First post - opinions on suspension and braking

[big31]

Regards,

First time poster, been keeping tabs here for a few years. I've recently inherited my Dad's '31 truck making me a 3rd owner of a "farm-special" if it were.

I've since replaced all glass, rebuilt the carburetor, replaced all electrical wiring, replaced king-pins and re-calibrated (with help) the brakes. I know as it stands the steering needs some help as the worm gear occasionally doesn't mesh well, causing steering to shake.

As I'm learning (already own Model A Ford Mechanics Handbook Vol 1) I'm wondering if my efforts would better be placed in updating the suspension and braking. With this I could replace the steering... the long winded question is in if it's worth doing or what in general your opinions are?

Long story longer, I want to drive my Dad's A weekly if not almost daily (during the summer especially). I want to tour with it and the occasional long trip (300 miles would be my bucklist). Problem is it just isn't safe past 35mph currently which just isn't practical. I don't want to go 70, but 45 would be nice.

As I'm not overly mechanical and in talking with restorers/hot rod shops in the area. Fitting my A with a 37-48 front, 9" rear, new steering, master cylinder, brakes, etc while keeping at least the look of a '31 would be around 9-11k turnkey. That's far more than I feel my A is worth but if it could get me near highway speed and safe, is it worth it? That and I could be driving it regularly within 6 months vs. now which is only in special occasions and if I were to try the task on my own would likely take a few years and LOTS of posts on this message board. Please note I have no intention on making my A a show truck, selling it or trying to keep it all original - I want to use the truck and keep it much like my Dad did when he used it as a daily driver.

(Side history: He bought the truck in 1962, for $25. brakes are currently screen-door spring held together, glass was plate and glued in around 1970. Radiator was chromed as a favor, engine isn't original but is a 1930 model a. Entire body, undercarriage and wheels have been maintained by local hardware store spray paint for the past 40 years. However, it runs great and is a blast to drive!)

Thanks for any opinions and or contributions to the thread.

[George Miller]

I would keep it original, They are very safe at 50 miles per hour. Sounds like you have play in the steering. Could be a loose steering box,loose pitman arm, loose tie rod ends and drag length ends. or could be play in the wish bone going from the front axle to bottom of the transmission.

The brakes can also be made to work well. One nice thing about mechanical brakes is the wheel cylinders never leak like they do on cars that sit a lot. because you do not have them with mechanical brakes.

My car has almost 24,000 miles since it was redone. brakes and steering work fine. I have driven it 250 miles in one day with it more than once.

[C26Pinelake]

Welcome to the Barn to a new friend. I can't help you with the technical stuff but there are many that can. Have fun. Wayne.

[big31]

Thanks for the reply George. I have no doubt my steering needs some work. I'm curious - at 35mph+ my truck feels like I could be a pilot on one of the Apollo missions (pretty rough), is this "normal" operation? I realize with a 80 year old suspension it shouldn't expect a lap of luxury but you really know when you're pushing the "speed envelope" in my truck.

[George Miller]

Are you talking about a pickup or a big truck. If it is a big truck it is different deal. They will ride hard and run slow. Pickup ride good.But not like a new car.

[Ian Curtis]

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Big,

The best money you can spend is to rebuild the brakes. Rebuilt to original specs, they will lock up the wheels no problem. You will never get the stopping performance of a modern car because the tires are smaller, but they do work just as well as hydraulic brakes would.

My brakes were terrible, so I didn't drive much. I had the backing plates rebuilt & got cast iron drums from Mel Model A, and it made such a huge difference. It cost me about $1.5k including shipping, two weeks including shipping for Randy at Mel Model A to do the rebuild, and a couple evenings to disassemble and then reassemble everything, and it was worth every penny. It can be a bit fidgety / trial & error to get everything lined up just so, but it isn't that difficult, especially with a little club expertise.

Many things can cause a steering shimmy. Again, it would be much cheaper to find the problem & tighten up whatever is loose. I had some club members help me when mine was new, and my once frequent low speed death wobble has been dead ever since.

In my experience, most of the problems I thought were going to be very difficult turned out to be pretty straightforward with a little help from a local club.

My Model A is completely stock, and we recently completed a 350 mile weekend trip no problem. Dive in!

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by big31

Thanks for the reply George. I have no doubt my steering needs some work. I'm curious - at 35mph+ my truck feels like I could be a pilot on one of the Apollo missions (pretty rough), is this "normal" operation? I realize with a 80 year old suspension it shouldn't expect a lap of luxury but you really know when you're pushing the "speed envelope" in my truck.

To make it soft again i would dissassemble the leaf packs, grind off the ridge, taper the bottom of the leaf above its ends to prevent it from digging in and making a ride and lube with some graphite paste. SHould be as bouncy as a modern leaf spring if done right.

brakes should be as firm and stop as good as modern brakes if restored correctly and all the slop taken out of everything.

