Apr 14, 2012
The primary adjustment when shimming the body is at the cowl. Closed cars shift like a parallelogram as illustrated by the red line. Tilting the cowl by changing the shims below it raises or lowers the doors and changes the square of the body.
OBJECTIVE
Our primary objective here is the final adjustment of the vertical door alignment by means of shims between the body and frame as done by the Ford Motor Company when the cars were produced. I will however touch on the basic problem of mismatched door and body contours at the pillars.
PRELIMINARIES
Assembly must be done on a straight frame for proper results. Most frames require straightening, at least to remove a sag at the rear motor mounts. While shimming of the body can overcome this, it requires raising the body excessively to obtain a reasonable hood fit and you may have difficulty latching the hood. If the frame was previously straightened, check it again with the chassis assembled. You may be surprised!
Straighten door hinges. Door hinges are often bent. Straighten and adjust to obtain an even gap at each hinge pillar measuring 1/16″ to 3/32″. No other course of action will resolve this problem.
Door fitting should be done without the door alignment dovetails in place. These will give a false reading.
CONTOURS
The first thing to determine is whether the problem is primarily the body or the doors. The first indication comes from viewing the side of the body from the belt line to the top of the doors or door openings. There should be no twist in the door in this area and consequently the corresponding body pillars must be on the same plane in this area. Any twist in this area of the door will cause binding of the window glass when raising or lowering the window.
The 1931 slant windshield models have an all steel structure. Any more than a subtle mismatch of the contours is due to physical damage. A visual inspection should locate the problem area and the necessary correction should be evident.
1928 to early 1931 Fordors have a wooden substructure with a sheet metal skin. There are many variables since the wood controls the stability and shape of the body and doors. The first step is to be sure the doors are perfectly flat above the belt line as described above. If the wood has loosened at the joints, or improperly fitted new wood is installed, the door may twist but the curvature of the door from top to bottom will not change. Tightening of all the original joints SHOULD stabilize the door and remove undesired twist. If some twist remains, check for warpage in the large wooden kick plate near the bottom of the door. The strength and fit of this kick plate can have considerable impact on the twist and stability of the door.
After the doors are corrected there shouldn’t be any remaining gap at the lower door corners. If there is, either the upper body wood is weakened and spreading outward, or the rear hinge pillar has shifted outward just above the rear wheel well. Either correction is beyond the scope of this article.
BODY SHIMMING
The final adjustment is the body shimming to level the doors and align the body belt around the car.
Originally the starting point for shimming the body was two layers of fabric reinforced rubber with a total uncompressed thickness of 5/16″-3/8″. This was used at all body bolts except the front bolt on each side. These used a layered rubber disk near the same thickness, but thinner layers were removed or added to adjust the tilt of the cowl.
Your goal is to level all the doors and center pillar and have shims totaling no less than 3/16″, and no more than 3/8″, at any of the body bolts.
1. Begin by placing rubber shims between the frame and body at each bolt as described above. Snug each body bolt beginning at the front of the body and continuing rearward until all bolts are snug.
2. Carefully attempt to close each of the doors. Be cautious as one or more doors may hit or bind somewhere and damage paint in the door openings.
3. The first or primary adjustment is done at the cowl. Using the first illustration as a guide, determine if the cowl needs to be tilted either forward or back. Tilting the cowl will affect both front and rear doors as shown. If the front and rear doors are within 3/16″ of level on one side of the car, that side of the cowl should not be tilted. The correction should be obtained with the second stage of shimming.
Keep in mind that both sides of the body can be adjusted somewhat independently. However the cowl assembly will twist only slightly with the fuel tank bolted in firmly. Tilting one side of the cowl with the addition or reduction of shims will slightly tilt the other side as well.
4. The next stage is simply raising or lowering either the front section (cowl), or rear section behind the rear doors. This process works completely independent from one side of the body to the other.
Using the second illustration as a guide, determine whether to raise or lower either the front or rear of the body. The change in door height will be the same as the change in shims. For example, adding 5/32″ (compressed) shim under the left rear section of the body will raise the left rear door 5/32″.
This illustration shows the secondary adjustment. After the front and rear doors are within 3/16″ of level, the remaining adjustments are made by either raising or lowering each quarter of the body and its corresponding door.
5. Finally, with all doors level, check the height of the center pillar. If it appears to be either too high or low as indicated by the spacing above the doors or the dovetail alignment, adjust the shims under the pillar.
ADDITIONAL NOTES & TIPS
1. For fine tuning use thick roofing felt (paper) cut slightly smaller than the rubber shim between the wood and shim. It will not be visible.
2. 1928-29 models used a continuous shim from front to rear of the cowl. This method did not provide the option of tilting the cowl. It will likely be necessary to “cheat” in this area.
3. As with most aspects of restoration, patience is the key to success. The shimming process is “trial and error” and may require several efforts over a day or two to obtain the desired results.
Apr 7, 2012
The following images and information are taken from the Ford Service Bulletins. Bulletins were sent to the Ford dealerships on a monthly basis. Each contained eight to sixteen pages of service procedures, component changes, etc. The original bulletins were 8-1/2″x 11″ pages. The front page each month usually contained an image suggesting windows displays or other promotion ideas.
