1931 Mail Truck Adventure

[34Pietenpol]

Bought this replica Mail Truck in January up in Brockport, NY. Finally had the weather to begin the drive south to Virginia. Arrived 6 April at 11 am, changed out 4 tires and tubes, fresh oil in the engine and trans. Checked the old gal over and hit the road by 1:30. The plan is to drive two lane blacktop thru NY, PA, MD, WV and VA. Back roads and country lanes at 40 mph.

[34Pietenpol]

My brother Steve is following in his modern Ford F-150 for the first 2 days. If all goes well, the last couple will be solo. On the 6th we made our way south following the Genesee River for the most part, logging 90 miles to Wellsville, NY. Gross average speed was a little under 35 mph. A few disgruntled passers but mostly encouraging waves as the modern crowd blew by us. Having never driven this baby before due to snow pack added a bit of a challenge to this adventure. And so far it has been interesting. Brakes are surprisingly good for a Model A and the trans, clutch and shift tower are in excellent shape. The engine pulls well but has a bit of a piston slap on #4. Steering can only be described as whimsical. She’s headed her way down the highway and you’re only allowed to coax her between the lanes. Makes for tense shoulders. Adjusting the 2 tooth box might help. We’ll see today as we try for two US Mail related stops in PA: the 1920-30’s airmail airfield in Bellefonte is first. I know the original grass strip is gone, a school now. But the airport there has a large tribute to the glory days of the Air Mail with biplanes crossing the “Hell Stretch” over the Allegheny Mts. After that if all is well it’s east to Mifflinburg to the factory where these Mail Truck wooden bodies were hand crafted. The Mifflinburg Body and Gear Works factory survives today as a brew pub. Might end the days travels right there. Might have to if the IPA’s are any good. Writing this as the Mail Truck and I work our way down the back roads. Taking a few photos but havenÂ’t figured out how to post them here from my iPhone. Will do when I do.

[34Pietenpol]

A bit about to this Mail Truck. Apparently a gent from Silver Creek, NY built up this body on an early 31 chassis. It has a 1930 engine. The build had to have been completed in the 80’s or early 90’s. The wood work is obviously well crafted however this body is not correct to original PO specs. It would take a complete rework to get to that standard. There are changes I can do to get closer but , frankly , she was never intended to be anything but a fun driver and for that she looks just fine. My goal is to rig her as an Air Mail Truck for puttering about the little airstrip where I live. But first we need to log some southbound miles. Stay tuned!

[Mike V. Florida]

Have fun and keep us informed.

[34Pietenpol]

The speedo smiles silently back at me when I search for its truth. It placidly stirs, seeking 2 mph but failing before bouncing home to zero. The radiator and fan are cooling well so far. I topped the coolant to start and she rewarded me by raining a half pint out of the spout after 20 miles. This burp must be a Model A thing. Used the wiper to see and pressed on without further indigestion. The water pump looks good and the 2 blade fan tracks pretty true. The oil pump must be putting out pressure because some is bubbling out of the fill tube onto the splash aprons. Easy clean up after 90 miles and the only signs of leakage. It seems the brake switch is sticking as the taillights glow dimly with all else shut down. Using the master disconnect to save the battery. I did bring a spare Optima just in case. That and boxes of spare parts.

[Mike Peters]

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Very inspiring story! You have a healthy sense of adventure. On that 2 blade fan....if it's an original sheet metal fan, check the base of blades at the hub for cracks forming. If so, replace immediately. A broken fan blade can take out a radiator, hood, or you if you are looking under the hood while it's running. No laughing matter. Enjoy your trip!

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Thanks for the posts, sounds like fun, Maybe you are all ready aware.
It Is normal for the radiator to burb if you filled it to the top. Normally they find their own level and is usually with the coolant just above the core. So do not over fill.


I assume the brake pedal returns all the way, if not pull it back with your toe, if it does return fully by itself adjust the brake switch if possible. It is not not uncommon for reproduction switches to short. The preceding info is if the stop light is stuck on. If it is indeed the tail light coming on, you have a short somewhere.


As you are already doing, a good model A habit is to check you ammeter before getting out of the A since the ignition switch only turns on/off the ignition. Every thing else is live all the time. If not fused, best to do so, they did not come from the factory fused.


It is not normal for the oil pump to bubble out, unless you have a very worn engine. If you tie a plastic bag over the breather tube tightly, it should just move in and out, not inflate/blow off the breather tube. If inflates indicates ring blow by.


