What size socket set

[MBI Houston]

I am going to buy a socket set to carry in the Model A. I would like to minimize the number of sockets but still have the most important ones in the set. My questions are:

6 point or 12 point
1/4 or 3/8 or 1/2 inch drive
which size sockets

Hopefully this will not turn into a "which type of oil" question....

[Terry, NJ]

3/8 drive 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16 . In some cases, you'll want a open end wrench to hold the nut. A medium size Crescent wrench. Three sizes of flat/straight blade screw drivers, Slip joint pliers, Vice grips. Small pry bar, and maybe a small hacksaw. and a medium size hammer. Most of this will fit inside an old ammo box and should be enough to get you home.
Terry

[luckyal]

Buy a set of Imperial measure not metric box / open end wrenches and then forget about the A breaking down. If you are obssessed with it breaking down better to sell it and take a bus !
Al

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by luckyal

Buy a set of Imperial measure not metric box / open end wrenches and then forget about the A breaking down. If you are obssessed with it breaking down better to sell it and take a bus !
Al

If the bus you take is Huff 'n Puff you are right back where you started!

[Benson]

Also helpful is 2 foot or so length of pipe to fit over the handle of the socket wrench ... for extra leverage if someone overtightened a bolt!

Add 3/4 inch to the wrench sizes ... Generator bolt. Nice to have an eight inch socket extenstion to go behind and under the generator while turning with socket.

If the fan belt is on the long side, the generator will be in such a way that you can not get to the bolts easily.

Engine pans make access to the bolts harder.

Also a 3/4 closed end wrench or another 3/4 socket with breaker bar to hold of the front of the bolt.

Large Cresent wrench for Front wheel nut. Assortment of cotter keys. THe problem WILL happen in place where if you drop one you can not find it.

A magnet is good for finding such small parts in the grass!

Bailing wire is nice to have!

Unrelated to Model As: Always carry an extra handset for your PRC-25 ... the coiled cord WILL catch on something and break the wires inside the cord!!

[luckyal]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Maybe everyone should tow a trailer with every extra part ! My A is for fun and not to forever have on my mind that it might break down ! I can't believe the number of people that are obsessed. Again as one wise Barner says " don't let the horsefly spoil the picnic " !
Al

[Bruce Lancaster]

My take on traveling sockets: Get a good 3/8 set, supplement it with 1/2" long breaker with down to 3/8 adaptor (GOOD 3/8 sockets will take a lot if necessary) with 1/2 drive 13/16 lug nut socket and 11/16 headnut and any other high torque stuff you might have to deal with.
Be sure to install your lugs with original lug crank or the 3/8 set, NEVER the big one, but the big one will be very nice for removal.
There will be some sockets in the common sets you never use but you cannot make a good call on that until you have done a lot of wrenching and know your car well. Put all the sockets in their tray upside down...then in 5 years you may toss all the ones that are STILL upside down!

[Rock Hornbuckle]

Originally Posted by luckyal

Buy a set of Imperial measure not metric box / open end wrenches and then forget about the A breaking down. If you are obssessed with it breaking down better to sell it and take a bus !
Al

I'm not familiar with the term Imperial, do you mean SAE or American inch measurements? Is that similar to Imperial Quart..like in Canada?

[Fred K-OR]

If you plan to do some touring and you carry a fan belt (a good idea), make sure you have an 6 inch or so extension for your socket wrench so that you can get to the bolt under the generator.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Fred K-OR

If you plan to do some touring and you carry a fan belt (a good idea), make sure you have an 6 inch or so extension for your socket wrench so that you can get to the bolt under the generator.

Fred please forgive me for hi-jacking the thread, AND for asking the obvious, but do folks actually have fan belts break on their Model-A while touring? I have been around Model-A's for nearly 53 years and as I think about it, I cannot seem to recall a time but maybe it has happened??

Even if it did break, what would it hurt? How far could we drive without a fan belt? I'm thinking quite a ways.

[crock]

Why not just get triple A & leave the tools home!

[modeleh]

Originally Posted by Rock Hornbuckle

I'm not familiar with the term Imperial, do you mean SAE or American inch measurements? Is that similar to Imperial Quart..like in Canada?

Yes. Imperial is a term used by old hosers to refer to any unit of measure that differs from its american counterpart. It goes back to the days when Canada was considered a colony of the commonwealth of England. You may have also heard the term Imperial gallon which is larger than the US gallon (4.5 liters vs 3.78 liters to a us gal) To get even more anal, the proper hoser way to spell it is litre. You have to be careful when talking mpg numbers with a Canadian, because some hoseheads still do their calculations based on the Imperial gallon, which makes them feel better because they think they are getting better mpg numbers.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by crock

Why not just get triple A & leave the tools home!

AAA costs about $67 a year and I'd prefer to drive the Model A home. I just can't see much happening that would make me have to take a flatbed home.

