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

On the way to Gaylord, MI

Saturday morning arrived bright and sunny for our trip from Marquette to Gaylord, Michigan.  We packed up the cars and said our goodbyes to the friendly staff at the motel, then we were on our way south.  The day's travel started out pretty easy until Sharon realized she had left the Garmin charging back in the motel - only about 5 miles back.  They turned around and went back for it while we proceeded down the road.  We met back up with them in Munising about an hour later.  All went smoothly from that point on for the rest of the day.

We crossed the Mackinac Bridge with no incidents.  The bridge is constantly being maintained.  It is 5 miles long and there is a permanent painting crew to take care of it.  The toll was quite high at $4 per car and $8 for the truck and trailer.

Crossing the Mackinac Bridge

We stopped for lunch at a very famous restaurant in the tiny town of Cross Village.  It is situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Michigan.  We got there by traveling a very scenic little highway through the farmland of Northern Michigan.

The Legs Inn

John at Legs Inn - Lake Michigan in the background

After lunch, we took Michigan 119 through The Tunnel of Trees.  It is a beautiful coastal road that runs along the cliffs of Lake Michigan.  We left Michigan 119 in the beautiful town of Harbor Springs.  Harbor Springs is a major destination of summer tourists in Northern Michigan.

Tunnel of Trees Highway

Tunnel of Trees Highway

We had originally planned to travel as far as Lake City, but decided to stop sooner for the day.  So, Gaylord became our destination.

We arrived in Gaylord about 6:15 pm and called it a day!  

Final Day in Marquette

This morning we all headed out for breakfast then came back to the motel to fix Miz B's ills! It took about an hour and she was good to go! The new distributor did the trick! Then John and I headed over to the University Center to make my presentation to the MAFCA Board on the status of the 2012 MAFCA National Awards Banquet. With that finished, we went downtown to find a spot for lunch. We found a great little Irish Pub, where John enjoyed fish and chips and I enjoyed a bowl of Guiness beef stew. We then returned to the motel to pack for our trip back south. We got as much in the rumble seat as possible then decided it was time to get into our Model A period clothes for the banquet. Dinner was held in the Superior Dome with most of the judged cars around the floor. We were treated to a talk by Edsel Ford, Jr., and the 20 millionth Ford was there, as well.  There were lots of awards presented for judged cars. Then I was next on the agenda to present the invitation for the Awards Banquet. All went well. The surprise of the evening came when Dick was asked to come to the podium to represent Shirley. Shirley was being presented with the "Hard Luck" Award of the Convention! She was, by this evening, sporting a bright blue cast on her broken wrist! Come to think of it, that cast is just about the same color as Miz B. Tomorrow morning, we hit the road for our return trip south!

John and I with the 20 Millionth Ford at the Superior Dome

Our group in the Superior Dome
Shirley is holding her "Hard Luck" Award

What a Parade!

Thursday, June 21, 2012 - Although Miz B isn't running the best, we decide to go on the driving tour that we had signed up for. It was an 80 mile trip from Marquette to Iron Mountain. We were released in groups of 8 Model A's to travel the state highways over to Iron Mountain. Iron Mountain is where one of Ford's iron ore mining operations was located. The conditions were positively brutal. We then toured the WWII Glider Museum. Ford made gliders for the Army Air Corps. We left on our own for lunch and the drive back to Marquette. We found a great little bar for a sandwich. I enjoyed a Yupper speciality - cudighi sandwich. It was delicious. It is found in most pizza and Pasty shops only in Marquette County, MIchigan. After lunch, we drove back to the motel in Marquette. The car kept going, but is probably running worse than it ever has. We are hopeful that the parts we ordered from Smith & Jones have arrived. We were pleased to see the package on the bed in our room when we returned. Although, the repair was going to have wait for Friday morning. We had a Pig Roast and a parade to attend! First, we drove over to Ishpeming to the Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum to line up for the parade. We were going for a Guiness Record. There were 164 Model A's in the parade! The entire town showed up for the parade. It was positively amazing! Our route was at least 6 miles long and was lined with people cheering and waving! None of us had ever experienced a parade like that! The folks were so thrilled to see us! Then we were off to the Pig Roast in a beautiful park. When we arrived at the park, there were probably 75 cars already there waiting for us. There were Model A's as far as you could see! We enjoyed great fellowship, barbecue, and ice cream. Then the area community drum, bugle, and flag corp entertained us. The Superior A's had a nice party for all 600 of us! We had a fun day!

Model A's invade the park!

