QuestionQUESTION: My new acquisition looks like the one on your profile sheet! This will be my first oil change and I have heard much about special Classic Car oil that is great but expensive. Please let me know the weight and type of oil that, as you put it, the tough Model A Ford engine prefers, hopefully regular and economical. Of course, thanks for your service!
ANSWER: We do a lot of different things on oil changes, but here is what I do and it seems to work just fine. My engine seems to like Rotella oil. It is a shell product, but there are other oils similar to it. Tactor Supply has the best price, but Walmart is OK too. It is a little more expensive than regular oil, but the zinc in it is what the A engine likes. I use straight 30 wt, or one of the multiple vis. ones. 15W30 or 15W40. The A engine really does not care what you put in it, but this type oil seems to stay in longer.
I do change my oil every 500 miles, unless we go on long trips that happen over a short time. Best to get a grand kid to help you change it. Remember, if it ain't leaking, them something needs filling.
Have fun.
jack
ps: You said it was new to you. Here is something I wrote up a long time ago that might help.
jack
I got the Model A, now what do I do????
Many people get all excited and buy an A, and when the excitement is all over, they wonder what exactly did they buy, and what to do with it.
I hope the following will help:
Depending upon the condition, this could be a quick check, or the start of a long process. Many cars are restored cosmetically and the mechanicals are neglected. You can take care of the cosmetics; I will help you with the mechanicals.
The engine is the engine, and its condition is obvious. It either runs or it doesn’t. I won’t go into that. I assume you bought an A that will run.
First, you have to make sure it is safe. It has to stop in a decent fashion, and the steering must be sound. Don’t drive it over 10 mph if the tires are not good. If in doubt, ask someone who knows tires.
Brakes:
(For general information, the Model A is designed to be a rear skid system. Modern cars are designed to be front skid. The rear brakes hold first; then the front brakes contribute to the deceleration.)
Check for slop in the rear brake lever bushing. This is the arm that the rod pulls on when you depress the brake pedal. It is located on the rear brake backing plate. Try to shake it and move it laterally. If it is loose, then you have a very big job ahead of you. You need to install new bushings. Not a difficult job, but a lot of hard work. At the same time you are into the rear brake, replace the emergency brake lever bushing. It is not lubed by design, and is probably worn out. Fixing the bushing problem may be all you have to do to the rear brakes. If it stops after this, leave them alone. If it still does not stop well, then do the complete brake job. Lining, tracks, cam, and rollers, and turned drums.
Front brakes: Clean things up and make sure everything moves as it should and returns under the force of the shoe springs. If the brake lever is not positioned with a slight tilt forward, then add a “pill” to the wedge to get the lever in the tilted position. That may be all you need to do.
Adjustment: This is a tough job and you better get someone who knows how to adjust them to do it for you.
Steering: Reach down under the rear of the left front fender and grab the pitman arm and pull it toward you and push it away from you. If it moves at all, you will have to put new bushings in for the sector shaft. It is a big job getting the steering gear out of the car. You will need help to do this, to put in the new bushings and to adjust the gear. Find a club member who knows this area of the “A” and can help you.
Check the pinch-bolt that holds the pitman arm on the sector shaft. There can be no looseness in this joint.
On steering gear slop, find a club member to help you make the adjustments. This is a little complicated, but the service bulletins tell you exactly what to do. There are four adjustments to make. One has to be done with the gear out of the car. Big job. The other three, you can get to, but you can also break the upper race if you are not careful. It is best to get someone who knows this area.
Tie rod and drag link: Take a close look at the ends of the tie rod and drag link. They must be firmly connected to the balls.
Lie under the car and look at all of the wires to make sure none are rubbing on anything that might damage the insulation. Make sure the insulation is in good shape and not worn off. Look very closely at the battery cable from the negative post to the starter post. It routes near the clutch and brake pedal mechanisms. Have someone push on both pedals to make sure they don’t hit the battery cable. No movable member can touch the battery cable. If you have a problem in this area, you can burn you car and house up. There must be good, consistent clearance. That cable is hot and it can carry a lot of current, and it should not touch anything that moves.
Check the engine oil level, and the transmission lube level. The transmission should be full to the filler plug hole on the right side of the car. If it is not, fill it with 600 weight gear lube.
Check the king pins for slop. If everything seems tight, and you can still move the wheel spindle relative to the king pin or axle, then you need to put in new king pin bushings. This is not a big job, but a lot of work and you will need to borrow a bushing reamer.
With a torque wrench, check each head bolt torque. They should be close to 55 ft. lbs. Tighten them up if they are low. Be very careful of the two front ones. If you can measure 45 ft. lbs on them, stop there. It is very easy to break the goose neck ears.
Pop off the distributor cap and remove the rotor. Grab the cam and see if it moves from side to side. If it does, you will have to replace the two bushings. A cam that wobbles is not good.
Fan connection to the water pump. Grab the fan and try to move it fore and aft. Watch the joint where it attaches to the water pump shaft. There should be no slop in this joint. If there is looseness, it will pound itself until something breaks and either hurts someone, of goes through the radiator or hood. It is a tapered joint, and heavily loaded. It must be tight.
Now take a close look at each fan blade where it meets the hub. Look for small cracks. If you find any, you must replace the fan and don’t ever run the engine with a cracked fan blade. Big safety issue.
Try to turn the fan with just a little pressure to see if the crank pulley is tight. The fan and the crank pulley should not turn under light rotation pressure.
Finally, try to run the car at a sustained 40 to 45 mph. If it will do this for 7 to 10 minutes without spitting out coolant or overheating, your cooling system is probably OK.
If the car won’t do this, then you are faced with having to only drive it slow, or get it fixed with a lot of work and possible expense. New radiator, repaired radiator, new head gasket, milled head, etc.
But you have the car, now fix it up to have fun with it.
Good luck. Jack Bahm Jan 2010
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks again for your prompt, informative response to my oil change dilemma. I checked out the price of Rotella Oil on the Internet then, after recovering from sticker shock, called the local Tractor Supply store. They know me very well as a big spender and cow/ox exhibitor. Their price was so fantastically low that I can afford to change oil more often than every 500 miles.
However, that brings up another question: Rotella Oil is high detergent and I have learned that H.D. is bad for old engines; I believe you mentioned that in a past article. Is the Model A engine okay with it?
(Thanks for the advice to have a grandkid help with the oil change instant excitement!)
Rob Rose
Attica, N.Y.
1929 Ford A Roadster
AnswerDon't worry about that engine and detergent oil. I doubt that the engine is very dirty inside, and if it is, this will clean it out. It really does not care what you put in it. I'm sure a lot of people will tell you different, but we have to have something to talk about at the meetings. We go on and on about things like this and the spark lever. Just change the oil often and have fun with the car. Drive it everywhere, every chance you get and take the G/kids to the donut shop often.
jack
