Model A Engine Removal and Teardown

[@AstraWerke]

- Current Status - The block is at an engine builder, it'll get converted to inserts (and a few other things, that'll be discussed on stream). Unfortunately, engine builders with the kind of equipment to do that, are few and far in between, and those that can, are booked out - so it'll be a while. I got quoted January or February - nothing we can do about it. Best Wishes Adrian PS: Yes, I know Paul Shinn, and we've talked about the matter ;)

[@BillGeurts2269]

I am going through much the same thing. Fortunately I have a good friend who is showing me the art of Babbitt, but we shall see….. I don’t visualize myself as being a Babbitteer, but I think it is good to know more about the art than I do right now. If I were in Europe with so very few Model A resources and possibilities, I believe I would also go with inserts or even the new Burtz engine. Finding a decent crank that is straight and has good polished journals and a decent cam shaft are also essential to a successful build. Good luck to you, my friend, and I will be watching carefully.

[@mafcawebmaster4237]

You're facing a task that many Model A owners have to face at one time or another, so I'm anxious to see what path you take. Good luck!

[@malcolmtill]

Looking forwards to the continuation of this series. Best wishes.

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks alot :)

[@ModelA]

Congratulations on the growing subscriber count! You are certainly at a crossroads, and almost every long time Model Aer has been exactly where you are. It will be interesting to see which path you choose. Thank you for sharing.

[@kevinmcewen1760]

I like how the Model A community supports each other so much. Thanks for all your great content and support of Model A owners over the years

[@robinimpey101]

Mr. Paul Shinn, considering how Adrian uses his Model A, what would you do with the motor? PS. Still waiting to hear back from Jay.

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks alot. I will say this much: I'll go for longevity, not power. Best Wishes Adrian

[@ModelA]

@@robinimpey101 I don't want to skew Adrian's choices here. With that said, I'd go full inserts, no matter what.

[@robinimpey101]

@@ModelA 👍 "With great power comes great responsibility!"

[@Nord3202]

Go with the Burtz Model A engine kit. Its has all the improvements you need for daily driver use. Plus you put it together will cost the same as having your engine done professionally. Then sell your engine for parts.

[@kevinmcewen1760]

Great sounds as always. Fun to see these old engines apart and how they work and how

[@chrismazda1531]

there is an old sayin "rise again and be restored once more "can't wait to see the model A back on the road, hopefully some more winter driving videos.

[@AstraWerke]

"Hope dies Last" is an old German Saying ;P

[@thesharkcom]

Thanks for sharing your adventure. Now comes the hard part. Figuring what and how to make the improvements. Best of luck.

[@mlackey9812]

Enjoyed this as I smiled and laughed alternately as I too have just been, and am going through 'Exactly' the same thing! Another EXTREMELY well produced and informative video. Thanks!

[@togst]

Sad to see the extensive damage to the motor, but great to see you are not giving up. I have had a motor rebuilt in the past, and know it can be a daunting, expensive process. Keeping everything stock would be nice, but for everyday use I personally would go with reliability upgrades. Much more fun to keep the car on the road than having it stored away unused. I recently did a compression test on my Amazon and found all cylinders to still have good even compression. Spark plugs look good too. Hopefully it stays that way for many years.

[@gwolfe1231]

I agree, try to keep as stock as possible but add in safety and reliability. Changed out the single brake master cylinder for a dual in my '47 Ford Tudor.

[@JohnCox-oz5km]

Huge project, even hard to find engine shops in the states. 31 45B

[@castironmachines]

I appreciate the shoutout- Looking forward to the live chat!

[@bjokko95]

Actually had to do the same with my 31 Model A last year. Was just going to do an check and adjust the main bearings, then i discovered that the rear one was all cracked up. Since the engine was a bit worn, it resulted in an all full rebuild. To find anyone which can do babbitts is not easy these days. Luckely there is a guy up here in norway which have done a couple of hundreds a-engines over the years, and he fixed mine up aswell 👍

[@katze6682]

Watching the teardown my tears are coming down.😭

[@BillGeurts2269]

I hope your engine project is still on the radar. Being in the states we do have more options so I do feel lucky. We have a guy in our club who does Babbitting and I have been in much the same situation with needing a rebuild. I was fortunate enough to watch, learn and help out and I think by this time next week I will have a newly rebuilt engine. You mentioned that any one of just a small few locally who do Babbitt might not be the greatest. Given the cost of shipping an engine from Germany and back again, your better bet might be to do inserts. So, given that you have other commitments, it is understandable that it takes time. Best of luck!

