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The Utah Valley Model A Club held a Garage Day in April in the garage of club member Theon Laney. Fifteen club members attended to install a newly rebuilt engine and transmission in Theon’s 1928 Tudor. Fortunately the weather had warmed sufficiently to melt the six foot snow banks that lined the driveway, so there was room to park.

The activity began with the adjustment of the clutch contact and mating the transmission to the engine. Once the engine was in the air it was a tight fit to get the engine over the head light bar and into the compartment. That was accomplished with an expert on the engine hoist and a sharp eye below the engine compartment. It was a team effort — forward an inch and drop two inches, forward an inch, drop two inches. Until we got it in.

The next chal...

On a cold March morning, too cold and icy to drive our Model As, about 15 or 20 curious club members came to BYU to be Doctor Grant Eckstein’s lab rats. He was interested in our eyes. That is, our eye movements as we studied 12 sets of Model A parts and cars. You may think it was easy, but the general consensus was that the questions and pictures were too hard. Can you imagine that? Model A owners complaining about something? The suggestion was made that fine point judges should be subjected to the experiment.

OK, I confess, I had to consult the Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards book to verify that the pictures, questions, and answers I chose conformed to the current body of Model A knowledge...

I was excited for our February activity and upon approaching Doc Brundy’s, it was nice to see two Model A’s were parked in front, Howard’s Coupe and Rogers Mail Truck. Just like the involuntary breathing that I don’t have to think about, an involuntary smile came across my face. Somehow, no matter how many times I see the Model A’s, even when they are the same ones I’ve seen over and over again, a smile still can be found on my face. Greeted by familiar faces, we entered Doc Brundy’s. I’ve noticed that the menu has now changed a 3^rd time. Now you can have a burger, a burger with cheese, a burger with bacon, or a burger with bacon on bacon...

The best things about garage days (and roadside repairs) is the number of different ways “supervisors” tell you how to do the job. But at least you have a lot of helping hands to make up for it. We’ve been lucky in the past and at this garage day too. Club members seem to have very similar points of view. So that made it easy to get the jobs done.

Tony Jacob’s Engine Installation

With 14 members in attendance, we had plenty of people lend a helping hand with this heavy project. At first there were problems getting the engine down below the firewall and lined up with the bell housing, but, with Tim Isaksen using a crowbar, and with the potential of pinching many fingers, it finally went...

Last fall, when I had some engine trouble with my Model A, I took my cylinder head to C&T Automotive Machine and Performance in Orem for inspection. They discovered that my cylinder head was cracked. I brought three other used heads to them for inspection before finding one that was acceptable for re-use. During that experience, I became acquainted with the craftsmen at C&T. On one of my visits the co-owner, Rod, agreed to host our club for a tour. So on Saturday, February 26, approximately 14 members of the Utah Valley Model A Club had the opportunity to tour their facility and see how they work their magic.

It was cold and windy at 8:30 a.m. when we gathered at the 7-11 convenience store in Orem...

Last month, we were fortunate to experience the “mother of all tours” for this year! As a club, we traversed one of the deadliest stretches of road in the U.S. along Highway 6! We conquered Soldier Summit at an elevation of 7,493 ft, not once, but twice! We rendezvoused with the Beehive and Salty As in Helper and reminisced about the days when steam locomotives used to rule the rails. The following day, more “tribe” members from each of the clubs met up with us as we visited the sacred grounds of Nine Mile Canyon. Accompanied by our own private guide, we were able to learn about the unique rock art created by the Ute and Fremont Indians tribes.

This tour was awesome! We had a great time with family and friends and made some new friends along the way! Our unique cars bro...

Drivers Training and Car Games

The knowledge of how to drive a manual now days is unheard of for this next generation of drivers. Driving a manual with out a synchromesh transmission requires a very special set of skills. Driving a car with 90 year old technology over changes in grade and over long climbs is far different in a Model A than our modern cars. Most Model A drivers leave their cars in 3rd gear for to long on a climb, which then puts stress on the engine and eventually leads to lugging and overheating.

In a previous club meeting there was a presentation and discussion of mountain driving techniques. Theory is one thing, practice is another...