with good springs and proper shocks. And yes please install the fuse that mounts on the starter as someone mentioned.

Looks like you have a front bumper on the rear??

[davidGR]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Love those 1930 Briggs Three Window Fordors (see Avatar). Looks like you may have a Town Sedan to boot (cowl lights, rear seat fold down center arm rest, etc.) Nice car.

Your car will ride and handle much better with good springs and proper shocks. And yes please install the fuse that mounts on the starter as someone mentioned.

Looks like you have a front bumper on the rear??

Is it a rear bumper? I'm new to the world and honestly couldn't tell the difference, it also came with a luggage trunk too! I just need to find the hardware.


As for the fuse it has one there and its not blown.


Also my emergency brake is a little wobbly, it stops the car good, but should it be like that, can I tighten some nuts to make that less wobbly?

[Y-Blockhead]

As mentioned, you need a Group 1 6v battery. Ensure you connect is correctly, positive to ground (unlike Moderns).

In picture #5, what is that hanging from the brake peddle? Some kind of return spring?

[davidGR]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

As mentioned, you need a Group ! 6v battery. Ensure you connect is correctly, positive to ground (unlike Moderns).

In picture #5, what is that hanging from the brake peddle? Some kind of return spring?

I believe it is a return spring.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by davidGR

Is it a rear bumper? I'm new to the world and honestly couldn't tell the difference, it also came with a luggage trunk too! I just need to find the hardware.

The rear just has "bumperettes". The don't go all the way across. I guess Ford thought you wouldn't get rear ended back then. Not that a full bumper would do any good. haha

[ryanheacox]

Originally Posted by davidGR

By smoked I mean that the inside of the bulb was all blue and smokey.

Hmm, hopefully it's just as simple as needing new bulbs although many people have trouble with the headlight sockets. If you have no lights at all though I'd suspect bad grounds.

The headlight socket needs to ground to the headlight bucket then to the bar then to the fender/fender bracket then to the frame and finally back to the battery... that's a lot of joints to get corroded or painted over.

[Ed in Maine]

You made a good deal, it is a nice looking Town Sedan. I would strongly recommend you get shocks put on the car. You can get by without them but the handling is not good. When you go over a wash board road surface, the car starts to swim left and right and it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see you could loose control. I purchased the new Stipe shocks that look close like the originals. They are expensive (about $250.00 each) but they do work very good (are adjustable) and in my opinion you will get your money back on resale. Good luck and have fun, Ed

[oldman - NorCal]

Congratulations on your purchase. Based on the few photos, I would believe you got a good price on a desirable Fordor or Town Sedan model and assuming that it runs as good as it looks. Like most of us you will find plenty of things to spend money on in the old car hobby but, it doesn't look like body work, paint, or upholstery is on the list. Good Luck...

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Love those 1930 Briggs Three Window Fordors (see Avatar). Looks like you may have a Town Sedan to boot (cowl lights, rear seat fold down center arm rest, etc.) Nice car.

Your car will ride and handle much better with good springs and proper shocks. And yes please install the fuse that mounts on the starter as someone mentioned.

Looks like you have a front bumper on the rear??

Off-topic, but it's interesting that Three Window Fordor counts only the windows on one side while Three Window Coupe counts both side windows and the rear window.

[1930artdeco]

Welcome to the club David,


Here is what I see, You have a Standard fordor the someone has added cowl lights to or as an option originally. If you look at the window garnish just below the door pulls and above the handle you will see one spike. A town sedan will have two little spikes. Like Blockhead said if it has a rear seat fold down armrest and light above the rear window then it is a townsedan.


Also, sis you check the wood in the body? The whole car is wood and can be really expensive to replace.


I would honestly replace all of the wiring and make sure you have a good solid ground!


I would pull the brake drums off and see what you have going on in there. Do you have cast iron drums or the old steel ones? If the latter junk them and get new ones.


Mike

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by davidGR

Is it a rear bumper? I'm new to the world and honestly couldn't tell the difference, it also came with a luggage trunk too! I just need to find the hardware.


As for the fuse it has one there and its not blown.


Also my emergency brake is a little wobbly, it stops the car good, but should it be like that, can I tighten some nuts to make that less wobbly?

