Newbie to 1931 Ford

[jdotwright]

Just getting started on a project and need some help please. I have a 1931 Model A , i think its a " Late "
It has a indentation in the firewall where the pipe from the fuel tank comes thru. I want to find out the following,
1) what is the correct sediment bowl,
2) is the shut off value in front of the bowl or after ?
3) where do i find the VIN on the car ?
Thank you everyone in advance for your help.
JIM

[Charles Coe]

The indented firewall models had the sediment bowl mounted on the side of the carburetor. It should have the shut off valve in the indention of the firewall. The vin was the original engine number which is also stamped on the frame on the drivers side under the cowl.

[Charles Coe]

Post 3 of this thread has a picture of what your setup should look like:

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ight=side+bowl

[Bob C]

Here's a picture.

Bob

[1930artdeco]

Hi Jim,

Welcome to the addiction and the barn. If you are new to Model A's may I suggest joining up with a local club. That way you can increase your knowledge base and decrease your mistakes. I know of two the Santa Clara Valley Chapter and the Acorn A's (shameless plug from the pres.). Also don't throw anything away as the parts are meant to be rebuilt.

Mike

[pgerhardt]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by jdotwright

Just getting started on a project and need some help please. I have a 1931 Model A , i think its a " Late "
It has a indentation in the firewall where the pipe from the fuel tank comes thru. I want to find out the following,
1) what is the correct sediment bowl,
2) is the shut off value in front of the bowl or after ?
3) where do i find the VIN on the car ?
Thank you everyone in advance for your help.
JIM

1) the sediment bowl on the late 31 is actually on the side of the late 31 Zenith Carburator. New ones are available.
2) the fuel shutoff lives in the indent on the outside of the firewall.

[JohnLaVoy]

Welcome! I hope you have joined a local chapter. There are many benefits to doing that. Also the Model A Ford Club of America is something you should consider if you haven't joined that yet. Being a member of the chapter will give you local help to answer some of your questions. mafca.com has a list of the chapters by area with how to contact them.

[burner31]

Zoom into the pics and you can clearly see the bowl on my '31 town sedan

[CarlG]

Interesting gas line arrangement

[Dennis Pereira]

Extra weight with all those clamps

[pgerhardt]

Originally Posted by burner31

Zoom into the pics and you can clearly see the bowl on my '31 town sedan

Well this is obviously a modification to allow the running of a non Late 31 Zenith carb with a side sediment bowl (Tillotson?). It shows ingenuity, but I would go for an original setup. A three piece copper gas line held together by two sections of rubber hose and four clamps would make me nervous!

[Mike V. Florida]

Welcome to the Fordbarn and best of luck with your A. Here is the Vin location;

[burner31]

OK...let me explain the gas line set-up since everyone is so interested.
I installed a inline filter...with a full tank in seemed to work...once the fuel level dropped to say half...the pressure in the line would drop...no fuel would flow...engine would die...car would stop...I would go nuts...til I figured it out.
You see the screen on the inline filter would not allow the gas to flow freely through it without so many pounds of pressure, these Model A's, unlike my '57 Chevy have no fuel pump, now remember, this is my first A.
Should be about the same as my small block Chevy hot rod...right? Wrong
Well I figured it out, pulled the filter and rigged up to get home, hence the photo.
Rest assured it has been plumbed proper now.
But ain't that a hoot?
The moral of that story is...Model A's and inline filters don't mix.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by burner31

OK...let me explain the gas line set-up since everyone is so interested.
I installed a inline filter...with a full tank in seemed to work...once the fuel level dropped to say half...the pressure in the line would drop...no fuel would flow...engine would die...car would stop...I would go nuts...til I figured it out.
You see the screen on the inline filter would not allow the gas to flow freely through it without so many pounds of pressure, these Model A's, unlike my '57 Chevy have no fuel pump, now remember, this is my first A.
Should be about the same as my small block Chevy hot rod...right? Wrong
Well I figured it out, pulled the filter and rigged up to get home, hence the photo.
Rest assured it has been plumbed proper now.
But ain't that a hoot?
The moral of that story is...Model A's and inline filters don't mix.

For the inline, find one for motorcycles as they are designed for gravity flow.

For a filter that goes inside of the glass bowl, I have not read any negatives for the NAPA Fil 3039.