Stalls at a village fare, Atale, Sri Lanka.

'Ford Model A'- Atale, Sri Lanka.

The rubber bulb horn and petrol filler cap.

The petrol tank and fuel outlet. You can see the ignition coil and the electric horn in the picture.

The fuel outlet with a 'bleeder valve' at the bottom to release water and  dirt  from the petrol. The petrol was led to the carburetor by gravity. There was no petrol pump.

The carburetor and the link from the accelerator pedal to the carburetor.

The petrol tank was situated high up between the dash-board and the engine. The petrol filler cap was in the center  There was a gadget like in present day diesel fuel pipelines, to bleed accumulated water and dirt from the fuel line. There was no petrol pump. It was a gravity-fed system. The accelerator pedal was connected to the carburetor throttle valve by a steel rod.

Parts of the 'Ford Model A', Atale, Sri Lanka.

The floor-board - Gear and hand-brake levers, starter button, clutch-pedal, accelerator-pedal  and  brake-pedal.

The starter motor with the mechanical link to the starter button on the floor.

The dynamo which delivered 6 Volts has been replaced by an alternator.

The high-tension current distributor giving an interrupted current to the spark-plugs.

 The fascination of old technology caught me when I inspected this car manufactured by Ford in 1928, in the UK. The controls on the floor-board had the accelerator placed between the clutch and brake pedals. The starter button was foot-operated and had a mechanical link to the starter motor. The distributer cap was sitting on a side of the engine.

'Ford Model A' of Birmingham, UK, Manufactured 1928

Front view.

Starter handle.

Luggage carrier behind the spare tyre.

The 'Ford' logo in front.

The 'running board'.

Manufactured in the UK in 1928, and named 'Ford Model A', it was first registered in Ceylon in 1931 this car is still in running condition. The owner told me that this was the earliest model to come with electric head-lights powered by a 6 Volt battery. The earlier model had carbide head-lamps.