The front bumper is full-width but it will fit the rear brackets. Most passenger cars had a rear-mounted spare tire with bumperettes on either side. AFAIK, only the 1930 Deluxe Roadster (and maybe Deluxe Phaeton - not sure about it) had standard factory-installed full-width rear bumper. It also had a left fender spare and a luggage rack that replaced the rear spare (although some racks can be installed behind the rear spare like Y-Blockhead's). Those became optional in 1931. They could be dealer-installed, and maybe special factory-ordered, on any car. Whether a customer would have paid for a full width bumper when a rack was installed is another question. BTW, the support irons for factory-installed fender spares were riveted to the frame - dealer-installed were bolted.


As to battery chargers, I have an old Sears that does both 6v and 12v as well as trickle and jump start settings. Pretty slick - I assume they still make them.


Yes, pix are always good! Can't really tell a lot about a car's overall condition from them, but yours looks pretty nice. If it runs, drives and stops well, I'd say you got a good deal.

[Jwilli]

Just make sure that the mechanics all work, then drive and enjoy.

[davidGR]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Welcome to the club David,


Here is what I see, You have a Standard fordor the someone has added cowl lights to or as an option originally. If you look at the window garnish just below the door pulls and above the handle you will see one spike. A town sedan will have two little spikes. Like Blockhead said if it has a rear seat fold down armrest and light above the rear window then it is a townsedan.


Also, sis you check the wood in the body? The whole car is wood and can be really expensive to replace.


I would honestly replace all of the wiring and make sure you have a good solid ground!


I would pull the brake drums off and see what you have going on in there. Do you have cast iron drums or the old steel ones? If the latter junk them and get new ones.


Mike

How does one know if he has the steel drums or the cast iron drums?

[ryanheacox]

IIRC the steel drums have a rolled edge where the drum meets the backing plate.

If it stops well and the brakes don't fade I'd be willing to bet you have cast iron drums already.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by CHuDWah

Off-topic, but it's interesting that Three Window Fordor counts only the windows on one side while Three Window Coupe counts both side windows and the rear window.

Haha, good observation. I think in the case of the Fordors it is used to differentiate between the sedan styles for example a Town Sedan has three windows and a Deluxe has two windows (everything else being the same).

[copgib]

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Congrats on your new car. She looks nice. Like others say, check everything out to be sure your safe when driving it. Hugh

[30 Mike]

Looks like a great car, they may have put a front bumper on the rear because it looks like they removed the spare tire. I would clean battery terminals ck water in battery and try charging it. Good luck with your new old car!

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Haha, good observation. I think in the case of the Fordors it is used to differentiate between the sedan styles for example a Town Sedan has three windows and a Deluxe has two windows (everything else being the same).

Yeah, I guess Seven Window Fordor or One Window Coupe just wouldn't have the same ring to it.

[Y-Blockhead]

Yeah, No... There is a 21 window and a 23 window VW Bus just to confuse us even more!!

[Brian SATX]

Early Town sedans only had one spike under the windows,. Sometime in 1930 they changed to two.

[F.M.]

On most of the above posted answers to a new person trying to get his feet on the ground with a new Car to him are either no help or 1/2 right, or just wrong and with many missed things.. This just goes to show what happens when all or most of the so called purists left this site.. And I dont mean they would be looking for points, only solid, correct answers to the mans ??..

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by F.M.

On most of the above posted answers to a new person trying to get his feet on the ground with a new Car to him are either no help or 1/2 right, or just wrong and with many missed things.. This just goes to show what happens when all or most of the so called purists left this site.. And I dont mean they would be looking for points, only solid, correct answers to the mans ??..

Seriously???

[1930artdeco]

Brian, I think you are right about the 29's, which if it is early enough would explain the single point garnish. Either way he has a very nice car.


Mike

[henry's 31]

Very Nice Car. Welcome to the Model A Hobby!

