Home

Generally speaking I use this space to provide history or insights to the Model A Ford. However, this month I am going to share my gratitude for Diamond Tread’s Henry’s Helpers.

Our Model A's engine developed a water leak at the back of the block. Thanks to the kind help of Chuck Mayhew, his son Ashley and daughter-in-law Modid, we made our way to Ed Tolman's shop in Pomona, where I bought a refurbished Model A short block.

I had an old engine that donated a head and oil pan for the new short block I purchased from Tolman Tools in Pomona. The old head was cleaned and milled by Tolman Tools before being installed on the new engine.

With Chuck Mayhew's guidance and assistance, we were able to prepare the short block for installation. Chuck applied his expertise to paint many of the new parts before they were installed.

Once the new engine was fully assembled and torqued down, Chuck used his experience to seal up all the openings, ensuring nothing could get inside. It was a real beauty and ready for installation!

I consider myself incredibly lucky to have Chuck and Luke’s approval to install the new engine at their barn. With the help of Chuck, Charlie, Jim, and Larry, we were able to quickly remove the engine with the cracked block.

We successfully installed the new engine. An opportunity presented itself that enabled me to perform my first installation of an oil pan gasket with the engine still in place. Like the well-oiled Team that they are, Chuck, Charlie, and Jim prepped the oil pan for reinstallation, while Larry prepared the carburetor he worked on for installation.

The new engine buttoned up; it was time to set the engine timing. With the hand crank installed, a couple of us tried to turn the crank but it would not budge! Using a timing wrench and a long pipe, we were able to get the timing set.

Henry’s Helpers sends another happy member down the road!

Many Thanks to:

Chuck Mayhew, Charlie Sento, Jim Willams and Larry Ryan for sharing their valuable time, knowledge, and resources to swap the engines and get me back on the road.
Ashley & Modid Mayhew for providing transportation for the old and new engines.
Chuck Mayhew and Luke Sayer for allowing the use of the “barn” for this task.
Ed Tolman for making the rebuilt engine available for sale.

Explore our "Newsletter" section and discover: the latest happenings of the current month, enlightening news from the President, a recap of the events from the previous month through the monthly minutes, scheduled tours for the month ahead, information on the locations where the Red Hot Sparks will gather, speakers who are distinguished guests, individuals commemorating a Birthday or Anniversary, insightful thoughts on Editorial topics from the Editor, and information regarding our advertisers.

Please visit our Advertisers page and patronize those in the community that help support our club.

If you use a Google Calendar, please consider merging the Diamond Tread Calendar in with your own. This will allow you to view our upcoming events at a glance. This calendar is also posted on the Diamond Tread website’s Events/Dates page.