Technical ***Februdreary 2026 Banger Meet Thread - Happy Valentine's***

Link to previous month: January 2026 Banger Meet

Coming Events: (PM Jiminy with additions/corrections)
Sunday March 29th Hot Road Blowout at Mere Mere Dragstrip
Stay safe.

For the HAMB banger newbies, here are some links to a lot of banger info:

Jim Brierley's book 4-bangers! And me! is a must read book for all banger enthusiasts. US customers send $34.00 all color except for the oldest pictures (includes S/H in the U.S.A.), PayPal welcome, to:
Jim Brierley, 39480 Colleen Way, Temecula, CA 92592.
email: jimb4e4@gmail.com
phone: 951-695-7313.

A few links to speed equipment companies there may be more
https://specialtymotorcams.com/index.php#header
http://www.millerhi-speedheads.com/index.html
http://www.modelatrader.com/brumfield/brumfield.html
https://www.hotforhotfours.com/advertisers.htm
https://www.secretsofspeed.com/speed-parts
https://eraspeed.com/

Bert's, Synder's, Mikes affordable also list some speed performance parts.

Here is a list of most of the prior monthly banger meet links:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=161498

Banger basics. another info link list:
http://www.fordgarage.com/

http://www.plucks329s.org/index.htm

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=251717

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=42480

The link below shows flywheel lightening dimensions
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/may-bang-er-thread.470853/page-4#post-5212157
and this link shows the missing image from the above post
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-work-on-bangers.1010716/page-3#post-11427055

The 4 Banger hot rod picture thread.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-4-banger-hot-rod-picture-thread.997051/

Model B rod bearing insert numbers
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6992484#post6992484

Engine tuning with a Vacuum gauge
http://web.archive.org/web/20120415...e.com/tuning-with-a-vacuum-gauge-spg-148.html

Adjusting dual Strombergs:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6638461#post6638461

Helpful Model A tools and tips:
http://www.maurer-markus.ch/ford_a/tipps.index.en.html

Gary in MN's late model Malory distributor conversion for A/B engine:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9147025&postcount=109

Elrod's stuck head tech:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=218487

Model A generator to alternator conversion:
http://ejwhitneyco.com/automotive.html

Gear ratio / speed and RPM calculator:
http://www.accuautoparts.com/calculator.php

Model A master cylinder mounting bracket ideas:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...73#post4953173

Go here to read the 1931 edition of Harry Ricardo's book "The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine"
http://www.scribd.com/full/40610101?access_key=key-w2bcjicdancrnxypd05

Chevy Banger Stuff
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=463465

Post 198 starts a great discussion of the shape of a flat head combustion chamber
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=470853&page=10

T-5 5 speed in a Torque Tube:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=256226

Model A & B Style Cast Iron Cylinder Head Compression Ratios.
http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/headcompressionratio.htm

 

You nailed it. Dreary and cold.

 

Well I was going to check in with a video of my coupe running. It's the first time I've started it several years. Life has gotten in the way, but hopefully I'm back. For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the video on here. I have been lurking just had nothing to contribute

 

Present & accounted for sir!

 

Here! Been messin with a few little distraction projects in the shop, hoping to get back to making something important soon. Latest is this set of 1/4” push rods for a Roof 16 valve overhead for T. Also been considering loosing my mind on a A bone lately. Not sure why… just thinkin it would make some kool noises

 

After 6 months I finally set the pump diaphragm rivet, completing the new bowl hardware for Winfield SR

 

Who’s going to be my valentine?

 

Checking In!

 

Always day late and dollar short. Sorry, it's the banger that did it.

 

Still here, still up to my neck in snow. Really need a dry warm day for a banger run.
Warren

 

February all ready
We get more salt and cinders than snow on our roads...sure kills the desire to drive an old car on it though our weather is approaching 60 degree F daytime temperature
Got the T in the garage and the new radiator in it.....finally..."exact fit...we make it dimensionally to the original Ford drawings"....less than 15 minutes to remove the old one and several days, m***aging and head scratching to install the new one....biggest challenge was the timer control rod interference with the side of the block to bottom of the radiator plumbing....that and the firewall rod support is higher than the original...go figure....
redid coil box and all the wiring terminations ..... getting ready for US Route 66 centennial driving...gonna try to make New Mexico border to border in the T
Happy banging....

 

It's still deep below freezing here, even in the room where I can't heat.
Out of frustration, I took the oil pump home and cleaned it.
There wasn't much else to it; the cover was only slightly worn.
So I cleaned and oiled everything and then re***embled it.
Regards, Harald

 

Drove mine for the first time in 11 years. Ran like it hadn't missed a day.

 

that makes me smile!

 

Not too much to report on, I'll be celebrating my 28th Birthday this week by scooping up a whole bunch of parts for a RHD conversion!

 

Craig at Rotoshim and myself did a bit of testing for Stromberg the other day.

 

Happy birthday then, @Retson the Racer! Gee, 28... wish I was as kuul those 15 years ago!

What are we looking at, @hotrodfil - what's new with that dist?

 

Phil
Whatever happened with the fuel pump from Rotoshim?
Warren

 

Stromberg don't currently make a four banger dizzy... this one was electronic but there should be a points one too.
As for the fuel pump Warren - think it's on hold for now.

 

Could you keep us in to loop, @hotrodfil?