[@JDvintagemi]

Yet another great video. I went through the same with my car with my babbit. So got another engine for it of course then got into an accident so it didn't even matter. So unfortunately my car is no more. This post is more about your selection of music. That song welcome to the casbah. There's an American band out of California that does a lot of surf type music, they're called los straight jackets.. they do a very good live cover of the song.

[@anthonypirozzi837]

"St. James Infirmary" Love it FYI those cars and T's also were designed to run on ethanol

[@Willemtweetakt]

Best of luck with this Ford! I truly love how you show both the "ups and downs" on your channel.

[@AstraWerke]

Well, it would be hard to conceal something THIS BIG xD

[@Rustinox]

Well, at least you still have the fog light bracket in place...

[@brianmatthews9697]

You're a funny man! Love your music. I put a Stipe 340 cam and 5.5 head on my A Babbit bearings, stock valves. Bored 40 over. Didn't go crazy, and you easily can. Runs real nice. Be wary of who you listen to. It can get real expensive and no need for it. Remember the rule of KISS. Good luck

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Oh my, not for the faint hearted. Thank heavens you’re made of sterner stuff. Good luck. 👏👏👍😀

[@Donno308]

Looking forward to the live stream and especially to seeing the old girl back on the road. Loved the music.

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks!

[@robinimpey101]

For the live stream I'm hoping Clay is going to favour us with some accordion music. Maybe a good drinking song like Ein Prosit der Gemutlichkeit....this project may require a few beers from time to time. 🍻

[@WayaMoon]

Man up until yesterday I thought the Model A was doing great this is a spur of the moment thing lol but hopefully you can get someone to professionally rebuild it and get it back together asap !!

[@timothysotelo3868]

Your background music and your editing gets better with each video. It will be interesting to see how you make your decisions on what to do with your engine.

[@DK-vx1zc]

Very nice progress!!!! I like your choice of music..

[@daveclark1221]

Every Model A owner / care taker should go through engine swap procedure at least once in their lifetime. It is the best learning experience to fully know your Model A. With all of this work involved here don’t go cheap on the fixes. In for a penny, in for a pound…. Quality will last a lifetime….

[@rordorica]

The good thing about this is you are going to know what you have in the engine , and it will last a lifetime from now on. I know you are going to do the best in all terms .

[@skategeezer1810]

It's pretty cool that you and Clay boy are two peas in a pod.....

[@gregwddriver]

A Sparton horn all the way from my hometown of Jackson, Michigan.

[@brendamcdaniel1958]

WHAT A MESS YOU’VE GOTTEN YOUR SELF INTO. No really this is the opportunity to look around and do your self a favor, go ahead and pull the transmission and look inside it to determine what you need to replace or repair now so you won’t be doing the same thing again soon (like kicking yourself for not doing it now) tearing down, inspection, replacement, Now is the time,the time is now, After all it’s right there just a few more bolts and it’s in your hands. It’s only money after all, you can buy happiness this time. Good luck have fun the pride you’ll have when driving around will light up your world 🌍. Thanks for the video.

[@AstraWerke]

Well, yes, but it's also a question of when to stop. Might as well give it a fresh U-Joint while the tranny is out - and while we're here, why not go over the diff. Now it's not much extra work to do rear axles, seals and wheel bearings - and when that's out, why not freshen up the brakes, too. Since the tranny performs fine without excess noise and the input shaft spins nice and free, I'll leave it alone until it goes out. Pulling the trans by taking out the rear axle isn't too big a job, after all.

[@michaelcherry8952]

8:14 Something tells me that motor is a bit annoyed with you. Don't let it bother you. Many a veterinarian has been bitten by a patient!🤕 I'm always amazed at the simplicity and robustness of the Model A power plant. I seriously doubt you'd be able to do this with a modern engine 92 years from now. I hope I can catch the live stream when it happens. It sounds intriguing to say the least! I truly hope that the rebuild is going to be straightforward, but I suspect there will be a few bumps in the road yet. "Time is a great revealer of secrets" as my Great-Aunt Mercy used to say.😉 Good luck with the project and I hope you will not be without your boon companion for too long. Looking forward to the next installment!

[@AstraWerke]

I think the saying "Old Stuff doesn't break" needs to be modded into "Old stuff can break alot, before it is ACTUALLY broken". There was so much wrong with this engine - and still, it performed flawless!

