Restoration of a Model A Ford
“Restoration” in Thailand generally means
dropping a Toyota Corolla engine and gearbox into something
which might even be 30 years old, if it is lucky. However,
restoration, as a craft, is common overseas, in which the
entire vehicle is painstakingly returned to showroom
condition, even if the car originally left the showrooms 80,
or even 100 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, this can happen
in Thailand, but it is not common.
Restored
Model A Ford
One of the favored cars for restoration in the US is the
Model A Ford. Launched in America during December 1927, on
the back of one of the biggest advertising campaigns the
world had ever seen, the Ford Model A was an outstanding
automotive success, with more than five million built by the
time production ceased. Even today, it is regarded as one of
the most popular collector cars in the world, some half a
million thought to have been restored, customized and
preserved in the US, although very rare in this country.
The Model A was introduced as the successor to the previous
Model T and differed entirely in styling and engineering
from its predecessor, with a choice of 50 body styles and 40
paintwork colors, but not initially black. It was the first
Ford to use a conventional set of control pedals, with
three-speed sliding gear transmission, and featured
hydraulic shock absorbers and welded steel-spoke wheels.
The Model A featured here is owned by John Falder, MD of
Manchester paint manufacturer HMG Paints, and holds a
special place in the history of the company and the city
itself. Dating back to September 1930, it is amongst the
last Model A’s to have been built at Ford’s Trafford Park,
Manchester plant, before production was transferred to
Dagenham.
The painstaking restoration work, which involved manually
rebuilding virtually every pressed steel panel, was
undertaken by Macclesfield coachbuilder, Norman Isles, who
first met John thirty years ago and uses HMG cellulose
finishes when refinishing such classic marques as Rolls
Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche. The
second of three generations of panel beaters and restorers,
Norman worked with his sons Craig and Simon on the Model A
over a number of years, a job that he describes as one of
the most challenging ever.
Registered on 27th September 1930, John Falder’s Model A, a
2-door Tudor Sedan, was thus one of the last
Manchester-built models, featuring a different 2 liter
engine to the US 201 cubic inch (3.3 liter) unit.
The Falder family bought JF 525 in 1978 - in a very poor
state, but with a complete history - and ran the car for
around twenty years, adding a further 20,000 miles before
pensioning off the venerable Ford. Later, HMG’s semi-retired
maintenance manager, Tommy Wright, worked scrupulously on
refurbishing the vehicle’s chassis at the Collyhurst Road
factory, but sadly passed away before completing the job, so
this professional restoration is also regarded as ‘Tommy’s
legacy’.
At first sight, the Model A appeared to be in sound
condition, but when Norman Isles burned away layer upon
layer of paint, there was precious little steel remaining.
The original body panels were pressed on large machines, but
Norman and his sons had to replicate every surface and
swathe line by hand. It also meant working in an unfamiliar
material, since most of the classic Rolls, Bentleys, Astons,
Ferraris, even a replica James Dean Porsche 550 Spyder, they
have restored, involved aluminium bodywork.
The frame for the roof and windscreen was made from
comb-jointed timber, again fully repaired and re-glued,
while the composite roof was rebuilt to original
specification from wood, wire netting, hessian and vinyl.
Replacement parts were sourced from America and the steel
spoke wheels were rebuilt and refinished in their original
bright yellow finish.
Although the cost of restoration work is likely to exceed
the vehicle’s actual worth, it is restoration of history,
and if it were not for enthusiasts like John Falder, these
older cars would disappear.
A late friend of mine once restored a Jaguar XJ-S to
concourse winning standard, but then penned this poem in
1991:
“Why do I concourse, instead of pit-crewing it?
Why polish and paint and keep screwing and gluing it?
And loving and hating and laughing and rueing it?
If I knew why I did it, I’d prob’ly stop doing it!”
Fiesta - when will we
get it?
With the news that the slow-down in the world
economy has slowed vehicle production in Thailand, as we are
a major exporter, will this set the release of the new Ford
Fiesta back?
Ford
Fiesta
My information would lead me to believe that this will be
the case. Instead of a late 2009 roll-out from the AAT plant
in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, the mutterings
are now for 2010. Never mind Ford’s predicaments, this has
given me one as well. With over 150,000 clicks on the mighty
Mira, will it last until 2010? I was prepared to nurse it
through till 2009, but now?
With Ford looking currently the strongest in the financially
cash-strapped US Big 3, the Fiesta is an important product
for the blue oval, which can in turn bring FoMoCo back to
its dominant position it once held.
So far, all the reviews from overseas are very positive,
making the new Fiesta sound very desirable. Well designed,
adequate performance for a small car, and having seen one in
the UK recently, it looks a stunner.
