The Model A Leafspring Debacle. Part 1.

[@williamforbes5826]

At first I really thought you were going to burn your car! I am glad you did not.

[@kennethhead6941]

I love your vids. You give good detail and some humor to boot. Ya done good!

[@chrisjarvis4449]

not that i know the first thing about the finer point of the ford mod A but i do enjoy watching your videos along with paul's videos i did check out the one were paul installs a over drive unit and when reinstalling the rear leaf spring center body clamp [it has the four nuts] he talks about not bottoming or over tighting the nuts as if you hit a pot hole the spring may brake if it has no room to move . also one one video i like a lot is the terry burtz five main insert bearing motor nice stuff ja so keep up the good work

[@AstraWerke]

Take a look at part 2 - down the line I discovered that some spring leaves were missing.

[@mlackey9812]

Like your style. It makes me smile to hear some of the same words and phrases come out of your mouth that are exactly the same as what I and my fellow 'across the pond' daily Model A drivers say! Btw. I too use a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe as a daily driver in Southern California. Not anywhere as pretty as yours but AA++ mechanics! Some years ago I spent some time in Hamburg living with a very dear to me family and have WONDERFUL memories of the people, place, and circumstances. Your accent is very familiar to me and make me smile as I remember my wonderful German family.....Das Farenwald's

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks alot! My coupe has a couple of cosmetic defects, too - but I'm glad it is that way, because I wouldn't want to fear about getting scratches in the paint each time I take the car out. Keeping them on the road is what they're meant for, after all :D

[@Bbbuddy]

I think the axle shims were used to space the drum outward if it rubbed on the backing plate.

[@Engineerd3d]

While older vehicles are fairly straight forward to work on. They were never designed to do the miles/km of modern vehicles. Their longevity comes from frequent maintenance. An old timer needs lots of work to stay on the road. But man is it worth it. Salutations from the USA.

[@AstraWerke]

Exactly. All that "they don't make em like they used to" is complete BS. An old car requires constant attention, while a modern car will last years and thousands of miles without even doing an oil change. The difference is that IF something needs repair, it's easy to do on an old car while it's nearly impossible with todays cybotrons on wheels.

[@Engineerd3d]

@@AstraWerke completely agree. With this said, while driving an old timer is not for everyone. I certainly love driving my 41 year old car very much. Keep pushing and driving the ford. Lovely in every way.

[@AstraWerke]

@@Engineerd3d The effort you put into the car is what it gives back in joy. And being who I am, I even derive joy from repair and maintenance, so it's a win-win for me :D

[@rordorica]

That's what it happens when you start to use regularly an old car.. Until it cames the time all that will going to break, fail , etc is repaired. I have experienced that for so long I can't remember.. Have had 2 1960s Mercedes Benz 220 at the same time , and for a while I had to take parts from one to make work the other. Eventually came the time I got both running and later I sold the one that had less potential and keep the best, has been 20 years now. I also own a 1976 Renault 4 since 2017 and even when it worked, I had to fix all the brake system , bearings, replace pistons, rings and liners,fix some rust.. etc etc.. The good thing is that the little Renault had never broke while being in use. I use them regularly.

[@mafcawebmaster4237]

If I counted correctly, your rear spring pack has 7 springs. That's the number used under a roadster. Coupes should have 8 leaves. So your car might be a bit more "springy" than most other Coupes. Reference: Ford Service Bulletins, July/August 1931, page 580.

[@AstraWerke]

100 points to you sir, we have a winner :D

[@Touring1923]

Hi Adrian, again a great video. And very funny, too. I will remove the rear axle from my pickup next week and disassemble it. There is nothing damaged or broken, but I have seen a little axial play, when checking the rear brakes. Less than 1 Millimeter, but I want to know the root cause. And I want to check the condition of the rear axle and the parts around it in general. Then I will be able to answer your question about the amount of spring leaves in my Roadster Pickup. Have fun with your Coupe!

[@AstraWerke]

Thanks alot, axial play would probably be related to adjustment of the roller bearings in the differential. Tampering with those adjustments could become quite the task, though, as it also affects the contact pattern of the differential gears. Good luck!

[@Rustinox]

Years ago i did the same kind of work but on semi-trailors. Some times we had some scary situations. And surprisingly the boss was never in the neighborhood when we had to cut the central bolt that nolds the leafs together :-)

[@AstraWerke]

It's the middle of autumn, but suddenly the spring comes flying ;P

[@skategeezer1810]

Hi Adrian...I hope you were not affected by the floods.

