Beautiful Day To Breakdown !

[petew]

Got my new radial tires the other day.
I mounted and balanced them yesterday on freshly powder coated rims and went for a ride today.
The car ride and handling is improved and there is less harshness in general.
Stopped by to visit a friend and when I went to leave the car died , restarted and died again acting as if it was out of fuel .
So I went about troubleshooting.
Found gas to the carb but #1 plug was dry , I carry a spare carb so changed that out but no change.
Had spark at the points but VERY weak spark at the plug .
Got a ride home , picked up a replacement coil , installed it but no change.
I carry a spare condenser in all of my old cars so I changed the condenser and the car fired right up .
I guess there was just enough spark to dry #1 spark plug but upon checking the rest they were soaked .
Anyway glad I had that spare condenser in the trunk .
I have a new one on order !
By the way the distributor has the “modern” breaker plate that uses the later style points and condenser.
Changed the wheel color from orange to black and ditched the white walls .

[johnneilson]

That is a nice looking "A"

+1 for the BLK rims

J

[fried okra]

Did you paint the wheels yourself?

Any suggestions on how best to do that on a DRIVER car with the tires still on?

thx!!

[petew]

Originally Posted by fried okra

Did you paint the wheels yourself?

Any suggestions on how best to do that on a DRIVER car with the tires still on?

thx!!

The bare wheels taken to a professional stripper (no not that kind of a stripper )
where they were baked in a high temp oven, lightly blasted and then powder coated. The oven does 90% of the work and the blaster just knocks the loose remains of the paint off of the wheels
My guess is it would be just about impossible to accomplish a decent paint job without removing the wheels from the car.
These wire wheels are just so intricate that hand sanding would be quite a time consuming job . Trying to do that with the wheels on the car is not something I would try.
I have had wheels blasted in the past without removing the tires just have to be carefull.
These old wheels just tend to have so much paint on them that you need to take them back to bare metal to get a decent job.

[Y-Blockhead]

I'm liking the orange pin stripe on the wheels.

[petew]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

1/8" pinstripe from Amazon

[Gene F]

I like the new wheels and tires better than the old ones.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by petew

Got my new radial tires the other day.
I mounted and balanced them yesterday on freshly powder coated rims and went for a ride today.

Are those American Classic Radials? I hope you removed all of the inspection stickers?

I didn't see the inspection stickers inside the tire when I mounted my American Classics. I only became aware of them after I started having flats. The stickers play havoc with the tubes after a couple of months.

Nothing like mounting 5 tires and tubes twice to keep you young...

[petew]

Yes all inside stickers removed as you had advised earlier.
Mounting was not bad , just used lots of powder on the tubes and took my time .
Balancing took a lot of time and weight but it paid off , runs 65 smooth as silk .

[Rob Doe]

Count me in on liking the new wheel color and radial tires. Good job.

[al's28/33]

Black rims are original and the way to go! Classic and sophisticated.

[SHEC]

Blackwall tires as the Ford gods intended. Nice upgrade and enjoy the smooth road ahead.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Can you give details on “1/8” pin stripe from Amazon” ? Are you saying you used pin stripe tape on them. If so, it seems the wheels are a harsh environment for tape?

[AL in NY]

sorry Petew, but NO day is a good day for a breakdown.

[California Travieso]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sea/Tac

Can you give details on “1/8” pin stripe from Amazon” ? Are you saying you used pin stripe tape on them. If so, it seems the wheels are a harsh environment for tape?

I think he’s referring to the plastic ones that you clip onto the edge of the rim. They were originally designed to protect the rims from curb scratches but they come in a lot of colors that look cool, especially on black rims.

The local parts stores may carry them.

David Serrano

[David in San Antonio]

Found them under car rim protection strips. Top listing is made by 3M. Second listing made by 4M 8M. Clever.

[petew]

The pinstripe is a roll of orange vinyl pinstripe designed as a replacement for a painted on pinstripe.
I agree that if the car was used everyday in weather extremes that it probably wouldn't last very long but my cars are always garaged and I have had good luck with this product on some of my other cars .
It has lasted for years .

[petew]

Originally Posted by AL in NY

sorry Petew, but NO day is a good day for a breakdown.

Agreed but the sun was shining and the weather was excellent in general .
And as they say anything that doesn't kill you only makes you stronger !

[jb-ob]

Every Break Down is a learning experience.

Your modern point & condenser (V8 Ford) suffers from the same flaw that has the Mustang guys converting to electronic ignition...poor quality parts from the ChiComs. If you insist on using that setup, carry several condenser and points (the rubbing blocks fall off !).

MUCH nicer car with black walls.

[petew]

I am familiar with condenser issues and own several older Fords.
I have had very good luck with the NAPA Echlin points and condensers . I use them in my 56 (57 distributor) 57,62 and 66 Ford cars , all have been running for years with the Echlin parts.
The Model A "modern" breaker plate uses the same components.
I carry spare points and condenser in each car.
I really don't "insist" on this modern breaker plate but it is what the car came with .
If you want to send me the parts to convert it back to original I would do it .
Thanks for the kind comments on the tires , The black walls and black wheels kind of give the car a classier look.

My A now has an Echlin condenser in it with a spare in the trunk.