Thank you Ford Barn
 

I got a Model A pick up when I was around 12 years old (well over 40 years ago) as I turned around 16 thoughts of hot rodding it came to mind, fortunately my mother took it away from me and gave it to my granddad, he took exceptional care of it and had a ball with it for a good 40 years. A couple of years ago I got it back as grandad could no longer drive or maintain it, I have been driving it regularly for those two years, reading here at the Ford Barn and gradually getting it back up to snuff, lately I noticed a small loss of power and some missing, I read some posts here, thumbed through a few books, did some trouble shooting and determined it was an electrical problem, yesterday I dove in, I found that the rubbing block on the points was nearly nonexistent, I soon found that the top plate in the distributor was in pretty rough shape, luckily I had a spare. Long story short after two days of cursing, lots of head scratching and several searches of this forum I now know how to time and tune up a model A! What a great feeling of accomplishment, and I couldn't have done it without this forum.

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I get a perverted enjoyment out of seeing the confused and troubled look on the faces of young people when I say that I do my own repairs and maintenance. They have no clue that such a thing is possible. I try to expain to them about the sense of achievement I get when I bring a rusty wreck back to life, as ShutterThug describes.
To my mind, it's one of the best parts of the hobby

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probably as confusing as when you explain it does not have a diagnostic port never mind the mention of that strange thing called a carburetor and not to say anything about points.

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Really is a great forum. I grew up in the 60s when the teenage car world for all my buds was almost completely Brand X. I was a closet Ford lover with few friends that shared my blue oval enthusiasm. On this forum I can proudly stand up and say "My name is Ed, and I am a Ford guy". The forum is an excellent source for info - and the guys are great !!

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Shutter Thug, welcome to a wonderful site. I have learned so much from the other members. It is a great place to ask for help & receive some good advice. Keep the questions coming & happy Modeling A's. I did not get in the hobby until I was 60 and it has been a life saver for me after retirement.

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I wonder how many of those Brand X cars are still about.:rolleyes:

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A lot! In that time frame it was all about the tri five Chevys. They are now a dime a dozen.

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Whirnot, I partially agree on tri-5's being a "dime a dozen" BUT it now is if you can afford one. Big bucks if you want one, even if it's unrestored and you are going to do the work yourself. I own a 55 Belair and have for over 20 years, i restored it myself and even that was was not cheap!
I am now working on a 31 Sport Coupe that had the doors chopped and everything behind the doors cut off, I am bringing it back to it's original designation.
Lot's of fun, but not particularly cheap either. Just saying ;-))

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Very cool !!! I never heard of anyone "unchopping" a Model 'A'. Love it.

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Welcome and enjoy driving her and showing her off.


Mike

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Thoughts on today's point sets ...

They are very different from the sets that we used 60 years ago.

In 50's and 60' when every car used points and you could get quality points, you could install a set, adjust and they were good for 3000 to 5000 miles.

Many new points sold today have a rubbing block that is made from a soft material that wears rapidly for first 100 or 300 miles. So in 100-200 miles or so the points close up and engine runs bad.

Solution: DO NOT install a new set of points! ... unless point block is totally worn out so points do not open!

1. Use point file to clean up contacts ONLY if burned.

1a. check dist cam to be sure that it is smooth so it does not wear rubbing block again.

1b. Besure that dist cam is lubed with a light coating of a quality dist cam lube ... STP or WD40 are NOT lubricants!

2. Re-adjust point gap.

3. check point gap again in 100 miles or so.
If gap has not changed then points will be good for a much longer time.

Sometimes it is necessary to readjust a couple of times until gap remains the same.

4. What happens is that the rubbing block "work hardens" then the gap will stop changing.

Be sure follow step 1a above ...