Farmer fixes

[1931 flamingo]

Remember that when the majority of these "fixes" were done was before the internet, and probably before bratton's, mac's snyders, etc. A lot of them done during/after the depression when no one had any money and you did what you had to to keep it running.
Paul in CT

[sukhoi]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

Remember that when the majority of these "fixes" were done was before the internet, and probably before bratton's, mac's snyders, etc. A lot of them done during/after the depression when no one had any money and you did what you had to to keep it running.
Paul in CT

Paul from CT is "right on". It is easy to be critical from our 2012 perspective. I grew up in a depression family and remember well when a family conference was called for a big expense like $10. Not trying to be preachy but it is good to remember when families had a very difficult time making ends meet.

[Roadster Rich]

How about a real farmer. I have had my 30 Roadster for 44 years so I knew the car well. I bought a 9N tractor that had the same Model A engine. When I got it, I looked and the four spark plugs had coat hanger wire wrapped aroung the distributor tips and then around the spark plugs. I got such a kick out of that, that I left it that way for the four years I owned and used it.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

garrison89,
Are you Chief's long lost brother that disappeared in the woods a long time ago?? Bill W.

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

garrison89,
Are you Chief's long lost brother that disappeared in the woods a long time ago?? Bill W.

I don't quite know how to answer your question. I had a cousin that died on the Gunflint Trail about 25 years ago. He was Ojibwe and died when his car crashed. We called him "Chief" for years. He was my cousin but he seemed like a brother. He was from Minneapolis MN but ended up working on the Canadian border as an honest to God "Indian guide".

[40 Deluxe]

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Originally Posted by Roadster Rich

How about a real farmer. I have had my 30 Roadster for 44 years so I knew the car well. I bought a 9N tractor that had the same Model A engine. When I got it, I looked and the four spark plugs had coat hanger wire wrapped aroung the distributor tips and then around the spark plugs. I got such a kick out of that, that I left it that way for the four years I owned and used it.

No, you did not have a 9N tractor with a Model A engine! There is no such thing. The 9N engine is completely different-distributor in front, not the middle of the head-much smaller than an A and uses the same pistons as the 239 flathead V8, etc.
Maybe you had a homebuilt or some kind of conversion using the A engine. But not a 9N.

[montanafordman]

Alright, I'll take a stab at this. Since I got my 31 coupe from my grandfather, who actually was a farmer in Montana I guess they would qualify.

First off, the frame at one time was bent or damaged, and this was the resulting fix:



There was some evidence of collision damage that I'm sure happened before my grandfather aquired the car since it was in my grandpa's garage for 30 years before he restored it and got it on the road. Whether he did the repair I don't know, but the guy he bought it from was also a farmer so there you go!

Now here are the radiator support rods. You can see the end had broken or bent, and was replaced with a welded on peice with different size threads.



Here you can see the steering column had cracked and was welded up with some metal scraps for reinforcement.



Here it looks like my crank pulley had broken and was welded back together.



My grandpa had a AA radiator in his garage and when he found it wouldn't fit the radiator shell it looks like he cut out the top to accomodate the thicker AA radiator which has the filler neck placed slightly farther back.



I saw this picture in an Ebay auction and thought of this thread. It looks like someone put a water spigot in the fuel line to solve a leaky fuel shutoff valve. (For what its worth I had an extra petcock on my fuel line just outside the strainer for the same reason on my car)



While these things can be a source of frustration when fixing an 81+ year old car they can also be entertaining! You can't help but appreciate what sort of use these cars have seen and the hardships they've endured over the years. Some of us are afraid to drive them in the rain yet they were just tools to the generations that originally bought them and saw some hard times and hard use. You can also appreciate the ingenuity of those that did what they could to keep it working, either from a lack of parts, time or lack of money.

[George Miller]

Battery box. Easy to get to.

[Ted Duke]

I don't have pictures, but when I was a kid way back in the forties and fifties my family had a friend who had a Model A pickup, 29 I think, and as the years went by and he dinged it around the farm (or once a tree fell on it) he made quite a few patches with expired Maryland license plates attached with nuts and bolts.