Good luck, am envious of your adventure.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

The speedo - if the speedo is really old, or if the A sat a long time, the speedo gear lube/grease hardens in it and causes stripped speedo gears or a broke cable. It is also possible the cable needs lube, but generally this causes wild fluctuations in the gauge readings. Since you do not have the history an it is new to you, it is posiible it is the cable , and has almost froze up.

[rfitzpatrick]

Sure hope you take forever to get home !! This I really enjoyed!!
Thanks

[Brentwood Bob]

The steering box to frame bolts, or pitman arm to shaft Bolts do work loose. That is a 2 man job to check. Adjusting the steering box is better done out of the vehicle although the sector can be done in the car.

[Synchro909]

My wife and I love looonnng distance touring in our A. (our longest was 12,000 miles) I envy you on this trip. Wish I were there.
We have just returned from a 750 mile tour, home for 3 days, then off to NZ for their National Model A rally, then home for 1 day before setting off on the Florence Thompson tour. Flo was a female motorist back in the 1900's who more than held her own against all comers in long distance endurance tests in the day, the most notable being Sydney - Melbourne in the days before there was a road. (approx 600 miles).
On our rally in her honour, only women drive so on our just completed run, my wife did the driving for practice. She liked it so much, I might have to maintain another car just for her. Spot the mistake!!

[Clem Clement]

Wait as your A decides she likes you. For me it was on the Skyline drive in a rainstorm.
We had the talk and all was good thereafter... If too much oil fumes from the oil tube, put a sock over it(preferably your wife's.(:>). With the run, thing will get smoother

[34Pietenpol]

We Made It! Approx. 500 round about miles in three days without major troubles. Fun run despite worrying over every rattle, bump and grind - typical "night noises" when working with unfamiliar machinery. I'll try to post a few photos now, then pick up the narrative. By the way - many thanks for the follow-up comments. Glad you are also involved!

[34Pietenpol]

Fueling up for the journey. Ross and I topping off. New tires, tubes and liners. Engine and trans oil changed for fresh. Undercarriage checked for nuts, bolts and cotter pins. A couple of "Hail Marys" and we're off. Brother Steve in trail to pick up the pieces if necessary.

[34Pietenpol]

Wandering down a rare flat stretch, southbound on NY 19, the highway out of NY. Rode it 95 miles to Wellsville, NY for the overnight. This is a rare shot of the Mail Truck actually in the center of its proper lane. We did keep bracketed between the yellow and the white lines for the most part, mainly by humoring the steering box, allowing it to bob and weave as it pleased with gentle coaxing and wide arcs of the steering wheel - almost a half crank to catch drifts either way, then careful nudges back toward safety. My Brother Steve's photo from the warmth and comfort of his F-150. It wasn't bad in the Mail Truck that afternoon at 60 degrees and the open door. Perfect clouds, fields and highway for a Model A adventure.

[34Pietenpol]

And that ends the photo session temporarily. For some reason this site won't upload my photos, even though they are down-sized to meet requirements. If I figure this out, more photos to come. Until then - thanks for tuning in.

[34Pietenpol]

The Pit Crew: Ross on the right, who works with the 90 year old Gentleman who sold me this Mail Truck in Brockport, NY and my brother, Steve, left. They're smiling because neither one has any thoughts of taking this baby thru the next 180 miles of two lane mountain roads, something the cameraman (me) is very well aware of. Steve has agreed to follow behind for two days until we reach Harrisburg, PA where he has to break off to get home. He has, of all unheard of things, a real job!! What the heck is that? Says the old retired guy rattling down the road ahead of him.....

[34Pietenpol]

After the short afternoon run to Wellsville, just north of the PA border, we stopped for the night. 95 miles in just under 3 hours. The locals call this the Middle Empire. Mainly flat to rolling hills with large farms, well kept and prosperous looking. The first few Mail Truck miles were the test drive. I had planned to sort the brakes, engine and trans early on and make a decision whether to press or halt and rent a car hauler, dragging home in defeat. The brakes are surprisingly good, the trans and clutch as smooth as can be expected in a rock-crusher box. So we're off and running - for now. Parked on main street in this small burg, found a great pub with a very good IPA of their own and plotted the next day's run over a cold one. And speaking of cold: the morning brought bright skies and 37 degrees. Brisk. Without a heater and having to keep the left door open, the atmosphere inside was stimulating. In truth, the heat from the engine did keep my feet from freezing, leaving only those wind devils swirling around the back of my neck. Crossed the border into PA at sunrise and found this prophetic sign. It was placed there just for us by the highwaymen who knew we were headed into some seriously challenging Alleghany Mountain backroads.