[@michaelcherry8952]

@@AstraWerke It is very true that mechanisms from this era were pretty much engineered to put up with all kinds of problems and still work. In the Model A era, many people were still doing their own repairs and quite often parts, tools or a place to work might be many miles away. It wasn't a matter of calling the Motor Association on your cellphone and spending the wait for the tow truck grumbling about the towing fee. I once read about a man who was driving his Model A along a beach when the engine finally died. He did an overhaul with the car sitting above the high tide line! (Presumably it would have been and extremely QUICK overhaul if he was below the tide line!)🤣

[@roten2902]

hauptsache du bekommst das wieder zusammen gebastelt...😁👍👍👍

[@dogbitefred6631]

Nice video, very professional! I was worried about you in your sandals working around that flywheel, it is a toe eater for sure.

[@AstraWerke]

Hence the Indian Engine Builder Fade-in ;P

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

Dear Astra Werke guy 👍👌👏 Very well done again and as always (video and work). I absolutely like your kind of humour, even if it's more a kind of gallows humor in this case. ;-) I definitely feel compassion for you. I hope that you will find a sponsor to buy a new engine (see a Paul Shinn video where he interviews and old gentleman who fabricates and sells new and completed engine blocks). Until then it's maybe cheaper to put in a good used engine because I think, that your engine is a kind of economic total loss = too expensive to fix all the issues (if possible at all). Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and health.

[@robinimpey101]

Yay, I've been waiting for an update!And a live stream coming, but we don't know when!?!?! Hör auf uns zu necken! With a new motor your Model A will be fast, like 70 kph! 😄

[@AstraWerke]

Well, I have a private life, myself - and that currently demands shifting my attention towards university and its exams, so I really can't promise anything regarding a live stream. Also, it'll be a while until the engine is refurbished, so might as well bridge the meantime a little ;P

[@robinimpey101]

@@AstraWerke You sound like Mr. Paul Shinn, always coming up with excuses why your fans have to wait for more videos! 🙄

[@AstraWerke]

@@robinimpey101 Welcome to real life, my friend

[@robinimpey101]

@@AstraWerke Once you hit 1 million subscribers we will expect more regular content! 👏

[@tr1954]

You ... are ... Marvelous.

[@raolhooley]

Get a burtz.. 5 pressure fed mains..two inch wide instead of 1 and 3\4

[@jimmccoskey8253]

Thank you, your videos are very entertaining! You've probably heard this a thousand times, but please DON'T try poured babbitt bearings. Looking forward to your choices...

[@j.c.stephenson1305]

as a retired master model A mechanic i urge you to not reuse those cam followers/tappets, they will eat the cam. if you have a shop that does babbit, by all means, do babbit, afteraall, ir did last 90yrs! over here, that diamond block is highly prized. it does have heaver/thicker castinngs

[@BillB23]

You do have a metric tonne of options on the A. Or you could swap to a B engine (4 or 8 cylinder). Or you could.......... Parts availability is a whole lot better, supply chain issues notwithstanding, on this side of the pond. It will be interesting to see which route you choose.

[@DaemonWeiss]

This swap is illegal in germany he lives in germany

[@BillB23]

@@DaemonWeiss What I know about German laws can be written on the inside of a matchbook with a china marker.

[@AstraWerke]

Let's go for 4+8 cylinders :D

[@BillB23]

@@AstraWerke Why not a 12 cyl. aero engine? LOL

[@DaemonWeiss]

@@BillB23 jes

[@zestor2908]

this motivated me to strip down my engine

[@AstraWerke]

Teardown is a pretty simple task - didn't even need a book for that. Putting it back together (and expecting it to work) will be a bit more interesting, I reckon xD

[@DrTheRich]

@@AstraWerke Putting it back together was surprisingly just as simple as taking it back apart. Just pay attention to a few non obvious things you might miss. Like adding horse-shoe shims in between the flywheel housing, and the block at the two top bolts. And take extra care with aligning your gaskets because those leaks can be pesky.

[@AstraWerke]

@@DrTheRich Well I hope I get the gaskets to seal first try - oil leaks are indeed a nuisance.

[@jd3552]

Great content. What is the name of that lively klezmer tune?

[@AstraWerke]

"Come with me to the Casbah" by Ganimian & his Orchestra

[@deanjernstrom3760]

Awesome again .As we say in new England . Your smaat

[@DrTheRich]

Which engine builder did you choose? You found one that does Babbitt pouring? I did find a competent shop in the Netherlands that does just the pouring, it's not cheap, and boring still needs to be done after that. The shop normally does high-level industrial Babbitt (for heavy machines and high rpm) but also has experience with old cars.

