2012 MAFCA National Awards Banquet

Last week's event, the 2012 MAFCA National Awards Banquet, was a great success!  It was unfortunate that Mike and Stephanie Petty couldn't join us, but it is understandable - Somebody's got to go to work!  We had one couple in the club drive their A - Orville & Sharon Booth.  There were a few others to be seen around town, as well.  One fellow drove his up from Florida and several locals were out and about in their A's.

Here are a few photos of the event:

This is a photo of one of the A's outside our host hotel, the Francis Marion.

Registration Desk
Fay Prince, Twila Cockerill, Wes & Ann Porterfield

Checking folks in for the Dinner Cruise

John and I with the Richters of San Antonio, TX

View of Marion Sq. at Welcome Reception

With John Cockerill & Garth Shreading
Breakfast with the Board

Carriage Ride through Old Charleston

Dinner Cruise on Charleston Harbor

Middleton Place Plantation & Gardens

Awards Banquet with Jim Spawn, Editor of The Restorer & Alex Janke, 2013 MAFCA President

This was a lot of hard work for our committee and it was a definite success!  Now it is time to get Miz B out for a drive!

Tour to Beaufort and the Lowcountry of SC

We left the house on Saturday morning, December 29 and headed across town to the Reid's Grocery Store in Cayce.  The rain had subsided to a drizzle, but the temperature was cold.  The morning was made colder by the stiff breeze blowing from the west.  We met up with 5 other A's and headed to Walterboro and lunch at Duke's Barbecue.  We left about 8:35 and arrived just as 4 A's from the Lowcountry Club arrived, at 11:45.  We had a good car show in the parking lot!  But, we weren't there for a car show.  We were there for some great barbecue and fellowship.  I think there were 26 of us enjoying lunch in a private room.  Nice way to start the weekend!

After lunch, we headed for the old downtown area of Walterboro and antique shopping.  We shopped in 5 antique stores where a few of the ladies were able to find some vintage era appropriate accessories.  Below is a photo of those on the shopping expedition.  Miz B is the last in line.

Downtown Walterboro, SC

At 3:00, we said our goodbyes to Hugh Hiott and Henry Coleman, from Charleston, and we drove further south to Beaufort.  After arriving at our hotel, we all piled into Calvin's '57 Chevy and Vent's newer minivan for a brief ride to downtown Beaufort.  Arriving at 5:20, we were just in time to tour a few of the antique stores before supper.  It was decided that another trip just for the ladies was needed in the spring.  Lots of nice shops to peruse!  Soon, we were treated with a beautiful sunset from Beaufort Waterfront Park.

Christmas Tree @ Sunset in Beaufort Waterfront Park

Eventually, we ended up having supper at Luther's.  Great spot for our group of nine.  We enjoyed a leisurely meal, then hit another antique shop on the way back to the cars.  

The next morning, we met downstairs over a quick breakfast to discuss the plans for the day.  First, we drove through the old home area just north of town, seeing the Meechum Home, where The Great Santini was filmed.  Then, we were headed for Port Royal, crossing many bridges over the waterways around Beaufort.  Upon leaving Port Royal, we were on our way toward Yemassee, SC.  Our destination was the old ruins of the Sheldon Church.  Of the four Baronies originally granted to Capt. Edmund Bellinger, of whom I am descended, one of 13,000 acres in St. Helena's Parish, Granville County (later in Prince William's Parish, Beaufort District), known as Tomotely Barony, included the 50 acres on which Sheldon Church was built.  This church is located between the towns of Yemassee and Beaufort on the Old Sheldon Church Road.  Prince Williams Parish Church (Sheldon) was built between 1745 and 1755 on land (Poco Sabo Plantation) donated by Edmund Bellinger. The name Sheldon was used to honor the Bull Family who had a plantation nearby and their ancestral home in Warwickshire, England; both were called Sheldon Hall.

Old Sheldon Church Ruisn

Such a beautiful setting!  The ruins are carefully cared for and open to the public.  There are headstones scattered all around the grounds.  

William Bull's Grave
Buried March 21, 1755

1780 Headstone

After visiting the Old Sheldon Church ruins, we were off to have lunch near Beaufort.  It was a very cold morning with temperatures near freezing.  The roaring fire inside the Cracker Barrel was most welcoming to warm us.  We enjoyed a wonderful comforting lunch before our drive back to the Columbia area.  We arrived home around 5:30, just as the sun was setting over Lake Murray.

Miz B had a great day touring the Lowcountry.  She arrived home, having had no issues, with about 575 miles on her newly rebuilt engine; about 300 from this trip.  Now all she needs is an oil change and she is good to go on many more tours!

Home, At Last!

Miz B got back home on Tuesday evening about 5:30.  Her engine is in fabulous shape and she is being treated to a 500 mile break in period.  This means I won't be driving her over the recommended 35 miles per hour.  Not an easy task, as she seems ready to get up and go much faster!  It is amazing just how quiet she is running.  I guess the old gal had been trying to tell me that her age was really catching up and was making itself quite loudly known!

There wasn't an inch of her that wasn't covered in dirt, grease, and grime!  John spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning and polishing her.  I still need to pay some extra attention to the convertible top.  But all in all, she looks pretty good.

One small problem with the clutch has been discovered.  It appears that when the clutch is depressed, it is rubbing on something metal and will clank because of the normal engine vibrations.  There needs to be an adjustment.  We, also, have noticed that the steering is grinding a bit when the wheels are cranked hard either right or left. I'm sure it is a simple adjustment.  She has to go back to the mechanic after the first 100 miles to have her head bolts tightened and we will have him do the steering adjustment and look into the clutch issue, then.  We will probably take her over the week after we get back from Charleston.  Miz B isn't making the trip.  45 mph is pretty slow when you have to go 100 miles, but at 35 mph it would take just too long.  So, she will stay in her cozy garage while we are gone.

It was wonderful to be out and driving her yesterday afternoon.  Everything seems to be nice and tight. There aren't any noticeable rattles.  We had gotten most of them out before the engine rebuild.

I am looking forward to many years of confidently traveling the rural roads of the US in Miz B, without the worry of a worn out engine!

