Model A Chassis and Parts value?

Model A Fan

Model A Fan

Senior Member
I have found (yet) another potential project. I have been talking with a member about a frame and some other parts. In an email to me, he listed off a bunch of the parts.

email said:
I will sell you the frame, juice brakes, engine, radiator,2 front ends, 2 rear ends, 30 roadster title etc... Basically you can clean me out of my Model a stuff. This is stuff that I was going to take to the swap meet, but if you can use it go for it! There are extra wheels, new tires, pans engine parts, interior parts, boxes of stuff, and it is all yours. I will reduce the price to $3k for all of it. I want to see you follow your passion, and this is a great start. I added up this stuff and it's about 5k worth of stuff, but I want you to have it.
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Here are some photos of it. It doesn't come with the roadster body or the red engine. I'm not bringing this here to cause any upset or problems, just looking for some pricing advice as I am new to this.

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What is your opinion on this lot of stuff? He's asking $3000 for it, but I talked to one of my Mom's co-worker's husbands and he was thinking that the whole lot is worth $1500 or less. I feel like this would be a solid start, but was hoping for some advice on the whole lot of stuff.
 
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I think that is way high! I bought a RUNNING and DRIVING chassis for 400 bucks last year. If you search, they are out there.....As a matter of fact I saw that chassis on CL for 1200,00 not more than a week ago..... I wouldn't spend over a grand on that stuff.
 
Model A Fan,

These decisions are all relative, you may find better deals if you have the time and patience. Seems high for buckets of parts,

Good luck,
 
I'm not really in any rush as I don't have a place to store it yet. I am selling my WWII Jeep, so first I need to get that gone so I'm not storing anything at my girlfriend's parent's place.

What appeals to me is the rebuilt engine (when it was done I don't know, but not too long ago I would think), how clean the overall frame, front and rear are, the roadster title and then the location is less than two hours from where I am.

The matching frame number/engine number and title aren't really of any concern to me. I am not looking for something to restore completely right now.

I am looking for something like this http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23812 but on the west coast, preferably north of California though...
 
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I missed the part about the title. That is the x factor. what it is worth to you to not mess around wih getting a title? Personally, I think the price of the parts lot is high. You'd be hard pressed to make more than 3,000 if you parted that lot out. I think at the most I would be willing to pay for just the parts shown would be $1000 bucks. I would be willing to pay an extra $500 for just a title that matched the frame though. This is just IMHO and I'm a cheap ***....

FWIW I have less than that in TWO titled model A's
 
way high
a complete chassis is about 700-1000
title 3-400
misc parts 250-350
even at the high end you would be under 2000
if it was 32 stuff then it would be worth alot more
tk
 
A lot of it depends on how you look at it. There's a pile of parts, then there's the parts. A couple years ago I came into a '40 deluxe sedan project that was all in pieces. I tried like the dickens to sell it as a package, with title but no engine or trans, had all the reestored, NOS and repop parts listed on a spread sheet so a knowledgable buyer would know how complete the package was. Went for months trying to get $8900 for the whole shebang. All the wizards of smart passed.......some probably even made rude remarks at their computer screen about my sanity.:) So, needing the space I decided to part it all out at relatively "quick sale" prices. Ended up with just over $13k. Now, this isn't braggin' it's just a tale to make the point that piecemeal the cost of "stuff" adds up fast.

As stated, the title alone typically goes $3-400. If the frame is nice, $200 easy (the cross members and horns are worth that if nice). Hydraulic brake assemblies sell regularly on HAMB or Barn for $100 corner. If he could demonstrate the engine runs well anywhere from $500-1500 depending. If those are 16x4 wheels, $50 each, maybe more if powder coated. At least two of those tires look new, and even at half of new price they'd be $75 ea. And I could go on. Sure, as some have stated here they can/have/think they could do better, I'm just tossing out what I've done/seen on the Barn and HAMB recently for individual components. Some will cry "sacrilege" for breaking up a potential good car (or most of it), but if they don't push the Benjamins across the table they don't really get a vote.

Final analysis: you should go see what all "this stuff" is and decide if it fits what you want to do and can afford. Then you'll be able to determine if it's actually a satisfactory deal. Right now, what's included in the deal is kinda sketchy.
 