[@AstraWerke]

I found a guy about an hour's drive away from my home that will convert the engine to inserts for me. It'll take time, however.

[@jonprain412]

You're the best

[@tarstarkusz]

Make sure the crank "rings" before you bother sending it somewhere. If it doesn't ring, it's junk.

[@clc7800]

Any updates on your engine? Good luck.

[@AstraWerke]

Let's just say it'll take a while.

[@RMphy89]

I know a lot of the songs you include in your videos, but do you happen to have a playlist? I would love to play your selections and discover a new song now and then. Oh, and I’m looking forward to seeing the stream! I want to remove and refresh my Dodge’s engine but my budget won’t allow it…yet.

[@AstraWerke]

I've got a shitload of music on my computer - but no playlist online, unfortunately. Maybe a job for long winter nights.

[@RMphy89]

@@AstraWerke Thats alright, until then I can manually see the content matches in the description. That will suffice.

[@waltermelyon4300]

You've been wanting to take that engine apart for a long time. It's the German in you.

[@Rosskenpo1]

I like your oil can holder. Did you make that?

[@AstraWerke]

Jep. It's really nothing special, just a curved strip of sheet metal with three holes in it. One to mount it to the firewall, two for the clamping screw.

[@Rosskenpo1]

@@AstraWerke I like it. Just bought an old Ford oil can I'd like to mount on the firewall.

[@Happymali10]

Ever considered getting a period-correct plate replicated? Just for fun and display? Also, I know you like the retro-style, but maaaaybe consider some nitrile gloves :) P.S.: where did you find that footage of the "engine repairs" with a welder?

[@AstraWerke]

Well, if it was legal to drive around with it, then it might be worth a thought, but just as a gimmick, I wouldn't want to go through the effort of switching plates all the time. You'll probably find a ton of similar clips by searching for "pakistani engine repair" or something similar ;)

[@Happymali10]

@@AstraWerke I was thinking just to have one made, put magnets on the back and pull it off the real one before driving in public. thanks :)

[@clc7800]

Hi there. It is an unfortunate thing to have to overhaul the motor on the Model A. Ever since I subscribed to your channel, I have enjoyed every video you have created. Question: Your video on the maintenance of the speedometer, what type of lubricant did you use? Thanks

[@AstraWerke]

Just some good quality universal bearing grease, nothing special.

[@amclass2866]

Hallo Adrian. Auf der Suche nach einer optisch ansprechenden Ölfilterlösung für meinen '29 Roadster bin ich auf dein Video gestoßen. Mittlerweile habe ich mir alle deine Videos vom Model A angeschaut ... leider bis zu dem Video, wo du leidlich realisieren musstest, dass eine Motorüberholung unumgänglich ist. Ich habe gerade ähnliches durch, glücklicherweise mit intakten "Babbitts". Zurück zum Filter. Da ja quasi kein Öldruck vorhanden ist, der den Filter füttert, würde mich interessieren, ob, durch die horizontale Lage des Filters das Öl quasi nur die untere Hälfte des Filters durchläuft oder ob der Öldruck doch ausreicht, so dass das innere Filterelemet komplett genutzt wird. Bei den aufrechten Filtern stellt sich die Frage nicht, doch durch die waagerechte Einbaulage durchaus. Da du deinen Motor eh' schon in Stücken hast und später einen neuen Filter verwenden wirst, könntest du doch mal deinen Filter auftrennen um das innere Filterelement zu begutachten. Ich denke zudem, dass du eh' nach der Motorrevision ein aktives Filtersystem einbauen wirst, da die "Inserts" einen aktiven Öldruck verlangen. Ich bin mittlerweile dabei, meinen Motor zu komplettieren und hoffe dann bald auf ein neues Lebenszeichen nach jahrzehntelangem Dornröschenschlaf. Gruß, Udo

[@AstraWerke]

Grüß dich, ich hab meinen alten Ölfilter leider schon weggeworfen - ich kann mir aber vorstellen, dass der Ölstand im Filter - sollte er nur teils gefüllt sein - einfach ansteigt, sobald er zum Teil verschmutzt ist. Ich kann jedenfalls bekräftigen, dass das Öl nach 500 Meilen ohne Filtern dreckiger war als nach 2000 mit - und es ist definitiv ein Langstreckenfilter. Nach einigen hundert Kilometern im Stadtbetrieb war ich kurz davor, das Öl zu wechseln, weil es schon recht dreckig aussah, bin dann aber nochmal einen Freund ca. 350km entfernt besuchen gefahren - und hinterher war das Öl wieder sauber xD