Update

Today, on my way home from Charleston, I stopped in at the Temples shop to check up on Miz B.  She isn't looking quite so sad!  Everything beneath the hood - springs, frame, shocks, brake rods - the works looks like new!  The dirt and grime of 82 years has been cleaned away and the parts have been given a new coating of satin black paint.  The steering mechanisms are all in place and look wonderful. Soon she will have a new chrome gear shift stick.   The car is going to have had a body off restoration, less the new paint on the body.  Well, it will seem so!  It is amazing the amount of dirt, grease and grime that has been removed from the undercarriage of the little car.

Here is some of the photographs of when the body was lifted to see about finding a frame number.

Here are some photos of parts and pieces . . . . 

 Here is the block, if you look closely at the second photo, you will notice the babbitt bearing is cracked and flaking; signs that the babbitt was poured too cold and under the wrong atmospheric conditions.

The engine is not back from the rebuilder, yet.  The conditions haven't been right to pour the babbitt bearings.  The weather is changing, so we are hopeful that will happen very soon.

Waiting

Today, we are hopeful that the new camshaft will arrive.  Although with the arrival of Superstorm Sandy, or as some have named Frankenstorm Sandy, it may be delayed in coming.  But, as soon as it arrives at our parts distributor, we will drive it the 35 miles to the engine rebuilder, Mr. Paul Peacock, near Monetta/Ridge Springs.  We haven't heard any news from Mr. Peacock, so we are guessing that the magna fluxing went well and there were no cracks in the block.

Yesterday, John went back to the Temples shop to take care of cleaning the front end - with the wheels and tires attached.  The purpose was to get a fresh coat of black satin paint on it.  That engine had been throwing grease and oil all over everything under the hood!  I think that John came home with more grease and oil on his sneakers than I've ever seen.  Today, I think that the front end will be reinstalled.  I'm not sure about the fenders being put back on yet.  Then the plan is to roll it out of the shop, put it under a shelter, cover her up and wait for the engine to come back from Mr. Peacock.  I am hopeful that it won't take too long.

While waiting for the engine to come back, the steering box is being rebuilt.  But of course, because it is a right hand drive, we are waiting on a specially made part for that!  We have discovered lots of good and not too much bad with this engine removal.  The undercarriage of the car is very solid and sound, but some engine compartment parts are in need of a rebuild.  All in all, not too bad for an 81 year old car!

Stay tuned for more updates . . . . .

All the problems!

Well, Miz B is in pieces all over the Temple's shop!  They decided to lift the body, while the fenders were off, to see if they could find a frame number.  Many Canadian manufactured cars were not stamped on the frames, but there was hope that it had been.  No such luck!  No number on either side of the frame, but definitely a Canadian frame.

The engine was delivered to Mr. Peacock's shop on Tuesday afternoon.  After a thorough inspection and measurements were taken, it was concluded that the engine was also definitely Canadian and the cylinders had been sleeved.

At this point, we are waiting on the magnafluxing to make certain there are no cracks in the cast iron.  If all is fine, then  we are going to need an oversized camshaft.  It has been ordered - positive thinking at work here!  The journals and the block show signs of wear and this is the best way to fix the problem, eliminating lower engine noise from the camshaft.

Today, John has gone to the shop to put in the welting that was discovered missing between the body and the frame.  That should eliminate a few squeaks as we ride down the road in the future.  The Temples are installing the new front cross member, adding greater stability to the frame.  The rest of frame was found to be in wonderful shape with no signs of rust or deterioration!  Once this is installed and painted, then the front wheel assembly can be reinstalled, along with the fenders.

At this point, it will be a waiting game until Mr. Peacock finishes the engine.  In the mean time, the steering gear will be rebuilt, cleaned and reinstalled in the engine bay.  Keeping in mind that Miz B is a right hand drive car, the absolute opposite of most of the other cars on the road in the US!

I wonder how long it will be before she is back home and ready to ride down the road?

Tour to Newberry - In the Sedan

Saturday morning dawned crisp and very cool!  Of course, Miz B is still in the repair shop.  It is good that we have another A in the barn.  So, Miz Olive came out for an early morning run!  You've not met Miz Olive.  We have had her for about 6 years.  She is a beautiful olive green Town Sedan, has a very comfortable dark olive mohair interior, four doors, and roll up windows!  Her back seat is most comfortable with its center and side arm rests and roll down window shades.  She has no rumble seat or trunk, so all of our necessities go into her back seat area.  All of which are easily accessible as we ride down the road.  The other great thing about Miz Olive is that I get to be the passenger on our trips in her.

We had a brief meeting to attend with the Palmetto A's, then it was going to be off to Newberry.  Newberry is about 50 miles from Columbia and a very nice drive.  We left the meeting place and headed for the gas pumps to fuel up the cars.  While there, it was a great opportunity to add a little fuel to the humans, as well.  Great coffee and biscuit breakfasts!  

It was quickly discovered that one in our group had lost an electronic device in the parking lot of the meeting place and went back to retrieve it.  Just a short delay, but gave us time to chat and enjoy each others company.

Soon, we were off to Newberry and traveling the rolling hills of central South Carolina.  The leaves were just beautiful.

It looks like the colors are just starting to pop!

We drove on into the town of Newberry to meet our friends from the Old 96 District and the Queen City Model A Clubs.  We had a great showing of cars on the town square and in front of the Newberry Opera House.

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the Flying Pie and shopped the quaint shops and antique stores; but soon it was time to pack up and head for home.  We had a wonderful day with friends, traveling the back roads of rural South Carolina and enjoying the fall colors which nature had to offer!

Life without Miz B

Miz B remains in the repair shop.  From the firewall forward, it is quite empty.  It feels as if she is undergoing open heart surgery.  The fenders have been removed, also her radiator, her lights and horn, her starter, and of course, her engine!  She looks pretty sad right now.  But, I am beginning to see some very good progress.  

She needed to have her front cross member replaced.  It had long cracks on both sides, where the horseshoe shaped front motor mount is attached to the frame.  We had known about one, but were surprised to find the other!  We found an NOS (new old stock) replacement and it is being installed.  Not too bad to have lasted 81 years.  Who knows what kind of conditions the roads in South Africa were in, the first 60 years of her life.  She has only been driving on the roads of the US since 1993, when she was imported and arrived in the state of Virginia.  

