Quote:
Originally Posted by 700rpm
When I bought my first model A, my dad, who grew up with them when they were new, told me to retard the spark when starting, and as soon as it fired, pull the spark down to full advance and drive off, leaving the spark lever there. My reprint of Victor Page's book from 1928 says the same thing: drive the car with the spark fully advanced. For 50 years that's how I've driven my Model A's.
But now I've been advised by three knowledgeable Model A guys that actually the spark should be set to about the 9:00 position and driven there, adjusted occasionally depending on load and road conditions. I have always retarded the spark on steep hills, but otherwise left it advanced. Until now. I have to admit that my cars drive much better with this newer adjustment method. So my question is, were my father and Victor Page just wrong? Or was this the way Ford originally advised new car owners to drive their cars, with the lever fully advanced? I don't have an owner's manual; what does it say in there?
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Were they wrong I say yes. But they did it for a reason, it would be to hard for the average driver to under stand the best way to use the spark lever. Most do not know what the lever really does.