Here is my friend Willie's 1930 Model A pickup.Maybe this actually belongs in the thread for aiplane engine powered car.The started out with a very solid kit of parts coming from different places in the Northwest.the cab and ch***is came from Washington State and the bed came from the portland area.Though the engine has been in the Fairbanks,Alaska area for eons. It originally powered a Funk airplane.Then it sat in a moving storage crate for decades.Willie obtained the engine and rebuilt it.It is a Model B block,crank,and rods.Special pistons and cam.The valves are large diameter 1932 Plymouth items.In the aircraft this engine was run inverted.The cyclinder liners are longer to keep the oil from getting into the combustion chamber.Now,I do not know if this changes the way the engine runs in the normal upright position or not.Because it was originally run upside down ,this engine has a much improved full pressure oiling system. This rig also has a Warner overdrive harvested from a 1963 Rambler.The torque tube has been modified in order to accept it.Willie drove this car on a cross country tour with his grandson ,towing a trailer comfortably at 65 MPH.Getting a best of 23 MPG. Although this truck doesn't have all of the speed tricks it could,it's power and reliability is greatly improved over a stock Model A.
Leave it stock , I wouldn't touch it with anything other than my *** and hands while I drove it everyday... By the way GREAT COLOR.
Nice truck! Click on the link to the Joe Gertler site and I believe that areo conversion will turn up, or one like it. Joe Jr. is a HAMB menber if my memory is right. That pickup would make a great race car tow vehicle. http://www.memaerobilia.com/
I'd be tempted to just drop it a little, but since you live in Alaska, and it sounds like this thing gets driven a lot, I would leave it as it is. That is a gorgeous truck with a killer drivetrain. Leave it be, it will make it's own history just as it is
Wow honestly how many model A are even up there still? My vote is drive and enjoy it. You already have the weber progressive intake and carb, and a cast header, can't tell if you got a stock or modified distributor but I would say yes by looking at the other mods and the modern cap. Nice truck.-Weeks
I don't think he's asking if he should build a street rod out of it. I think he's saying look how stock this neat little truck looks but it's NOT. I could be wrong.
Thats interesting considering you can't run antifreeze. How do you keep the blocks from freezing and cracking up there?-Weeks
http://airandground.org/aircraft-and-space-museums/western-antique-aeroplane/akron-funk-b.html @banjeaux bob, I will search for one in the bay but this gives a good perspective of its install config...Found one... Just on a sombre note Fab 32 is no longer with us but he's no doubt high up above...the silver lining is others will cherish the info moving forward...good to see the Thread up again... Rip Fab 32
That's outrageous they ran it inverted. How did I miss this before? Would mess with oiling for sure. I wonder if this is the same Funk company that made V8 conversions for Ford tractors?
Come on Pete where's the fun in that...think El Mirage... I will link the other Thread here they feed off one another...and that dual plug head is pretty ***y... https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/funk.1302919/#post-15012791
Nobod...I have been snooping and the material on the B Model did mention Oiling issues so you're entirely right that they had hurdles to jump and that may have expedited the later variants with different brands of engine's...
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/funk.1302919/ The Head on Nutts engine... Aluminum...twin plug...
It's not pure stock in any true sense. But it's in a happy place as it sits so there's no need to mess with it in either direction. I see added value in it over a stock resto. (I prefer drivers more than museum pieces.)
It's actually too bad he didn't figure out a way to (nicely) run that mill in its' original configuration. Talk about lighting your mind on fire... & then to quell the nay-sayers, keep a copy of the Funk engine ad in the window. . I get why he didn't, but still... Marcus...
I was thinking that too, you'd have to run a chain drive or something like that...crazy...I think the fella was not real adventurous that way...being a crated engine I still wonder what he did with the head...
I don't follow the Banger Threads regularly but still find fellas pushing their envelope awesome...I can't recall seeing a dual plug aluminum head on a banger...I guess the distributor is also part of the package...So I ask those into bangers would a dual plug Aluminum head with a matching distributor help win the race or be a dog without a bone?
Doesn't mean it can't be sporting a 8 plug head with a distributor to fire them...that's gow job stuff...and period correct to the mid to late 30s...could even toss on some 32 or 35 wires and applicable rubber...it is a Hotrod site after all......WAIT!!...its already got later shoes...Yay!!! I like it too...
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