Travel plans 1,000miles in a 28 phaeton

[rexrogers]

I'm Going to turn 40 this year and I decided i want to take the Phaeton out on a road trip. I have some family that live out in Kansas and my plan is to make a 1,000 mile round trip with the car.



Currently i am going through the mechanical needs of the car. I just put new bearings in the transmission and a new clutch and flywheel. Up next is going through the rear end. I dropped the oil pan and rebuilt the oil pump as well.
I haven't done a compression test on the motor but it seams to run great.

The Brakes and new tires are on my list as well.

I have been rounding up a few spare parts to take along for the trip.

Does anyone have any helpful tips that i should take into account for the trip?

My car is stock and an older restoration. While i was replacing the clutch I noticed a lot of wear on a few items and replacing them as i go.

[burner31]

Take lots of pictures, have fun, be safe.
Bring company to share the experience.
Take back roads to enjoy the scenery.
Is the best advice I can give.

These cars can surprise you as to what they can do and how far they can go.

[SeaSlugs]

dont forget to repack wheel bearings and go thru the entire brake system as you said including crosshafts. make sure parking brake works.

check the steering system for slop, make sure lights are nice and bright (and all working and aimed correctly)

[Tom Wesenberg]

Try to buy gas with no ethanol and keep track of your fuel economy. 6 years ago I took my 28 unrestored Phaeton on a 600 mile round trip and got 22 MPG while driving 42 to 45 MPH. It was a fun trip, but I got caught in a real downpour on the way home.

The only spare parts that I would carry are a spare condenser, points, and coil. Carry a couple clip leads in your tool kit, and you should be all set. I carried an extra spare because I have very old tires, but didn't need either spare.

[johnbuckley]

Go for a 100 mile drive six weeks before you set off. This gives you time to order and fit anything that needs attention . If it needs no work after your 100 mile trip park it in the garage, and DO NOT TINKER with it!

[emf]

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This past summer, we went on a 1000 mile round trip to the western part of the state and never hit a road with more than two lanes. We took the week and had a ball. I would echo Tom's advise and be ready to take your time on the roads. Enjoy your A.

Frank

[ModAfan]

I suggest you get a copy of "Ford Tramps" by Seegar Swanson, if you don't already have one. I think you would enjoy comparing that 15,000 mile journey by two recent high school graduates in an open 1919 Model T in 1924 with yours.

[40 Deluxe]

If you don't know the engine's history, you might want to adjust the rod and main bearings. A few shims now may save a lot of grief later! (This was considered routine maintenance back then.)

[Marshall V. Daut]