Miz B among the crowd of Model A's in the park

Thursday in Marquette

We enjoyed a nice breakfast just down the street from our hotel at a local diner, then it was off to the University Center to meet with H & H Antique. These guys do absolute quality work restoring these Model A engines. A few of the guys were practically drooling over the short and long block touring engines they had on display. We picked up our donation from Max Herman for the 2012 MAFCA National Awards Banquet. John and I took Miz B for a ride through downtown looking for a nice spot for lunch. We ended up at Doncker's on Washington. It is a place that Henry Ford had lunch. So, needless to say, the place has been in business a long time! Before leaving, we enjoyed a delicious ice cream cone. We then drove out to Presque Isle Park along Lake Superior. About 300 feet into the park, on a very narrow road with no shoulders in the woods, John asked me how the gas situation was. Well, wouldn't you know the gauge said 0. Not good. There was no way out except to keep going. I was really concerned we wouldn't make out of the woods, much less out of the park and to a gas station! But, we were quite fortunate to make it to a station with no extra fuel to spare. The car took 9.8 gallons. I'm not sure what size tank I have - either a 10 or 11 gallon. It was a relief to make it to a station! Our group traveled together to a restaurant named CoCo's for supper. We all enjoyed a wonderful meal. From CoCo's, the Prince's followed us over to the University Center for the Presidents Reception and the rest went for a short drive, then back to the hotel. The President's Reception was very nice, but the sky fell out while we were there. We came out to pouring rain, thunder, and lightning! Of course, the umbrella was in the roadster and the side curtains were in the trunk! We quickly put up the curtains and made our way back to the motel. It was a nice day in Marquette. Tomorrow we tour with other A's to Iron Mountain. Miz B is still acting up. John is going to change out the condenser in the morning in hopes of fixing the skipping issue! We'll see. . . . . .

Ford Alberta Village, Michigan

Alberta Village Saw Mill and Model A's

Bob Krepke, Ford Historian

Yesterday's journey took us to a quaint little village along a stream that Henry Ford built. It was centered around a saw mill. We toured the saw mill and enjoyed a talk about the area by Bob Krepke, Ford Motor Company Historian. It was very comprehensive on the history of the area and Ford's purpose in the area. We then drove back to Ishpeming for a nice lunch at the Country Grill, then headed back to Marquette. It was time to do a bit of laundry. So, all the gals loaded into the Booth's Sedan and off to the laundromat for an hour. Last night, we had dinner in a wonderful Italian place in downtown Marquette. All the locals have commented how thankful they are that we have come for the Convention. The people here have been so nice and accommodating. Miz B is still having a time with skipping. We ordered some parts from our hometown Model A parts supplier and they should arrive tomorrow. The car is running, just not as well as it should. I have no problem accelerating up to 50 mph and maintaining the speed, it is just the periodic skipping of the engine. We think there is too much play in the distributor. We are hoping a new distributor will solve the problem. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful sunny day here in the UP!

Marquette or Bust!

We were a bit confused about which time we should be on - Eastern or Central.  Marquette is on Eastern, but we were spending the night in Central.  Anyway, we got going when we were ready.  We had a very pleasant day driving through Wisconsin Dairyland.  Although, we knew when we were approaching a farm - you couldn't miss the odor!

Our last stop in Wisconsin for gas was uneventful.  I even bought some Wisconsin cheese to enjoy later!

Iron Mountain, MI was a very welcome sight, indeed!  Orville was perpetually  worried that we were coming to Marquette the wrong week.  We hadn't seen one A going in our direction.  We had seen a couple going in the opposite direction earlier in the day.  

We arrived in Marquette at 6:50 pm.  It was decided to find a nicer place for supper and found an Applebee's.  Everyone was happy with their meals and even happier to be in Marquette!  We began seeing A's all over the place!  

Our goal on Monday will to get Miz B to the repair tent to be able to drive the scheduled tours and the drive home on Saturday.

Saturday - What A Day!

The morning started off quite well.  We were all up and ready to roll out at 7:30.  We drove about 50 miles and decided we should gas up.  We had made it to Chrisman, Illinois.  We were just about ready to leave, when Shirley was walking through the parking lot back to the truck, when she was bumped to the ground by another car backing up.  Down to the pavement she went!  We called EMS and the Sheriff.  The ambulance took her to the hospital in Danville, while we finished up with the police.  Our delay was about 4 hours.  We then drove over to Danville to the hospital to wait until she was close to being released.  We picnicked on the lawn under a huge tree - after another tech session on Miz B!  The carburetor was changed out and some adjustments were made to the choke, again.  Then we were off down the road.  We got about 10 miles when she decided she was most unhappy and really started acting up.  We found an abandoned gas station to try to diagnose the situation and wait for the Support Vehicle with the rest of our friends to catch up with us.  While waiting, a huge thunderstorm rolled through.  Good we were waiting, we would have had to pull off the road and wait it out any way.  So, another tech session ensued!  This time, the points were discovered to be almost closed, so an adjustment was made there!  By then, the rest of our group had caught up with us.  We discovered that Shirley was fine for the most part; she did suffer a broken wrist.  She is splinted and will see an Orthopedist on Monday, in Marquette.  We decided to try to drive the car again.  All seemed to be well for about 30 minutes, then it was worse than ever.  It was time to put the old lady on the trailer.  We will have her to the repair tent as soon as we get to Marquette!