We also discovered that her engine had been rebuilt once and repaired one other time.  The engine is completely apart and definitely shows signs of wear.  The camshaft has a lot of play.  This explains the low thump we would hear when the car was running.  The center journal is the most worn, but both end journals also show a good bit of wear, as well.  Looks like it will be one fix - a new camshaft, or another fix - to bush and bore the block, to take out the slack between the journals and the block.  The gears show signs of wear and will be replaced, as will the flywheel.  The condition of the flywheel explains the reason that the starter would lock up periodically.  The valves are worn and will be replaced with stainless steel ones, along with new springs.  The pistons showed signs of wear, and the rings were not sealing the oil out of the head.  There were very large gaps, therefore another indication of a great deal of wear in the cylinders.  Another source of noise in the block.  The pistons were not gliding smoothly, they had enough side to side movement to make a clatter as the engine was running.

When all is said and done, this is going to be a very quiet running engine!  She aught to run and sound just like she did the day she rolled off the assembly line in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in April, 1931!

Back to the shop!

Today Miz B was driven to the shop by John.  She barely made the trip.  Had to drive her all the way with the spark almost completely retarded, but still she sputtered and popped all the way!

John, JP, and Mark took off all the head bolts, then lifted the head.  Expecting to find water from the radiator through a blown head gasket was not the case.  Instead, three of the pistons were covered with engine oil!  Bad news - meaning that the engine really needed to be rebuilt.  

JP and Mark don't do any of the machining, so we got the name of the man that does the machining and off we went to Monetta, SC in the modern truck.  We spent about an hour with Mr. Peacock and were very impressed with his knowledge and familiarity with the Model A engine.

We ended our day with a trip back to Mark's to finalize the deal for having the engine rebuilt.  At the same time, the front cross member of the frame is going to be replaced.  It was discovered to have a stress crack and needs attention.  So, we are on the hunt for a cross member.

Miz B will be off the road until about the middle of November.  By then, so much of her will have been attended to, that she will be in great shape for the tours we have planned in 2013!

More to come . . . .

Tour to Flat Rock, NC

The alarm went off at 4:15!  We had to leave the house by 5:30 to pick up Liz and Jacob and travel to Lexington to meet up with the group touring from the Columbia area to Greenwood.  In Greenwood, we met up with 5 more A's from the Old 96 District Model A Club.  We were headed for Sky Top Orchard in Zirconia, NC, then over to Flat Rock for lunch at Hubba Hubba BBQ.

The drive began with the little car skipping a bit until she warmed up, then ran beautifully all the way to Greenwood.  Then it seemed that every time we stopped, the skipping on start up lasted a bit longer each time.  I was also experiencing difficulty starting the car.  But, we carried on and arrived at the orchard about noon.  The place was packed with folks!  Amazingly, we ran into John's two sisters, nephew and their girlfriends in the orchard!  It was a beautiful day on the mountain top.  Jacob even got Poppy to go way off into the orchard to find some apples to pick.  I, on the other hand, went into the market to buy apples - already picked and cider.  Liz stood in a very long line to purchase donuts.  Unfortunately, the donuts weren't worth the price, but we were so excited to find cider cake donuts, we had to try them.

We all met back up at 1:30 to travel about 2 miles to get to the barbecue place.  The trip down the mountain was a bit hairy for most.  I decided going up, that I was going to go down in 1st gear.  I'm sure the folks behind me weren't too happy to creep down at 5 mph, but I was determined not to burn out my new brakes!  John Cockerill thought his car was overheating, but realized his brakes were billowing smoking!  John, my husband, found that by the time he got to the bottom of the mountain, had no brakes left!  Another fellow had to use his emergency brake to stop his car!  Tough grade!  No accidents and we were off to Flat Rock and a great lunch.

We were just sitting down to lunch, when my cousin, Jeannette and her family arrived to say hello.  It was wonderful to be able to see them.  The girls are growing up so fast!

After letting Miz B sit for about 2 hours, she was very difficult to start and she didn't want to climb out of the parking lot.  It was straight up and she was skipping terribly!  We left Flat Rock about 4 pm for the drive back home.  We made a couple of stops for fuel and to say good bye to our friends and we arrived home at 8:30.  It had been a very long day in the Model A's.  We traveled about 300 miles, total, and were gone 15 hours. 

This morning, John decided to change out the condenser to see if the skipping issue is in the distributor.  He reset the points and I took her for a test drive.  Nothing different.  Tomorrow, we call the mechanic for an appointment on Tuesday, to take off the head.  We are thinking it's a blown head gasket.  This is a very big job and requires two people to get the head off. 

More to come later . . . . .

Getting ready to tour to Flat Rock, NC

Friday, October 12, started out like every Friday before a tour.  We checked the tires, oil, and water in the radiator.  The oil was good, the tires needed a couple of pounds each to get them up to 35 psi each, but the radiator was really in need of water.  This wasn't the first time I've added water to it lately.  It seems that about every couple of weeks I was adding water, maybe a cup or two.  But, this time was quite different.  I added about 3/4 of a gallon!  Well, we continued on with our check list, opening the hood to make sure the fan belt was tight, when I noticed that there was water dripping from the top of the radiator!  Well, it was about 12:30, so we decided to make a couple of phone calls to see if we might be able to get it fixed at the radiator shop and put back on the car to be ready to tour on Saturday.

After about an hour of work -  we drained the radiator, removed the hood, lights and unhooked the wiring, radiator cap, radiator guard, radiator shell, upper and lower radiator hoses, along with loosening the alternator and radiator support arms and unhooking the horn, we were able to remove the cotter pins, castle nuts, springs and bolts holding the radiator in and lifted the radiator off the frame!

Miz B was a sight, indeed!

Well, we took the radiator to the repair shop, and discovered not one leak, but three!  Two were at the top on either side and one was at the lower inlet pipe!  Amazing the radiator held any water at all!  No wonder we overheated in the mountains!

The radiator fix was pretty cheap - only $35 for two hours of work!  So, we headed home with a fixed radiator to begin reassembling the little car.

