Poll: Top Speed of Stock Model A

[mshmodela]

Top Speed of Stock Model A

"Stock" being: As like was built from The Ford Motor Company or was restored in keeping the car like it was built originally. i.e nothing that was designed after 1931 that might make the car go faster.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

Top Speed of Stock Model A

"Stock" as in like 'brand new off the showroom floor', --or like top speed of most worn Model-A's out there today?.. H U G E difference!!

[rons49]

In addition to Brents statement, Assume that the car has the original Zenith, with non-balanced crank as original, 3x plugs, level ground, no wind, & driver only. Also, check the accuracy of the speedometer, if that is what is being used to measure. Under this criteria, with no regard to the time/distance to get to top speed before the center main blows up. I got to 62mph on NY 135, some years ago. I then went right home to clean my shorts, ne'er to achieve that again, or try. Ron

[Greg Jones]

Is this a poll of how fast people drive their cars, or a poll of what top speed a person thinks a Model A can get? I comfortably drive my coupe 50-55 mph and it will probably go faster but I just don't care to go faster than that. Also those guys in the "over 60" group probably have Mitchell's.

[Greg Jones]

"Stock" Mitchell's, of course.

[Brother Hesekiel]

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I would just pick a well-restored, bone stock Model A, such as Marco's 1930 Roadster, and ask him. I'd venture to guess that it's slightly above 60mph.

[Purdy Swoft]

Acording to the speedometer, in 1976 I touched my 31 standard coupe up to 65 MPH on a farm to market road. I feel that it would have went faster but I didn't want to push the old girl too far. This was with two people in the front seat, the passenger weighed at least 200 because he was bigger than me and I probably weighed near 190. The engine and crankshaft was original all standard size rotating assembly with standard 3.78 gears. The only minor mod was a tillotson model X carb that I got from JC Whitney.

I remember reading an article in one of the national model A magazines years ago about a model A and top speed. The story told about Henry Ford at the Ford trade school. Henry noticed a students 1930 tudor sedan in the parking lot, not the fastest body style but a nice looking well kept car. Without asking permission Henry decided to take the car out on the test track and see just how fast that it would go. The model A tudor reached a speed of 72 mph with the wind and 68 mph against the wind. Henry then entered the class room and asked who owned the tudor. The student raised his hand. Henry told the student that his car must be in good tune. Gas was rationed at the time and Henry gave the student a full tank of gas. I'm sure that other model A guys on this forum have also read this interesting story. I don't remember which magazine it was in or whether it was the restorer or the model A news.There are just too many model A magazines in my collection to try and trace it down right now.

[Y-Blockhead]

Mathematically my car using the above Purdy's numbers (3.78 gears, 72 mpg) would be turning ~3100 rpm @ 72 mph.

I have no idea what a safe rpm for a "stock" model A engine is. Just throwing it out there so ya'all can mull over.

Not sure I would want to go much over 45 mph. I don't have a whole lot of confidence in my brakes as of yet.

[Russ B]

My first ticket as a teen with a new license in 1962 was for "winding out in second gear", going uphill at 35 mph in a 25 mph zone. I recall the judge did not accept my defense when I showed him a book that said the top speed in second for an original Model A was something less than that. I am quite sure I drove more than 60 mph in short spurts. I regularly drove my cabriolet at a continuous 55 mph as a kid without worry as the engine ran smoothly. The motor was stock, but rebuilt by my uncle at some time before I got it.

[Purdy Swoft]

We've touched our speedster up to 75 mph several times and as all of my model A's it runs the original 3.78 gears .The engine has a few mods so this don't count .

[robert shreveport]

31 2-dr. Sedan by myself. Stock, 68 mph. Pretty light in the front.

[P.S.]

Since the Model A motor is apparently designed to run up to 2100 RPM or so, and 2100 RPM on a stock deivetrain works out to around 50 MPH, many will say that is the top speed for an all stock Model A.

So, question- at 2100 RPM, what speed will a Model A go with 3.54 gears? What about 3.27 gears? No overdrive, obviously.

[quickchange]

88mph flat head but not stock ,record 96.1, stock bodied 31 cpe.

[Kevin in NJ]

poll schmoll and people guessing.