[Fred K-OR]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Fred please forgive me for hi-jacking the thread, AND for asking the obvious, but do folks actually have fan belts break on their Model-A while touring? I have been around Model-A's for nearly 53 years and as I think about it, I cannot seem to recall a time but maybe it has happened??

Even if it did break, what would it hurt? How far could we drive without a fan belt? I'm thinking quite a ways.

Brent, fan belts do break! Last summer we had a tour up over the mountain (we have mountains in Oregon) to Bend OR and this older fellow had his belt break. The belt was almost new and purchased from one of the trusted suppliers. It would be a little tough to climb up to about 5 or 6000 feet without a fan going. He did not have enough tools to get the bolt off his alternator. We were lucky in that a fellow who lived closed to where we stopped to fix it came out to see what we were doing and he had tools to help him out. Another car had a water pump fail. Things do happen.

[jmeckel]

Originally Posted by Fred K-OR

Brent, fan belts do break! Last summer we had a tour up over the mountain (we have mountains in Oregon) to Bend OR and this older fellow had his belt break. The belt was almost new and purchased from one of the trusted suppliers. It would be a little tough to climb up to about 5 or 6000 feet without a fan going. He did not have enough tools to get the bolt off his alternator. We were lucky in that a fellow who lived closed to where we stopped to fix it came out to see what we were doing and he had tools to help him out. Another car had a water pump fail. Things do happen.

I had a brand new belt purchased from a good supplier fail, when I installed it I did notice a small "lump" in one spot, should have taken it as a warning as that is were it broke.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

So why not leave the belt off and just drive on to the top of the mountain? As long as you are moving 10mph or faster, there will be plenty of air moving across the fins to adequately cool. Been proven over & over.

I am curious though, do these belts break on Alternators because a generator shouldn't have any tension on the belt to cause it to break.

[hefty lefty]

Originally Posted by modeleh

Yes. Imperial is a term used by old hosers to refer to any unit of measure that differs from its american counterpart. It goes back to the days when Canada was considered a colony of the commonwealth of England. You may have also heard the term Imperial gallon which is larger than the US gallon (4.5 liters vs 3.78 liters to a us gal) To get even more anal, the proper hoser way to spell it is litre. You have to be careful when talking mpg numbers with a Canadian, because some hoseheads still do their calculations based on the Imperial gallon, which makes them feel better because they think they are getting better mpg numbers.

Tools are either SAE, Whitworth or metric. There are no Whitworth fasteners on any American or, so far as I know, Canadian car. Unless someone has put on a SU carb, a Laycock de Normanville OD or some such, or they have a V-1650 Packard built Merlin engine shoehorned in there.

American correct spelling is liter, British/ROA (Rest Of Anglosphere) is "litre".
Canada uses its own and somewhat arbitrary hybrid of US and English English meaning I find it more odd linguistically to be in Canada than the UK. In Britain you KNOW what is correct, in Canada it's a guess. Whenever I'm up there I wind up asking the price of "petrol" and so forth making me seem weird to the locals.

Canada used the Imperial gallon, but not such other British units of measure as "stone" for people's weight. "All the women in Calgary weigh nineteen stone" would mystify rather than outrage out of sheer obscurity.

[Fred K-OR]

Brent, I am no mechanic but my question is: Why did Ford put a fan and water pump on the A in the first place? I am not trying to argue and not trying to carry this discussion on and on but I am confused. Do we really need these items on the A???? Please explain.

Don't know about the tension on the alternator. I have generators on my rigs. This fellow may have had it to tight.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

AAA costs about $67 a year and I'd prefer to drive the Model A home. I just can't see much happening that would make me have to take a flatbed home.

My fan broke and scooped out a large hunk of radiator 55 miles from home.

As for tools, I carry a cheap set of, HF sockets, open end wrench's, screwdrivers. I have an extra socket for the lug nuts and an extension for the wrench. I have used my tools to help others far more than working on my own. I have a tow strap (never used) ignition parts (condenser, points) and a fan belt. That's about it. OH almost forget I have a collapsible 5 gal water jug.

[hefty lefty]

Originally Posted by Fred K-OR

Brent, I am no mechanic but my question is: Why did Ford put a fan and water pump on the A in the first place? I am not trying to argue and not trying to carry this discussion on and on but I am confused. Do we really need these items on the A???? Please explain.

Don't know about the tension on the alternator. I have generators on my rigs. This fellow may have had it to tight.

They put it on for good reason, but most older cars will run okay under highway speeds with only thermosiphon. That's why the put thermostatic fan clutches on later cars. You need the fan when stopped and idling or moving slowly in hot weather. At speed much more air comes through from the relative wind than a fan could move. If the belt breaks you can run at moderate speeds in cooler temperatures just fine.