[dean from bozeman]

I agree with Railcarmover, Ford always was looking for a more "practical" way to make the "A". I was told that early hot rodders preferred the early connecting rod because they were stronger than the later version. Someone a lot smarter than me can answer that.

In fine point judging, it really doesn't matter what type of piston you use because you really can't see them. During judging you aren't asked what type of connecting rod your car has. However, I must say that the early "X" style connecting rod and the six hole side cover are in A495 even though you can't see them, because I would not feel right doing it any other way.

Operationally, during fine point judging a car must complete the mandatory tour. That is usually five miles or so. It must just complete the tour under its own power. There are no performance criteria.

As for the early Model A's being the Holy Grail, a 1909s VDB Lincoln penny has more value for coin collectors than a 1909s Lincoln penny but it still only spends like a penny. My very early Model A, A495, is still just a car but it has many parts that you will not find on other Model A's. Because Ford rushed the "A" into production, many mistakes were made and eventually many parts were improved upon for performance and/or for economical reasons.

A good example of this was the left hand emergency brake. The handle controlled both the emergency brake and the service brakes. An old timer told me about the time he was bouncing down a bumpy hill on an icy day. The vibrations "ratched" the emergency brake handle into action right before he hit an intersection. He said that the brakes locked up and he spun through that intersection as cars drove by. The left hand brake may define, for some, the early "A" but it is a great example of a poor design that needed to be improved. I wonder how long Henry Ford would have stayed with that design if not compelled to change it.