[34Pietenpol]

Four and a half hours later and 160 miles south into PA. No intervening photos because all energy and attention were devoted to avoidance of death. This may be a slight overstatement in retrospect but there were significant doubts during the commission of this act. Let me rewind. NY has the Finger Lakes in the area we traversed, mostly high plateau landscape, well flattened by many succeeding glacial ravages before man caused this "global warming nightmare" (not my words or belief). My Dad grew up here. His Dad was a motorcycle messenger in WWI, joined the Post Office after that War to End Wars. That vital government job kept the family safe and warm through the Depression. My Dad told of 1930's family vacations in their Model A Sedan, Grandma and Gramps with the 3 kids, bound for Florida every summer. One week driving south, 2 weeks on the beach and one week back home. WWII saw Grandpa recalled as Director of APO/FPO mail services for the Southeastern US. My Dad enlisted at 18 into the Air Corps, finishing that War as a P-47 fighter pilot in Okinawa. Gramps went back as Postmaster of his hometown PO. My Dad continued flying with the USAF. As his oldest son, I did catch the flying disease. As his rebel son, I went Naval Air, flying off aircraft carriers as opposed to the Country Club Aviators in USAF Blue. Best choice I ever made! That led to my interest in old planes and old cars - both nasty habits first introduced to me by my Dad. As a result, there was always something ancient and mechanical in parts and pieces in the workshops while our kids were growing up.


OK - back to the travelogue: Unlike this route thru NY, the PA portion strikes diagonally up, over, around, down and across the claw-like series of ridges that define the Alleghanies. The early Air Mail pilots of the 1920's and 30's called this the "Hell Stretch", a well earned Nom de Guerre. These hills are littered with smashed Swallows, Stinsons, DH-4s, Jenny's and a Lockheed or two. Steve used geo and sat nav mapping apps on his phone to plot the safest course thru for us. Basically, we'd stick with the lower runs, following the many tributaries of the Susquehanna River as they tumbled and raced downhill. Despite the best efforts we still had a dozen or so stiff ascents, straining second gear followed with flying downhill assaults on the Mail Truck's brakes and my sanity. We swerved and screeched and jockeyed with the guard rails for over 3 hours in the Susquehanna State Forest. Eerie places, that. The Black Forest Inn buried hauntingly in a dense and dark forest of ancient pines. Who the heck thought that would be a great spot for a resort? Not a village around for miles. After one particularly religion-inspiring plunge downhill we were greeted by a sign placed by those ever-fun-loving PA DOT workers - "Welcome to the Highway to the Stars" and the promise that we had at least 2 of the highest summits in these parts to conquer. Since the road back was bad, the only option at the time was to press on. Neither the Ford nor I found any humor in that cheerful sign. Finally we spit out the bottom approaching Lock Haven, home of the last profitable Piper Aircraft factory and its airport, visited annually by scores of Piper Cubs on their "Sentimental Journey". But that's not our destination. Further west lies Bellefonte Airport, which is near the original 1920's grass strip used by pioneer air mail pilots. The strip is now a high school but the airport pictured here has an extensive tribute to the air mail of 100 years ago. Being a Mail Truck and a retired commercial pilot, we simply couldn't pass up the visit while we were in the vicinity. The hangar rats flocked out to talk air mail while the MT marked its visit, depositing a small puddle of oil on the ramp. That leak, by the way, seems to drip from the base of the oil fill tube. Perhaps not.

[34Pietenpol]

Back in Bellefonte exists the National Philatelic Museum. The river beside it was populated by 2 legged creatures in rubber, standing waist deep in freezing water, hurling dead insects with a slap into the cascading flow. They would occasionally jerk back on their ropes, ripping the dead insect out of the water, waving it wildly overhead in total disregard for their ears and bystanders before slapping it down again in the same spot that yielded no result as before. I wonder if science can decrypt the DNA of these fantastic beings? But I digress. At the Stamp Museum, beside the brook is a substantial monument to the Air Mail Service and the Pilots who pioneered the routes begun 101 years ago. The monument was erected in 2018 to mark the Air Mail Centennial. So, Steve and I included this stop in our pilgrimage before heading back eastward to Mifflinburg, PA. Since I flew all my life and live on a small airport, this Mail Truck will eventually be finished as an Air Mail Truck. Consider this visit an way to introduce it to the future.