We finally got her back together and leakless at 8:30 pm!  That was a loooong day!  We are getting pretty good with putting on and taking off radiators on this car.  I hope we don't have to do this job again, ever!  But, we were ready to roll bright and early on Saturday morning!

From the Mountains of Tennessee to the Piedmont of South Carolina

We were loaded up and driving out of the parking lot of the Chattanooga Choo Choo at 8 am.  Miz B sputtered a bit until she warmed up.  So many of us got water in the gas, either by the ethanol drawing moisture from the air or by filling up at the Citgo station.  Several had to completely dump their tanks and refill.  We experienced two days with an accumulated total of 3.5 inches of rain.

We decided very quickly that we would follow US 76 all the way home.

We stopped in Ellijay, GA for a break and to purchase apples, cider donuts, honey, and pepper jelly.  The views of the mountains were breathtaking.  Our weather was perfect - bright sunny skies, a pleasant breeze and temps in the low 70's.

About noon, we stopped for lunch and enjoyed a nice break.  We had done some climbing on long stretches going up a few mountains.  But mostly, we had been coming down the mountains all morning on curvy steep two lane roads.  Several times we pulled over to let the faster traffic pass, there just weren't enough passing lanes along the highway.  Looks like the overheating issue with Miz B had been solved by cleaning out the Gano filter in Chattanooga.

Late in the afternoon we were going through Lauren's, SC, home of Bill and Fay.  We took a short detour through their son's neighborhood.  We cruised by their home, blowing our Ahooga horns, but it seemed no one was home.  Then, we were back on US 76 headed for Newberry.  We found a station that offered ethanol free fuel - regular at the price of premium.  We all filled up, the little cars deserved a treat for behaving so well all week!

We said our goodbyes and traveled on, parting ways in Ballentine.  Cockerill's and Booths continued on 76, while the Princes followed us on 6 for a short distance.

We arrived home shortly after 7 pm.  In all, we traveled a total of 757 miles.

We all agreeded it was a great week of touring in the Model A's.  Despite the torrential downpours in Chattanooga, everyone enjoyed themselves.  We saw a lot of old friends and made lots of new ones along the way.

Blue Ribbon Day!

What a gorgeous day in Chattanooga!  We were up early to have breakfast in the main dining room.  Then, we were out to uncover the car and check the oil before today's Grand Tour.  The car started, but ran a bit rough for the first 5 minutes.  It cleared up and we were off for Chicamauga, GA and a tour of the Gordon-Lee Mansion, built in 1847.  It is the only original still-standing structure that was used by both armies during the Battle of Chicamauga.  We parked on the wide and very deep front lawn along the broad "avenue" leading to the house.  After touring the house, we strolled downtown along Gordon Street (Main St.).  At noon, we drove over to the Lee & Gordon's Mill for a picnic on the grounds along the creek.  Soon it was time for the presentation of the tour ribbons and photographs in front of the mill.  We enjoyed a nice drive back to the hotel.  We needed to pack before the final banquet.  We leave tomorrow morning for home.  Hopefully, we have all the bugs worked out for an uneventful trip back home.

The repair crew did a fantastic job helping everyone solve their mechanical and electrical issues to keep everyone on the road.  All in all, the Scenic A's did a nice job arranging this national tour.

Final banquet tonight, maybe one of us won a raffle prize.

Repair tent, again!

Well, the morning began bright and early at 5:30!  We got ready for the day and went to the dining room for breakfast.  It was pouring rain, and had been all night long.  After breakfast it was time to go uncover the little car and warm her up for the tour to leave at 8.

So, out into the rain we went with our umbrellas.  First we had to check the water level in the radiator.  It was a bit low, so we filled it up with the water bottles and about a third of a bottle of water wetter.  Done!

Next, we removed the cover from the soft top.  Upon opening the rumble seat, we discovered the foot well was about an inch deep in water!  Nothing to do but hope it dries up a bit today, not likely with lots of rain in the forecast!  100% for most of the day.

Oil level was good, so in we climbed and tried to crank the car.  Nope!  Nothing doing.  Diagnosis - water issue with the distributor.  So, John gave me a push back over to the repair tent- under cover to try to dry things out.  Finally, with the assistance of a boost, the little car's engine roared to life!

Soon we were on our way to find our group.  We were about 40 minutes late and discovered they had already gone on ahead.  We had the address, so I punched it into Garmin and we were off.  Up the mountains and down.  A couple of grades were pretty strenuous, but the little car although not setting any land speed records kept right on going.

We arrived at Falcon Rest ahead of the group and enjoyed meeting another couple from Indiana before they arrived.

Falcon Rest is an old Victorian Mansion that has been restored to it's former glory and is filled with beautiful Victorian antiques.  We enjoyed a great luncheon and a dinner show of which we were all a part of.  Then we were back on the road back to the Choo Choo.  Back up and over the mountains without incident.

John Cockerill was still dealing with his roadster when we arrived at the hotel, we went over to see if we could lend a hand.  Not much to do, as he needed to take his battery over to the store to be recharged.  We all enjoyed a nice dinner, then took our chances in the MARC raffle room.  Boy it sure would be nice to win that high compression head!

We had enjoyed a nice full day of touring and fellowship with our friends.  Today, we go to Chicamauga and the Civil War Battlefield to tour.  Should be a very interesting day!

Water Pump issue!

We left out of the parking lot of the Chattanooga Choo Choo yesterday morning and the little car was sputtering a bit.  Kinda' like she had some junk in the carburetor.  It cleared up quickly and we were on our way.  We got a bit turned around and had a brief tour of downtown Chattanooga but finally Garmin had us all straightened out and we arrived at the Incline Railway for our trip up Look Out Mountain.  The skies were very overcast.  It looked like it could pour buckets any moment.  By the time we all had our parking tickets and were lined up under the covered porch for the train car, the skies opened up and it came down very hard!  We enjoyed a nice leisurely ride up the mountain in the car.  At the top, we were above the clouds and couldn't see a thing!  A small group went for a walk to the Civil War park, while most of us enjoyed coffee, hot chocolate, and sodas in the comfortable gift shop/cafe.  Soon, it was time to be off for our next destination.