In 1999, 2002 and 2004 I drove my late 1928 Phaeton from Phoenix, Arizona, to Iowa City, Iowa. Between these two points is about 1500 miles each way, plus hundreds of miles added during the two week vacation each time. So, I can speak from lots of cross-country Phaeton driving experience. I have also made this trip in our 1931 Deluxe Roadster five times and our 1929 Cabriolet three times. I am discounting the four 1973 and 1974 trips in my 1928 Roadster because that was before all the "new" upgrades were available to us restorers. Don't even get me started on my experiences driving that same 1928 Roadster on the Autobahn in Germany after I shipped it there in 1974! Es war ja GRAULICH!!!
I can boil the major problems I encountered during these Model A trips (besides weather) down to three main areas: generator, distributor and water pump. If anything is going to fail you on a long trip like you are planning, it will be one of those three things. Over the years of my cross-country Model A driving, I tried various combinations of upgrades and proposed "improvements" in an effort to eliminate these continually nagging irritants, and in one or two cases, near trip-enders.
(1) Although there are modifications that can now be made to the original generator, even lowering the charging rate for the trip is over-working the original design. Sooner or later, the generator will fail you, mostly due to generated heat internally and inside the engine compartment. I HIGHLY recommend for this trip that you replace the generator with an alternator. It's easily swapped once you reach your destination if you want to raise the hood and show people what a Model A engine looks like. You do NOT want to be caught in the middle of the Kansas plains with a dead battery because the generator stopped charging along the way and the lights had drained the battery. Even enough brake light use will do that, too. 'Been there, 'done that, 'don't like it. Do yourself a BIG favor and make the swap, if only for the duration of this planned trip.
(2) If I had a nickel for every time I had to adjust or change the ignition points during these little jaunts, I could probably afford another Model A. For the longest time the
ignition points available through parts houses were J-U-N-K!!! The rubbing blocks would wear down to nothing in 100 miles, the adjustment would constantly change itself, and the points' faces would burn far sooner than they should have. I tried various combinations of NOS points and modern points/condenser. Some worked better than others, but all eventually needed attention at the worst possible time. What worked best for me, though, was changing to electronic ignition. There are inherent risks with this conversion, however. If the module should fail, there is no fixing it. A complete module change or distributor swap is required. Electronic ignition (FS Pertronix or Nu-Rex) is nice because it does give better starts, smoother idling and sustained higher speed operation, and virtually maintenance-free driving = no points or condenser to burn out. If you do go this route, take along an extra module and/or all the fixin's of a second distributor with the original ignition system already installed. Be sure to oil the distributor shaft before you leave!
(3) If you trust the original water pump design for a long drive like this, you WILL eventually be disappointed by leaking water and shaft play. It's a good design for moderate highway driving, but can't stand up to long, extended high speed driving without something failing. It's a no-brainer these days and hardly worth the time to write out this recommendation, but install the BEST sealed bearing water pump you can find, ala James Ruppert with his double sealed bearing heavy-duty model. Previous to stepping up to the bar and ordering such a pump, I'd had to limp across New Mexico and Kansas a couple times with LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG distances between towns because of a failed water pump. Do NOT trust the original design for long distance driving!!! And if you have an original four-blade fan, take it off before it breaks in two and goes through your radiator and/or hood!!! Some tours won't even allow Model A's with this fan to participate. Yeah, they're that dangerous. They WILL fail you! Install a new balanced two-blade aluminum fan from a reputable Model A parts supplier. And be SURE to put a thin flat washer between the castle nut at the end of the shaft and the fan. Otherwise, the fan will loosen up as the nut digs into the aluminum material. No matter what water pump you install, take along at least two anti-freeze gallon plastic containers of water. They'll fit underneath the back seat cushion.
I know I'm going to catch flak over these recommendations and hear from guys, who swear the original design of these three components is sufficient. Well, if they can match my driving miles and experience with compelling counter-arguments, I'll listen. But they weren't with me at 3:00 in the morning in the middle of the New Mexico desert in a driving rainstorm with a failed water pump or burned out points.
One more point: I hope you have side curtains? They will not keep you warm, even with a hot water heater or manifold heater. All side curtains do on a highway trip is keep low flying birds out. All heat in the driver's compartment is lost through the top and side curtain material. If you are driving alone or with one passenger, but no one in the backseat, take my advice and drape a heavy woolen blanket over the top bow behind your head and hang it behind the front backrest panel. Run it from side to side so that you are effectively "sealing" off the front seat area. This will keep most of the heat in the passenger's compartment from being lost into the back seat area. Doing this REALLY helped me survive an extremely cold drive across Kansas in the wee hours of the morning. It gets a lot colder out there than you might think, even during the summer!
I've written too much already, but you can well imagine that I could offer much more advice on cross-country Model A driving than specified in these few paragraphs. What I offered here is just the main areas of problems. There are other positive steps you can take to make your success more likely. You are attempting far more than a local tour or driving to McDonald's for a Big Mac. A cross-country trip like you are planning will bring any weakness in your restoration to the forefront. If you want to discuss further recommendations and warnings, give me a call at 563-322-1319. I can talk faster than I can write.
Good luck on your trip! I envy you. I wish I could still make such long drives. They're a hoot when all works well.
Marshall

[amodel25]

In 1986, I drove my '31 Town Sedan from Fort Worth, Texas to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin via Manitoba, Canada for the first World Meet. It was a 3,600 mile round trip in two weeks. I ran a generator, point type (stock) distributor, a Zenith carb, and a stock water pump. I put a trunk on the back of the car and carried spares of each of the above, along with a set of front wheel bearings, axle keys, a couple of inner tubes, a coil, fan belt, and anything else I could think of that may fail but could reasonably be changed on the side of the road. The only thing I used on the entire trip was the inner tubes. I replaces the two I had plus two more that I bought at the meet. In a pinch, the front tube from a 9N Ford tractor will work if you trim down the valve stem with a knife. If you have new tires and tubes, it may not be a factor. I had a set of 3 year old Goodyears with good tread, but the tubes were apparently older stock and actually split open during the trip. I set the points once in Lake Geneva and snugged up the water pump packing each morning. Have a good trip.