Let us look at verifiable facts.

Henry built the A to run 60 MPH. Fact, not fiction and the cars were regularly driving that fast on the crappy roads of the day.

As for Fords top speed you can reference the ads of the day and the early service letters that have been reprinted. The Ford dealers were instucted to show the customers the ran 60 MPH, show how well the brakes worked and were to NOT baby the car. In other words, mash the gears and run flat out. Back in the day the engines run this way got between 50,000 and 80,000 miles on the factory babbitt.

Of course, please do not believe me. Go look it up. There are stories in the day of people getting in their A's and running back and forth across the country. Other stories of oil producers showing how good their oil was by running as fast as possible from AZ to CA and averaging (that is total time vs distance traveled) over 60 MPH. This was over non-existant roads and through un improved hills.

I grew up looking through the back window of a 31 coupe. The speedo was always at 55 and up when cruising along. We found out later that the speedo read 5 MPH low. That was a car basically restored by a 15 year old, but with some attention to mechanical details.

So who gives a crap about a poll. Stop and understand that the A from the factory would run 60 MPH with no problem for very long times. This is just a fact and it can be verified.

Of course, you do not need to run that fast. But the A restored to run 60 MPH is a dream to drive at any speed. Most of the cars people run no faster the 45 are horrible drivers (the cars that is) and many are obviously just plan unsafe at that speed.

[Aerocraft]

I calibrate speedometers (free) for the local A owners using a genuine Stewart Warner machine. I adjust the speedometer to be accurate as possible at 45. Above 45, the indicated speed becomes increasingly inaccurate, generally reading higher that actual. For those that say their car can do 65, I suggest that you use a GPS before claiming the bragging rights.

Gar Williams

[DougVieyra]

"Top Speed of Stock Model A"
____________________________________

Just a bit too vague of a question. too many definitions of what 'stock' is in today's Model a world. And too many variables of what and how 'top speed' is. And differences in Model A's - '28 Roadster vs. '31 TownSedan - body weight / wheel size, etc.

That being said, In 1963 I was driving my 'bone stock' '30 Townsedan, with 54,000 miles on it, about 45 - 50 miles an hour, with a relatively good feeling of comfort, safety, and 'sweet zone' of engine.

At the same time I was driving my 70,000 miles 'bone stock' 1928 Phaeton 55-60 miles an hour, with the same relatively good feeling of comfort, safety and 'sweet zone' of engine. The 'TOP SPEED' of both was about 8 mph higher - but I did not feel comfortable - nor did the Model A - feel comfortable with the higher speed.

Today, I am no longer sure of what the rest of the Model a community calls 'Stock'. My '31 Dlx Coupe has a 4-cylinder engine - a so-called 'Touring Engine' - it goes 60 miles an hour with a feeling of complete security in all aspects. When I put the Mitchel O.D. into high gear, it's 'Top Speed' moves closer to 67 mph, with the same feeling of complete security in all respects.

I am not sure just how much marketing exaggeration took place in the motor world of 1928-'31, but we can at least look at the speedometer and see what numbers they thought would be intriguing.

- Doug Vieyra, in Eureka, California, a Victorian Seaport on the Redwood Coast.

[inex01]

My car's sweet cruising spot is a very comfortable 54 MPH based on my GPS speed reading. I have actually brought her up to 67 MPH based again on the GPS reading.

My rear end is the 3.54 and the car weights 2,550 pounds. I do plan on installing a Mitchel overdrive this winter so I will be able to cruise comfortably at 60.

My Club plans real nice tours and this coming June we are heading to Canada and will have well over 30 Model As going but most people have cars with 3.54 or Mitchel's

[clo2jim]

I have had both my model A - roaster and Town Sedan up to 55 mph, but normally drive them at 45 with occassionally up to 50. Both are stock Model A's as out of the showroom - no modification - everything original

[stewwolfe]

My roaster will do 60 miles an hour but I'm not sure I could stop it safely at that speed so I stick to about 45.

[mshmodela]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

"Stock" as in like 'brand new off the showroom floor', --or like top speed of most worn Model-A's out there today?.. H U G E difference!!

Stock being as like was built from Ford Motor Company or was restored in keeping the car like it was built originally.