We were only just around the corner for the road to take us up Look Out Mountain to Rock City.  It was quite the steep climb for the little car, but we made it with no issues!  Rock City is a beautiful rock outcropping atop Look Out Mountain.  At the top is Lovers Leap where you can see, on a clear day, 7 states.  Our day was quite cloudy, but the rain had abated for the next couple of hours.  Nice, since we had a good bit of walking to do.  The gardens that have been planted along the paths are beautiful.  We saw mountain deer, white, tan and a couple of speckled fawns.  We had a fun walk along the swinging bridge, squeezed through fat man's squeeze, and enjoyed a very nice lunch up at the pavilion.  Then we were back on the trail for Fairy Land.  They have done a nice job of illustrating children's fairy tales inside  huge cave, lit with black lights.  Jacob would enjoy seeing this!

We were soon back on the road after a short technical session on John Cockerill's car.  Seems that he couldn't accelerate.  It was quickly discovered that he needed to pull down his spark lever!

We made our way back to Chattanooga along beautiful windy roads of the Georgia countryside.  A rattle seemed to have set up under the hood of Miz B.  It didn't sound good!  As we arrived back at the Choo Choo, we found the repair tent to see if anyone there could diagnose the problem.  It was quickly discovered that the new water pump's shaft was wobbling and causing the rattle.  Another failed water pump!  That is the second one in recent history.  Now the challenge was to find one, or we weren't going to make it home!  A gentleman, Mike Kemp happened to see all the commotion and stopped by to see if he could be of some help.  Why, yes, he could!  mike owns and makes the Omega Water Pumps for Model A's!  And, yes, he had a water pump with him!  He was also very kind to help install it.  By now, it was raining harder that it had all day.  I think we got the two to four inches that was predicted for the afternoon!

Of course, pulling off the water pump meant draining the fluid from the radiator, so it was a great time to check the Gano filter.  Yep, it was clogged with rust chinks, AGAIN!!!!!  This is the reason we overheated coming up the mountains getting to Chattanooga!

Water pump installed, hoses reinstalled, with clean filter, hood back on and clamps nice and tight and Miz B is back in business to do some more touring in the morning.


We hurried back to the room, after covering her up in the pouring rain, to change for the Welcome party and barbecue supper at the Tennessee Aquarium.  Supper was delicious, but we were just too tired to tour around the aquarium, so we caught the electric, free bus back to the Choo Choo and called it a night!

Rain is forecast For most of today, but we are going to make the best of it and have fun with our Model A friends as we tour Warren County, Tennessee.

On the road to Chattanooga

We got a good start this morning.  We left the church parking lot at ten after seven.  We were late, because we had forgotten John's rain jacket.

We relied on Garmin to give us direction to Chattanooga.  We traveled the beautiful countryside of South Carolina through the upstate to the upstate of northeastern Georgia.  We got about 150 miles from home and in the mountains, when the thermometer began showing a bit of excess heat from the radiator.  It was just about noon, when we were planning to stop for lunch.  We were taking a third really long climb up another mountain, when water began to spew from the radiator cap.  Miz B was too hot.  Then suddenly, the temp shot straight up on the thermometer!  Fortunately, the only roadside park of the day appeared!  Quick - stage right!  Into the rest area for lunch at a covered picnic site and to let not only Miz B cool off, but George - the Booth's, A cool off, as well!

We enjoyed a nice shared picnic in the cool shade, then gave both cars nice drink of water and we were back on our way.

Miz B was not real happy, quite yet.  There were some more hills to climb and she really hadn't quite cooled off, enough!  But, we traveled a bit more slowly along through a few small towns and she began to cool off.  Finally, she was running nice and cool.  It helped that the outside temps had also dropped about 6 degrees, too.

We arrived at the Chattanooga Choo Choo at 5:45 - just in time to pick up our registration packets.

We enjoyed a nice leisurely supper in "The Gardens Restaurant."

Lots of Model A's to be seen in the parking lot.  We took a few minutes before going to bed to put up the side curtains and put on the top cover.  It is supposed to be quite cool and rather rainy tomorrow.

2012 MARC National Tour

This morning, we are off to Chattanooga!  The little car is packed, we have our picnic lunch, a little extra "Water Wetter" has been added to the radiator, the tires are at 35 psi, and she is full of gas.  We are going to leave the navigation to Garmin on this trip.  Here's to hoping we aren't led down any dirt roads!

We are supposed to meet Orville & Sharon, Bill & Fay, and John & Twila up at Salem Methodist Church to leave by 7 am.  Early start, but it will probably be a 10 hour day to get there!

More to come from Chattanooga!

Mechanical Issues of Miz B

I've now taken a few long distance trips in Miz B.   She hasn't always run very well, but I've enjoyed the ride, none the less. 

The first trip of any distance I went on with the little car was up to Saluda, NC.  I hadn't had the car but a few months and had had her thoroughly checked out by my local mechanic for her road worthiness.  He had given me a good report and I was off to a family reunion.  The car did really well until 1 mile from the finish, going up the infamous Saluda Grade, when she overheated!  We made it to the reunion, after refilling the radiator a couple of times and hitting less strenuous grades.  Coming home, we were within 95 miles of our destination, we decided that the overheating issue was too much and called AAA for a flat bed haul back home.  This trip had us putting a new radiator, hoses, and water pump on the car.

We then went to the Upstate of South Carolina with our friends Orville and Sharon Booth for the Railroad Festival.  The car did very well until we were on our way home.  In a terrific thunderstorm, she decided to overheat, again!  We refilled the radiator and made it home without further incident.  After speaking with club member Calvin, we decided to take him up on his offer of back flushing the radiator.  We decided to put a sieve up to catch the water that was blasted back up through the radiator to see what might come out.  We were surprised to see dime size chunks of rust!  With that, we decided to buy the Gano filter.  The car had sat up, unattended for many years - probably with water in the block which allowed the rust to happen in the block.  So, the filter arrived from California and was installed in the upper radiator hose to catch anymore rust particles that could clog up the radiator.

