Since I got my 1930 AA Pickup home I've been doing alot of thinking about what route I'm going to go with it. So my plans are to make a stockish hotrod out of it. So I need to track down a regular "A" ch***is and go from there. I've been doing research but I'm only finding general information about Model A's, not the real technical stuff I'm looking for. So my questions are: I discovered the AA transmission is a 4 speed with lower ratios, can I use this to any benefit? Better acceleration? Looking for a rolling ch***is, I've come across the 28-29 ch***is. Are there any differences between 28-29 and 30-31? What is a desirable gear ratio for the rear? I want to be able to drive on the highway sometimes. My motor doesn't have a carb or distributor, should I track down stock stuff, or are there good replacements that are easliy obtainable? I'm willing to make an intake if needed to make a carb work, I just want some reliability and maybe a common carb. Never have drivien one before, but how are the mechanical brakes? safe at highway speeds? If not, what's the best route to go for a hydraulic conversion on the stock spindles and rear end? thats it for now, i'm sure ill have more... thanks in advance!
I have heard nightmares about mechanical brakes.. I wouldn't trust them on the highway. If you're going to switch the frame, there's no reason you shouldn't get better than half ***ed brakes. And A-banger stuff shouldn't be hard to find, if you really wanna keep the 4 banger in there you could find a distributor and a carb pretty easy. Frankly though, I'd just box the frame, drop a v8 in it and put the hood on..
i've had v8's, i have a sbc sitting on an engine stand ready to go in something, but i want something different. i haven't driven anything with a motor this old before, and i'm very interested to see how it feels. i know it will be slow as ****, this will be a cruiser.... god i never thought id ever hear myself say that...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=305994&highlight=november+banger Check out the above link, there's a monthly banger meet. I've run mechanical brakes for 18 months now and over 6000 miles - no problem, like anything just need to keep them adjusted well and maintained correctly. Welcome to the world of 'A'
I can totally see the coolness factor would be much higher on a banger.. I like to go fast though.. Although, between a SBC and banger, I'd go banger. Less cliche, and way more awesome. I'll take the small block off your hands if you want though, I'd be no problem!
I like the way you're thinking. Put it back together stock, look at juice brakes and drive it for a while. I think your experience will guide you to natural modifications and you'll meet like minded people along the way to get some ideas. Don't change the ch***is, not yet. AA trucks are interesting in their own right. If you find it too low in the gears for modern driving, think about a hiway geared axle for it. That and juice brakes up front get you half way there.
Definitly check the monthly Banger meets. They are all in one link in the tech section plus info for hyd. brakes. Motor, Banger Thread links - THE H.A.M.B. There is a ton of mod's you can do to improve the horsepower with just a little money and it can be all done over time and not all at once. I also just aquired my first banger and it is an interesting approach to hot rodding.
I've put over 25000 miles on an "A" with mechanical brakes without problems. The secret to mechanical brakes is to eliminate any slack in the system.
The ch***is are pretty much the same 28-29 and 30-31. Either would work. An intake, carb and dist. should be easy to find and cheap as well. I have run the piss outta my car, I switched over to hydrallic brakes and have a hopped up "B" engine going into it very soon. If you like old cars for being old cars, you'll love the stock A engine. If you want a modern car wrapped in an old shell, you'll hate it!
Thats exactly what I'm hoping to get from this, an amazing expierence, like i've gon back in time. I don't really want to keep it a AA, they wouldn't had hotrodded one back then, and its just too big, my ch***is is the long wheel base, the frame is heavy, the rear suspension is almost usless. I weighted one the rim and tires and it weighed 119LBS. Ill definately start checking out the banger meet threads. Lots of reading there. Thats good to know about the ch***is, ill have better chances of tracking one down. Chris, you car looks perfect btw!
Juice brakes are , of course , better but mechanical are servicable . The main fault with mechanical is that they must be maintained and adjusted so that all the wheels are equal for them to work well . Hydraualics obviously adjust themselves to a certain extent making them very forgiving .
Hey Chris, Would you mind sharing your tire and wheel combination (sizes, offsets, etc.)? Your stance is the look i hope to attain with my 29 Tudor. Thanks
The wheels are stock 16" Fords, 4" in the front, 5" in the rear. Tires are 7.50:16 rear and 5.50:16 fronts. Front end is a 4" dropped axle, reverse eyed spring with a couple leafs removed. Lowering the rear is a simple T spring.
