Improve your car, go stock.
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 5:15 pm
Over the years I have noticed a trend happening in my garage. 30 years ago my T's always seemed to get mild tweaks for better performance. I have been through a series of "upgrades", played with them, and eventually removed them.
I am referring to stuff like Stromberg carburetors, high compression heads, lined brakes, Kevlar bands, Ruckstell rear, Bonar brakes, Rocky Mtn. brakes, stock brakes, hot cams, driver cams, stock cams, extra dams, rod scoops, on and on.
I am seeing a gradual removal of most modifications, except a few. If it works and makes the car more reliable it stays, if not it eventually goes. That includes getting rid of electric over drive, Muncie mechanical over-under, etc. Yesterday I picked up a beautifully rebuilt Ruckstell from Erik Barrett set up for my Omnibus... last time with a Ruckstell was back in the 1990's on "Toady", my '13 mountain wagon. Ruckstell, ten tooth, large drum... not done playing yet, but am getting there.
What I am writing about is my switch on Rusty (1927 L.A.F.D. Mountain Patrol car commercial roadster pickup) from the Z head. Since the '90's all of my T's have had Z heads, aluminum pistons and conservative cams. Z because everyone seemed to recommend that Z provided a needed HP boost. Over the last 30 years I have had a never ending experience of blown head gaskets... always between cylinder 1 and 2. This always seemed to be from heads warping. I have had multiple block decking and head shaving experiences to make everything flat. Always properly adjusting head bolts with washers as needed and going with new head gaskets. With head gaskets now costing more than solid billet gold crush gaskets and requiring at least a year wait for replacements a change was needed.
Last month I got Rusty back together with the Z after decking it and having to hog out the chamber to clear piston strikes, I went with a used but good old gasket. Still had a small coolant leak so for the first time in 30 years I have pulled off my good old Z and grabbed a stock nondescript high head off the junk pile. .... Result? The first thing to notice is the lower compression... man is it ever easy to pull over by hand. Hmm, does this mean that the electric starter is now in play? No... the starter turns it farther than before, but no go on starting. Well, my usual starting procedure is to choke and pull it through 3, or 4, times. Hit the ignition and go to the hand crank. What I am noticing is more than half the time the car does a free start (instead of almost never). The next thing is an almost unnoticeable decrease in power, very smooth and quiet running... just more reliable and fun. I am guessing that the gaskets will last much longer with the high head and the resulting lower compression, very important with gaskets starting at $50 each (up a bit from $10 back in the '90's). Often there is a wait of 6-12 months to get a gasket so the old reliable high heads are looking pretty good. I am also considering the fact that there is more water in a high head, than any of the alternatives I know, this change back to stock seems to be a no brainer... appropriate to my vacant cranium!
So when the rain stops falling here (formerly sunny California), in a week or so, I will be pulling the engine from the Omnibus and checking everything...especially that nice looking high head it already has on it's 1925 engine!
Respectfully submitted, TH
I am referring to stuff like Stromberg carburetors, high compression heads, lined brakes, Kevlar bands, Ruckstell rear, Bonar brakes, Rocky Mtn. brakes, stock brakes, hot cams, driver cams, stock cams, extra dams, rod scoops, on and on.
I am seeing a gradual removal of most modifications, except a few. If it works and makes the car more reliable it stays, if not it eventually goes. That includes getting rid of electric over drive, Muncie mechanical over-under, etc. Yesterday I picked up a beautifully rebuilt Ruckstell from Erik Barrett set up for my Omnibus... last time with a Ruckstell was back in the 1990's on "Toady", my '13 mountain wagon. Ruckstell, ten tooth, large drum... not done playing yet, but am getting there.
What I am writing about is my switch on Rusty (1927 L.A.F.D. Mountain Patrol car commercial roadster pickup) from the Z head. Since the '90's all of my T's have had Z heads, aluminum pistons and conservative cams. Z because everyone seemed to recommend that Z provided a needed HP boost. Over the last 30 years I have had a never ending experience of blown head gaskets... always between cylinder 1 and 2. This always seemed to be from heads warping. I have had multiple block decking and head shaving experiences to make everything flat. Always properly adjusting head bolts with washers as needed and going with new head gaskets. With head gaskets now costing more than solid billet gold crush gaskets and requiring at least a year wait for replacements a change was needed.
Last month I got Rusty back together with the Z after decking it and having to hog out the chamber to clear piston strikes, I went with a used but good old gasket. Still had a small coolant leak so for the first time in 30 years I have pulled off my good old Z and grabbed a stock nondescript high head off the junk pile. .... Result? The first thing to notice is the lower compression... man is it ever easy to pull over by hand. Hmm, does this mean that the electric starter is now in play? No... the starter turns it farther than before, but no go on starting. Well, my usual starting procedure is to choke and pull it through 3, or 4, times. Hit the ignition and go to the hand crank. What I am noticing is more than half the time the car does a free start (instead of almost never). The next thing is an almost unnoticeable decrease in power, very smooth and quiet running... just more reliable and fun. I am guessing that the gaskets will last much longer with the high head and the resulting lower compression, very important with gaskets starting at $50 each (up a bit from $10 back in the '90's). Often there is a wait of 6-12 months to get a gasket so the old reliable high heads are looking pretty good. I am also considering the fact that there is more water in a high head, than any of the alternatives I know, this change back to stock seems to be a no brainer... appropriate to my vacant cranium!
- L
With high head Rusty looks and performs pretty stock!
So when the rain stops falling here (formerly sunny California), in a week or so, I will be pulling the engine from the Omnibus and checking everything...especially that nice looking high head it already has on it's 1925 engine!
Respectfully submitted, TH
