Another Model A adventure starting soon

[Slotblog]

Marshall,

That's excellent advice, but I am pretty certain this car has the modern voltage regulator 'cut-out,' as opposed to the stock set-up. I also believe there's another modern VR cut-out that comes with the spares the seller is including.

That being said, I am very likely to swap the generator on this car for the modern alternator that I have on my 1930 Tudor before I sell that car.

I did kill a stock generaor on my Tudor coming from Oregon nine years ago. I knew it was overcharging during the trip (almost 15 amps!) but I had a chase car with a charger following me then and planned to swap out all the old rotating electrics when I got back, which I did. It finally died on the Natchez Trace just two days from home.

I didn't travel at night on the earlier trip and hope to do the same on this one.

[Slotblog]

Originally Posted by jb-ob

I'm probably wrong but the Blue Ridge while scenic is also short of services for someone traveling solo in an 'unknown' Model A.

I'll have some tools and can address the minor things myself.

This coupe is far less 'unknown' than the Tudor I drove back from Oregon in 2014. Seller is a terrific guy and has run a vintage racing service company and restoration shop since 1978. He assures me the car is in top-notch shape and several of our mutual friends tell me I can take that info to the bank. He's also servicing the car before I pick it up.

I'm actually more concerned about hitting a deer than having this car strand me.

[jb-ob]

Greg, With an attitude like that we look forward to hearing about your successful adventure. Best, jb

[Slotblog]

After about 18 hours on the train, and about an hour in Andy’s Tesla, I finally got to put my eyes and hands on the coupe and to meet Kent Bain, the seller.

After arriving at seller Kent Bain's lovely home in Fairfield, CT, about 8:30 pm, to meet both him and my new Model A coupe, he passed over the needed paperwork and a spare 6v battery he no longer had a need for; we loaded that in the floor of the rumble seat along with my duffle bag of clothes and satchel of computers and cords. The car fired right up, I shook Kent's hand, and headed down his driveway toward the nearest gas station before selecting a route to NY where I was staying the night with my good friend Mike Katz, who was going to travel along with me for two days before heading back home.

The problem was, Kent thought I was just test-driving the car around the block and would return to load up the box of spare parts he was including with the car before I departed for good! I knew he had boxed up the spares and assumed he'd already stashed them in the car. When he finally got me on the phone, I was twenty minutes away gassing up. Seems he and Andy had been sweating bullets, thinking I'd broken down or something worse. A very relieved Kent graciously offered to ship the box of spares to me so I didn't have to backtrack to get them.

I honestly feel Kent Bain is the nicest person from whom I have ever purchased a car.

[Chris in WNC]

We are about 1 mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Spruce Pine NC.

PM me if you need a free overnight stop or any other assistance.....

[Als48]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Or check out Albert's Inn at Mt Mitchell ,near Burnsville, NC. They are good friends of mine. (828)537-6309

Alan Hook

[Slotblog]

Well, several problems have arisen and we’ve conquered two of them, but this last one has me stranded on southbound I-81 at milepost 42.8.

My suspicion is that FSI electronic ignition module that was on the car when I bought it is failing when it gets hot. Any fellow MARC/MAFCA members in the area willing to give me a call to consult? 404-610-4524.

Plan at present is to let the car cool off and see if I can nurse it to the next exit.

[Slotblog]

Anyone on Ford Barn in the Sparta, NC, area?

Another minor problem that I likely could use another pair of hands with…

[jb-ob]

Greg,

How did your travel adventure end ?

Anyone come to your assistance ?

We aren't going to find your skeletal remains on Rt 81 are we ?

Hope it ended well, jb

[Slotblog]

Just arrived back home at 8:05 pm Monday evening, in the middle of a cataclysmic electrical thunderstorm, which has probably cancelled the local fireworks show.

Episode 5 will be posted on Facebook in the morning.

[jb-ob]

Sooner or later you'd return home...wagging your tail ??

Starting your story on Ford Barn but finishing on Facebook is kinda like forgetting the punch line to a joke.

How ever you did it, you & your new toy are back where your adventure started. Good luck.

[TerryO]

Just arrived back home at 8:05 pm Monday evening, in the middle of a cataclysmic electrical thunderstorm, which has probably cancelled the local fireworks show.

LOL my wife and I were camping in the same storm...


TOB

[Randy in ca]

Originally Posted by Slotblog

Facebook, for sure, and perhaps I'll also post to my hobby website.

Once I get started with the trip blog, I'll post here to indicate where it can be read.

Originally Posted by Slotblog

Just arrived back home at 8:05 pm Monday evening, in the middle of a cataclysmic electrical thunderstorm, which has probably cancelled the local fireworks show.

Episode 5 will be posted on Facebook in the morning.

Links and/or User Names would be helpfull - did I miss them? Thanks

[Slotblog]

I'll post the daily trip reports here shortly.