Car Magazine in the UK had this to say about the new Fiesta,
“It’s sensationally refined and the ride comfort is equally
special. The MacPherson strut/twist beam suspension has a
springy, loping action that’s initially a bit disconcerting,
but is actually superb at dismissing any onrushing minefield
of bumps. Body roll seldom gets the upper hand, and this
Fiesta chassis is agile, slidy and fun to chuck around -
like its predecessors were. But with some noticeable
improvements.”
When the Fiesta goes on sale in Australia it will initially
be imported from Germany, but a year later the Aussie
Fiestas will come from Thailand, where they will be built
alongside the Mazda2 and take advantage of a free trade
agreement that eliminates the 10 percent tariff applied to
most vehicle imports.
Come on Ford! Build ‘em. I’m waiting.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which famous marque
began by building tractors from war surplus Morris, Ford and
GM bits and pieces? That was really too easy - it was of
course Lamborghini.
So to this week, and it has been something of a Ford week.
So, here’s a Ford question. At what university did Henry
Ford 1 study engineering?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Sons of the fathers
Is ability in motor racing inherited? With three
young drivers in F1 in 2008, two of whose fathers were world
champions and the remaining one the most successful his
Asian country had ever produced, it would seem that genetics
is important. But is it ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’?
Let’s look at these drivers. The Asian face is the second
driver at Williams F1. For Nakajima, he has the legend of
his father Satoru Nakajima to contend with. Although Satoru
scored just 16 points from his 74 Grand Prix starts, he is
widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of F1 racing
in Japan.
Nelson
Piquet son and father
Unlike his son, who made his Formula One race debut at the
age of 22, Satoru was a comparatively late entrant to the
sport, and he was 34 years old when he scored his first
full-time race seat alongside Ayrton Senna at Lotus in 1987.
Yes, Ayrton Senna.
Nakajima Senior was not totally overshadowed by his
illustrious team mate and he recorded some impressive
results, including fourth place at the British Grand Prix,
and he was retained by Lotus for a second year. With Senna
departing in 1988 the Japanese driver found himself paired
with Nelson Piquet (Senior), who had just won the third of
his world titles.
Both Nakajima and Piquet would race for a further two
seasons, but while Piquet would add three more victories to
his tally, for Nakajima it marked the beginning of the end
of his F1 career. The Japanese driver eventually returned
home and began to nurture the careers of several younger
driving talents, including that of his son Kazuki.
Kazuki served his apprenticeship and over the past few years
has made steady progress up the ranks, winning some of the
lesser series, a few runners-up, many wins and even more
podiums. He ended up in GP2’s 2007 season third in the
standings and rookie of the year.
He had performed well enough that when Alexander Wurz
announced his premature retirement from racing with one
round left to run in 2007, Nakajima was picked to fill the
Austrian’s seat at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Although he
made the headlines for running over his pit crew, his debut
went well enough to secure the seat full-time for 2008.
During testing he recorded times equal to his more
experienced team mate Nico Rosberg, another driver the son
of his famous father world champion Keke Rosberg, a wild and
exciting driver to watch!
The grid for 2008 had even more sons of fathers, with the
second seat at Renault being filled by Nelsinho Piquet Jr, a
young man who also has rather large shoes to fill - his
father’s. Back in the late eighties, his father - and
namesake - was one of the most celebrated drivers in the
sport. A three times world champion by the age of 35, the
Brazilian enjoyed 23 race wins during a Formula One career
that lasted over 14 years.
However, is he only trading on his family name? Up until
2008, Nelsinho Piquet Jr had won two Formula Three series -
one in his native South America and the other in Britain -
and in 2006 impressed in GP2, winning four races and
finishing runner-up to Lewis Hamilton. During 2007, the 22
year old was behind the wheel of a Formula One car,
completing over 8,000 kilometers for Renault as test driver.
But alongside ex-World Champion Alonso in 2008, young Piquet
did not excel (as opposed to what Lewis Hamilton did at
McLaren in 2007, beating the sulky Spaniard many times).
Interestingly, Piquet’s father also got his first race seat
alongside triple world champion Niki Lauda.
So with Nakajima, Rosberg and Piquet, does this prove that
talent behind the wheel is hereditary? Unfortunately,
through personal experience, I believe it is not. Nakajima,
Rosberg and Piquet grew up in a motor racing environment and
that is why they would to attempt to follow their fathers.
My eldest son, the progeny of myself and my first wife, both
of us drivers for an international Works Team, was raised
away from the smell of racing fuel and has neither interest,
nor the talent! So much for genetics!
