To follow up on the theme of unusual/exotic daily drivers, here’s a story about one Jonathan Klinger of Traverse City, Michigan who bought a 1930 Model A (for $11,000) and is making it his daily driver for one year. His goal was to bust the myth that really old cars like the Model A are just for parades and the like, and reliving a time when they were all daily drivers. And having driven it for 5,000 miles in the first four months, much of it in the winter, makes for some interesting challenges and improvising.
But to prove that he’s not totally living in the past, he’s writing up his experience on a daily blog, 365daysofa.com. Lots of great observations, including how the vertical windshield (and other windows) of the A never get ice and snow on them! Throw away the ice scrapers, but be ready to fix all kinds of little issues that pop up on a failry regular basis. But most of them can be fixed with household items, like the vacuum leak Mr. Klinger is fixing in the top picture with a sliver cut from of a wine bottle cork. And here is his Ford after a winter trip to the Detroit Auto Show, presumably not looking checking out the Fiesta as a possible replacement. He’s in the midst of making lots of good memories.
Thank you sir for covering the real classics. My first car was a Model A, a sedan. I believe it would be considered somewhere near a 1928 model, though the exacts are lost in the mists. The car wasn’t exactly fair to behold; before I had bought it, it had spent its first few years as a utilitarian farm truck and showed its scars. Paid $175 for it, which was a lot of money then. While imperfect, it got my young family and I around pretty well.
While they were great cars for the time, calling them reliable or low maintenance is apocryphal at best. Remember this car had mechanical (not hydraulic) drum brakes on all fours, a wholly unsynchronized transmission, wheels that had to be constantly put in alignment through manual spoke adjustment, and a tempermental clutch.
I still remember the regular brake drum adjusting ritual that involved a flimsy stamped adjustment tool (or a hastily-constructed plywood replica), square head wrenches, two or three compatriots, and the careful measurement of ruts made from hard stops on a dirt road.
Just a footnote to history – I have most of a copy of A.L. Dyke’s book of automobiles that pre-dates the Model A, but can teach you everything you ever wanted to know about a Model T! Including a COLOR foldout of the engine – several different schematic views! So, if you are planning a trip on the Lincoln Highway, some items you may want to purchase for your trip: A windshield is a much-desired item, in addition to a horn and – well, you can imagine the rest! Simply an amazing read/study/laugh!
Growing up our next door neighbors had a Model A (which I always got a laugh at because it was the only Ford product they owned) which was registered as a historical vehicle and intended to be used for parades. But the owner was one of those fellows who always kept it in the sort of running order where it would be ready to go at a moments notice should it need to be pressed into service.
Dan, I know it appears I’m shadowing you, but you always write something that jogs my memory and I forget to include it in my own comment, so sorry if it seems like that. Near me a guy owns a red 1920 Mitchell – in running, if crude condition. A friend and I came across it one morning a few years ago and were astonished that the thing actually ran – hand-crank start and all! He drives(!) it to local parades and takes his kids in it to get ice cream nearby once in a while in the summer. Pretty amazing!
This.Is.Awesome.
And some people think I’m gutsy for driving a seven year old German car with no warranty remaining. Kudos and good luck to Mr. Klinger with his Model A!
My grandpa’s brother made extra money in the Depression casting bearings for Model T and Model A engines. The way he told me the story, they used candle soot as a release agent and poured lead(?) bearings in a homemade crank/main mold made from an old engine.
He also used a Model A “pickup” to haul local butter from western IA to Peoria, IL and return with refrigerators. He just turned 90 and is still going strong.
Paul Shinn on You Tube also did this, but in sunny California.