Im with the others, restore what you have...

[big31]

@Ian - awesome thread. Thanks for the advice. My brakes since being redone/re-calibrated do operate fine, again at 35 or less. I fear faster. Sounds like a visit to someone who knows A's would be a good investment on my part to diagnose the suspension and steering.

@SeaSlugs -

To make it soft again i would dissassemble the leaf packs, grind off the ridge, taper the bottom of the leaf above its ends to prevent it from digging in and making a ride and lube with some graphite paste. SHould be as bouncy as a modern leaf spring if done right.

This sounds a bit outside my expertise, though once shown I'm sure I can get it. I'm positive NOTHING has been done to the leaf springs in 80+ years.

[Bob C]

The shock absorbers may be frozen or missing.

Bob

[big31]

Originally Posted by Bob C

The shock absorbers may be frozen or missing.

Bob

I will research this as well. As I wasn't aware they were present till this post. Again doubtful they've been touched... ever.

[Charlie Stephens]

I would fix the brakes and steering and drive it. Change it too much and it is no longer your dad's truck. If you put a 3.54 rear end in it you should be comfortable at 55 MPH. When someone tells you to use a front end from a '37-'48 they obviously don't understand the cars and you should run!!! There might be some changes to consider but don't jump into them. Feel free to post what you are intending to do and get comments.

Charlie Stephens

[J Franklin]

Is your truck a pickup? Did you thoroughly grease and oil the chassis and springs? If it is a big truck it may only want to go 35-40 MPH. If it is a pickup it may have a 4:11 gear set and top out at around 45 or so. These things should be done and known and reported here on this forum.

[Tom Wesenberg]

As George said, original is best and just fix what's worn out. AA trucks have large brakes and can easily put your face into the windshield.

If it's the large AA truck then I'd install an overdrive to use it daily and drive the speeds you want.

Is it an AA 1 1/2 ton truck, or is it a pickup?

[big31]

My '31 is just a pickup not an AA or anything heavy-duty.

[aford193031]

Nice pickup, I would get with Mel about the brakes use his drums. He can rebuild your shoes and backing plates

[tbirdtbird]

The brakes and the steering seem to be the biggest issues from what you wrote.
9-11 K is a lotta coin. Properly fixing what you have would be no where near that.
Also, if you 'upgrade' the components by fitting with a 37-48 front, 9" rear, new steering, master cylinder, brakes,etc, then in the view of many you will have actually devalued the car.
Once the original components are properly restored they will last a long long time.
You state you are not very mechanical.
Strongly suggest you joint the local club, and if you are willing to get your hands dirty, get some face-to-face first hand help to assist you. Provide ample food and beer and the help will be there. For non-mechanical people, this is the best way to learn and to accomplish something; without making something worse. The forum and the books will help those who are already mechanical the most; they will help others way less. You cannot beat face to face help in this situation. You will also need a bunch of tools.

[Jon]

See if you can find a local club for some help. It might surprise you how little it needs to make it drive able.

[Synchro909]

I agree with those above who have said you should repair what you have to original specs as best you can. There is plenty of help available from a local club and here.
I'm only 4 or 5 weeks back from a 7,000 mile drive where I cruised at 50 mph while towing. The most I have done in a day is 700 miles - too much to sustain but it can be done.

[Mike V. Florida]

PROPER restoration of the Model A systems are key to ease of use, comfort and reliability.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

Strongly suggest you joint the local club, and if you are willing to get your hands dirty, get some face-to-face first hand help to assist you. Provide ample food and beer and the help will be there. For non-mechanical people, this is the best way to learn and to accomplish something; without making something worse. The forum and the books will help those who are already mechanical the most; they will help others way less. You cannot beat face to face help in this situation. You will also need a bunch of tools.

I can't agree with this enough. I bought mine before joining the club, which was in retrospect pretty dang dumb. The website says you don't need to own one to join, but I just felt weird showing up before. Of course, mine ran great when I test drove it, but immediately after purchasing it, it would barely start and then barely run. I drove it down the gentle hill next to my house, and then almost had to call AAA to get it the 500 feet back up the hill. So, I showed up to the next monthly club breakfast and introduced myself by saying, "Hi I'm Ian, I bought a Model A, it ran great when I paid for it, and now it doesn't."

After breakfast I had a half dozen guys in the garage tearing the thing apart, and when 2 hours of debugging couldn't fix the problem, the club president took my carburetor & distributor home with him to see if they'd run on his test engine. They did, and after a few more visits we eventually narrowed it down to a coil that tested fine on the multimeter but just didn't work in practice.

Don't be afraid to ask, folks are happy to lend a hand and pass on the knowledge!