[Mike V. Florida]

A thousand mile round trip is just ten 100 mile round trips. If you are confident about a 100 mile trip, a 1000 should be no problem.

[CarlG]

Our spring "shakedown tour" typically is about 500 miles over several days. That is suppose to prepare us for a 1,000 - 1,500 "long distance" tour later in the summer.

[SSsssteamer]

Check all fluid levels. While on your trip, don't over rev your engine. I have knocked the rod bearing out of number three cylinder before because it could not get enough oil at 70 mph. Like wise, don't lug your engine as it is hard on the main bearings. Don't drive your A with the the timing too far advanced for the RPM being driven. Running too far advanced is hard on the bearings too. Make sure that your head gasket is properly torqued down. The head gasket too, if it fails, can leave you standing along the road. The best bet to success is to run the phaeton in well before you go out on its long maiden trip.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

A thousand mile round trip is just ten 100 mile round trips. If you are confident about a 100 mile trip, a 1000 should be no problem.

And a 100 mile trip is just 10 ten miles trips, and a 10 mile trip is just ten 1 mile trips. That's the same way I look at it. If the car is ready to travel one mile down the road, it should travel the next mile, etc, etc.

[40 Deluxe]

What it boils down to is that Model A's and other cars of that era simply needed more routine maintenance and repairs than modern cars. People back then knew that and allowed for it. The difference now is that there are not gas stations on every corner nor garages in every little town with a full stock of spare parts and the expertise and equipment to get you going quickly.
The small farming town I grew up near (12-1300 pop.) in the '50's had 3 car dealerships, 3 farm implement dealers,, 3 or 4 independent garages and several gas stations with one or two bays. Most of them had armature lathes and growlers, valve grinding equipment, acetylene torches, assorted reamers, brake lathes and shoe grinders, and tune up equipment. Plus a good parts stash. I think there might even have been an in-car crank grinder in town. Now you'd have to hunt up my 94 year old uncle on his farm to find any 'A' parts (used).

[Lawrie]

One thing you guys have in your favour is that parts from the various suppliers are only a day or so away.
We have done some big trips in our 28 pickup ,13000klms,7500klms,and many 2500klms, no drama,most towing a small camper, our A has the stock babbit engine,5.5 head,stock transmission and 3.54 rear end,mostly we travel at 45-50 mph.

Lawrie

[armchair67]

I agree with what others have said here. I put about 12,000 miles on my Model A over a year or so , from last year to this year, and it never once left me stranded. I did install an alternator as I came out to a dead battery coming out of a movie with my kids last winter, and my eleven year old and I were able to push start it-the only time my A needed any kind of assistance to get started once I got it some issues the previous owner did ( or didn't do). I drove it a couple of weeks ago from my home in Chicago to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and back over the weekend with my son and stepdaughter, and didn't do anything prior other than checking the oil . These are good cars-but why not bring along a few items that, if they go, you don't?

[Dodge]

If you belong to A National Model A Club, bring along a membership roster just in case
you have a breakdown on the road and need a littler extra help.
The rest of the advise above should get you down the road.

[rexrogers]

THanks for all the great advice i know i will have a few questions before i head out.

The National club list is a good idea i never thought of that one.
I do have side curtains fro the car I need to get the inserts replaced.
I'm working on getting my spare generator and a few other spares rebuilt and ready to go,I like the alternator idea.

I rewired the car this summer, along with a new generator and water pump, my longest venture with the car so far has been an 8- mile round trip.
I have a few small jaunts laid out to test the car and myself before i Head to Kansas.

The transmission is going back in the car this weekend, and then I will start the teardown on the rear end, the rear gears feel good but while i have the rear end out of the car i want to inspect everything.

My 11 year old son will be making the trip with me as my copilot. I told him that he can even drive for a bit if we get to a fairly rural area with some nice straight roads, which is easy to find in kansas.

[Lona]

Rex,
Do you have seat/shoulder belts? There are some really crazy drivers out there these days who have little patience for a slower moving vehicle plus others who will pull out in front of you so they don't have to be behind you. Getting hit in a Model A is really scary!
Also, if you don't have them, adding LED brake lights is not expensive and are much brighter than the stock lights for the idiots that tailgate you. Also, turn signals are cheap to add. Nobody understands hand signals anymore plus hand signals are a little difficult to do with side curtains in place.

Think safety on the trip and have a ball.......good luck.

Glen