[aford193031]

Nice!! Welcome to the forum

[Dick Carne]

Hi David, and welcome! A couple of things: first, I think that you got an extremely good price for the car you show in your pictures - my frame of reference would suggest that you would still have been good even at $3-4K more than what you paid. Second, a number of folks will offer varying opinions, but if you are considering replacing the battery, I would suggest that you at least consider converting to a 12 volt system. There are pro's and con' to both six and twelve volt systems, but for a car that might be driven after dark, the 12-volt system will generally provide brighter lights. With respect to the rear bumper and trunk/trunk rack, I think that a trunk on sedans is a good investment, whether it is used for tools and spare parts, or personal effects while traveling. However, IF YOU DECIDE TO ADD A TRUNK, I would strongly advise that you consider extending the rear bumper beyond the trunk. By far the best extensions that I have seen (I have a set of these on two of my cars) are those offered by Snyder's, Mikes A-ford-able, and possibly Mac's (Part # A17777EX). These will extend the bumper out beyond the trunk rack when lowered by at least an inch. Finally, from the pictures of your interior, I would guess that you might have an early 1930 model, since the garnish moldings appear to have only a single point (I am of the understanding that beginning with the 1930 models, these were changed to a double point garnish molding). Regardless, you have a very nice car, and one that you should be able to enjoy for years to come. Good luck with all that you are doing with this old gentleman.

Dick

[Terry, NJ]

Welcome to the barn! It looks like a 1930 Town Sedan. I don't think the dash panel is correct, I think they had round speedometers, but that is a small thing! About the shocks, you may want to put modern "tube type" shocks on it when you see what originals cost, there are kits for this. Other than that, use Rotella 15/40 which you can get at Tractor Supply change at a 1000 miles.n the engine. The Transmission, rear end, and steering box uses "Steam cylinder Oil" better known as 600w . It isn't 600 weight, it's about 280 Weight, it's just called 600W.
Good Luck with it!
Terry

[KGBnut]

Based on what I can see, I think you got a pretty good deal.

As for shocks, I personally believe that they are a necessity. I drove mine for several months with no shocks and it would skitter across the road going around corners. I had to drive slowly and carefully.

Returning it to good functioning original style shocks can be quite expensive. I put in the tube kit made by Ken Davis and have been very happy. Yes, they are stiffer than the originals, but she really holds the road and the firmer shocks give it almost a "sporty" ride. Best of all, they are relatively inexpensive.

http://www.kendavismodela.com/Shocks.html

Beyond that, the best advice I can give you is to be slow to "upgrade" things. First get to know the car as it was originally built. Modern points, electronic ignition, hydraulic brakes, alternators, etc... These all have their place, but don't rush to fix something that isn't broken. Don't throw money at problems. I won't fault anyone that wants these upgrades, but get some experience with the original first to see if you really need it for your car and your driving style.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Bill Cilker]

You have a full width rear bumper which was supposed to be installed when a car had dual side mounts put on and a trunk rack was installed on the back. You have an interesting piece of metal where the rear tire mount is normally installed.

Also, your sedan was made in the 1st half of 1930. In June of 1930 Ford introduced the round faced speedometer. Your car has the oval speedometer.


Enjoy your new Model A.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

Welcome to the barn! It looks like a 1930 Town Sedan. I don't think the dash panel is correct, I think they had round speedometers, but that is a small thing!
Terry

Terry, early 1930 had oval speedos, Ford changed to round speedos in August 1930.

[dumb person]

Nice car, good value for money, wish i could get that much for mine, but everyone wants me to swap it for a 6 pack or something...

If you don't have the lights on you can jump start a 6 volt car on 12 volt.


If you have a small test light (a really great tool to have when working on electrics, and not exactly expensive example https://circuit-tester)

Test your light sockets with that, with bulbs removed, then the light switch as explained earlier (doing it in that order is just my preference, our methods may vary)


I have a car like that. Steel brake drums are fine, you don't need to change them unless they're worn out. I don't have shocks either. Car drives fine on all roads. Fordors don't really need them? Add some later if you want, not urgent.



And the clutch? Don't slip it & it'll last you for years. Mines still on the factory linings and it's 90 years old.

[cradlescyth]

Nice Car!!

Drive it all you can and take care.

Good luck.

[chap52]

Lot's of great, and some not so great videos on You Tube.
Get a Les Andrews Red Manual #1 to line up the info with.
Here is a pdf of an instruction manual:

http://motormayhem.net/wp-uploads/20...ion-Manual.pdf

Looks great, enjoy the adventure, Chap

[braol]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Yeah, No... There is a 21 window and a 23 window VW Bus just to confuse us even more!!

So is a split-window Corvette Stingray a 5-window or a 4-window?