New model "A" owner needs some help!

[ussnj62]

Hello to all of you fellow model "A" owners out there ! I recently bought a 1929 model A Tudor. It is an older restoration.....I am guessing 20+ years or so. Anyway, I am seeking advice as to how to handle a couple issues, 1st being a rust issue. Its very small but I want to get it taken care of before it gets worse. Its on the passenger side rear quarter and its hidden by the door when shut. I will try to add pictures showing the area. 2nd, In the process of checking fluid levels (tranasmission) I apparently added a bit too much of the 600W gear oil and when I started driving the car it seems to have pushed the excess out of the input shaft into the bell housing/clutch area and now the clutch has a tendancy to grab. The couple times I drove the car it left a good amount of oil on the garage floor...I drove it a third time and the amount was drastically reduced. I should note that prior to adding the gear oil I had virtually no oil leakage, hence my belief that I over filled the transmission. I check the engine oil regularly and it has remained at the same level. My question, is it possible to clean the clutch area through the inspection hole with good results, or am I in for a bigger job ? ? Your advice will be greatly appreciated !

A little about myself, I live in Bettendorf, Iowa and also work for the City of Bettendorf, and in the past served in the Navy on board the U.S.S. New Jersey BB-62

So, I will try to post some pictures, and await everyone's thoughts !

Thanks, Donald

[bogdonj]

I will start by saying nice model a and I would try spraying some brake cleaner on the clutch to try and clean it......IF IM WRONG on this someone will correct me Brake cleaner isn't near as oily as WD40

[Gary WA]

I would purchase Les Andrews Model A ford Mechanics Handbook,The only book you need but there are Many More.Also check with the different Model A Vendors for their catalogs. Welcome to the Model A World. www.mafca.com as well as www. ahooga.comare good sites. Here as well for great advice. Remove floor boards,tranny has a plug for draining and filling 1 1/2 pints,rearend 2 1/4 pints or until it comes out. Oil is 5quarts empty when you remove pan, oil remains in the pan,4.5 qts. Enjoy.

[31 Pickup]

Nice car ! Welcome to the hobby !
I would try washing out the clutch with brakeclean, I just watch out that you don't "flush out" your throw out bearing in the process.
The rust doesn't look too bad, going by the photos - probably wouldn't take too much to fix if you get it before it spreads.

[SteveB31]

Just fill the trans from the fill plug hole on the side only up to when it runs out that same hole. Do not fill the transmission full to the top. Buy the Les Andrews book and read it. Buy a copy of the original instruction book (Owners Manual) as well. Enjoy the car!!! they are great fun . Here is a link to those books.

http://parts.modelastore.com/show_Pr...248&Name=Books

Steve

[al's28/33]

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Welcome to the Barn!! Nice looking car.

[Russ/40]

What is showing is not bad. But, there is usually a lot more going on than you think, that you can't see. Just setting your expectations, and minimizing any suprises.

[eagle]

I would take the interior panel off on and look in there to see if there has been any "backyard bondo" repairs. If it is isolated to that one spot, I would set up a tarp and carefully beadblast the area from the outside and especially the inside. Beadblasting with low pressure, say 40-60 lbs will be real easy to control and won't warp anything. Hit it with the beads until it looks like new metal, no rust left. If you can weld in a metal patch, that would be best, then use body filler, sand it smooth, feathering the edges real nice, then tape off a line and prime & repaint. Do you know the paint color code? You WILL see the paint line but at least it will be solid. Rust grows so you want to get rid of it, no matter what.
I would take off all of the interior panels and check the backside of all of the regular problem areas. LPS rust inhibitor works very well if rust has started but is not through the metal yet...

[Jim Parker Toronto]

Nice car, welcome. Brake cleaner should work fine, use lots of it....

[pat in Santa Cruz]

check the breather hole in the rear of the transmission shift tower to see if its open. If it gets clogged, the oil will flow out the front too.

[Dodge]

I had a car brought in with a similar problem I used probably three cans of brake clean with the inspection cover off, the engine running and the clutch pushed in.
It fixed the problem.

[real550A]

Real laquer thinner will draw the oil out of a fiber disc, such as your clutch.
We use it on industrial clutch packs frequently.

[TD]

Very fine ride you have there! I agree with the brake cleaner purge. Remember that it is highly flammable, as is lacquer thinner, so no sparks or flames for several hours.
TD

[ussnj62]

I do have Les Andrews manual + I bought his diagnostic manual as well. Thanks for all of the great advice on vendors and model A websites. I will be checking them out !

[ussnj62]

Thanks to all of the members for thier advice on both the clutch issue and the rust issues. I willl keep you informed as to the results of the clutch problem/remedy.....Hopefully get into it this weekend ! Thanks Again!!!!

[Fred K-OR]

If you did put to much oil in the tranny, I assume you drained it out. If not, that would seem like the first thing to do. But it would seem like it would not be possible to put in to much oil if you filled it in the plug on the side of the tranny because it would run back out. Thus if that is what you did (filled it in the side hole), then unless you kept pouring and somehow got more oil in it before it ran out, then maybe you got to much oil in it. But again if you only filled it up to the hole in the side of the tranny, then having to much oil in the tranny would not seem possible. Thus maybe you have another problem rather than having to much oil in the tranny. Hope all this verbiage makes some sense!

BTW nice car. I had one just like it back in the "old days".