John and I split up and he rode in the Support Truck, followed by Miz B on the  trailer, and I rode with the Booths in their four door sedan.  All went well on the road from that point on.  We stopped for a quick supper and resumed our drive.  We had to make it to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin before stopping for the night.  We finally arrived at our destination at 1 am Eastern Time!  Wow, what a long, long, long day.

Overnight in Cloverdale, Indiana

Oh, it is nice to be back in Indiana. We had a great day travellimg the back roads of Kentucky and Indiana. It got pretty hot this afternoon. One of the bank thermometers registered 95 degrees. We stopped around 4 for ice cream at Dairy Queen and to enjoy their air conditioning! We didn't have any real mechanical problems. Miz B is experiencing a bit of dispepsia every now and then. She seems to be skipping. Last gas up had us putting high test, at $4.15 a gallon, in! If that is all it takes to have her running smoothly, okay! We arrived at our motel about 7:30 and had a great pizza close by. We plan to be back on the road tomorrow morning again, at 8. Our destination will be Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison.

The photo above is of our crossing of the Ohio River, into Indiana.

On the road to Marquette

Everyone arrived at our house about 7:50. It took us a few minutes to load up the chase truck's bed with all of our luggage. Ended up strapping the scooter on to the bed of the trailer. We obviously don't travel light! Most of the day went very well. We enjoyed the beautiful drive through the mountains around Asheville, travellimg a few miles on Interstate 26. The cars did pretty well, but a couple began to run a little warm. The grades are long and steep. We made it around Asheville without incident and continued on the Cherokee Highway. Really beautiful country side. We were faced with a short detour about 20 miles from Greenville, Tennessee. The detour took us up windy back roads without too much traffic. About 15 miles from Greenville, I experienced a flat tire. Thankfully, it happened where there was an actual area we could pull off the road. Most of the road we had been driving on was cut through the rock of the mountain. I must have run over something, because there was a slash across most of the treads. We had a time getting the spare out of the fender. The paint had adhered to the whitewall! The spare had plenty of air in it, but we had to let most of it out to get it unstuck from the well in the fender! Good thing we had put a portable compressor in the trunk! So, the tire was installed, refilled with air and we were back on our way! I will be looking for a new tire in Marquette! We stopped at a scenic overlook and we noticed that a couple of the cars were a bit steamy. We had just climbed a very steep and long grade. Good thing we had water! We enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes, letting the cars cool off. Then we were back on the road headed for our stop for the night, Middlesborough, Kentucky. We checked into the hotel about 7 p.m., and immediately went for supper. We will be back on the road tomorrow morning - hopefully about 8.

Ready to Roll!

Car is packed.  Wonder what I have forgotten?  Found a gasket kit for the Zenith, just in case - decided it was flat enough it could go in too.  My motto is prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.  Not having reservations at hotels for the first two nights has me a bit concerned, but no one else seems to be worried about it.  So, I'm putting my faith in the more seasoned long distance travelers on this one.  I've packed picnic supplies for the trip.  John and I aren't real crazy about fast food.  Some folks don't mind it, but two weeks worth is a bit too much.

Folks should be arriving about 7:30 tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, we will be able to get out of here by 8.  I'll do my best to update this blog each evening after we get settled in for the night.

Last minute preparations

I'm off to the store for extra oil today.  At speeds over 45, my little car tends to "sling" quite a bit of oil from the rear main bearing.  So, we will have to keep an eye on the engine oil level as we travel.  We anticipate traveling at about 42-45 miles per hour for most of the trip.  There will be a group of us, so we will be quite visable to other motorists, especially when we do need to use the interstate highways.  They won't like our slower speed, but it's the best we can do!