[Slotblog]

Model A adventure 2023 - episode 1

Yes, I know I've been rather quiet reporting on my trip to drive my newly-purchased 1930 Model A coupe home from CT, but it hasn't been trouble-free and, well, I've been a little busy. Depending on how you tally the score, I've had three or four issues with the car... so far!

My friend Mike Katz and I left his very nice home in Stormville, NY, at 8 am sharp Tuesday morning.

After filling the tank with gas and our stomachs at a typical NY diner breakfast (I had corned beef hash topped with two sunny-side up fried eggs with hollandaise and hash browns... yum!), we had smooth sailing for the first part of the day. Purely by chance, we chose a route through Jim Thorpe, PA, home of the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, where we stopped at an Irish pub for lunch and admired the historic depot. After lunch, we continued in the direction of Hershey, PA, our destination for the night.

Mike had never driven a Model A before, so he got behind the wheel to drive for an hour or two on the interstate headed south. It had been cloudy and cool most of the day but that changed into a monsoon-like downpour that continued for quite a while. The seller had thoughtfully treated the windshield with Rain-X before I picked up the car, so we didn't even need to use the electric wiper that's fitted. I find it humorously ironic that the guy from Stormville happened to be driving at the time.

North of Hershey, we stopped to take advantage of McD's wi-fi to Priceline a cheap hotel for night. While we were there, a gentleman approached to ask if that was my Model A and proceeded to tell us that he had two Model As and a long history with a Model A club on Long Island and, since he had moved, the local club. He gave me his card, indicating that if we had any trouble or needed anything to give him a call.

Hotel reservations secured (at what turned out to be the best two-star hotel I've ever booked on Priceline), we get in the car and... nothing. It wouldn't hit a lick. We checked for spark at the plugs and there was none, but there was a strong spark at the end of the coil wire. There was this rather grizzled old guy in a Vietnam Veteran's cap watching and he pipes up, "I'll bet it's your distributor cap" and he was exactly right. The carbon button on the underside of the dist cap had been arcing badly against the rotor tang and was almost completely burned away. I was able to flatten it a bit by "sanding" it on the edge of a concrete planter just enough to get the car to fire for a few seconds, but not reliably.

"Hey, Mark, you said to call if we had trouble…"

"No problem. I have a new cap and rotor in my garage and I'll be there in 30 mins.”

She started right up with the new parts and while Mark insisted on following us to our hotel, we dismissed him with our sincere thanks after we stopped for gas part-way to our lodging. It was late and a lot of the Hershey restaurants were closed, but we lucked upon the Cocoa Dinner, which we highly recommend if you're in the area; it's cheap and good, a rare combination these days.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel in Palmyra, four miles from downtown Hershey, for a decent night's sleep before our planned Hershey visits on the morrow (none of which involve anything chocolate BTW).

[Slotblog]

Here's a shot of Jim Thorpe, PA, with its very attractive historic depot on the right.

[Slotblog]

After the deluge, we were entranced by one of the better rainbows I've seen in years. It was a full-horizon to horizon semi-circle double rainbow, with one side of the pair of arcs being extremely strong and bright. This picture was the best we could do through the windshield and it doesn't do it justice at all.

I'm going to take this as a good omen for the ultimate result of this trip, though there will be rocks and shoals before I reach the smooth shore...

[jb-ob]

A Tale of Two Cars.....the reliable local 25 mile cruiser and the another capable of 250 mile jaunts.

Looking forward to your next thrill packed episode. jb

[Will N]

That fellow Mark who helped you with the new distributor cap is a good friend of mine.

[Slotblog]

Model A adventure 2023 - episode 2

Just checked into my hotel in Salem, VA, after a nearly 15-hour run. I'm simply too beat to post the episode 2 narrative tonight. Will have at in the morning after I get coffee.

But I do want to relate that the car ran superbly today. No issues at all and it starts almost instantly if the float bowl is full. The brakes clearly had not been fully bedded in, as they get better and take less pedal pressure the more I use them. The car is even idling smoother now.

Today's run was from just south of Carlisle, PA, to Salem, VA, with about 110 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a total distance of about 270 miles. Actually, more like 320-330, as I had to detour around a huge traffic jam on I-81.

* * * * * *

I woke to the low rumbling of an engine running near the door to our room, and as Mike was still asleep, I quietly slipped outside to sit on a bench along the wall. Just across the lot was an extremely scruffy work trunk, with not a single straight panel on it and one end of the rear bumper bent up almost vertically, idling away while dripping a substantial stream of antifreeze from the right front corner. There was about a half dozen Hispanic laborers, all more scruffy than the truck, seemingly praying that it would take them to the job site, but actually all worshiping the cellphones in their hands. After about 45 mins, a final barely-awake worker exited his room, and they all piled into their two trucks and rumbled away.