28/29 front cross member is about 1/4 inch higher than 30/31...so you can run a 28/29 radiator on a 30/31...but you have to shim it to make the hood fit...the reverse will not work unless you cut the radiator mount down...otherwise they are pretty much interchangebile....brakes...let me ask you this...when all four wheels are putting down rubber [a skid] is there any more traction with hydraulics???...ABS ??? I'm just not convinced...32
good to know about the brakes, all of the stopping i've ever done has included no skidding, would a model A even lock them up at highway speeds? i would moslty be worried about the brakes not doing anything, except create extreme heat, and the fade.
ok maybe I misunderstood, thought you were considering a banger, my roadster is bone stock, little gear thats all...pickup is b motor 3/4 winfield again no problem...my 32 is 327 sbc ...no way with more weight and horses would I run mechanicals
You won't, unless you do some serious mods...and even then even if it will do 70 MPH you will not be able to just hop in it, turn the key and hit the interstate doing 70 all day.
You could cut down your big frame, and use it. They do it with the big 32 frames too. It has the front horns and all. It would be a solid platform, and it would look cool hi-boy or channeled. Put a round tube rear cross member, or run parralel leaf springs.
Do a member search for Goztrider as he is building a model AA truck project. May not be exactly what you plan but worth a look at his thread and maybe a couple of PM's. If mechanical brakes were going to be any good more folks would still be using them. Bite the bullet and up grade. I believe Goztrider is still using the AA truck ch***is and had a couple of rear suspension tricks that seemed to work. Keep us up to date with you progress and directions.
The frame is alot thicker height wise, looks to be about double. I don't think i can make it look right. Thanks I'll look him up right now!
Stock Model A's are a lot of fun to drive but don't expect anything like a modern car. I have recently purchased a 31 Model A closed cab pickup and have been going through the mechanical side of it. My I suggest you contact one of the Model A parts suppliers like Snyders and get a catalog. There are many suppliers and they are good. There is also some very good books at reasonable prices that will give you a lot of very useful information on repairing and maintaining the Model A. Had I done this when I first got mine I would have saved myself a lot of time and some money. You can update the distributor to use modern points and I would recommend that. For the carb decide if you want to stay with an updraft or go with a down draft. The downdraft will require a new manifold but you can use headers with it. Also if you are going to drive at night you will want to consider converting to 12 volt and using an alternator. Parts are readily available for sealed beam or modern headlights. Windshield wipers are another issue you will want to deal with, electric vs vacuum. The mechanical brakes will work fine if there is no play in the linkage and everything is adjusted correctly. You can skid all four wheel if everything is right. Think you should not expect 70 mph speeds with everything stock more like 55. Above that I would look at hydraulic brakes. Just some thought from someone that is learning Model A's right now. I am enjoying the learning experience. Joe
There is also a mechanical brake upgrade kit made by Flat head Ted that will improve the operation of the brakes. I have just installed the kit on my truck and it helps. Bought mine from Snyders. Joe
well our expressway is 100km/h (62mph) , and you use that to get across town. So I guess my first goal of the truck will be to get it to go 60mph lol. also, unless I find a complete ch***is, with all of the brakes, I will go straight to hydraulic.
The big question is, how much money do you want to spend on it? If it is going to be a low buck project, you'll go one way and if you have some cash to throw at it there are other ways. I'm about ready to start on a similar project. Banger motor with a T5 5-speed and probably a 9 inch Ford rear (because I have an extra). Juice brakes all around. My Model A's are running juice brake, I couldn't imagine running mechanical brakes but hear if they are set right they work fine. I like to stop as well.
well I'm not ever going to be working on it any time soon, so money wise, I'll spend what I need to to get it done the way I want. It has to be safe so my girlfriend can drive it also.
I'm running 40 Ford brakes on my coupe. They are fairly new and have about 3000 miles on them. I adjusted them and thought that they were fine before going on a couple hundred mile trip. I drive it about ten miles from home and the right brake was heating up. Anyway on the way back home, I had to stop fast and ended up changing lanes in the process. I thought a lot about putting disc brakes on it then. Since then I found out the right way to adjust 40 Ford brakes and I'm happy with them now; my bad.
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