[@AstraWerke]

The city centre looks pretty rough, but we live on a hill, so everything stayed dry, luckily

[@donaldlampert331]

Are you, and your family, and Wuppertal alright in the great floods in Germany? Worried about you and all your fine cars, and equipment?!

[@AstraWerke]

Well, the river overflowed downtown pretty badly, but since we live further uphill, we didn't even get a damp basement. Other cities were struck much worse - some houses got swiped clean off the ground, or sunk into it.

[@donaldlampert331]

@@AstraWerke yes, it looks terrible! I’m so sad for your beautiful country, it’s people, and it’s heritage that was destroyed!! My little town, and home, in Gays Mills, Wisconsin…. Has flooded three times… I know how awful it is! Good luck to those affected!

[@Dog.soldier1950]

When did you wake up to fix or repair daily?

[@AstraWerke]

I usually get out of bed around 8 a.m

[@Dog.soldier1950]

@@AstraWerke 😂. 😂

[@billnalepa]

Sir, what size all thread did you use?

[@AstraWerke]

The center hole is just over 10mm, so M10 is what I used.

[@rjmun580]

I heard you refer to the price of the spring as `over 550 quid` when it was priced in euros. Quid is an English slang word for a pound; does this mean that it is now a slang word for the euro or is it just a personal thing as you speak perfect English.

[@AstraWerke]

Quid, Bucks, Dong, ... That's the issue with speaking a non-native language: you have to copy the slang words, too, even if they don't apply. Nobody would have understood "they cost around 550 Mäuse" - plus it sounds iffy. "Quid" just goes across the tounge so smoothly :)

[@johnkeathley1612]

Nice car...I have a 30 town sedan in burgundy and black.. I'm the third owner and the car has only 39,788 original miles.

[@mafcawebmaster4237]

Send a photo to [e-mail] for you car to be featured as the MAFCA A of the Day

[@HorsepowerDashcam]

*Explosion Woooooaaaaaaaa Yeeet Yes. That sums up working on classic cars.

[@AstraWerke]

The all new Astra-Werke 2021 try not to laugh best memes EU west compilation xD

[@AstraWerke]

Part 2 coming up next week! Did you spot what's wrong and needs taking care of?

[@danvorobiov]

No. Waiting for Part 2.

[@Rustinox]

At 06:06 I think a corner of the housing broke off, but it's not very clear in the video.

[@AstraWerke]

@@Rustinox where would that be?

[@michaelcherry8952]

As far as I can tell, the leaf spring replacement went fine. Congratulations on successfully completing a fiddly and dangerous (if the spring tension happens to let go all at once) job. I think there's supposed to be some sort of cover over the spring pack to keep them lubricated, but I doubt that lasted very long originally. I would have said that those rear bearings are in need of a repack, but since you put everything back together again, apparently not. Leaky shock absorber, maybe? I'm stumped, but I'm looking forward to part 2 to see the mystery solved.

[@AstraWerke]

@@michaelcherry8952 Hi Michael, the "wrappers" around the springs were a later aftermarket accessory. While they do keep the springs away from dirt, they are also great at keeping water contained in the spring, so I'd rather stay away from them. The rear wheel bearings can be lubricated from the outside through a grease fitting, and the shock absorbers are not leaky - so it has to remain a mystery for now ;)

[@EatonDetroitSpring]

Using a spring spreader would have saved a whole lot of time and effort.

[@AstraWerke]

Well, I dont own one, and after using one I do have to say it doesn't really make a difference, especially when the spring needs to be taken apart anyways

[@the_hate_inside1085]

You left the broken parts somewhere on a country road in the German speaking parts of Arizona? I´m starting to suspect you are a bit of a role player.

[@AstraWerke]

Nonono, the spring broke before I got posession of the car. Since it was auctioned off in Arizona, that's my guess of the whereabouts of the spring parts belonging to my car

[@BonnieKay13]

That job can be done without pulling the entire rear end. Important thing is to make sure your drums are TIGHT on those axles,, really tight. Do not use repro' nuts for the wheels, they can cause your wheels to come off, on the road. Use only Ford nuts, the real thing(s).

[@AstraWerke]

But it gives you alot more space to work with - and it eliminates the need for a spring spreader. Yep, the drums are nice and tight now... So tight, that I can't get one of them off anymore xD See Part 2 for that if you're interested :)

[@dogbitefred6631]

I heard you take the LORD's name in vain, then I saw the cross hanging from your mirror.......

[@AstraWerke]

Let's call it a life insurance ;P