P. S. I tried to buy it several times until about 1985 when his wife told me she gave it to her nephew.

Ted

[Domino]

Too many families still have a hard time paying rent, buying groceries, and getting necessities. Many of these folks are willing to physical work but the jobs aren't there. A few weeks ago a guy I know didn't have the money or credit to purchase a battery for his 18 year old only transportation car. he was stuck at Autozone so I made a deal with him. I'll buy you a battery and you come do some things around my house. I did and he did. Sad this happens in America. Most of us are blessed.

[Jwilli]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Paul from CT is "right on". It is easy to be critical from our 2012 perspective. I grew up in a depression family and remember well when a family conference was called for a big expense like $10. Not trying to be preachy but it is good to remember when families had a very difficult time making ends meet.

In those years in the south it was what we called make-do. Use what you have and hope it works.

[pick]

I'll have to admit I've been responsible for some pretty crude field repairs in the past. But, by comparison some of these Rube Goldberg jobs make me feel like a Master Mechanic.....lol

[John Duden]

Originally Posted by pick

i'll have to admit i've been responsible for some pretty crude field repairs in the past. But, by comparison some of these rube goldberg jobs make me feel like a master mechanic.....lol

me too!!

[columbiA]

A couple months ago,I did a *farmer fix* of sorts.I was driving along a country road when the engine died.The drain plug had fallen out of the carb& the gas was running out.I was beside an orchard so I looked around & found a small branch & shoved a piece of it in the hole & was able to drive home & get a plug from a spare carb.One of the great things about these cars is that it doesnt take much to keep them running.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Rube Goldberg, my HERO!
I wonder if Rube ever had to have his car towed? Bill W's Ghost

[Rock Hornbuckle]

Originally Posted by columbiA

A couple months ago,I did a *farmer fix* of sorts.I was driving along a country road when the engine died.The drain plug had fallen out of the carb& the gas was running out.I was beside an orchard so I looked around & found a small branch & shoved a piece of it in the hole & was able to drive home & get a plug from a spare carb.One of the great things about these cars is that it doesnt take much to keep them running.

I was driving 'ol' 29 Nellie home from a parade when the flange on the tail pipe broke off and the entire exhaust system hit the pavement. I had a roll of tie-wire used for tying rebar in the trunk. I was able to tie things up and drive her home. I had learned alot during my penniless teenage years about keeping my old Ford Coupe wired together.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Originally Posted by Rock Hornbuckle

I was driving 'ol' 29 Nellie home from a parade when the flange on the tail pipe broke off and the entire exhaust system hit the pavement. I had a roll of tie-wire used for tying rebar in the trunk. I was able to tie things up and drive her home. I had learned alot during my penniless teenage years about keeping my old Ford Coupe wired together.

I saw a junked out A, exhaust must have had a hole or split, large tin can ends sawed off, can cut in half lengthwise, can wrapped around the exhaust, can then tightly wrapped with barbed wire, and each end wrapped tight again with barbed wire at the edge of the can to prevent the can from moving.

[Clem Clement]

I have a dissy shaft that has been brazzed and then turned back to true. A lotta work, but if that is the only one you have, it will have to do. ALso a model A wheel with a Chevy rim welded to it.
Clem

[Adam M.]

These farmer fixes always look poor, but they are still there for us to find them!

I have a Model A cyl. head that has multiple passes of weld all over it and from one end to the other.

Also nails for cotter pins. I had one model A with a pin for the brake rods replaced with a very small nail! Yikes!

I looked at this yellow Tudor and it had a 3 rib tractor tire that is worn out on the front right.

The last picture is not a Ford, but look at the "Custom" brace to hold up the fenders!

[Mike in NRN IN]

Here's what I found when I started 'tearing down' the steering.

The column was broken, but the fix was to wrap it with heavy duty wire and secure it with the handle of a screwdriver.



Return spring on the brake is seen here: