Ford model T, model A, and model B engines 

cars -Just what I needed

I'm taking a Ford Model-T drivers training at the AACA Classic Car Museum in Hershey, PA, on July 10, 2024. It's a 4 hour course, and I get to drive 4 different models, including a truck. $160 bucks. You can't beat that for such a cool experience. 😊

I can recall a man who owned a grocery store in the small town near where we lived in the late 1950s, and specialized in selling fresh fruit. My father got to know the man who was in his sixties at that time. He told my father about when he had first started the grocery store back about 1920 or shortly before. He said he had to drive to the wholesale fruit market in the nearest big city 50 miles away to get the best deal on fresh fruit, and to be sure it really was fresh, and drive it every business day. The road most of the way was pretty good for the time, and the grocer used Ford trucks exclusively, which of course meant Model T's. He said he wore out 27 Model T trucks doing that.

the Cars just what i needed 1978. It was a near perfect Debut album. The song peeked at number 27 on the US billboard 100. The Bands bass player sang the song, Benjamin Orr, but was written by Rick Ocasik.

When i was a kid in the 1970s, there was a model T in a carport on church street in my town...idk how long it was there for, but it looked almost new...it sat there unmoved until about 1980 when it disappared and i never saw it again. Saw a soecial on PBS about Quabbin reservoir and how 3 towns were demolished to make it, divers filmed the remains, and the dump was still there underwater full of tin cans and such, among the debris was a model T engine block, complete with crankshaft...you could tell by the funny angles on the crank throws...

The model T, model A, and B engines found even there way into farm tractors, one brand that used them mostly in Switzerland was Buhrer in 1930s and even into the 40s. Fritz Buhrer was a Ford Car and Fordson dealer back in the 1920s. Buhrer was able to get brand new model T engines and transmissions for two of his first tractor models and the larger model had the model A engine later B, the model B engine was used mostly after and because of the war, Buhrer couldn't get new Ford B engines so he made a copy of them till they where avaible again. Even here in the States the Model A engine and trany found there way into tractors like the Sears Roebuck Sears Economy tractor and etc. Awesome video by the way

I put a B head on my Model A, then later milled it down 1/8th inch, this really pepped things up, then a 3/4 cam, two carbs, split exhaust (ducl), light flywheel, it was FAST.

Great video as always. You mentioned that there was no fuel pump on the Model T and you are quite right. In the early days of motoring it was not unusual for one to back up a steep grade so you could keep the engine from running out of gas. I always loved watching the old comics driving the Model Ts around- the car was laughably funny.

I need that Town Car and the middle truck in the lineup! Makes a nice pair!

Very well done, Jay! I appreciate the research that you must have done and condensed into this video.

My Model A shares the stable with my T Birds The Model A is one of the best collector cars out there. Parts and tech support is easily available

Old Bill (This story was centered in the Gem Fields of Central Queensland, Australia. Bill Wilson (Mr. Wilson to us) was known far and wide on the field as ‘Old Bill.’ He seemed old to us, in the early 60s, but I was incredulous when he came for dinner when we visited My brother and wife in 1982. He was a real gentleman, always buttoning his shirt to the throat and cuffs. There was a photo in the NSW Mining Museum of ‘Workings in the Retreat Creek’ Q'ld 1930s the men were all dressed like ‘Old Bill’. Bill came to Sapphire in the early 1930s driving a Model A Ford-covered Ute. After working in the gold mines up North, he bought it near New, in Charters Towers. Soon after the purchase, it became clear that it used an unacceptable amount of oil (no 12-12 warranty back in the good old days). On stripping the engine down, he found no oil control rings on the pistons? Questioning the Ford agents in Charters Towers, he was told that oil control rings were an "Optional Extra." He had to send the pistons away for machining to fit the rings. For more than 50 years, he lived in the back of his Ute. Even though the battery was over 30 years old when I knew him, he used to drain and dry the acid. Every 4 or 5 years, he would refill the battery and send it into Crosby’s store to be charged, pump the tires on the old Ford, get it down off the blocks, and go and get himself 5 years' supply of firewood. Then, he meticulously packed it away again up on blocks in the meager shed he built for it; such was his simple life.

A local Savings and Loan took a former Model T milk delivery panel truck, restored it and painted the sides of the box portion with their bank logo. It made many appearances in the area and was driven on multiple TV commercials. I had a long conversation with the guy drove and maintained it. It had a Model A engine, w/electric starting, but still used the T's planetary transmission. I'm not sure where the Ford is now, but I'm sure that it is in somebody's collection. As a side note, the man who created the planetary transmission for the "T", had been a Chrysler engineer, but Chrysler didn't see the advantage of a planetary transmission, so the engineer moved onto Ford. The basic principles of the planetary transmission was the forefather of the automatic transmission.

The convertible looks fine.

Jay, it’s funny, that even back then, there were people who wanted to up the performance of their cars!

Cars just what i needed

My dad drove a model T in his early youth. He spoke of having to drive up steep hills in reverse, so the gas tank stayed above the carburetor and the engine didn't starve due to the gravity-feed fuel system. The gas tank was (I think) underneath the drivers seat. Talk about safe... I had the pleasure of driving a T once, it was not an easy car to drive due to the unusual pedal controlled gear box.

'Just What I Needed', by The Cars.

Thank you for your knowledge on the early model Ford's.😊😊😊

Uncle Henry built some of the most iconic Hot Rods known to man, staring in 1932, then again in 1940! Then in 1951, through 1956, and so on. I have never had any experience with model T, A, or B bangers. I would like to try, but they are rare. I would love to build the 226-254 inline flathead six, but wish in one hand . . . .

It was good to see positive comments. When you cover Model A Fords and make the slightest error the Model A Mafia is quick to correct you Many claim Henry and Edsel were there close friends and have the only right answer. I say this in fun as a Model A owner going through the restoration period

awesome vid, thank you. My brother and I were just discussing the model A and B engines, our father had a plane that used one of those, a Funk bros.Model B. I was told it was the 30th plane built and it used the Ford model B engine, installed upside down, and the radiator blocked pretty much all forward vision.

Thank you - love it.

Outstanding! Excellent coverage. Might have been nice to add something on the ignition system (Magneto, Commutator/Distributor, Vibrator Coils) and how that changed in the Model A/B but that would have made the video a bit too lengthy. Keep up the great work on these engines!

Hi Justin, very accurate video! Very well produced! Dave...

Well done research on the early Ford engine. 177 Cu in 20 hp on the Ford compared to the 153 cu in Chevy 4 cylinder @ 90 hp in my 1970 Postal Jeep, big contrast in over 50 years. First pick 1930 Ford AA truck, Second Ford A Town car.

Thanks again for another great video, I really look forward to the engine videos. For the wyr this time I’m going to pick the model AA even though the one pictured needs some love and in the lighter segment I’d have to choose the town car as it’s so beautiful

FORD Model A TOWN CAR! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I didn't know they made cars as well as trucks with the model B design, thanks for the info Jay, you're a research guru!. Here the old resort had a model B truck which was full of bees 🐝 🐝🐝! They may have kept making the upgraded model A in other countries, up until the 1960's or 1970's like how the beetle was still being made in Mexico decades after production of it had ceased in Germany. Thanks for the great video Jay, you dive deep into the specs and the vanadium steel! 🧲🎉

I had to add another comment: the splash lubrication of the Model A engine hindered the maximum top speed possible, for excess friction caused by cavitation of the oil would drag down the output of the engine. This drag did not come all at once. So, to pass someone on the road was possible if the passing maneuver was done quickly enough. Maybe an overdrive, often added aftermarket, was a way to keep the revs down enough to solve this issue?

I had a 22 coupe, a 20 roadster pickup and a very early 28 AR Tudor.

There is a Ford period documentary that presents the RD for the Flat Head V8. It was like the Apollo Moon Mission for the time. I had watch a friend treat down a Flat Head V8 in the 1960s. Amazing number of small bolts it was really locked together.

Hi Jay!: Thanks for this super cool engine episode!! Really makes clear the differences in the engines, especially the difference between the A, B and C engines. WYR#1 AA all the way!! #2 I'm conflicted, because the A Town car is SO RARE. I would probably pick the 400 B Convertible Sedan, but you showed the picture of a '32 Ford Roadster! The Convertible Sedan is a two door sedan where the top folds back, sort of like the earlier Rambler convertibles. This body style was a carry over from the Model A. I chose a picture of one of the A400's for the wallpaper on my laptop! Really like it that much. As a side note, they made that body style with the V-8 as well in 1932. They are fairly rare, especially in the 4 cylinder B model.

Great video as always! A minor correction- the Ruckstell did not actually increase the speed. Rather, it added a greater gearing range to allow for more ability to climb hills and more torque at the rear.

It is worth remembering that the 1929 Oldsmobile Viking was the first mono-block V8, although it did not sell in any great quantity.

Get out the Earth moving equipment, because that’s how much I dig this episode! You condensed an incredible amount of information into a short period of time, very well done sir. I love the fact that you touched on the fact that when the T engine was released, it was a technical marvel. And of course the Model A - what a car! Would you rather: I would take any of those because they’re all awesome. Thanks as always ~ Chuck

I don't mind you hanging out, and wasting all my time, all this knowledge of ford fours, is bound to crack my mind, yeah. It isn't the splashed oil, or ether in your hair. Cause when the video comes out, you know I'm already there

The Model A engine is a good-sounding powerplant.

Henry loved his Model T. So much so, that Edsel had to work very hard to get Henry to develop the Model A. Otherwise, Henry might have built the T until the company went bankrupt. Ford was losing sales fast as competitors built cars with more creature comforts, 4 wheel brakes, etc. Even with the sales figures falling fast, Henry was so stubborn about keeping the T in production. The A was a huge improvement, and Ford was finally making improvements yearly, and, more importantly, *visible* improvements.

I actually like that AA. P.S i was as teenager when that song came out

Town car model A is very rare 😉 I'd enjoy any of the Trucks we had all three on the farm 👍🤠 Enjoy 😊. Happy Motoring ✌️🤠

WYR: All of them. They're all cool. NTT: I thought of November Rain by Guns&Roses, but that's not it. If it is, I'll be surprised. The cool thing about this engine series is that the exhaust port spacing is the same across all of them. This means that you can fit A manifolds on a T block. The ports are different sizes, but not by much. A guy in Oregon with a 1927 Ford Model T Roadster has the exhaust manifold from a Model A on his car, aluminum head with 6:1 compression, an electric fan, distributor, fuel pump, Stromberg(Stromburg?) 81 2-barrel carburettors, original 2-speed planetary, Chicago 3-speed range box, Ruckstell 2-speed axle, Buffalo pin-drive wire wheels, 1922/1923 Willys-Knight steering box, wheel, and column, 1913 White hand controls, added gas pedal, 12-volt Klaxon horn, and several other things. The owner bought it from a junkyard without doors, and his neighbor had built one like it into a drag car in the 1980s, and had 2 right and 2 left doors left over. The owner picked 2 doors out of the 4 he had, and noticed 357 painted on the side. At first, he thought "That can't be right", but the other side had the exact same number. He somehow managed to buy back the original doors from his car, AND pick them out of the assortment he had. He drove it all the way to Bonneville. The carburettors were built in Salt Lake City by a man named Max Musgrove.

Gleaner pull type combines used model T engines and Model A engines as well

Obviously, the 32 is always the optimum choice If that's whats in front of you !! Definitely not "real world" however as the vast majority of us RARELY get to choose since they don't come along in "batches". ;o)

At 10.16 I tried counting head studs, from memory they went from 21 to 24 stud at some time, can't get more than 17, what am I missing?

Only rode in one once rhey were right like the corvair UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED AMAZING DESIGN SIMILAR TO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TODAY

Tommy James & The Shondells, I think we're alone now

"Misconcepted" I need to look that one up.

Excellent tutorial, Jay! Was the 1932 B (or C) model the first low price engine that used crankshaft counterweights? Big difference maker in how smooth engines run, especially on four-cylinder engines. Andy

I only rode an A once. HAD a gasoline after market heater south wind think was 70yrs ago caught fire he casually shut off the under dash fuel tank I had to go home change a my u pants . Never had the desire to step in one ever again 😅

Any pics of 1955 stock motors for ford deluxes?

AA and the B conv

That town car is cool.

In 2000-2001 Ford made 10 brand new model - T's our shop made the patterns for the front axel, cylinder head, engine block, and timing cover. I did the machining on the first of each, I have pics if you're interested.

Is there such thing as a crossflow flathead?

Is the song Always on my mind - pet shop boys?

I had a 1926 International Tow Truck

I would rather the model BB. Just saying… The 4 cyl engine rated at 177 cu in is the same as a friends ‘27 Chev I think? Impressive performance from the Ford engine tho 👍

Model BB and Model A Town Car.

AA, B-sedan

Supposedly the model B had lots of fuel pump problems

Didn't Ford use a (4) cylinder engine in their Truck line after V8 flatheads took over in the cars?

And the model b convertible

AA truck --Town car

Give me the Model AA and the Model B convertible.

1933 model bb

Model B Truck, Model B Car

there was another engine made 4 the model T car it wasn't made by Ford/ it would run 8O MPH 😊😊 that fast 4 back when they had no roads the flat head Ford V8S the cylinder heads would they never did go back and remake the cylinder heads so they stayed like they were most likely the cast iron cast 2 thin and they did stand the heat of the engine over time 😮😮 OMG 11 11 2O23

Why do you keep repeating yourself?