Oh No!

[macrisel]

That is a cool toy!  One of the members of my car club loves old Model A's.  So far he has restored 6 with two more waiting in the wings.  I've had the opportunity to visit his garage several times and climb around on A's in various states of repair.

When someone called them upgraded horse buggies, they hit the nail on the head!  They make a Willys 3A look like an engineering miracle!

[1955CJ-5]

When I compare the two..the 3a and the Model A, the Ford is a bit like a 3a with a rattly tin top on it....but the thing is 86 years old! My 3a is only 64..just a kid!

It is challenging to drive but once you get it rolling along at about 35 or 40, everything is fine...unless you need to stop...you think the 3a brakes are marginal?

Here you can see the spark advance to the distributor, well maybe you can't really see it..it's a rod that heads for the steering column....it rotates the inner plate that the points are fastened to, and the mixture/ choke..pull for choke, turn for mixture, and the throttle of course......no air filter..never had one!

It takes about 4 minutes to remove the carburetor..quick release on the linkages...that ought to tell you something! Many owners carry a spare..

[bretto]

What's the dohickey on the firewall that the fuel line runs thru?  Looks like it almost has a clean out on the bottom.  Or is it some sort of regulator.

Bare copper spark plug straps?

And regarding the block, is that a bolt on oil passage tube?

Neat stuff

[1955CJ-5]

That is a sediment bowl. It has a filter inside and yes the plug comes out and you can drain it. The fuel tank is right behind the firewall, above your knees when driving...and I thought sitting on 10 gallons was dicey!

And yes that is an oil return line.

Copper spark plug straps..

See that little pin sticking forward out of the timing cover?

You take that off, turn it around and stick it back in the hole, then rotate the engine until the pin slips into a hole in the cam gear..then you have #1 at TDC...

[Ryan_289]

Nice!  Ive always been interested in the older original vehicles.  You really had to KNOW what you were doing just to drive one.

[1955CJ-5]

It is interesting to drive.....I'm sure it was easier when everybody was driving a Model A or something similar...

Now if you have traffic behind you and the light turns green, people just expect you to accelerate away...well it just doesn't happen that way....3 mph maybe in first, then a pause one thousand one, one thousand two one thousand three and you go to second, no syncros of course, you need to let the engine slow to idle before shifting.... up to maybe 8 mph and the same shift hesitation going to third...once you are in fourth you are on your way...and hopefully the Lexus behind you has not stuck it's nose under your rear axle...!

Some day I'll get a bumper sticker...

"Does it LOOK Fast?"

[1955CJ-5]

Well I've been doing a little maintenance... the Fedex truck brought some parts..

New fuel valve...you have to shut the fuel valve off when parked or the carb will leak, and the old valve was not shutting off completely.� New carb bowl gasket..

New studs, washers and nuts for the exhaust manifold, and a new sorely needed gasket...

I need to let the thread sealant on the fuel valve set overnight, then a leak test...

[1955CJ-5]

So I took a little drive in the model a and then took it to storage, and got the 3a..

If you want to appreciate your 3a even more, drive a Really old vehicle!

My thoughts?

The jeep:
Runs smooth,
light steering,
great brakes,
Power! 50% more than the Ford
And syncros!

These modern vehicles are really something....

[JeepFever]

.
Great photos!!

These modern vehicles are really something....

 

[Ryan_M]

And the Model A has a bigger puddle under it than the 3A. Boy those new fangled Willys sure are tight!

[1955CJ-5]

And the Model A has a bigger puddle under it than the 3A. Boy those new fangled Willys sure are tight!

Luckily that is only water, or I'd need to call Disaster Cleanup.....recent water pump change and over filled of course..it'll find it's own level....

I have a containment pan for it in the garage...

The A has the same tendency to leak out of the rear seal, although I'm not sure if there even is a seal....

[SteveW]

Working for a customer who restores vehicles, mostly vettes, mustangs and the like. He has a 29 pickup there and it is really good looking. My uncle has the car with the rumble seat and even though I rode in it in trips back to visit in Ohio he never even asked if I wanted to drive it until I was over 40. 2 things was he made sure i knew what double clutching really was and he said if I could see something coming to not pull out in front of it. It was a fun ride he was beside me and actually liked it as he could scout the back roads and my wife and grandma were in the rumble seat.

[1955CJ-5]

He was right about the "if you see something coming..."..but around here you could wait all day for a suitable opening.....

I have no "A" experience other than with this pickup, except about 3 weeks ago I got a ride in a very nice '29 Fordor....but they all move at about the same speed.

"Speed" somehow seems like too strong a word..."pace" maybe is better

[1955CJ-5]

Like all old vehicle projects this one has escalated into a big project...not a rebuild, but maybe a refresh..

I was out for a cruise the other evening and the clutch started slipping pretty bad...when a 40 horse engine can break the clutch free you know something isn't right.

So there will be a new clutch, pressure plate, pilot bearings and timing gears, and a couple transmission bearings just for fun. The input shaft and the main shaft pilot bearing. These trannmissions are just like the T-90...

An interesting "feature" of the Model A babbitt bearing engine is that it is assembled with shims on the big end rod and main bearings. So, when things get loose you just remove a shim or two and you are good to go....it's a bit of a project but interesting..I've never used plastigauge.....until now....

[athawk11]

Very cool pictures of the internals.  Design isn't all that different from the L-134.  Thanks for showing us.

Tim