Well I got myself a 1931 victoria a while back after a buddy knew I always wanted one. He turned me onto it and so I bought it Thanks Andy !! So I want to just change what needed to be changed , you know flatty and trans , dropped axle, juice brakes , 40 wheels, 12V etc.... My questions are: 1)With a 1939 motor and trans what adapter is needed to use the stock 31 banjo? 2) The vicky is in great condition and so is the driveline, with the Model A spindles do I really need to use my 1940 spindles. I'm really a 50/50 here and need to know the plus of the 40's. It's gonna have juice brakes.. 3) Interior is stumping me? it has the original seat spring but drivers side is wider Yep, they knew the men would be driving? I think Sorry ladies... But the seats just seem to float in the back floor area? am I missing a block?? 4) Any info on the Vicky's would be great thanks for you help John
John, I have a 31 vicky I haven't started on yet. I'll give some thoughts to your queations and try to help. I've bounced back and forth on how I want mine, from High Boy to full fendered. I think I will just drop it and add juce brakes with a hot Banger. But then again, I've got a flathead and trans over on the floor,oh well it will depend on how I feel at the time. I like the way your car looks with the Duce shell. --TV
NICE Car Looks good with the solids & Deuce shell . You can use the spindels , but need to buy a "Juice-brake conversion" kit . Contains a ring that centers the backing plate , and a smaller ring/spacer that goes behind the inner bearing . Here is a pic of a `31 Tudor back seat riser . Klaz
Klaz, do you know how the front seat are supported? The vicky ,A400 and I think a few more had a recessed floor pan for the rear p***engers. The front seats bottoms hang over the recess and no support? How are they doing this and is there a block or something?? Do you know the size of the rings? thanks John thanks John
John. You gotta be doing something wrong. Did you see the 31 Vicky on the HAMb about amonth ago from Kentucky? The owner was going to chop it something like 5" and wanted see pictures of similar shops. Other guys told him there's no need to chop a Vicky. Then he wanted to know if the frame could handle his 500HP BBC. Seriously, that's a cool piece you found. Congratulations and congratulations for showing restraint in building it. In my opinion, you're on the right track. Steve
John : I have no idea about the front seats , but it cant be all that different from a tudor ? Have you tried looking at pix from cars sold, or for sale on Ebay ? I have a set of the Juice-brake rings at my shop . Can take some pix & measurements tomorrow ( when I sober up ) Just Let me know. Klaz
A friend stayed with his A spindles on a phaeton and it worked well. He is running 39 wide five hydraulics and a duece dropped axle. If you want to keep the stock steering then I would keep the A spindles. They use a different steering arm arrangement and personally I think it looks pretty cool. The kingpins are all the same dia, so all you need is the "kit". Or you can weld a ring in the backing plates and redrill for the A spindle pattern and machine a spacer for the spindle. Thats what we did on the Phaeton. The spindles are dimensionally the same as far a race diameters, but the inner bearing seat on the spindle (A spindle) is about .300" closer to the axle than a 40 spindle, so if you don't use a spacer the bearing won't seat and the drum will bottom on the backing plate.
Here you go : Great How-to by 4ever4 : http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124112 Klaz
Nick, after seeing yours I had to build mine. I know it's not a 32 but I kinda like the square look .. Klazurfer, thanks for the link! and the front seats have a simple rod that goes thru a tube and swings on that.. I'll post a picture of it. and how come your sobering up it's new years
Blair, I'm looking to keep the stock steering and wanted to use the spindles.. When you say spacer for the spindle what is it and got a picture or specs.. I have a pheaton that I'll play with when this is done. Do you have a picture of it. My email is contspring@earthlink.net do you keep the original motor? thanks john Any info on the Victoria specs?
Steve (village idiot) , thanks and I'm a "restorodder" I hope that's not a nasty word like ratrodder .. I don't plan on hurting the vicky and just needs to get back on the road and a just bit safer and FASTer.. I would like to find a bit more info on something .. Does anyone have the changover to juice brakes on the model a rear? I need to see a space or some specs please.. thanks John
'39 trans only needs a '32-48 U-Joint cover to fit the A torque tube; If A has forged type U joint, keep it, id it's the strap type get a V8 one. A steering setup: http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/steering.htm (this site has LOTS of good A info) M/T products/Dave Wilton has adapters and ALL other stuff for brke adat, including a rear hub setup that eliminates machining or shimming rear. On victoria details, search Ahooga and Ford barn Model A sites with "victoria", read all posts that come up authored by Marco, Vince, or fourever four (also Vince). You will quickly also learn who the victoria spe******ts are, and read their posts too. Just don't mention that this is a V8 if you post...
Thanks Bruce that is the answer I was looking for on the trans .. I thought they had a diffrent bolt pattern? As for the steering I'm torn on what to do.. All the A parts look great and what do you do with them (spindles) when you pull them off? I thought ??might have to use them ??I hate to waste things . The brakes are some costly things if you buy one of them over the counter kits.. I'm a toolmaker and was just wondering about the adapters because I didn't want to engineer them..I want to make them I know I'm a lazy *** But I will do a Tech for the HAMB when I'm done... thank john
The outer cap over the U-Joint has a different bolt pattern but is otherwise identical to V8...you need V8 two-piece cap installed on A tube...basic part number 4520.
First off...Nice car!...Love the Vickis and there are so few of them it'll be cool no matter what ya do because everybody ain't got one they're driving or waitin to fix next... As for this comment I "quoted above" unless there is another KY Vicki build going on I'd have to think "Village Idiot" is refering to me... Let me say this about that...NO I am not chopping mine "Like 5 inchs dude!", it's getting 2 1/2 front and 1 1/2 rear chop...I also didn't ask if the rails could hold my 500 hp BBC, but said I was building rails to house my 600hp sbc.... As for what your doing making a nice period correct rod is cool(I didn't wanna wait for 5 yrs and spend 50K while I culivated vintage overprice old parts...I had just a hull to start with (barly worth saving and almost beyond my scope of ability to repair) and nothing else a few months ago, 6 months of questions, piling parts and developing a plan...I'm building a rod now!... Don't let any of the "nay sayers" desway you from your desired goal....Good luck...I look forward to the updates..
The u-joints are the same for 28-48 P***enger cars (except 37-40 V8-60) and 28-41 Pickups (except 37-40 V8-60). Use the V8 two-piece U-joint cover and seal ***embly and you're bolted right up to the A torque tube. Brakes, front. Use hydraulic brake adapter kit available very cheaply from any Model A Parts vendor. Kit consists of centering rings for backing plates and bearing spacers for spindles. V8 backing plate mounting holes must be elongated to bolt to smaller bolt pattern of early spindles. Brakes, rear. Bolt right on except for interference with backing plate to spring perch. Cut rectangular hole to allow backing plate to seat on axle housing flange and you're there.
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