The next trip of distance was to Mayesville, Georgia and Mike's A Ford-able Grandfather's Day.  The car ran superbly!  Coming home, we noticed that the car was beginning to run a bit too warm for our comfort level.  We had put about 800 miles on it since installing the Gano filter.  The next morning, we removed the upper radiator hose with the filter and discovered that it was 90% blocked by rust particles!  The filter was doing it's job.  So, it was cleaned and reinstalled.  That was in June, 2010.

In March, 2011, we travelled with several couples to St. Augustine, Florida for the MARC National Membership Meeting.  We logged about 1,200 miles on the little car with that trip.  The car was having issues with skipping, but not overheating.  The terrain was flat with no real hills to climb.  We changed out the carburetor in Jessup, Georgia - in the dark, by flashlight beams!  The car ran well in the morning, but began skipping in the afternoon, again!  We made it to St. Augustine and the minute the hood was opened, men came out of the woodwork to see if they could solve the problem.  We discovered that the polarity was reversed, one spark plug was not working, the timing was reset, a new wire from the distributor to the ignition coil was installed and the carburetor was readjusted.  The car seemed to run well in the mornings, but after a few hours, would start skipping intermittently once the engine was really warm.  Several more tech sessions in the parking lot of our host hotel ensued and we thought we had it together well enough to drive home.  The car ran relatively well coming home, only skipping periodically.  About 6 miles from the house, a very loud bang took place under the hood.  We were just crossing the dam and decided to coast into the gas station to see what was going on.  Upon lifting the hood, it was discovered that the fan belt was shredding!  We decided to limp home with the belt still shredding and banging under the hood - it was pitch black dark!  The next morning, it was discovered that the alternator had bearing failure, thus causing the fan belt issue.  So off it came and a new alternator and belt were installed.

Many more trips were taken within a 75 mile radius around the state with only minimal issues of the engine skipping.  We were chalking that up to periodically getting bad gas and didn't think much more of it.  The car hadn't overheated in two years, the brakes were new and recently adjusted, and we had had the car to our local mechanic for a complete check up and grease job.

Next, we were headed to Marquette, Michigan and the 2012 MAFCA National Convention.  We had a hard four day drive - logging about 380 miles a day, to get there.  The little car did pretty well, only skipping periodically and cool on the flats, but with the mountains, she overheated on the last one.  We refilled the radiator, let her cool down a bit and continued our day's drive.  On the third day of the trip, she was really skipping most of the time.  We ruled out a fuel issue; changed out the carburetor, started using 93 octane gas - at $4.20 a gallon, and reset the points - which were nearly closed!  Drove about 15 miles further and the car was skipping even worse!  We decided to trailer it the rest of the way to Marquette, about 400 miles, where we would have a repair tent and possibly some help.  We had ruled out a fuel issue.  So, we were thinking it must be electrical in nature.  It was decided that the distributor had a bit of play in the shaft, indicating worn bushings.  So, we ordered a complete distributor from our parts supplier and it would arrive by Thursday afternoon.  The parts arrived on time and were installed.  The car ran beautifully!  We felt much more comfortable knowing we needed to drive the 1,300 miles back home in another day.  All went well on the trip home - until the third day!  We were in the mountains, again, and the car decided it was just too hot and overheated.  We flushed the radiator and refilled it with plain water and added Water Wetter.  The next morning, we drove about 20 miles and she overheated, again.  We decided to trailer the car the remaining 200 miles.  We arrived home, unloaded the car from the trailer and decided to deal with the overheating issue tomorrow.  First thing we checked was the Gano filter - well, it was about 95% clogged with rust particles!  No wonder the car overheated, it wasn't getting the water circulated in the radiator fast enough!  So, filter cleaned and reinstalled with new upper radiator hose!  Problem solved!

The last trip was over to McCormick, SC for the Western Carolina's 50th Anniversary Celebration Tour.  The car was running perfectly until a rain storm of biblical proportions happened!  Suddenly, the car was skipping - again!  So, I knew it was some sort of distributor problem.  I had forgotten about the problems cars used to have before electronic ignitions.  Distributors tend to "sweat" when it rains from the suddenly cooler moist air.  The car finally had enough and just quit!  A club member came and got me with his trailer and we left it there over night.  The next morning, she cranked right up as if nothing had happened the day before!  From now on, WD-40 lightly sprayed in the distributor and on the plugs and plug wires is a preventative maintenance item I will be certain to do every 3-4 months!

After logging over 15,000 miles on the little car in  three years, I've discovered that she is very reliable and may not always run the best, but will not really fail me.  I really love this little car!

Beautiful Early Fall

On Sunday, September 9, I went out to the trailer where Miz B had spent the night.  I had grand hopes that the distributor had dried over night and she would crank on the first try.  The little car had never really let me down in the past and I really had faith that nothing was truly wrong with her.  So, with fingers crossed, I climbed in, set the throttle, turned on the gas valve, set the spark, turned on the power, turned on the key, pressed the starter and popped the choke and she roared to life!

Boy did that make my day!  I knew that if the car would start then all would be just fine for the trip home.

We left Hickory Knob State Park about 10 and had a beautiful, sunny drive in pleasantly cool temperatures all the way back to Columbia.  I arrived home about noon.  My plan was to unpack the car and let it cool down.  

Later that afternoon, I got out my can of WD-40, opened up the distributor and gave the inside a good spray, including the inside of the lid.  I closed it up and also sprayed the top of the block, ensuring I got all the spark plugs and plug wires.  No more being stranded on the side of the road in a rainstorm!

Next weekend, a group of us from the Palmetto A's are off to Chattanooga for the 2012 MARC National Tour.  It should be a fun trip.  

