On February first on a balmy 18 degrees as the sun was fading fast I drove our latest acquisition the 10 or 12 miles home. Car ran great with maybe two hours of run time on the engine. I hate the cold but hardly noticed it despite not digging out the side curtains. At least the frozen roads were bone dry.
We bought this 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe roadster from a friend who I grew up with. I have known the car for nearly 50 years, and it was the first prewar car I ever rode in sometime around 1977 if I remember right. A classic hobbyist restoration that shows some age today but did really well back when most shows were judged and a ton of As was normal.
I thought I might post this initial entry and add to this thread over a couple more posts to take anyone interested from the mid 70s restoration through the day last Spring when my friend called to let me know he was thinking of selling, buying it last Fall and waking the A up to find a previously unknown headgasket leak and subsequent damage to 2 cylinders leading to an engine rebuild.
Here are a couple pics. Test drive, starting teardown later that day and taking advantage of a couple 50 degree days in March. More to come soon!
Steve
Excellent Steve! I would only change a couple of minor details. 😂
@alsancle Wheel color and tires?
@BuickGuy68 How did you guess?
Like the deep blue color. Looks like a beautiful day.
Steve, what is that lurking in the garage?
@BuickGuy68 I'm guessing a 1940 Packard.
Steve, that roadster is looking great. Do share more of the Story. That looks like an attached garage for your A roadster and your Packard……. I don’t see an inside parking spot for your better half? I’m confused? Where on earth does she park?
thinking you could segue into retirement as a “classic car marital negotiations Influencer” website, blog and all…
@JohnBloom Ha! I jus commented above on my mom parking outside in the New England Winters for 50 years and somehow my dad lived.
@alsancle i’m just busting on Steve’s chops, we live in the northern Illinois suburbs. Winners are long and cold and snowy. I’m just pointing out that you don’t see my wife’s Toyota Highlander anywhere in here. She certainly could’ve done better in life.
@JohnBloom If you own a single antique car and it is in the garage it typically means you married very well. Looking at your garage I think you hit a home run. Have a couple of friends where the wife made them sell their car because it was taking up too much space, time and money. Sad.
Ha John! Mrs. Mack is awesome regarding the hobby. We have one more covered space, where the SL is. New cars sit out but you know, I clear snow...
Guys correct the yellow car is a 40 Packard 110. I should start a thread for Jr. Packards...
Here is where the A spent most of the last 50 years. My buddy bought the house he grew up in. I helped dig the foundation to punch the garage to a 4 car. Problem is, Rick usually has 6 cars 2 or 3 in parts) and a ton of tools, parts and machines in the space.
@SteveMackCT
Just pointing out how well you married! And perhaps our wives are sisters……. You’ll notice our garage has old cars in it but my wife’s SUV is on the outside looking in. We don’t deserve these girls.
a thread about your Packard convertible would be well received! Love the model A.
@JohnBloom From where I'm standing we all did pretty well. I was posting about my dad's Chrysler in another thread and I remembered how he bought 5 or 6 different cars within a year and my Mom had to park outside in the winter. Tryling to rationalize how he got away with that.
@SteveMackCT That looks like my ole man's 4 car garage that you could barley squeeze 2 cars in to.
A Model A is a great antique car. Probably the best support system of any prewar car you can buy.
Nice car. Like the colors. There is a reason these are favorite in the antique car community.
No driving today Steve. Unless it is only raining 90 miles north of you.
Looking good, Steve. We need to get a picture of your roadster next to my dad’s coupe. The combined wheel/whitewall onslaught might make AJ’s head explode. 😀
@Hupp31 Great photo! Love your garage.
@59SilverWraith Thanks. That’s actually my paint shop but I wish I had that much room in my garage at home. Someday hopefully.
My buddy drove a Model A coupe 20 miles one way to HS as a kid. 40 miles a day round trip. This was in the 80s.
@dj1970 Love that story!!
@dj1970 In the winter too?????
So next installment. Last September we began to tear down the engine. Headgasket leak was attributed to a poorly cast hi comp head from a small local mfg. - "core shift" in casting. You can feel it's not as "dense" in spots. Anyway we went with Snyders 5.5 - 1 head, Model B cam and a 0.100 overbore.
Assembly was done in my (single) buddy's living room after the engine came back from the machine shop.
I’m worried it’s going to steal “time in the seat” from your Packard.
it has to be satisfying to feel good about the engine, although I’m sure that wasn’t an expense you were looking forward to. Hopefully a couple decades of trouble free driving.
@JohnBloom I was thinking that the Packard must be getting jealous, too. Maybe Steve can tell us a bit about the different personalities of those two cars. I’m sure the driving experience has to be quite different between the two.
@Hupp31 @JohnBloom no doubt the Packard is unhappy. I have an older new US made Airtex electric fuel pump for hot days and a box of new chrome goodies - trunk handle, door handles, headlight rings to install and a lot of little things I have no doubt forgotten about.
10 years makes for a huge difference in driving experience. The As always make me feel very connected to car and road - the only other car I have had like that was my TR-6. The Packard is easy toidrive/manouver think 60s column shifted pickup truck..
@SteveMackCT I know exactly what you mean about the As feeling connected. Last summer I drove dad’s car right after driving my Hupmobile and I swear it felt like a Lotus by comparison. Having 800 fewer pounds and 15” less wheelbase was immediately apparent. It also always surprises me how flat they ride around corners for having buggy springs.
@JohnBloom John I just re-read your post and realized I missed the note on the engine cost.
When Rick and I spoke last summer he gave me a price. OK deal. He wanted to drop it when we pulled the car out of storage as it picked up more bumps and bruises over the years shuffling between his at home shop and various girlfriend's garages then he remembered. Nope we have a deal.
So he insisted on absorbing the cost of the engine which was significant. Only car purchase where I had to fight to pay a bit more..
@SteveMackCT Steve, the notifications needs some work and hoepfully that gets straightened out. When the topics get big like this one sometimes it is hard to find the new replies. The guy who sold you this is clearly a gentleman.
@alsancle yeah next installment will be a fresh post. Nice to see this simple little A post is interesting enough to generate a lot of replies.
Rick is a great guy - I may get a chance to relive my youth helping him repaint and generally freshen the restoration on his 39 Chevy as that is a retirement goal. Paint has started lifting in spots. This is from when we moved it back to his place when the A came home in February.
Travis I love your dad's car. Alsancle I think knows this and doesn't approve but keeping WWW as it was a bit of a big deal in our circle back in the day. Kind of keeping the car as Rick's dad had it. As to wheel color the Tacoma Cream is correct on the 31 Deluxe in thhis color combo. To be honest I like the blingy spare tire cover but picked up a canvas one as well.
Tires are Firestones - Jegs of all places had best price and free shipping. Still around 1,700 for five - ouch...
@SteveMackCT Dad’s coupe has the same Firestones. They run bigger than others and I think they fill the wheel arches out better. Can’t fault the wheel colors when that’s how they came originally. I’ve always liked the Washington Blue and Tacoma Cream combination. The former coworker of mine who taught me how to paint had a ‘31 deluxe in the same combination that he did a beautiful restoration on.
Looking good!