Hi everyone, this is my first issue as the newsletter editor. It will look very different from prior issues, and probably there will continue to be tweaks for a while until I like the product. Feel free to write me and complain/compliment.

If you haven't sent your 2026 club dues in yet, the deadline is just two weeks away! Mail your $25 check to George Goodridge at 3929 Nottaway Road, Durham, NC 27707.

Aubrey and Phyllis Styers in Rocky Mount are looking for some hands-on help getting their ‘31 Cabriolet running dependably. Chuck Murray is putting together a work crew to visit them after they return from Florida in April. Rocky Mount is about an hour east of Raleigh, so if you're willing to make the drive, your help would be welcome. Email Chuck at [email protected].

The Tar Wheel A's are hitting the road for a three-day tour of North Carolina's lighthouses, running from March 28 through March 30. Brantley Blanchard Jr. has organized a loop from Raleigh to the Outer Banks and back, with stops at some of the most photographed landmarks on the coast. Model A clubs from the Sand Hills and Virginia-Carolina regions are joining us, making this one of the bigger multi-club outings in recent memory. I was talking to the former president of the Queen City Model A club recently, and he asked “Are you gonna be joining us on the lighthouse tour?” So apparently everyone will be there.

The tour departs Saturday morning at 8:00 from the Harris Teeter on 401 and heads east, with a lunch stop at King Chicken and an afternoon visit to Lake Mattamuskeet before arriving at the hotel in Nags Head that evening. Sunday is the main lighthouse day: Currituck, Bodie, and Hatteras, followed by a ferry to Ocracoke Island for the night. Monday morning brings an early ferry from Ocracoke to Cedar Island, with an optional side trip to Cape Lookout via Island Express Ferry before the drive home.

A few things to know. Brantley is staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Nags Head on Saturday night and the Ocracoke Harbor Inn on Sunday night. Participants should book their own rooms at those or nearby accommodations. You'll want a packed lunch for Sunday and a packed breakfast for Monday. The Monday morning ferry from Ocracoke departs at 7:30 AM and reservations can be made at ferry.ncdot.gov. If you'd like to add the Cape Lookout ferry, that's bookable at Island Express Ferry Services for the 11:30 departure, though the timing will be tight.

You don't need a Model A to join! Modern vehicles are welcome. Email Brantley Blanchard at [email protected] to sign up or ask questions.

Fearrington Village is hosting its annual spring celebration on April 25, from noon to 4:00 PM, and the organizers have invited the Tar Wheel A's to bring a few Model A's to display. This year the event has been renamed the Independence Festival in honor of the country's 250th anniversary, so expect a patriotic atmosphere complete with a fife and drum corps.

Club members may remember that Rudy Socey took home Best in Show at Fearrington's first annual Concours d'Elegance last October. Rudy will be back with his 1930 Fordor, and the organizers are hoping more of our members will join him. The incentive: a pint of beer and snacks for each driver. Several hundred people typically attend.

Fearrington Village is located in Pittsboro, about six miles south of Chapel Hill. If you're interested in showing your car, email Jim Young at [email protected]. Space is limited, so don't wait too long.

Looking further ahead: the 2nd Annual Concours d'Elegance is expected in late September or mid-October. We'll share details when the date is set.

The Tar Wheel A's are sponsored by Mike's "A" Ford-able, a family-operated parts supply store located just a few hours away in sunny Maysville, GA. When I'm placing an order at Mike's, I'll sometimes add a spare set of V8 (“modern”) distributor points. Mike's sells the really good Blue Streak points. They're copper-plated to reduce corrosion, with a tougher rubbing block than other brands and a felt wiper to help maintain the lubricant layer on your cam. This is the kind of high quality product that gets discontinued without warning, so pick up a set or three the next time you buy from Mike's.

With touring season around the corner, several of our fellow clubs have published technical material worth bookmarking:

A printable Spring Safety Check appeared on page 6 of the February 2026 issue of The Transmission, the newsletter of the Virginia-Carolina Model A Club. Written by Ed Case of the Colonial Model A Club, it's a checkbox-style walkaround covering electrical, fan and water pump, fuel line, axles and steering, brakes, clutch, and overall condition. Print a copy and take it to the garage before your first spring drive.

Chris Wickersham's "From the Bench" column in the March-April 2026 issue of Ford Torque tackles a perennial annoyance: oil blow-by in the engine compartment. He traces the evolution of the Model A oil fill tube through Ford's multiple baffle redesigns, explains why none of them fully solved the problem, and surveys the aftermarket fixes, including the Fumaze accessory cap and the Model B fill tube swap. If your left-side wiring and hoses wear a permanent film of oil, start on page 11 of Ford Torque.

The same issue of Ford Torque reprints Ford Motor Company's original 1928 explanation of the Model A engine lubrication system on page 18. It's a clear, detailed walkthrough of the pump, gravity feed, valve chamber reservoir, and splash system — useful reading if you've ever wondered what actually happens between the oil pan and the camshaft bearings.

Tom Endy's article on the oil pump, on page 19 of the same issue, is a thorough overhaul guide. He covers the difference between the early pump (1928 through November 1929, .656 bushing) and the late pump (November 1929 onward, .625 bushing), lists every part by Ford part number, and walks through the rebuild. If you're ordering parts, pay attention to which bushing size you need. Henry laid a trap for the unwary.

The February 2026 issue of the Sandhills club newsletter, The Double Clutch Gazette, reprints a MAFCA Tech Tip on page 4 that shows photos of the four common Model A carburetors — Zenith Model A, Zenith Model B, Tillotson, and Marvel Schebler — alongside their gasket sets. If you're ordering parts or adjustments specs and aren't sure which carburetor you're looking at, this is a handy visual reference.

If you've ever thought about getting into the Model A horn restoration business, here's your chance to buy your entire inventory at once. Tar Wheel A’s member Cliff Ward is selling a collection of 159 complete Model A horns, plus parts for roughly a dozen more, for $5,850 — less than $37 per horn. At current prices for restored horns, there's plenty of margin for anyone willing to do the work.

The collection was accumulated over decades by the late Doug Black, another Tar Wheel A’s member, and it includes most if not all of the Model A horn manufacturers and variations. About 75% still have their original mounting brackets. A small fraction (10-15%) have later reproduction rear covers or front bells, but everything else appears original. Ward describes the horns as being in original or older restored condition and advises buyers to treat the lot as raw material for restoration, though he believes most will work or can be made to work as-is.

The entire collection is boxed up in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room and will fit in the bed of a full-size pickup. No individual sales — it's all or nothing. Email Cliff Ward at [email protected] if you're interested, or see the full listing on The Ford Barn for photos.