 

NEW MODEL A CAMSHAFT ====== I just listed a NEW in the plastic Model A Camshaft that was in the Lifetime parts collection of a friend. If you look at the HAMB Parts For Sale listing can you tell who the maker was? Nothing is stamped on the box or cam. Any info is of interest. Thank you! Bob

 

Thank you sir!

While on my quest to find more about Joe Gemsa, I stumbled across this Gem..
Gemsa/Gallivan head on a B Block! Originally owned by Bruce Leven

 

Haaaaaappy birthday to you, happy birthay to you, haaappy birthday, dear @Retson the Racer , haaappy birthday to you!

Can you share more details? Looks speedster'ish w. early A tank/cowl.

 

Switched over to the 94 after years of driving with the original Tillotson. Huge difference! Thanks @winduptoy for the 94 pointers a few years ago (jeez, time really flies...).

Pretty much plug & play, other than a really weird, small spot just off idle where it wants to die that I'm still trying to figure out.

 

your car is such a good looking gal....
as for the dead spot....
I would probably pull the plugs and have a look see for probably a reference base line...
the siamese intake means that the 1&4 are going to appear different than the 2&3 and if they are all carbon black, you are rich...
Ignition timing is a factor and I don't recall if we had any communication around that...let's not forget timing and I see it looks like you are running a stock dizzy...so make sure your timing is advanced but maybe not full advanced depending on where your initial is....there is a reason the B engine got a centrifugal advanced dizzy in '32
an A manual spark lever gets re-positioned for the driving situation...not only for starting
see if the dead spot goes away with the choke slightly pulled...fiddle with the setting....on your test drives from stop
if it does, you are likely lean...then
make sure your accelerator pump squirters are working and set on the 'winter position' on the linkage....it is the one that will give the longest stroke of the accelerator pump...the largest, momentary dose of fuel.... to help address the lean stumble
If it doesn't go away, there is a probability of running rich and the squirters are giving too large a dose of fuel...then move the accelerator pump linkage to the 'summer' setting or the shortest stroke of the pump....then see what that does....
good luck with the tinkering
there are other factors like idle screw adjustment and main jetting, but this is a starting point

 

Thanks! She's getting there piece by piece. I decided to push the OHV project to a later date when I have more time/bandwidth, and just hop up the flathead for the next few years.

Yeah, stock distributor isn't the most ideal setup. I will probably pick up an FSI in the near future. I've been driving the car around town with the stock setup for several years now, and while I'm not a stranger to how to operate the manual distributor, it makes sense to me that switching over to a downdraft would cause the car to be more sensitive to timing. It's currently timed with the Nu-Rex timing tool, which I think makes it 0 degrees at TDC. So, it possibly might not have enough initial timing, but other than that data point I'm not feeling or experiencing any timing-related issues on the road.

I think that the car is running a bit rich in general (black plugs), except for this one flat spot. Another possibility could be plug gap or weaker spark from the stock-style plug leads not making maximum contact with the distributor body.

When I mostly close the choke, then I can snap open the throttle and that dead spot seems to be gone. I don't really know why this would be the case though; I blew out the transfer holes above the throttle plates, and verified the accelerator pump is working. I also ensured the check ball for the squirters is sealing, etc. I see a stream of gas coming from the accelerator pumps the second I touch the throttle, but none of the adjustment holes on the pump circuit have any effect.

The idle circuit is operating normally, it starts up immediately and drives great when it's rolling. If I enrichen the idle circuit to the point it starts to stumble, that doesn't fix the problem. I'm about 1.5 turns out at idle. The problem is just right off idle, like what you'd use inching into a parking spot.

I love the Holleys and they are so simple that I'm a little ashamed I can't figure this one out after a couple days!

 

@Tumblin' Dice ...you hit on most of the tinkering ....and sounds like you have a great approach....I usually 'tune for performance'...and I know that my engines seem to like ignition timing advance. Sean, at FSI, is a good resource to talk to about timing.....or look at his web site
https://www.fsignitions.com/product...ve-Ground/8?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false
He states that this distributor centrifugal advance is 24-26 degrees total at 2000 RPM on a stock C/R head...
you are going to need 12-14 initial...
also...the Holley 94 that I had on my set up, that is close to yours, occasionally stumbled at the same place when the engine was cold and colder weather....without some choke....as the ambient temperature and engine temperature went up, it all but disappeared...I wound up with plugging off the power valve as well as a dyno session showed how rich it was at higher RPM's.....
Good luck

 

Yes
94 Holley carbs are different
I have had issues with accell pump plungers
Do a search for modern fuel ones
I think blue in color works well

typically I jet mains down lean and run the pv
You need be careful of using a new pv in the 94 carbs the radius at the seat might not seal

if you like keep an eye out for 1-1/16 venturi ecg models just a little more air flow

j

 

I have a weird, possibly irrational fear of giving cars too much timing since I cannot hear pinging like some people can. Summertime is definitely coming here in the desert, so if the problem goes away with heat we'll know very soon...

I'm running 47s on the main which is a bit leaner than what most people seem to settle on (also at ~2,500 feet here). Also, I used the PV's from Mike's Carburetor Parts, and while they aren't lathed flat like the Vintage Speed PVs, the sealing surface itself seems to be identical and there are no leaks with a thick neoprene washer. I was kind of surprised they work so well because everyone seems to be of the mind that the lathed down ones are the only ones that will work (but they definitely need a thick washer). Thanks for the tip on the bigger venturis, I usually look for 59s just to keep all my castings the same but will look for those next time I'm at a swap.