This is just cool!

[charlie8575]

This young man (29 years old) decided to drive a Model A Ford every day- for a year. His starting line was "Because not everything a person owns should contain a computer."

It's a very interesting chronicle.

http://www.365daysofa.com/

Charlie Larkin

[niteowl7710]

Somewhat ironic that a guy wants to prove you can drive a technologically archaic car for a year, and then keeps a blog about it. Shouldn't he have jotted down all his thoughts in long hand, and then typed it into a book using an old manual typewriter?

[Chuck Most]

Somewhat ironic that a guy wants to prove you can drive a technologically archaic car for a year, and then keeps a blog about it. Shouldn't he have jotted down all his thoughts in long hand, and then typed it into a book using an old manual typewriter?

Oh, irony!

But still, I don't think anyone needs proof you can drive a technologically archaic car... that's all that EVERYBODY drove at the time, right?

[Hypermung]

Oh, irony!

But still, I don't think anyone needs proof you can drive a technologically archaic car... that's all that EVERYBODY drove at the time, right?

I LOVE looking under the hood of an old (even archaic) car, & actually seeing a spark plug, or a carburettor, or even a hint of valve cover gasket.... Good thing that cars don't have points anymore, 'cause I'd hate to change them (or a spark plug) these days. It'd take you 3 hours just to remove all the plastic garbage off the engine before you could even SEE the sparky... or the carby... or even the ENGINE.......... DOH, cars don't have a carby anymore, do they?. It's all EFI & capacitor discharge & variable valve timing & computers..... Give me archaic ANYDAY.

[SuperStockAndy]

Yeah Glenn, they all switched to fuel injection. I hate fuel injection...too modern for me..

[SuperStockAndy]

Yeah there is, you need a computer to run it.

[MicroNitro]

When I was a kid the only car dad had was a 28 ford A pickup. I guess we were cool just did not know it.

[High octane]

Yeah there is, you need a computer to run it.

??? They didn't have a computer or need to in the 60's.

[SuperStockAndy]

I'm not sure what you mean by the 60's. I thought EFI came out in the early 90's?

[SuperStockAndy]

How stupid of me!!!

I didn't event think about the things like Hilborns and Enderles!

[my66s55]

Corvetts had EFI available from the mid to latter 1950's. The first computerized car I had was an 1982 Chevy Cavalier.

[SuperStockAndy]

And I forgot about the Corvettes too.

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[SuperStockAndy]

Oh well. Guess I should go pick up a book before I start questioning everyone...

[von Zipper]

I've seen this guy driving his Model A- around Traverse City Michigan a few times, I think he works for Hagerty Insurance-Or he's around there alot. Our local news covers his story quite often.

If you think a car with points, spark plugs and a carb. is a bummer-- Wait till you drive a vehicle with mechanical brakes.

[moparmagiclives]

I dont get what he is trying to prove here ??? What kind of range is he traveling or load is he hauling that he cant cover it on a bicycle ? Or is it the fact that he has a model "A" But on a more related note, I love my 89 short box standard cab 2wd f150 for the same reason, no power acc, no buttons. It does run efi, but the $99 cd player I installed is smarter then the stock ecu. Working with new Chryslers every day, Its kinda fun to get into a vehilce and "roll" down a window or even better crack open a wing window. No skim keys, or memory modules. Just good old driving....it drives my wife nuts !!!!

Edited October 4, 2011 by moparmagiclives

[Jon Cole]

Wing windows! Wish those would make a comeback! And crank windows back in the day... were easy to crank! One of our company 2000-something Caravans (actually several) have crank windows, real tight & hard to crank. They can't even do old school right.

[charlie8575]

Give me archaic ANYDAY.

Especially when the repair bill comes. Oh wait....the bill almost goes away because I can do 95% of it myself!

Wing windows! Wish those would make a comeback! And crank windows back in the day... were easy to crank! One of our company 2000-something Caravans (actually several) have crank windows, real tight & hard to crank. They can't even do old school right.

I've noticed that to in some trucks and cars with crank windows. They even feel poorly made and they usually put the crank in a spot that's inaccessible or uncomfortable to reach.

Charlie Larkin

[Junkman]

The first production car available with an electronic fuel injection was - as we all know - the 1958 Chrysler 300 D.

However, electronic fuel injection did exist earlier - on some 1940s aircraft engines.

Alfa Romeo tested one of the very first electric injection systems (Caproni-Fuscaldo) in an Alfa-Romeo 6C2500 with "Ala spessa" body in the 1940 Mille Miglia. The engine had six electrically operated injectors which were fed by a semi-high pressure circulating fuel pump system.

Mechanical fuel injection was first used by Bosch in 1912 and was well established in the 1930s for airplane engines. Almost all German WWII fighters were fuel injected, as were later versions of the Wright R-3350 used in the B-29 Superfortress.

The first mechanical Bosch fuel injection for production cars became available on the 1952 Goliath GP700 and Gutbrod Superior 600. It became standard equipment on the Mercedes 300SL, the first commercially available car ever which wasn't available without fuel injection.

So whoever thinks fuel injection is too modern, should probably also do away with seat belts.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Junkman

[MachinistMark]

Oh well. Guess I should go pick up a book before I start questioning everyone...

Gee, Ya think?!

[MachinistMark]

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[Casey]

Especially when the repair bill comes. Oh wait....the bill almost goes away because I can do 95% of it myself!

I've noticed that to in some trucks and cars with crank windows. They even feel poorly made and they usually put the crank in a spot that's inaccessible or uncomfortable to reach.

Charlie Larkin

I bet it's due the difference in mechanical window mechanisms. The older scissor type worked well until they started to wear, especially the nylon rollers and the gear teeth, but they "felt" very solid when cranking. Many U.S manufacturers changed to cable type mechanisms, which weigh less and use less materials, but don't have the same solid "feel" as the scissor type.

[Chuck Most]

Though you could argue the Model A does have a computer....

Sure, most people think of a 'computer' as being electronic, but there were mechanical computers long before electronic ones. A computer is a programmable device designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. It could be argued a carburetor does just such an operation- meters a given amount of fuel to the engine. So, depending on how loosely you use the term, you could argue the Model A has at least one computer on it, albeit a mechanical one.

[Harry P.]

I hate fuel injection...too modern for me..

Sounds like you were born a hundred years too late. You would probably have loved churning your own butter and weaving your own cloth...

[highway]

Sounds like you were born a hundred years too late. You would probably have loved churning your own butter and weaving your own cloth...

The funny thing is, a computer or the internet isn't too modern for him!! :lol:

Edited October 8, 2011 by highway

[mytricia]

Somewhat ironic that a guy wants to prove you can drive a technologically archaic car for a year, and then keeps a blog about it. Shouldn't he have jotted down all his thoughts in long hand, and then typed it into a book using an old manual typewriter?

right on!!