John is going to change the oil and make sure that the running boards are nice and tight.  They sure can set up a rattle when they get loose.  That's one thing about these old cars - the nuts and bolts tend to loosen up pretty easily.  Henry Ford recommended changing the oil every 500 miles in the Model A. Times have changed so much, that we don't change it nearly that often.  Oils are much better and we aren't driving over dirt roads.  We will probably need to add a couple of quarts each day, so we think we will wait to change the oil at the end of the 2,500 mile trip.  

I feel good about the shape of the car for this trip.  I installed halogen bulbs in my headlamps and night driving will be much improved with the greater visibility they will give me.  When I first got the car, night driving was positively scarey! Unbeknownst to me, the headlights were pointed skyward, the bulbs were very, very dim, and I couldn't see 20 feet in front of the car when it was moving!  We solved those issues and added the brighter incandescent bulbs quite a while ago, but when we toured recently and I saw just how bright another car's headlamps were, I decided halogens were the way to go.  So, halogens in the front and LED tail lamps.  I also have some extra reflectors on the front and rear of the car, so I'll be seen by others at night, too.  With the LED tail lamps, turn signals were installed.  Front signals are in the cowl accessary lamps and rear signals in the brake lamps.  My goal has been to keep the car as original as possible, but to add basic safety improvements. Therefore, we have seat belts, turn signals, halogen head lamps, an alternator, and LED tail lamps.

I've started packing the area that is normally a rumble seat.  I use it as a trunk; we've taken the seat out.  I drive the car every day and this is where I need to put groceries when running around town.  Into the trunk will be my side curtains, car cover, extra oil, collapsable chairs, battery pack to run the Garmin and recharge cell phones, cooler with drinks, extra jackets, hats, gloves, and probably any last minute items I forgot to put into the suitcase! 

Speaking of suitcase, I'd better get packing!

Trip Planning

Well, between Sharon and me, we have spent countless hours researching the route up to Marquette and the route back. Our plan is to travel as many scenic highways as possible, and stay off the interstate system unless absolutely necessary. It is going to be lots of road changes! The roads between home and the border of Indiana are going to be very curvey. We have the Appalachian Mountains to get through. It is amazing just how strait the roads from the Indiana line thru Illinois are! Says a lot about the topography of the country through Indiana and Illinois - lots of flat wide open land. It gets curvey in upper Illinois and into Wisconsin going around so many small lakes. The roads straighten out once we get up into the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.

 I spent most of the morning putting together the 4 driver's packets for the trip. AAA was gracious in supplying me with maps of all the states for each packet - that's 24 separate maps! We are going to not make reservations for most of the nights we are traveling. We thought it necessary to make reservations for the one night we would be traveling through Wisconsin. It seems that folks in that part of the country like to go on vacation in June and most of the motels were booked solid! So, not taking any chances that night!

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate with us - not too hot or too cold!  I will keep my eye on the Weather Channel, you never know when the weather will change up in that part of the country.  It isn't unheard of to have snow in June in the UP of Michigan.  We might see a bit of rain, so with no windshield wipers, we will be sure to use the Rain-X.  Amazing how well that stuff works!

Heat in Passenger Compartment

With the temps warming up over the past few weeks, I decided to buy some more of the easy to install insulation that Smith & Jones sells.  It is only easy because it can be cut with a pair of household scissors.  Otherwise, you practically have to stand on your head to install it in a Model A!  I had installed the insulation soon after purchasing the car and thought it worked well on the drive down to Florida last year.  But, for some reason, I felt it wasn't working as well, lately.  

I started by taking the kick panels out.  Then I discovered the reason for the increased heat in the car - the insulation was GONE!  I guess the mechanic took it out when working on the car's brakes and forgot to replace it.  The insulation isn't something that Old Henry would have had in his day while designing the Model A Ford.  So, I guess it wasn't on the mechanics mind to add the "accessory" in his reassembly.  

After about 3 hours of struggling with the insulation, I had successfully installed it under the carpet, behind the gas tank - all the way up the firewall, behind the kick panels, under the bench seat, and behind the trim piece on both doors.  I was very careful to make sure that there weren't any places that the heat from the engine and muffler could escape into the passenger compartment.  I double checked to make sure that the rest of the insulation I had previously installed in the rear sides of the rumble seat was still intact.  Fortunately, it was all there.  

I decided a test drive was in order, so off to the grocery store I went.  I'm starting to enjoy these test drives - no problems.  I can still feel some heat coming off the top of the hood - the front window was open and the breeze was pushing the dissipating engine heat into the car.  This is to be expected.  Then it began to rain, so I closed the windshield and the heat disappeared as well.  SUCCESS!!!  I believe that I have fixed the heat in the passenger compartment issue. 

Now to start organizing the "just-in-case repair trunk" for the trip.