Re: Words of wisdom for first "long" trip
Lots of wonderful advice above for preparing for a "long" and a "very long" trip.
Just in general, I think most Model A owners will agree that Model A's which are exercised often are "always" the most road worthy.
On several short trips, taken often, one can eliminate almost all of the small Model A "bugs" one or two at a time.
Not exercising a Model A often may cause multiple problems that may cause Model A failure when one gets out on the open highway.
Some may want to add their experiences to that below as to what may happen when Model A's are not exercised often and are allowed to just sit idle prior to a long or very long trip ..... for example:
1. Battery (-) and (+) posts accumulate non-conductive metal corrosion; plus batteries may go dead.
2. Fuel and oil on valve stems turn into sticky varnish when the volatile components of petroleum products evaporate, causing hard starting, engine missing, & back firing.
3. Points accumulate non-conductive metal corrosion causing no-starts or poor engine running.
4. Electrical wire connections accumulate non-conductive metal corrosion in the most God-Awful non-detected locations causing no starting, hard starting, and malfunctioning of any lights needed for night driving.
5. Rust and fuel varnish accumulation in the gas tank causing poor fuel flow and possible fuel blockage.
6. Varnish accumulation in carburetor jets.
7. Bottom sides of tires developing flat spots causing bumpy rides.
8. Losing tire pressure in tires and also the spare tire.
9. When nobody is around often, rats, squirrels, etc. feel "at home", attacking who knows what like chewing wires, crawling into exhaust pipes, nesting in upholstery, etc.
10. Dust accumulation on paint which retains moisture causes water molecules to penetrate body paint causing the beginning of rust damage.
11. .........
12. .........
Only a few items listed above ..... hope some can add their prior experiences of what can happen when we do not exercise our Model A's often.
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