vermontboy

I used a Model "A" as a daily driver back in the 60's and had no trouble locking up all 4 wheels. You adjust them on loose gravel (just like trailer brakes). IF you have ever felt a brake pedal go to the floor in a large car you will appreciate the positive action of mechanical brakes. I had that happen on a 1964 Chrysler Imperial - it is a helpless feeling. I would never buy a Model "A" that had been converted to hydraulic brakes ...

Just 2 cents worth here from someone who purchased their first "old" car in 1961 - it is a LOT more work to convert to disc brakes and change the pedal location than it is to have the original system properly rebuilt. It is also not as simple as people make it out to be to adjust the new front discs and the old rear drums to get the same stopping power you do with the original system. It is also a LOT more expensive and you gain nothing. If you go to resell and that is the only modification that you make you are going to eliminate a lot of potential buyers who want an original car - they will not even look at it - honest. ........ Again, this is just two cents worth of advice from an old timer.

Envelope advertising the International Horse and Horseless Carriage and Roads Locomotion Exhibition in London in 1896. Apparently damaged in the mails and received at the New York Post Office without contents. There are probably earlier shows including horseless carriages but this is an early one.

Is the title in your name? If not is there a clear paper trail of ownership from original owner to you or do you just have a signed title. That can make a large difference in some states.

Don't forget to check the polarity of the coil. Its doesn't make any difference as far as voltage is concerned but reversed polarity makes the plugs fire "backwards"....... we forget things like that when we've been dealing with newer cars for awhile. Also check out the ground connections (all of them).

Pricing is noted in the thread linked by Spinneyhill above - it is substantially in excess of 6k.

From memory that is probably within spec for a late 20's early 30's engine. Someone will come along who's memory is perhaps better than mine.

What state was the truck registered in? Some states did not issue titles, just transferable registrations.

If memory serves the fluid drive is just a fluid coupling between the motor and a standard transmission. Don't think there is much to go wrong with them but people usually don't pay attention to the oil level in the coupling unit. I bought a '49 Dodge and when I first got it the slippage was enough you couldn't start on a hill. Adding oil helped a lot and I am not sure I ever figured out how to use it correctly but it got me back and forth to work for a year or two..... But don't take my word for that - wait for someone that is more familiar with them to chime in.

Another possibility is a bad fuel pump - easy to check the pressure

Well we know it's either spark or gas - if it's spark it's most likely the distributor - could also be bad plugs. If it's gas it's the furl pump or carburetor settings (most likely an adjustment or the accelerator pump). If it's getting good spark at the right time and the proper amount of gas it will run as intended. Something is (or isn't) happening when you step on the gas. It's a shade tree mechanics dream ....

The town/village has a website and phone numbers. With a population of 2600 (for the whole area) probably most anyone picking up the phone could help. With privacy laws being what they are perhaps a letter would be better - addressed to either the town hall, town historian, or postmaster..... expressing interest and giving a reason helps ....

General observations from watching my kid go through countless wheel, spring and tire combinations on a variety of cars ranging from a '73 Fleetwood to an MR2. First - any lowering spring/shock will reduce ride quality because it shortens the travel distance and must be stiffer to avoid constant bottoming out and subsequent chassis (and perhaps body) damage. Second - Wide tires HYDROPLANE with a capital "H" Third - if you are going to play with those kind of tire sizes take it to a professional shop that can measure clearances through all load and rebound as well as turning positions and understands fully offsets and the consequences of increased bearing loads, etc. Do not try it on your own - it gets VERY expensive to trade in a wrong choice... You are dealing with a heavy car - there are a lot of things you can do for the resto-mod look (normal sized big and littles for example - picked up used so if you don't like it you don't lose 4 figures).... And remember to take it easy after any change that affects steering geometry - the factory designed it for safe handling - when you change things that first set of railroad tracks or breakaway on a wet ramp will not handle the same as it did... Just my two cents - and yes, awesome looking car.

I enjoy the editorial content most of all - it reminds me of the old Car and Driver (Ziff-Davis days) when they had arguably the best group of car writers ever assembled at one time. Brock Yates, Bruce McCall, Jean Shepherd, Patrick Bedard and Warren Weith come to mind. Come to think of it - all those issues are over 25 years old now and classified as antique. Where did the time go? Anyway - keep up the great work ..

I have never tried to use a car cover but based on the experience of friends here in the Northeast you are far better off either paying for rental space or purchasing a high quality portable garage ....... all of the problems that you mention can and do occur. Just my opinion, others will chime in....

Upgrade or restore/repair?? If they are in good operating condition any kind of "upgrade" will not really result in a "real world" improvement. You might gain a car length or two on a 60 to -0- stop but the reality is your reaction time makes a lot more difference than any gain in functionality.

I know you have your heart set on the Chrysler but there is a 1929 DeSoto Model K roadster with rumble seat, wire wheels, dual side mounts, and red head engine on a 3 year old frame off resto for $35,000 in the newest issue of Antique Automobile magazine. It is truly a sister car - hard to tell the difference although I may be wrong. You sure won't find anything closer.

At least find a '28-30 Mopar in driving condition around you and take it for a test drive to make sure you can live with it's quirks (all old cars have a few). I had a friend who for years wanted a '57 T'Bird. He was absolutely obsessed by the thought that he would one day own one. When the car of his dreams was advertised locally at a price he could now afford he called me and said that we had to go over right now- he needed a second set of eyes to make certain there were no glaring problems that his eagerness would hide. I went over with him - nice car. Then came the test drive. It never happened - he literally was too big for the car... he didn't fit. All those years of lusting for something that doesn't work .......... lesson learned.

I would thoroughly clean the connections at both ends of the battery cables. Slow or no cranking when warm is usually caused by poor cable connections or an undersized cable, or your battery is getting weak. A good shop can perform a load test on the battery but for me it has usually been the cable connections.

My response is gone as well. Perhaps this should become a stand alone classified section and not a part of the forum. All questions and answers would be by private message between the buyer and seller only. You could then open up a new section for those who are thinking of selling their car and wonder what people think and run that as a separate section - but at the time the seller decides to actually sell he must move it over to the classified section where no open questions are allowed. It's a shame that this is what the expectations of the world we live in have come to. "The problem with people today is they have skin that is blistered by moonbeams" - paraphrased from a quote by Ralph Nader.

You can always "Save image as" to your desktop and then either drag it or select it feom the desktop - very easy to do.

If you determine that the rust/safety issues pass the test of reason take a good look at the vinyl top and around the rear window. IF there is any sign of rust bubbles under the vinyl top anywhere best to pass. I bought a very nice low mileage 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood that appeared to have a couple of small bumps in the vinyl top - it was far more serious than I could have imagined and I ended up having the body shop do a quickie repair (obviously repaired). One of the few cars that I didn't at least break even on...

I have the same question. I have never had any problems with 6 volt systems in several cars I have owned. That includes starting a Model "A" at a confirmed -24 degrees below zero. Just use heavy battery and ground cables . I've looked at a of of Model "A"s for sale both for myself as well as others and I will not even look at one converted to 12 volts or with hydraulic brakes (you understand if you've ever had a brake line or wheel or master cylinder fail completely). So again - why do you want to change it?

Still not working - any way to cut and paste the article.

another link that will explain the history and current status of Earl. https://www.moparmontana.com/our-story.html