Rain in Georgia

Yesterday, Miz B and I joined the Western Carolins Model A Ford Club on a tour to Crawfordsville, GA and Washington, GA, to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.  We had a beautiful morning drive.  There were 13 Model A's and a couple of modern cars in the group when we left Hickory Knob Resort State Park.  Unfortunately, one of the cars, a beautiful A 400 was having issues with the generator not charging the battery, so it was decided that they would find the nearest automotive supply store and buy a new battery.  Then, there were 12 of us.  We tourehe'd own to the home of Alexander H. Stephenson and the out buildings on the grounds of the A. H. Stephenson State Park in Crawfordsville.  These buildings have been very carefully restored to replicate life as Stephenson would have known, including most of the original furnishings.  This work was done by the Daughters of the Confederacy in the 1970's.  After touring the grounds, we were back on the road to Washington, GA.  We enjoyed lunch in a cafe located in an historic building on the town square.  After lunch, we went to visit the historic home of Robert Toombs, a noted Georgia Statesman.  It, too, is beautifully taken care of by the state of Georgia.  Before becoming property of the state, a member of the Toombs family lived there until the 1970's.  While exploring the large home, the Georgia skies opened up and torrential rain began to fall.  It was time to depart for Hickory Knob State Park.  We had a banquet to attend in the evening.  The cars were running well, until about 12 miles from the resort.  Cockerill's was acting up a little, as was Miz B.  It was like the distributor was bad - again!  She was skipping and was loosing power.  I found a driveway to pull into just in time - she just flat out DIED!!!!  The rain had been coming down Cats and Dogs for the past 35 to 40 minutes and all I could figure was that either something was wet, like the distributor or there was a short somewhere that was keeping it from firing off.  Well, some phone calls were made, thank goodness for cell phones!  Shortly, the Calvary arrived with an empty trailer in tow for Miz B!  I've got to have a talk with the old gal.  Her insistance of hitching a ride and being treated like a queen must come to an end!  We got her loaded and made our way back to the resort with time to spare to get to the banquet.  Of course, everyone wanted to know if she was well enough to be back on the road.  We'll find out after breakfast, but, I imagine a good shot of W D 40 in her distributor and on the plug wires should be the cure.  We'll see . . .   Stay tuned for the update!

Tour to Tucker, GA

Friday morning, we off on another Model A adventure.  This medium length tour should let us know if we truly have the "bugs" worked out of Miz B.  It will be about a 500 mile round trip.   Our tour to Chattanooga is coming up in mid September and should be a good tour to really check out the car for its ability to take on a longer tour!

This time, we are headed west to Georgia.  Our first stop will be to the small town of Madison, Georgia.  There, we will visit the Micro Museum, owned by Bruce Weiner.  The Museum Collection is primarily focused on Microcars in the late 1940's- pre-1964 range with Engine sizes of 700cc or less (many are 250cc and 50cc) and 2 doors or less.  We will be traveling with two other couples in their A's, as well - Twila & John Cockerill and Margaret & Gary Smith.  Late in the day, we will arrive in Tucker, Georgia - a small suburb of the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.  On Saturday, we will enjoy perusing the Swap Meet hosted by the Georgia Chapter at Cofer's Stable of Thoroughbreds.  We anticipate a tour of the museum, as well.  Our tour will conclude with the drive back to Lexington, South Carolina on Sunday.  

More details to come as we travel the back roads of South Carolina and Georgia, this weekend!

Old Problem . . .

Well, we thought we had fixed the discharge of the battery. Not so! I needed to go to the store to buy a baby gift, so of course, I drove the A. I thought all was well with Miz B. I drove the 10 miles to the store, went inside and did my shopping, and came back out to go home. Miz B was not wanting to go anywhere. I decided that either the battery was just about shot or there was definitely something wrong with the alternator. She finally cranked and I wasted no time driving straight home. After arriving home, John decided to remove the alternator and take it to have it tested. Sure enough, there was a bad diode within. A quick trip to our handy Model A parts dealer, Smith & Jones and a new heavy duty alternator was purchased. Fortunately, an alternator is a quick install and Miz was back in service by the end of the day. The heavy duty alternator is what we've needed for quite some time, as the horn now works very well! I had thought that I was looking at a horn rebuild in my future! The halogen headlights, now, are very bright and the car seems to be running extremely well. Amazing how well the little car runs when it is getting the right amount of electricity! Now, I think I am finally ready to take another long trip. We are headed to Tucker, GA in early August for a two night trip. Maybe we will take a spin around Stone Mountain. Should be a great trip with another couple from the club.

Problems Fixed!

Friday morning dawned very warm, but that didn't stop John from diving straight in and tackling the problems Miz B had on our trip.  The temperature was record setting for the day at 109 degrees!  First item on the agenda was to remove the Gano filter to see if the overheating issue was caused by a clog.  Well, lo and behold, that filter was just about completely blocked.  It is amazing we were able to go 50 feet before the car overheated!  So, a good cleaning was in order for both the filter and radiator.  We decided to replace the upper radiator hose at the same time.  Some sort of gook was sloughing off the inside of the hose, so it was trashed, but the filter cleaned up nicely and we reinstalled it along with the new hose.  We have decided that we should clean out the filter once a year.  The next item on the agenda was the water pump, it had been squealing for a couple of years.  During the trip, we finally narrowed down the noise to it.  So, off came the hood, loosened the radiator shell, unbolted the radiator and pulled the water pump out!  This is no easy chore!  But the hard part is getting everything back together and have the hood fit properly on the car.  Very frustrating, indeed!  We had also noted that the ammeter indicated a discharge.  We discovered another bare wire and taped it up nicely.  Discharge of battery fixed!  So far, so good.  Next, John wanted to install a fuse on the starter.  This is because we have installed halogen headlights.  Halogens really draw power and we don't want a wiring fire!  The fuse will pop first!  The new tire was purchased, but the inner tube and liner weren't in stock.  We will have to wait until Monday to have that taken care of.  It seems that Miz B is just about ready for another long distance tour.
Next on the agenda is a relatively short tour to McCormick, SC and Hickory Knob State Park.  We will help the Western Carolinas Model A Ford Club celebrate their 50th Anniversary.  Actually, Miz B and I will be going and John will be at the USC football game at Williams Brice Stadium.  Go Gamecocks!

Headed for Home!

Thursday morning arrived without a hint of the heat we were to encounter in the afternoon.  The morning was beautiful, cloudless, sunny and down right chilly!  We loaded up and decided to get an earlier start, because by the time we were to hit the North Carolina border the temperatures were expected to be in the upper 80's to lower 90's.

