Spare Parts, Materials & Tools Points (2 sets) Socket Set – 3/8” Drive Condensers (2) Grease Gun Rotor (1) Torque Wrench Fan Belt (1) 1/2 to 3/8 Drive Adapter Water Pump (1 rebuilt) Drag Link Socket Water Pump Packing (2 rings) Valve Spring Compressor Ignition Coil (Tested good) Gasket Scraper (Putty Knife) Spark Plugs (1) Pocket Knife Light Bulbs (1 of [...]
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Model A Driving Rules
1) BE SURE YOUR VEHICLE IS SAFE Steering should have minimum to no play. Brakes should bottom out before reaching floorboards. Wheels should lock up under hard braking. Gasoline leaks – NONE. Wheels should be tight & tires should pass visual inspection for tread & excessive cracking. Lights should all function as [...]
Safely Hand Cranking A Model “A”
Always grip the crank with the thumb wrapped below with the fingers. NEVER push the crank down the right side of the rotation! Starting a Model A with the hand crankwas once as common as driving one. It seems hand cranking has become nearly a lost art over the decades. Following a few basic rules, [...]
Driveway Degreaser
A very effective and economical driveway degreaser is ordinary laundry spot degreaser, such as SPRAY ‘N WASH or SHOUT. Spray it on the wet oil spot. After waiting about 30 seconds wash it off with water. For touch stains, brush the detergent into the spot and then hose it off.
Do You Have The Need For Speed?
Do you want to keep up with the moderns? If you are looking for a little more speed, you have several options. Why not try the high-speed rear end? The stock Model A rear end ratio is 3.78:1. In other words, the drive shaft turns 3.78 times for each tire rotation. The high-speed rear end [...]
A Few More Tech Tips
-Just a reminder before every major trip or every oil change. Oil the distributor, even if it’s electronic. The rear bearing needs grease too. - How can you tell if you get enough grease in the universal joint? Remove one of the speedometer gear bolts and fill until you see grease come out, then replace the [...]
How Tight Is Tight?
When mounting your “A” wheels do you use a torque wrench? You should. When mounting your wheels, you will want to be sure they stayed on. After hearing horror stories about people loosing wheels, people are concerned that this won’t happen to them. You want to make sure that you don’t tighten the lugs so [...]
Various Roadside Repairs
#1. Two summers ago, I went on a Don Harvey day tour to Olean, New York. Starting out in Waterford, PA, my radiator cap broke, so I asked Don what to do. “Stick a rag in it,” he said. “A rag,” I replied? Don replied, “Yeah, a rag.” I thought this isn’t going to work, [...]
Radiator Dilemma – Water vs. Anti-freeze
Editor’s note: This article was recently printed by the Auto Doc in the Columbus Dispatch newspaper. If you have trouble with overheating in the summer, it might help you cool down to know that straight old ordinary water has more than twice the ability to dissipate heat (thermal conductivity) as common glycol antifreeze/coolant. Our mechanic [...]
Battery Efficiency
A battery has 100% of rated capacity at 80 degrees F. At 0 degrees F, the same battery has only 40% of the capacity (Amp Hours) it had at 80 degrees. At 40 degrees, the starter requires over two times as much energy to turn the engine over as it did at 80 degrees. This [...]