Mike finally got up and we went to the hotel lobby to find as skimpy a 'continental breakfast' as I have ever seen (but I was to later to encounter a lesser one on the trip). Flavored Quaker Oats oatmeal packets (artfully arranged on a large tray to make them look impressive and substantial, I guess), Fruit Loops and cornflakes, white bread and butter, bananas, and something yellow under a clear cover in a tiny three-hole food warmer (I didn't look). At least there was caffeine, coffee for me and tea for Mike. A bit disappointing considering the quality of the rest of the establishment.

We stuffed our things in the rumble seat and headed out to our first stop, the AACA Museum in Hershey. This museum's gestation and birth a few years ago was a difficult one fraught with all kinds of legal issues, power trips, and egos. I was not thrilled with the process and declined to visit the museum when I had chances in 2018-19. But I'm too old to hold a grudge and the museum has risen to a very high level, with exhibits not to be seen elsewhere. The quality of curation and displays is world-class now and I highly recommend it to anyone with a scent of gasoline in their veins.

Ever since my day-long trip on Amtrak I've been afflicted with what I think is a mild case of sciatica in my left leg and walking more than a few steps can be quite painful, so while Mike perused all of the exhibits thoroughly, I limped from bench to bench and observed from them; fortunately there were plenty of places for me to to sit. I'll have to return soon to make a more comprehensive visit when my mobility is back to 100%.

We then proceeded to the new AACA headquarters, which was not complete the last time I was in Hershey, and quite an impressive facility it is, especially compared to the former headquarters 'home.' I didn't get upstairs, but enjoyed the cars on the ground floor. Still find the Spohn special on central display a bit garish and, well, ugly, but I do understand its significance.

Out to the car to drive around a little time before delivering Mike to the Harrisburg Amtrak station to head back home.

But... it would not start. We'd been dealing with a bit of a carb flooding issue since picking the car up (which the seller had mentioned and advised how he dealt with it) but our tricks had stopped working. Lots of fuel dripping from the carb throat with the gas on and the car not running. I didn't bring any wrenches but several nice AACA volunteers and staffers furnished the needed tools. (As an aside, one only needs three wrenches, 1/2", 9/16", and 5/8", to remove and completely dismantle a Model A Tillotson carb.) I blew out all the jets; the main jet wasn't clear until I blew threw it. And removed the 'caged' float value to suck on it to make sure it was sealing and it was. I reassembled the carb (but my technique here was a bit deficient, more on this tomorrow). Mirabile dictu, she started right up!

Off to the Amtrak station to decant Mike before any further ills arose then I headed south to find a place to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As much as I hate taking busy interstates in a car like this, it made the most sense in this instance. So busy I-81 it was. The coupe will cruise happily between 50-55, although it will go faster, and while I-81 was extremely crowded, it wasn't really a problem as traffic behind could get around quickly most of the time.

After more than two hours of driving, I got off at one of the Carlisle exits to gas up and the car started to stutter and misfire. I thought it was another flooding episode, so I turned off the gas, let the dripping stop, and drove around the local mall's ring road a number of times to be sure I wasn't going to have a problem once I got back on I-81 south. (Happily, there was a Harbor Freight at the mall and I was able to purchase a very nice set of combination wrenches, 1/4' to 3/4" for $9.99 plus tax! The nice girl at the check-out made sure I knew they had a lifetime guarantee 'just like Craftsman.’)

No real issue with running during the mall test routine, so I gritted my teeth and took the interstate on-ramp. Alas, within a few miles the intermittent running problem recurred. It wouldn't just stop running completely, but would stutter, die and restart multiple times. Finally it went completely dead a mile past exit 44.

Figuring it was the same flooding issue again, I shut off the gas and just waited. After maybe 45 mins, she started up and I quickly turned left to take advantage of an emergency vehicle median cut to head the mile back to the previous exit, rather than try to go ahead five miles to the next exit. Just as I got to the exit ramp, the car stopped again and I coasted nearly all the way down to the light at the bottom. Another wait, until about 15 minutes after the sun had set, and another successful start got me through the light and into the driveway of the Holiday Inn Express on the corner. About halfway down the driveway, she stopped again but on a very slight down slope so I was able to push the car into the only parking spot left in the row along that side of the hotel.

By this time, it was nearly 9:30 and, cheap barstool that I am, I knew I was going to have to bite the bullet and pay a lot more than I like for a room for a day (or more!). The nice lady at the front desk informed me that she had just booked their last remaining room. (A two-week Army War College seminar at the nearby Carlisle Barracks had filled the hotel.) My sad tale of woe and expressed willingness to sleep on the floor of the boiler room caused her to look harder and she gave me a room that had been reserved for two days but the guest had not showed for the first day "and I suspect he won't show up tonight either." She even signed me up for the chain's rewards program so she could knock another $20 off the rate.

By this time, it's nearly 10 PM, so I grabbed my stuff and headed up, wishing that there was a place in the hotel or nearby to get an adult beverage (or two or three...), but no luck there either.

The narrative will continue tomorrow, with more angels!

And although I didn't have time take a lot of pics, I'll try to add a few to this post later today. The hotel's check-out time is fast approaching...