We didn't get out of the parking lot when Miz B decided that she had an electrical issue! The ammeter showed a definite drain - meaning the battery wasn't getting charged.  So, we were planning to put the little car on the trailer until Orville said he had an extra alternator!  Amazing the spare parts some folks travel with!  Boy was I thankful!  So, a parking lot tech session ensued.  They had the new alternator installed in about 30 minutes and we on our merry way.

The air temperature was about 50 degrees; chilly enough that I had a light blanket across my lap - no windows to stop the wind.  We headed out and started climbing the mountains.  After about 20 minutes, Miz B was definitely running HOT!  It was time to put her on the trailer.  We just didn't have the luxury of trying to figure out the overheating issue.  The extreme heat was going to arrive by noon.

On the trailer - ready to be home!

It was decided that we would not take the scenic route home, but hit the interstate system.  Not the most pleasant way to travel in a Model A, but quicker.  John and I again split up.  He rode in the air-conditioned truck, and I in the Booth's four door sedan.  I was determined that I was going to make the entire trip in a Model A - even if it wasn't mine!  We jumped on the interstate just above Johnson City, Tennessee.  The truck traffic was quite heavy.  We did get off on US11 for a bit, but then were back on I26 for the remainder of the trip.

We did have an interesting excursion - quite the scenic route, at one point.  We decided a break was in order, so we stopped at a Rest Area for a few minutes.  Then it was back on the road; only the two A's went straight out of the parking lot and the truck hauling Miz B went right!  Wow, did we in the A's get the scenic route!  We were on a very narrow mountain back road full of switch backs.  At first, we were headed straight down hill.  We then hit the valley floor and then it was straight back up the mountain - still more switch backs!  Thank goodness the truck wasn't following us - they wouldn't have made the curves!  We passed under I26 twice, finally making our way back to the interstate.  We were 6 miles further north than the Rest Area where we had gotten off!  Well, we got our scenic route for the day!

We traveled without incident all the rest of the way home.  We did stop once more at a fresh peach stand and enjoyed a very delicious and refreshing peach slushy.  The temperature was about 98 degrees.  We arrived at 5:30 to the sweltering heat of Columbia; it was 100 degrees!

But, it sure felt good to be back home!  We all agreed it was a great trip despite the issues we encountered on the road.  We enjoyed the fellowship of great friends, made new ones along the way, and truly had a memorable adventure in our Model A's.

Tomorrow, Miz B is getting a thorough check up.  There has to be a simple explanation for her issues.  We have to get ready for the mountains around Chattanooga and the MARC National Tour in September.

Norton, Virginia

Wednesday morning bloomed beautiful - cool, crisp and sunny.  We enjoyed a great breakfast at Bob Evans then hit the Model A trail going south headed for Virginia.  We made very good time rolling through the beautiful country side.  We stayed on country roads for the most part until we hit the Country Music Highway - US 23.  We passed areas where many country music greats were raised.

By the afternoon, we were back in the mountains and Miz B was starting to struggle with a hot engine.  We made it to our hotel and unpacked for the evening.  Then it was off again for supper at Applebee's a couple miles down the road.  Later, John and I stopped by an auto parts store to pick up a couple bottles of Water Wetter.  We decided to drain the radiator of it's coolant and start over with fresh water and just the Water Wetter.  The A's tend to run best on plain water.  We like to add the Water Wetter to raise the boiling point and it also contains a lubricant and rust preventative.  We've had issues in the past with rust flaking off the interior of the block and causing overheating.  We still have the Gano filter in the top radiator hose, but didn't check it.  It is difficult to remove and replace.  We hoped for the best, refilled the radiator, gassed up and went back to the hotel for the night.

Cooling off at top of mountain
in Virginia

London, Ohio

We had a nice morning in Auburn, Indiana.  First, we toured the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum for about 3 hours, then enjoyed a nice lunch at the Auburn House. Great spot to have a meal any time you are in Auburn! The drive on to London, Ohio was relatively uneventful. We drove through more Amish countryside. The rolling hills and smooth roads were a nice change from the flat straight roads of the past day or so. Today, we will connect with the Country Music Highway, then wind our way along the Ohio River and find a place to stop for the night. The weather appears to be ramping up for a heat wave, beginning Thursday. We need to make good time today, because we may not be able to go too far on Thursday with highs expected around 100!

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
Auburn, Indiana

L29 Cord

L29 Door Handle on car belonging to
Frank Lloyd Wright

Crossing the Ohio going South

Happy Birthday, John!

Sunday morning was another beautiful day to drive the Model A's.  We weren't going too far, as we had to pace ourselves to leave ample time to visit the upcoming museums.  Today, we traveled to Grand Rapids and visited the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum.  The city has grown immensely since our last visit there in the mid '90's.  We were greeted at the city limits by Sharon and Orville's son, Mark.  He was riding his motorcycle and gave us escort all the way to the museum.  After touring the museum, we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Logan's, a very good steak place.  Soon, it was time to say our good byes to Mark and head on for our hotel in Kalamazoo.

Wes, Bill, Fay, Shirley, Dick, Happy, John, Sharon, & Orville

Future home of Model A Ford Museum @ The Gilmore Museum

Monday morning dawned cool, crisp and sunny. We enjoyed a quick breakfast at Denny's in Kalamazoo, then we were off for Hickory Corners and The Gilmore Car Museum. We spent about 5 hours looking over the beautiful car collections. The main room, upon entry had a lovely collection of Duesenbergs. We saw an impressive collection of Franklins, Pierce Arrows, Fords, Cadillacs, and various other Marques. So many beautiful cars! They also had an impressive collection of hood ornaments and mascots.
 We enjoyed a personal tour of the Model A Ford Museum, under construction, by the Gilmore Director, Mike Spezia. The new museum building is expected to be complete in early September. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch under the huge maple trees outside of a 1940 Diner. A few photos were taken of our cars in front of the old gas station and in front of the main museum building. Soon, it was time to drive on to Auburn, Indiana. We arrived and checked into our motel for the night. We enjoyed a nice supper at Applebee's topped off with a Happy Birthday song for John! Tomorrow morning we will go to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum.

Miz B and her friends at the Gilmore Museum and Shell Station

Miz B at the Gilmore Shell Station