The Model A Ford Club’s National Tour this year will be to the Civil War battlefields of Virginia and neighboring states. Over 700 miles in 8 days starting and ending in Waynesboro, Virginia on June 15th with stops as far north as the Amish Country of Pennsylvania. This is a ‘bucket list’ trip that I just couldn’t pass up as I’m not getting any younger. Doug Diller, of the Orange Blossom A’s of Riverside and I planned on making this epic journey very early on.
At first the plan was to ship our Model A’s to H&H Restoration in Virginia (Thanks Chris Howell) and then after the Tour, drive them back home some 2,800 miles. Both Doug and I purchased Burtz blocks to run in our cars but as luck would have it, Doug had issues in building his and had to back out. He will however still join me on the return trip and help drive our Model A.
Another change in plans happened when my 16 year old grandson, Max Tolman, consented to driving the eastbound leg with me instead of shipping my car. But because he has family vacation plans, he’ll be flying home the day before the Tour starts from Charlottesville, where fellow Pomona Valley member Gary Larson in his 1931 Huckster will join us.
Our outbound journey will start from Upland, California on Friday June 6th, the day after school gets out. We plan on driving 300-400 miles per day with our first stop in St George, Utah then Grand Junction, Colorado and Colorado Springs where we will visit my cousin, Mitch Tolman and his family. Next we’ll travel to Dodge City, Kansas and then Eureka, Kansas where we will visit fellow Pomona Valley chapter members, Dick and Jean Ware. Our next stop will be Saint Louis, Missouri then Salt Lick, Kentucky and finally Waynesboro, Virginia with a brief stop to visit fellow Model A’ers Terry and Melanie Whittington in West Virginia. Ideally we will use their lift to service our Model A before continuing on the National Tour. Lube and oil change at the very least.
We will be driving our 1928 Tudor, Fudge, who is no stranger to long distance travel. The previous owners, Dave and Karen Cornelius, have driven Fudge to many National events including places like Kansas City, Puyallup, Washington and Reno, Nevada. And yes, as you would imagine, Fudge is Light Brown with a dark brown belt. The color of chocolate!
Fudge has had the following ‘upgrades’ during her restoration in 1999: a Mitchell Overdrive, 1939 synchro transmission and a hydraulic brake conversion by Dave Cornelius. (Thanks to Al Zanino for his expertise on 39’ transmissions) And in preparation for this cross country adventure I have built and installed a Burtz motor and an F-100 steering box from Randy Gross. Both of these upgrades will no doubt prove to be a blessing as we travel a total of 7,000+ miles across 11+ states and across the Continental Divide, twice.
As you might imagine, my wife Monika turned down the invitation to make this historic trip (surprised?) so I’m glad to be joined by my grandson Max and then, on the return leg, by Doug Diller. I hope to make daily posts of our experiences on FaceBook and Instagram or at the very least, a report on the BBQ cuisine we find! And now, as my friend Paul Shinn would say: “Drive your Model A like you know how to fix it!”
Ed Tolman,
2025 MAFCA National President