The Ford Service Bulletins are available in an undersized book form. Unfortunately, the monthly cover pages were omitted to conserve space, but all the other pages are reprinted in their entirety. A full sized version of the Ford Service Bulletins for the Model A years is once again being reproduced and I highly recommend it over the undersized version.
The bulletin states “Pull car forward at least three feet before placing gauge in position. Place gauge between front wheels with ends of gauge bearing against the tires and both pendant chains (6″ long) barely touching the floor.”
“Test for play in bushings by pressing outward on the front of both front wheels at the same time.”
“Set the scale on the gauge so that the pointer registers at zero, then with the gauge still in place, move car forward until gauge is brought to a position back of the axle with both pendant chains barely touching the floor. The pointer will now register the exact amount of toe-in.” April 1928
Additional Notes:
- With the chains touching the floor, the gauge is 6″ above the floor.
- No Model A wheels run perfectly true and as such have some degree of wobble. With the original gauge positioned and remaining in place throughout the process as specified, any wobble in the wheels is compensated for completely.
- If it is desired to service the tie rod (spindle connecting rod) ends without moving the brake housing plates, in most cases it’s possible to access the end plugs by turning the steering all the way to one side and access the plug on the opposite side. As a last resort loosen the clamp bolts and unscrew the rod. Both ends should release at approximately the same time. The rod ends may then be turned for access to the end plug. In either case the toe-in will require readjustment.
When reinstalling, be sure the clamp bolts face the rear of the car, and that both ends engage the rod at nearly the same time.
Measurement Changed September 1928
How To Apply This Information Today
The wheel image to the left indicates some of the possible measuring points for setting the toe-in. Points “A” are the points used following the original method and measurement (from 6″ above the floor). The original specification of 1/16″ calculates to .194 degrees toe-in.
Using measuring points further from the center (spindle) slightly increases the required toe-in measurement to maintain the same degree of toe-in. Using measuring points “B” or “C” increases the toe-in measurement by 1/50″. Using measuring points “D” increases the measurement by 1/27″. While the difference seems minimal, it’s important to keep in mind when making the final check.
Points “C” and “D” are for measuring at the tread surface (see “Suggestions” below)
Suggestions
The original method is the simplest and most accurate (short of more modern alignment equipment) but not everyone has an appropriate gauge. Alternatives include multiple checks to average the different readings obtained from different positions of the tires, or raising the tires off the floor and applying a thin chalk line on the tread surface while slowly turning the wheel and using these lines for measuring points. The latter also compensates for wobble as it applies to measuring and setting the toe-in.
Measuring points “B” and “D” (above) are potentially the best points to use but require a device with angled or offset ends that must NOT flex or distort during the process. Measuring points “A” and “C” are the simplest due to the easy access.
Be sure to drive the car forward a few feet before the first and final checks. The toe-in may be slightly increased (maybe an additional 1/16″) to add stability to a loose front end until proper repairs can be made. However, this will increase the wear on the front tires.
Mar 31, 2012
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, hand cranking is perfectly safe and quite simple. The hand crank should be one of the most useful tools in your toolbox!
The following list outlines the procedures for starting your Model A with the hand crank. The specifics apply to a properly tuned engine. Some variations may be required and are discussed later.
- Set the emergency brake and be sure the shifter is in neutral.
- Retard the spark by raising the left (spark) lever to the top of its quadrant.
- Lower the throttle lever approximately three notches, or until the gas pedal lowers very slightly.
- Adjust the mixture on the dash to the setting appropriate for the conditions.
- With the ignition OFF, hold the choke out (fully closed). This will require either a helper, a pull cord from the lever on the carburetor to the front of the vehicle, or one of those modern undersized and sticky choke rod grommets.
- Carefully position the crank in place engaging the ratchet with the crank left of center in the lower of the two possible positions. Grasp the crank as shown in the photo above, paying close attention to the thumb position below the handle. Pull the crank to the top briskly but carefully. Repeat with a second pull. At this point there should be gas running slightly from the carburetor to the floor.
- Release the choke and turn ON the ignition.
- One more pull of the crank and the engine should start. NEVER push the crank down the right side of the rotation with the key on!
- Advance the spark lever about half way down the quadrant and adjust the throttle speed.
Other considerations: Although there is no serious risk of injury when handling the crank as shown, it’s startling when a kickback occurs. Most kickbacks occur when the choke is closed. The probability varies depending on the position of the crank ratchet relative to top dead center. Leaving the switch off during the choking step almost eliminates the chance of kickbacks.
With a low battery the engine will fire more quickly by hand than with the starter because the starter isn’t starving the ignition system.
Variations: The car should start similar by hand as it does with the starter. For example, using the starter I always start my cold A’s with the choke pulled for exactly two compression strokes or one turn of the crankshaft. At that point, I release the choke and the engine fires. I NEVER hold the choke until it fires as suggested in the Model “A” Instruction Book.
If your car REQUIRES the choke to be held more than two compression strokes with the starter, you may need to adjust step #6 similarly.
Experiment with a good battery so if you have difficulty starting, you can use the starter to determine if the problem is too much or too little gas. Be conservative with the choke. It is much easier to repeat the process than to hand start a flooded engine. A flooded engine is guaranteed to provide more exercise than you desire!
If your hand crank binds when inserted through the starting crank bushing and into the crank ratchet, don’t crank start your car. Too much bind will prevent the crank from releasing from the ratchet.
Mar 24, 2012
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.
