The Ford Barn

Big hammer · 06-03-2022, 09:32 PM

50 some years ago bringing my new to me A home crossed a rail road and she quit. Pull over and turned it off, got out to take a break the weather was hot. Got back in and it started, had problems every now and then, working the key would clean the contacts. About a month later was cleaning the engine at a car wash and let the smoke out of some wires under the hood, pulled the battery cable off and let it set for a couple hours it started up. Driving home from school turned a corner and slid into the curb on ice, put it reverse got out and pushed it over the road crown got in and drove home. Last year was driving on a highway and the radiator cap came off, stopped and walked back 1/4 miles found the cap, after tweaking the cap retaining tabs ( one was almost rusted completely off) reinstall finished the drive.

Osage Orange · 06-03-2022, 09:53 PM

I was working on a city survey crew in 1969 in Kansas City, driving my '29 A standard coupe from site to site, when the transmission shifter wouldn't go into second gear. It was lunch time, so I decided to take off the shifter tower and investigate. All I had was a screwdriver and pliers. It took some struggling, but fortunately when I'd taken off the tower months earlier after lunching the cluster gear and changing it out, I hadn't torqued down the bolts all that tight. Got the tower off, found out I had dropped a pin from one of the shifter forks. What to do? Looked around in the gutter for anything, saw some nails in a nearby utility pole and pried them out with the screwdriver and the pliers. One was adequate for a replacement pin. Put it in, put the tower back on, quickly ate my lunch and finished up in time to get back to work. I'm pretty sure that nail is still holding the fork on the shaft in that transmission today, wherever it might be.

burner31 · 06-03-2022, 10:44 PM

Water and time, overheating and vapor lock, it's been a few years since, so I must be go to go now ...
which makes me worry...

Chuck Sea/Tac · 06-04-2022, 12:50 PM

Simple “fix” on the way to a club picnic. All at once it wouldn’t idle and ran crappy. Made it through a intersection and stopped under a weeping willow at the park entrance. Lifted the hood, and the wolf whistle was hanging by its pull wire. Grabbed my pocket knife and cut/whittled a small branch on the willow, and crammed it into the broken fitting on the intake manifold, and drove on!

1930artdeco · 06-05-2022, 12:28 PM

She ran well but had a rough idle occasionally and had slightly lower oomph. Did mental checklist and sure enough the vacuum horse and broken open. 20 minutes in a NAPA parking lot and she was fixed. Ram great the rest of the way.

Mike

Synchro909 · 06-05-2022, 08:51 PM

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IMO, it's those "get 'er goin" fixes that puzzle and amaze bystanders. I've even commented to some that their car would be on a truck headed for the dealer but mine is still going. A heart warming moment.

06-03-2022, 09:32 PM	#41
Big hammer Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Land of Lincoln Posts: 3,131	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going 50 some years ago bringing my new to me A home crossed a rail road and she quit. Pull over and turned it off, got out to take a break the weather was hot. Got back in and it started, had problems every now and then, working the key would clean the contacts. About a month later was cleaning the engine at a car wash and let the smoke out of some wires under the hood, pulled the battery cable off and let it set for a couple hours it started up. Driving home from school turned a corner and slid into the curb on ice, put it reverse got out and pushed it over the road crown got in and drove home. Last year was driving on a highway and the radiator cap came off, stopped and walked back 1/4 miles found the cap, after tweaking the cap retaining tabs ( one was almost rusted completely off) reinstall finished the drive. __________________ Don't force it with a little hammer tap, tap, tap get a bigger hammer tap done

06-03-2022, 09:53 PM	#42
Osage Orange Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Powell Siding (near Cleveland), MO Posts: 82	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going I was working on a city survey crew in 1969 in Kansas City, driving my '29 A standard coupe from site to site, when the transmission shifter wouldn't go into second gear. It was lunch time, so I decided to take off the shifter tower and investigate. All I had was a screwdriver and pliers. It took some struggling, but fortunately when I'd taken off the tower months earlier after lunching the cluster gear and changing it out, I hadn't torqued down the bolts all that tight. Got the tower off, found out I had dropped a pin from one of the shifter forks. What to do? Looked around in the gutter for anything, saw some nails in a nearby utility pole and pried them out with the screwdriver and the pliers. One was adequate for a replacement pin. Put it in, put the tower back on, quickly ate my lunch and finished up in time to get back to work. I'm pretty sure that nail is still holding the fork on the shaft in that transmission today, wherever it might be.

06-03-2022, 10:44 PM	#43
burner31 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Shawnee, Ok Posts: 3,471	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going Water and time, overheating and vapor lock, it's been a few years since, so I must be go to go now ... which makes me worry... __________________ Keith Shawnee OK '31 SW 160-B

06-04-2022, 12:50 PM	#44
Chuck Sea/Tac Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Between Seattle & Tacoma Posts: 2,354	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going Simple “fix” on the way to a club picnic. All at once it wouldn’t idle and ran crappy. Made it through a intersection and stopped under a weeping willow at the park entrance. Lifted the hood, and the wolf whistle was hanging by its pull wire. Grabbed my pocket knife and cut/whittled a small branch on the willow, and crammed it into the broken fitting on the intake manifold, and drove on!

06-05-2022, 12:28 PM	#45
1930artdeco Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lynden, Wa Posts: 3,552	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going She ran well but had a rough idle occasionally and had slightly lower oomph. Did mental checklist and sure enough the vacuum horse and broken open. 20 minutes in a NAPA parking lot and she was fixed. Ram great the rest of the way. Mike __________________ 1930 TownSedan (Briggs) 1957 Country Sedan

06-05-2022, 08:51 PM	#46
Synchro909 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 7,496	Re: What roadside repairs have you made to keep your A going Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) IMO, it's those "get 'er goin" fixes that puzzle and amaze bystanders. I've even commented to some that their car would be on a truck headed for the dealer but mine is still going. A heart warming moment. __________________ I'm part of the only ever generation with an analogue childhood and a digital adulthood.