Pics of Model A block and vavles

Well, here are some photos of the block. It's now in the shop to have valve seats put in and shave the top of the block. (Carquest machine shop - Upland) So they magna-flux it and find several cracks and repairs on the deck as well as the right side. I've decided to go ahead and use the block even though I am going to a 6.5:1 ratio head. At least I know what potential problems could be.

I should be getting my fenders back from the painters on Friday...then it's on to the body. And while it's in the shop I'll be working on the rear end. (Not mine, although it needs it!)

One more post on the A-Bone

I have decided to have someone else do the paint and body work. It was suggested by some of my fellow club members to try Gongora's Paint and Body shop here in Pomona. David Gongora made a decent quote and so I have bead-blasted the fenders to get him started. So far so good. I'll do the body, hood and doors in a few weeks when I know where I stand with the rest of my restoration.

In working on the engine block I busted 7 studs in the top of the block. Even with heating them up. I purchased a 'head stud drill out kit' from Snyders and it worked like a charm. I may need to helicoil only ONE stud hole. Pretty lucky! I'll upload some engine photos tomorrow to show why I'm redoing the block / valve seats. Pretty sad shape.

More on the Model A restoration project

One of the benefits of owning your own machine shop...After researching various internet blogs and chatting with Club members, I decided to lighten the flywheel. (Which means I'll need to balance the crank as well) I was able to lighten the flywheel by 22 pounds from 65 to 43 total weight. I'm told this will add to the engine response time off the line but not hinder the hill climbing. We'll see.

After machining, a new starter ring was installed by heating the ring and chilling the flywheel. It worked like a charm. The photos above show where material was removed from flywheel. Basically 14 pounds was removed from the outside diameter and 8 pounds was removed from the i.d. I probably could have done more but I was leery of reducing wall thickness too much.

Here's a list of the engine and drive train changes I've decided to make:
- 6.5:1 High compression head (Brumfield?)
- reground cam shaft to Model B standards
- lighten flywheel
- balance flywheel and crank shaft as an assembly
- install 3.27:1 ring and pinon in rear end
- machine block by installing new valve seats (intake and exhaust)
- install modern valve set
- aluminum timing gear with new steel gear on crankshaft

I'll keep the Zeneth carb for now with the option to change to a Weber at a later date, based on performance. (Gotta save some money somewhere!)

Updates on my 1931 Model A Ford

This past summer we stripped the Model A down to the ground and started cleaning and repainting. I had the frame bead-blasted and powder coated black and it turned out well. Clean and neat. Now starts the process of reassembling everything. We power washed the axles and replaced some damaged brake lines (upgraded hydraulic brakes) and cleaned the drum and replaced the worn brake shoes. Repainted everything gloss black and reinstalled.

In this photo you see the motor in the foreground with the finished frame in the background. I have decided to upgrade the head from the original 4.2:1 ratio to a high compression 6.5:1 ratio head. (purchased from Steve Salazar in La Verne) Steve will also be grinding my cam to Model B standard in order to accommodate the higher compression of the new head.

Re-restoring my 1931 Ford Model A Coupe

Well, it's been a long time coming but I can finally say that I am starting to re-restore my 1931 Model A Standard Coupe with the help of my son, Andreas. I have now owned this car for exactly half of it's lifetime, 80 years. I restored it for the first time in 1971 with the help of my grandfather, Elmer Tolman. Thanks to my wife, Monika, I've never sold it...although I was tempted to many times over the years!

Update needed

If only I had the time to keep this blog updated? But I do, I just keep forgetting about it. I will try and do better this year. (New Year's resolution? I'm even late with that!)

Took a trip to Parker , AZ for the BITD 425 Off-road race. A lot of fun but the best was the trip there and back. I was joined by Scott Peterson, my brother's brother-in-law, on his brand new Honda 700.

We spent the night at my folks place in Lake Havasu and then watched the first third of the race from the Parker Python. Exciting stuff, but the best was yet to come in our ride home. We were expecting rain and so wanted to get an early start before nightfall. No rain until we stopped for a meal in 29 Palms. Markus and Lydia, with Max in tow, caught us there and then followed us down the hill.

It was dark by the time we left Taco Bell and had started to rain...what a miserable ride down Morongo Valley but by the time we hit the 10 freeway, it had all but stopped. So much for my clean polished chrome. Scott surely must have thought I was nuts for suggesting this ride...but what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger.