Projects Model A Traditional Hotrod - my style: make it look stock but go fast

Five Days Before Scheduled Departure From Virginia...

Monday, 5 days before we were suppose to leave Virginia the Model A is no where near completion so my cousin, volunteered to fly up to Virginia from Miami and help me finish the car. When he arrives that Monday, I inform him of the below status of the Model A:

Engine: block assembled, no intake, no distributor, no generator, no fan, no bell housing, no transmission, no oil filter assembly, no carburetor adapter, oil filler neck needs to be relocated.

Rear axle: not installed, frame mount not welded in, panhard rod not mounted, shock mounts not fabricated

Brakes: master cylinder not installed, pedal linkage and mount not fabricated, no brake lines or hoses.

Clutch linkage: needs to be fabricated.

As I'm relaying this to him, his eyes get bigger and his jaw starts to drop, then he says "your looking at 3 - 4 weeks of work!" To which I replied, "yep, but we got 4 days!"

 

Fuel and Spark

The distributor did not engage the slot in the new Isky camshaft. I think this is because there might be a difference in camshafts between the 2 bolt and 3 bolt distributors, but I'd have to do some more research to confirm.
In the meantime, we made this adapter.


Distributor on engine, latter we will have to open the slots because there wasn't enough travel to set the timing. Perhaps in addition to the end of the cam being a different length, maybe the indexing of the distributor slot is different as well?


In keeping with the "look stock" theme, the carburetor is a 2 barrel from a 1969 Dodge 318 rated at 185 HP. We made the aluminum adapter and port matched the intake. The oil filler was moved to be the tube shown just in front of the fuel pump mounting boss by boring a hole through the intake into the valve galley.




Completed Engine:


The assembled engine and transmission. The bell housing adapter had > 0.030" runout in the transmission locating hole and ~0.020" runout on its face. The face runout was corrected by reattaching the oil pan, tightening the bell housing bolts first, then the pan rail bolts. The hole runout was corrected by oversize drilling all the bolt holes and factory locating pin holes, indexing the bell housing adapter, then drilling, reaming, and installing 1/4" dowel pins. Lesson learned, don't use a chucking ream in a hand drill, the resulting holes were a bit oversized so we used locktight to hold the dowels. Final measurement: 0.002" face runout, 0.004" hole runout.

By the way that is a brand new Tremec TKX rated at 600 ftlbs on the input shaft and smooth shifts to 7500 RPM - absolutely overkill for the flathead, but I've never had a brand new manual transmission before, so I said, what the heck (and the overdrive is so nice with 4.11s out back)

 

Engine Installation


Installing the engine: When I ordered the custom, thicker (4 core vice 3 core) radiator (from Brass Works) I thought I had enough clearance between the engine and the radiator to not have to recess the firewall, but, that was not the case. We had to move the engine back 1/2" which means we had to pull the engine back out and recess the fire wall by 1/2" to clear the modified fuel pump stand.


Fabricated trans mount using the piece cut off of the front cross member that originally supported the 4-cylinder's front engine mount. The torque bar pivot mount will be welded to the passenger side of the cross member, which is why the passenger side has more material than the driver's side.

 

Chapter Five - Finishing the Car in Homestead, Florida

We missed the originally scheduled departure date of Friday, June 28. But we had to be in Miami by the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2. So we finished everything that needed a welder, mill, or lathe that weekend, then headed out Monday morning. As of Monday, July 1, we hadn't even started the engine and the car still needed the following non-exhaustive list:

- Remote oil filter mounted and plumbed
- Oil and temp gauges installed
- Brake lines installed
- All wiring, battery, alternator installed
- Hood latches
- Head lights
- Front Bumper
- Power steering pump and lines
- Exhaust system
- Fuel tank and lines
- Trunk lid and all hardware
- Seatbelts
- And more....

So we brought all the new parts with us along with tools. The cab and trunk of the Model A was full and the back of the tow van was stacked almost to the ceiling with boxes of parts and tools...

 

Leaving Virginia


Model A loaded on trailer behind the "rescue van."


My cousins and I got the car running in Homestead, FL and we took off on Saturday....

 

Chapter Six - Highway 41

The original plan was to leave Miami on Tuesday, July 2, which would have given us 10 days to get to Union Grove, WI for the Family Reunion on Thursday, July 11. But since we didn't leave until Saturday, July 6, we only had six days.

The car made it the first 80 miles and the last 620 miles. We expected to have issues since we only drove the car around the block a few times before heading out, but we did not expect to have to repair the cast iron engine block!

Getting Gas Somewhere in the Everglades:

It turns out the rebuilt fuel pump leaked so profusely we re-connected the stock gravity drain fuel tank in the dash. But the stock fuel tank had a bunch of flakes in it that kept clogging the fuel line at the point where the fuel line leaves the tank, so we pulled over every 45 minutes or so to blow air back through the fuel line to unclog it.


I don't know how they did it back in the day...but there is a strainer in the filler neck and the modern pumps are too fast for the strainer, so you have to keep an eye on how fast the fuel is entering!


Troubles:

As we'll see on the next couple of pages, the car broke down about half way across the everglades. We pulled over to blow out the fuel line and saw water pouring out of the exhaust.

 

The Block Repair:


With water pouring out of the exhaust pipe, our first thought was a blown head gasket, so we popped the head off, nothing looked too out of the ordinary.


Next we took the exhaust manifold off, and there was water weeping through the cast iron into the exhaust port. At first I thought I ported the block too far and hit a water jacket.


We did some poking around with a screw driver and revealed a paper thin area of the casting. But it wasn't due to porting because I didn't port the bottom of the exhaust runners. So we think the block simply corroded from the water jacket through the exhaust port.


Repair #1 at a different cousin's house:


First we tried a pipe plug, but the wall was too thin and eventually broke out leaving this funny egg shaped hole


So we made this Tee bolt and patch.


Fitted it into the hole.


And used JB weld. This is a picture of the second repair. When we repaired the block the first time, we used extreme high temp JB weld with a 24 hour cure time. So we left about 3:00 AM the next day, Monday, and drove to Macon, GA with the car on the trailer. After the 24 hour cure time expired, we stopped at a hotel for the night, filled the block with water and there were no leaks, so we installed the head. But...water started leaking out of the repair and within an hour the water completely dissolved all of the JB weld! Not sure why, our guess is a bad batch. So we got some high temp paste-like JB weld and redid the repair which, as of March 2025, is still holding.

 

First Hotel the Car Arrived at Under Power


Shortly after fixing the brakes, the brand new electric fuel pump quit. When we installed it, we had a hard time getting it primed which should have been our first clue there would be issues. So we re-connected the stock gravity drain tank but the crud in the tank severely limited the engine's power. It would slow down to about 25 MPH on every hill and I was feathering the gas the whole time to keep from running too lean.

The headlights were not wired, and we almost had to stop before getting to the hotel. The above picture was snapped immediately after getting to the hotel somewhere in northern Georgia about 10 minutes before it was dark!

 

On the Road...


Getting Gas in Indiana.

 

And, just in case you're wondering....We did make it to Copper Harbor on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of my ancestral state of Michigan with the Model A under it's own power!

 

Update:

The 9" stock Ford clutch was slipping when power shifting (not taking my foot off the gas when shifting), the trans wasn't shifting right, one of the modified lifters was ticking, and the oil pan leaked about a quart a month just sitting....

So...I updated to a 10-1/2" clutch, fixed the flywheel run-out issue that was causing the poor shifting, TIG welded the oil pump discharge outer tube to the oil pan - oil leak fixed, and....since I had to replace one lifter - why not replace them all and upgrade the cam as well (right?) - the Max 1 is a great street cam - but it was more tame than I expected so I upgraded to a 400jr. And yep - it is a race cam as advertised, it is only happy at about 2000 RPM and above at WOT.

If it was a heavier car with more "streetable" gears I would switch back to the Max1, but a light Model A with 4.11's - it's "streetable" enough, and it sounds great!

Shifting into 2nd gear (power or just speed shifting) will break both tires loose and go a little sideways (in a turn the other day, I had to back out of the throttle because it almost came all the way around on me when I nailed 2nd just for fun!)

She goes strait as an arrow no matter how big the pot-holes are, stops on a dime, and handles beautifully - two fingers on the wheel at 55+ MPH with no problem - although the ride is pretty rough (and loud with no interior) - both to be fixed in due time.

Overall I'm extremely pleased with it and I'd have to say "not too bad for an 85 year old engine, 77 year old rear axle, and 116 year old suspension design!"

 

Wow! Your story is so well detailed and exacting! You definitely are a “ thinker”.
I’m impressed you did all that in 6 months.
Your ingenuity is to be commended.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Oh, I almost forgot the parts list (before the update) - in case anyone wants it:

Engine:
Block, Heads, Intake: 1938 - 1942 Ford
Crank: 4.25" stroke - SCAT
Rear main seals: 1949 - 1953 V8 Ford - VanPelt P/N: Upper: 91A-6335, lower: 19B-6336
Rods: 7" - SCAT
Rod Bearings: King Engine Bearings CR811SI - 1950 - 1979 Olds / Pontiac
Pistons: 3.248" (0.060 over 239 cuin) forged with 1.311" Compression height - JE Pistons
Cam: Isky Max-1, 0.364" lift, 226 duration at 0.050" lift, 0.014" valve lash
Lifters: Modified Johnson Style - Red's Headers
Valve Springs: Lincoln Zephr - Red's Headers
Valves: 1.6" SBC exhaust, stainless steel, street flow - Manely
Keepers: 1949 - 1953 10 degree - Ford
Oil Pump: Modified High Volume - Melling
Oil Filter: Wix 51515
Distributor: crab style, 3-bolt electronic - Speedway, with fabricated drive adapter
Water pumps: angled vane for 1937-48 Ford car - Dennis Carpenter P/N 8-8501-PR
Carburetor: 1969 Dodge Dart with a 318 cuin V8 engine

Transmission: TKX 5 speed w/ overdrive with Chevy mounting and mid shifter - Tremec P/N: TCET18083
Bellhousing adapter: Speedway
Clutch disk: 9" diameter, Chevy 26 spline - Speedway
Pressure plate: Borg and Warner style - Ford
Clutch shaft: Model A, lengthened, V8 clutch fork, 1937 Ford arm (modified)
Throwout bearing adapter - Speedway
Transmission mount: 1989 Chevy Astro Van with 4.3L V6 and T-5 manual transmission
Universal Joints: Spicer 1350

Rear Axle: 1942 - 1948 Ford car narrowed to 57" wheel flange width, 4:11 Ford gears, open differential, open driveshaft conversion yoke and 9" Ford 28 spline axles with late model brakes - Hot Rod Works
Rear torque arm pivot: 0.625" bolt Johnny Joint, Currie Enterprises (from Rock Jock 4x4)
Radius Rods: Modified 1935 Ford car
Rear Spring: Main spring: rearched 1935 Ford car, rest of pack: rearched Model A
Rear brakes and brake hose: 1986 Ford E150 van
Alternator bracket: Powermaster 410 - Summit

Front brakes: backing plates, shoes and hardware: 1987 - 1998 Ford E350 van, Shoes: Auto Zone bonded, Drums: 1997 - 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 1-ton van with outsides turned to 0.250 wall thickness, 12.130" x 3.5" Napa ND 4401745, wheel cylinders: Napa UP 37251 & UP 37250
Front brake hoses: 1949 - 1958 Ford Car - Dennis Carpenter P/N 8A-2078
Master Cylinder & Booster: 1986 Ford E150 van

Front and rear panhard rods: 2013 Jeep wrangler, modified with 1935 - 1960 Ford car tie rod ends
Steering arms, tie rod, 2nd Drag link: Fabricated with 1935 - 1960 Ford car tie rod ends.
1st Drag link: modified Model A.
Power steering valve and cylinder: 1963 - 1982 Corvette, Cylinder P/N: Lares 10058, valve: Lares 10025
Wishbones: split with 1935 - 1960 Ford car tie rod ends, mounts use 1983 - 1996 Ford F150 1/2 ton truck 2WD front axle pivot bushings
Idler arm: 1993 - 1999 Chevy C1500 1/2 ton truck, Napa P/N: PCC 190156
Power Steering Pump: 2005 S40 Volvo w/ 2.4L L5 engine

Front and Rear shocks: 12" installed height - Speedway

 

Just amazing!!! Great job.

 

This was an interesting build and true hot rodding using parts that are available “junk yard style”, even though you may not have gotten them from a yard.

 

An incredibly great story, what a conversion.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Regards, Harald

 

Fantastic, great build, thanks for sharing.

 

Not a "belly button" build at all. I respect your non standard solutions. Any of your small roadblocks would have kept most guys cars on jackstands.

 

Thanks for posting your well thought out build.

 

What an enjoyable read. Glad to see you persevered through the growing pains of your car and you survived breaking down in the middle of the everglades. Nice car, good luck with it !

 

Lake Erie? Some time ago, through my car hobby and a Facebook group, I met Sanford Mitchell from Petersburg, MI. He once visited me in Argentina. He was a very positive guy, but unfortunately, he's no longer with us. He had a beautiful Packard coupe. When he was young, he had worked for Jeep in Toledo, Ohio.