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.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
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.
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!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
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.
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!
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.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)