Category: 1929 Model A Ford Sport Coupe

Peep Mirror Adventures Part 2 Grinding it Out!

Peep Mirror Adventures Part 2 Grinding it Out!

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It’s the weekend again and back to the mirror conundrum.

I worked out the grub screw thread using a thread gauge and ordered some shorter screws. The originals are 6mm x 6.5mm. So decided to try 6mm x 6mm and 6mm x 5mm. However upon trying both options the door still wouldn’t clear the mirror.

So back to the bracket and see how we go

As can be seen above the screws are proud and causing the issue

So the best option appeared to be to grind one of the original screws down to a correct level as it appears 6mm x 5mm are about the shortest available. To make things easier the screw was inserted into a nut and locked with another screw to allow an easier grinding operation.

Once the grinding was done and the threads cleaned up it was time to fit them to the bracket.

This now allowed the screws to be tightened with the right clearance to allow the door to shut.

Next step is to fit the arm and once again check the door for closure

As you can see there is a bit of paint damage from where a mirror was previously fitted, this will be touched in when the weather warms up a bit.

The fit was good, so the mirror head was attached and initially adjusted

Looks pretty good with the two mirrors and will help safety wise.

No such thing as an easy job!

Peep Mirror Adventures

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After nearly 10 years of ownership it was about time to match the drivers side peep mirror on the passenger side of the Sport Coupe

The mirror is good quality and comes with a rubber pad and allen key. The mirror is also adjustable for side to side and angle
Mirror is quite adjustable

In theory this mirror is “exactly” the same as the original on the drivers side, but…

The bracket needed quite a bit of adjustment (bending!) to get to the situation below

Then the next challenge

The grub/set screws are too long to allow the door to close, when compared to those on the original they are around 2mm too long. These are a probably a little too short too cut or grind and I’ll see if I can source before attempting the hackery 🙂

So, updates to follow!

Compression Test on the Model A!

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Finally bit the bullet and carried out a compression test on the Model A

Bought the compression tester from Amazon, can’t beat that for value, please click my affiliate link below (all helps :))

However the Model A needs an adaptor to fit the cylinder head as you can see below

First step removing the spark plugs

Once the plugs were removed the adapter to match the compression tester to the cylinder head was fitted. (purchased from O’Neill Vintage Ford here)

Time to start the test

On to the results

Cylinder 1
Cylinder 2
Cylinder 3
Cylinder 4

As you can see the results are very even, which other than a reasonable base figure is really the desired result. The Simmons Super Power Head will increase the compression ratio above the standard 4.22:1, and offers a claimed 5.5:1. So a higher figure is to be expected if the engine is in good heath.

More details here

A quick look at the plugs confirms that things are looking pretty normal

All in all a worthwhile exercise for piece of mind at least!

Squeaky Rear Spring Model A Ford!

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Had a squeak from the rear when getting in and out and over certain bumps, eventually it got to an annoying level!

Weldtite TF2!

So I turned to the old faithful Weldtite TF2 Lubricant Spray with Telflon. Apply in between the leaves and give it a bounce and all is quiet (well for a Model A :)) once again!

Follow up on the Brake Drum Investigation

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As a follow up to the brake drum investigation post (link below)

Brake Drum Investigation

Gave the drum a good cleaning with the poor mans Dremel rather than the lathe, and yes the crack is too bad to use. Can’t take the risk with brakes.

Cracked!

As can be seen, the crack covers the entire width of the braking area. Should be able to salvage the hub as it appears to be the press in type. So now looking for new drums, update to follow.

1929 Model A Ford Oil Change and Analysis

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Time to change the oil on the Sport Coupe

Air jack saving time and effort once again, you can see them here at Vevor

Was using a Mann filter on the Mike’s oil filter kit, article here on fitting the kit

Moved to the Bosch filter purely on a cost basis, these filters are a version of the Ford EFL90 used on the Pinto engine

Once the oil change was completed decided to inspect the oil and filter as the babbitt engine, (if the original), is over 90 years old and not the quietest!

Starting with a magnetic search in the drain bowl which came up all clear, followed this with the microwave test. This involves taking a small sample of oil in a container and running the microwave to see if any sparks result from metal present in the oil. Again all seems to be clear.

Next operation was to split the oil filter canister, didn’t make the best job of this part and introduced a little bit of metal and paint around the top edge. Wasn’t terribly worried as the folds are where the interest lies and this isn’t exactly scientific.

Once apart and fanned out found it to be pretty much clear with the exception of the expected small amount of sludge. SAE40 is the lubricant used and is a non detergent. The oil pan and pump were desludged not long after purchase. Past oil pan adventures can be found here. To help matters the oil filter kit and regular oil changes have been instrumental in keeping things clean.

So to sum up, perhaps a few more years left in the current lump (touch wood!)

Electric Fuel Pump Switch Solution

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Since making the change to the Stromberg 97, Scalded Dog setup which necessitated a move to an electric fuel pump as the gravity feed won’t supply enough fuel.

The pump is on a switch through a relay. Deliberately not wired via the ignition leaving the option to switch the pump on and off independently. The switch was initially under the dash making it a bit awkward to operate. This can also lead to the pump not being switched on and off at the most inappropriate moments.

To make this a bit more user friendly dash mounting was required. As are difficult to mount items on the dash for various reasons.

Also the aim is to not make the installation “too modern” looking. To this end a twin gauge mount was modified to hold the switch and part of the fuel tank rail a good place to mount the modified part.

Looks pretty unobtrusive, but I’m sure “a purist” will have something to say at a show soon!

1929 Model A Ford Sport Coupe Dash Rewire and Happy 4th July!

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Happy 4th July!

Decided it was high time the dash wiring was replaced as it was pretty much the same age as the car!

As you can see it was a bit crispy and the ignition switch wire was badly chafed and liable to cause a short.

The dash loom came from O’Neils and the ignition switch wire is a home made item with some loom braiding for protection.

Probably the biggest pain of the whole job was having to disconnect the speedo cable as removing the dash made the whole job a lot easier.

Pro-tip don’t leave your magnetic torch on the exhaust when you road test the car (ask me how I know :))

Whilst the dash was out it was a good opportunity to lubricate the speedo and tighten the ignition switch which can work loose and also make the dash light wire a bit safer as it’s showing its age.