Steverino
black sheep
He's 87, and decided he wanted a Model A. His father had one, it was the family car. So one day last spring, a 1931 Model A Tudor showed up on a trailer. He bought it and had it shipped to MS from Maine. It looked great, in very nice condition, ran great, handled and braked well, but it didn't take long for Dad to decide he was going to completely rebuild the entire undercarriage; brakes, springs, steering, all of it. As we went, it became obvious that despite several "restorations" along the way, everything under the car was original, much of it worn out and in need of replacement.
I dig old cars, but to me "old" was anything post-war. I quickly realized I didn't know squat about these Model As or any car that old! Everything is very basic, some would say "crude", but that doesn't mean anyone with a set of decent tools and a basic understanding of how cars work can just jump in and fix anything on this car approaching 100 years old. The floor boards are wood, the top has a lot of wood. The brakes are mechanical, no hydraulics. The transmission is not synchronized, you must know how to double-clutch in order to downshift. The timing is manually adjusted as you drive it.
It's been over a year now, and I can definitely say that now this car is in great shape. Oh, and not one Phillips head screw on this car! Apparently that's a no-no
40 hp, top speed is around 50-55mph. I never thought driving one of these would put a smile on my face, but it does.
I dig old cars, but to me "old" was anything post-war. I quickly realized I didn't know squat about these Model As or any car that old! Everything is very basic, some would say "crude", but that doesn't mean anyone with a set of decent tools and a basic understanding of how cars work can just jump in and fix anything on this car approaching 100 years old. The floor boards are wood, the top has a lot of wood. The brakes are mechanical, no hydraulics. The transmission is not synchronized, you must know how to double-clutch in order to downshift. The timing is manually adjusted as you drive it.
It's been over a year now, and I can definitely say that now this car is in great shape. Oh, and not one Phillips head screw on this car! Apparently that's a no-no
40 hp, top speed is around 50-55mph. I never thought driving one of these would put a smile on my face, but it does.
