Dave Henderson

Keiser, Almost hate to bring this up, you are right-on almost always, but....that Ford coming up on the right is a Model A, probably 1930.

In the early post WWII days, very few students at my high school had cars. All the vehicles I can remember being owned by members of my 11th grade class of about 350 were a Model A coupe, a ca. 1930 International truck, a Model T pickup, and mine, a '35 Pontiac. By a large margin, mine was the fastest. Fastest also at gulping oil. Probably the fastest car there, albeit owned by a young music teacher, was a 12 cylinder'37 Cadillac. Well, at least it must have used gas the fastest.

No Cord? No Duesenberg? No Tucker? No way.

Has anyone registered an antique roadster at the Virginia DMV and received a title describing it as a 2 dr. sedan? I know of 2 instances of this!

The AACA Museum! It's just about 3 hours north of D. C. in Hershey, Pa. On the way, stop at the Latimore Valley Antique Race Car Museum near Dillsburg, Pa. That may not be the exact name, (somebody help out). locals there should be able to direct you. It is not huge, but is packed with racing goodies.

Picks for "paintless" dent removal?

The last and third from last do appear to be the same vehicle, and it looks to have been a stretched limo made from a sedan, whose stretch job failed to survive the accident. At first I thought it may have just come apart, but then the right running board area shows damage too.

Car on the right may be a '35 Chevy with an added center bumper guard.

Dave, Sparton was perhaps the most used of all the horns. Haven't ever seen statistics on this or know if such exists. Not to be a nitpicker however, this from the Model A Judging Standards published jointly by MARC and MAFCA regarding the application span for each of the 5 Model A horns; Sparton '27-'31, ( The Model A was introduced in December, 1927) Stewart-Warner Mid '28-'31, E. A. Labs '27-'29, Ames '27-early'30, G.I.M. mid '28-'31.

Assuming the Buick is a running, driving car, what problems existed before overhauling the system? If the brakes didn't lock up before and nothing has been re-positioned or changed, you can stop worrying about lines getting too hot. Something else, not yet addressed, is the culprit. Since you have beaten the master cylinder aspect to death I assume, it must be one of those simple to overlook causes, like the return spring not pulling the pedal all the way back, causing the rubber piston cup to still block the port. Next time it drags pull up on the pedal to see if that relieves the pressure.

In addition to Sparton, 4 other makers produced horns for the Model A Ford at some period during its production. They were; Stewart-Warner, GIM, E. A. Labratories, and Ames. It is not uncommon to find a horn made up from parts of different makes, as most parts interchange and they often got swapped around over the years. Articles have appeared in Model A club literature showing pictures of each make, with its distinguishing features and markings.

Hope this helps track down those Stutz switches. They were auction lot 5479 and went for $748. I had googled "Lee Roy Hartung Auction results" out of curiosity to see how things had gone and spent much time absolutely engrossed. Auction of the year? May be the auction of the decade! Prices unbelieveable, thousands of lots, big big bucks. Congratulations to Auction America. What a success. The Veritas brought $195,500, and the Davis around $140, 000, didn't write the exact amount down.

The problem almost HAS to be in the master cylinder. How were the brakes before you rebuilt the system? Did the same pressure build-up exist before? If so, the problem lies in something that still wasn't addressed by the rebuild. If not, it comes down to improper assembly, wrong or defective parts, or incorrect adjustment of linkage. Was the front (output) end of the cylinder dismantled and parts replaced there? In the right sequence? The valve there must be able to allow fluid to return into the cylinder when the pedal is let up. Second. are you sure the cylinder piston retreats far enough back for the rubber cup it pushes to not obstruct the small "compensating port" in the bottom of the reservoir? If it doesn't, compare the new piston's length to the old piston's to make sure it isn't too long. Test the port opening with a small wire, don't force, it should go right through. If the piston is correct and the port is still obstructed then it is a problem with something not allowing full retreat of the piston. Possibly a very rough boring of the cylinder? Not likely. Since ALL the wheels lock up, about the only other possible suspect would be an obstruction in the line from the output end of the master cylinder to the distribution block where fluid is directed to wheel cylinders.

I believe Walker made mechanical jacks.

Neat coincidence, jusr saw this today, a period picture of another cool rod, still a 4banger. It had an Almquist finned aluminum flat head, 2 Stromberg 97's, and get the clever adaptation of an early V8 distributor, running off a vertical shaft from the cam just where the Model A or B distributor had been. No "traffic violation" marker here, no windshield! In the rear, a romantic couple in a groovy '37 Buick convertible, sporting dual sidemounts, fogs, and a spotlight. The '35 Ford coupe has some upgrades, note the cowl side antenna and, golly, it has a '41 Ford bumper on the front too. Oops, one headlight lens gone.

Frank, I believe it's a '40 Merc with a '41 Ford bumper, rather than a '38/'39 Ford.

Marty, When I was a 15 year old kid back in the dark ages, I put motor oil in the hydraulic brake system of my '35 Pontiac. Duh. I seem to remember It caused the valve at the front of the master cylinder to swell and malfunction, and not permit pressure to subside when the pedal was let up. It was more than just embarassing to have to get out and bleed off fluid right in the middle of Wash. D. C. traffic. (Also a miracle I/m still on this side of the sod). It may also be possible in some configurations for the valve to have been installed backwards. Maybe worth checking. Dave

The Model A Ford Club of America published a series of volumes containing step by step articles on restoration topics that first appeared in The Restorer, the club magazine. All 8 of the series are currently available. It would be helpful if you said what body style are you inquiring about.

This is an 11 year, nearly 2 foot wide 44 issue continuous run, starting with Volume 11 #1 and ending with Volume 21 #4, in excellent condition. $300. PM me with your email address for pictures or further info. Thanks, Dave

Funny, it seems that in 1935 GM incorporated front suicide doors in a Johnny-come-lately fashion, after the competition, Chrysler and Ford, had discontinued them. By 1936 suicide fronts were almost all gone from domestically produced automobiles, Cord being one exception. The GM change to front suicide took place regardless of whether the '35's bodies were like the '36's or like the '34's, as in the case of Buicks for instance. As the generally accepted style leader in the '30's, wasn't GM's '35 swing (no pun intended) a bit of a mis-calculation? '

Here is a Klaxon box for different looking "Klaxon 12, type S" horns. Can you make out a "type" on the data plate of yout horn? Since it is marked 6 volts, that rules out 12 being a reference to its voltage. Actually, few cars of the ahooga horn era were 12 volts, Dodge being one that comes to mind. Perhaps the 12 refers to the motor series, and type S to the projector style. Note the quality of the box, made of clear lumber, and with dovetailed corners. The faint logo at the bottom of the label says "The Public Safety Signal".

Restoration Supply Co. contact info; info@RestorationStuff.com Restoration Supply Company Phone; (760) 741 4014

The backing on the flea market sticker would not come off to expose the adhesive. It de-laminated, a thin layer remained on the sticker . Better check yours. If there are many like this there could be backup problems at entrance gates, particularly if the guards are fussy.

6 volt generators... same terms as above, $25 for the pair. Delco Remy 1102704 OD19 for '52 Olds Rocket 88, and no doubt useable on others (sold) Unidentified one with surface rust... As a kid back in the dark ages I had this rigged up strapped to a board and hooked up to an old washing machine motor using a piece of heater hose to connect, for an improvised battery charger. It did the job. Note that the shaft protrudes from both ends, suggesting that probably a water pump was driven by it too. Even if you aren't interested in buying the double ended one your thoughts on what it is for would be much appreciated. Dave

Trippes...(sold)