[@amclass2866]

@@AstraWerke Hallo Adrian. Danke für die Antwort. Dann werde ich wohl warten müssen, bis zu meinem ersten Ölwechsel. Ich könnte ja auch mal Paul Shinn fragen. Jemand hatte bereits angemerkt, dass du, weil der Motor schon mal raus ist, auch dein Getriebe mal inspizieren solltest. Dem kann ich nur zustimmen. Das Getriebe ist recht simple und fällt quasi auseinander, denn die beiden Hauptwellen werden nur mit einer Schraube fixiert und alle Zahnräder sind nur gesteckt. Die braucht weder einen Abzieher noch Spezialwerkzeug und die Einfachheit wird dich freuen. Falls du noch die originalen Nadellager hast, sollten diese unbedingt getauscht werden. Sind nur in den Zahnrädern gesteckt, also kannst du mit dem Finger rausziehen. Auch sollte dann das hintere Kreuzgelenk überprüft werden, da dieses nur indirekt geschmiert wird und zumindest mal auf spiel inspiziert werden sollte. Auch hättest du dann wieder Material für ein neues Video. Gruß, Udo

[@AstraWerke]

​@@amclass2866 Paul Shinn hab ich auch schon gemailt - er hatte leider auch nicht mehr zu der Sache zu sagen. Das Getriebe fahre ich jetzt, bis es kaputt geht. Wenn ich mir den Glanz des Schalthebels ansehe, liegt die Vermutung nahe, dass das Ding irgendwann mal (zumindest optisch) auf Vordermann gebracht worden ist, es macht keine komischen Geräusche und gibt keine Späne ins Öl - also frei nach Schrödinger, lieber nicht reinschauen, und es im Metazustand zwischen ganz und kaputt belassen ;)

[@Puppet-dp3zw]

8:27 Hey jetzt hat es 1 As [Astra stärke]

[@brandtmagolon454]

You have float a motor engine mounts how do you like them?

[@AstraWerke]

@@brandtmagolon454 They do their job. I don't have a comparison to stock mounts as I bought the car with floaters already installed, but you can fine-tune them very well with the tightening screws, so they must be doing something. At least I can't confirm the myth about them causing frame sag.

[@brandtmagolon454]

@@AstraWerke thank you for your input I'm about to pick up a car later this week and it has FOM already in place

[@AstraWerke]

@@brandtmagolon454 Depending on how old they are, the rubbers might need replacing. Mine were probably installed in the '90s and were rock-solid.

[@98RudolphXmas]

Also ich kenne mich leider nicht mit Model A's aus bin eher der Mustang Typ ^^'' Aber ich persönlich würde solange es technisch geht den original Motor immer versuchen zu retten wegen Matching Number, Originalität, ect. Wäre mal cool zu wissen, ob es updates geben wird. ^^

[@AstraWerke]

Der Motor ist in meinem Fall tatsächlich gar nicht der originale. Trotzdem lasse ich das Abenteuer Austauschmotor mal sein - mein Motor hat schließlich auch von außen keinerlei Anzeichen gegeben, dass er so arm dran ist - wie kann ich dann bei einem Tauschmotor sicher sein, dass er innendrin nicht genauso aussieht? Den alten Motor flott zu machen kostet sicherlich mehr - aber danach weiß ich auf jeden Fall, was ich habe. Updates wird es natürlich geben, das dauert aber leider alles seine Zeit.

[@98RudolphXmas]

@@AstraWerke Ja die Ansicht teile ich auch. Mal ne Frage, haben die beiden keine Tachos? Habe in deinem neusten Video kein Tacho für die Geschwindigkeit gesehen, woher weiß man denn, wie schnell man fährt?

[@AstraWerke]

​@@98RudolphXmas Doch, Tacho hat er - habe ich sogar schon mal in einem Video zerlegt und frisch gefettet. Der sieht nur nicht so aus wie der typische Tacho - eher wie einer dieser alten Schiffskompasse, wo sich die Scheibe dreht und die Nadel stillsteht. Nur beim Ford T gab es serienmäßig keinen Tacho. Entweder also dem Verkehr anpassen oder 2 Dollar 50 für einen Aftermarket-Tacho hinlegen ;)

[@user-gdxt-7399]

So you sit down in front of your typewriter, type in the station and watch it on your radio😋

[@AstraWerke]

Thats how I roll ;P

[@hawkdied1]

Keiner wird dich schauen. Werbung bringt dir nichts nur diesem Kommentar

[@AstraWerke]

Ist mir so egal xD