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Most of the items pictured are worn out & in need of rebuilding.
The engine is nothing more than a $100 core with some paint slathered over the dirt, without receipts proving otherwise, and still no guarantee it won't need a $3000.00 rebuild in short order.
Frame horns chopped off.
Differential is likely dry and will need $700xx dumped in.
Some missmatched tires that you wouldn't use anyway with a dropped axle...lets face it...you'll get custom wheels the way this is headed.
Generator-$20xx core
Water pump-$10xxcore
B carb "might" be OK $50xxcore
Ex manifold $25xx-45xx if it doesn't have cracks, or sags.
Starter $40xx core
Steering column $30xx and will need everything.
Rusty muffler, I got one you can have free.
All the rest of the undercarriage pieces maybe $300xx incl., worn out axles, bent brake rods, springs maybe OK, cyl head (cracked?) 6 spoke wheels(bent?), bellhousing(90% are cracked), Ebrake handle rusted badly,
drums are likely far past there safe use limit
...oh boy I gotta stop.
Take it all to a swap meet and you might fetch $1000 for the days work, although you never sell it ALL in one go.
The only additional value I can see is perhaps the title, which you KNOW must match the frame and engine number to be of any value unless you wanna fudge something. Occasionally with this flavour of a deal, the easy part (the fudging) has been already tried and the title "just possibly" isn't the little gem being represented. I would speak with a motor licencing agent & COMPLETELY understand this title and the legal limitations attached to it before purchasing it.
Bottom line...listen to your gut feeling.
My opinion, beg, borrow or earn enough money to get the most complete running car you can find.
There's still some hungry folks out there and the swap meets should be good this spring! :)
 
That motor is not worth anything except a core, you have no idea what was really done in the "rebuild". Unless it starts, and runs, but that is still no guarantee for the longevity. If you could get him to throw in the red motor with that speed head, you would come a little closer to being worth what he wants for the lot without it.
 
what no one has mentioned is the proximity to his house. I usually don't go more than a hundred miles to pick up something. thats a plus to me
 
Model A Fan said:
I'm not really in any rush as I don't have a place to store it yet. I am selling my WWII Jeep, so first I need to get that gone so I'm not storing anything at my girlfriend's parent's place.

What appeals to me is the rebuilt engine (when it was done I don't know, but not too long ago I would think), how clean the overall frame, front and rear are, the roadster title and then the location is less than two hours from where I am.

The matching frame number/engine number and title aren't really of any concern to me. I am not looking for something to restore completely right now.

I am looking for something like this http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23812 but on the west coast, preferably north of California though...
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Well, it is Christmas time or thereabouts. If ifs and buts were candy/nuts you may have a merry...
You need to get past the ifs/buts and to the nuts/bolts of this deal.
What IS known is that the frame is altered,i.e.-horns cut off, etc. You can see mismatched tires. You've not heard an engine run; you've not seen matching numbers for title/frame/engine. You can see a batch of used parts, but don't know if anything is rebuilt..including engine. Scrap iron is penny per hundred weight. How much is scrap iron and how much is worth anything..to you? What are your goals...an A driver; a mod rod or a somewhat model a looking car? Price is way right, in my opinion, IF this iron is rebuilt or even proveably well functioning. Price is oposite for scrap iron. Price is inbetween for swap meet fodder. Since you say that it is close....go see/dicker/take cash...have fun!!
 
Where I live $1000.might be the high end.When I hear rebuilt engine and Model A in the same sentence,I hear,easy to take apart to do it over.It looks like a paintover of an old rebuild.No running board brackets on the frame,horns cut off,old 21 inch tires,good for rollers,21 inch wheels of unknown cond,(they rust out inside of the bead and are often bent).I won't go as low as scrap,that was 14 cents a pound,or $280.per ton this morning,but I would go to $1000.here.At that I would have to give it a good look over.I have aquired a few chassis from rodders around here.They buy an old car to rod,figuring on selling the chassis off and recovering some money,and after a few years of trying to deal with cheapskate Model A'ers they either give away or sell for next to nothing.I have come to the garage to find them dumped out front.The title may be a big factor for you,for me it is just a piece of paper to throw away.It has no value here,we are non-title after 15 years.The most use I could get out of it would be to light the woodstove.If I show an old title to the DMV here they will run it through the shredder for you.We are not allowed to keep previous owners ownership documents.
 
If I remember correctly you have a complete model "A" with a weak engine. You will spend about $3500 to have it rebuilt. I would pull the head and pan on the engine in the pile and make sure it is rebuilt. Like Ronald Regan said "trust but verify". If the junk pile engine is rebuilt this will be a good deal. If he will not let you tear the engine down for inspection I would walk away. Take a model "A" engine person with you. Four eyes are better than two. You can then sell the stuff you do not need.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A REBUILT TAG ON THE ENGINE. THIS REBUILD COULD BE YEARS AGO.
 
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sturgis 39 said:
If I remember correctly you have a complete model "A" with a weak engine. You will spend about $3500 to have it rebuilt. I would pull the head and pan on the engine in the pile and make sure it is rebuilt. Like Ronald Regan said "trust but verify". If the junk pile engine is rebuilt this will be a good deal. If he will not let you tear the engine down for inspection I would walk away. Take a model "A" engine person with you. Four eyes are better than two. You can then sell the stuff you do not need.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A REBUILT TAG ON THE ENGINE. THIS REBUILD COULD BE YEARS AGO.
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As of right now, I don't have anything. I have a WWII Jeep that I'm selling and need to sell before I can get any garage space.

As far as the rebuild, it is a little sketchy. The rebuild tag does not have a rebuild date, it says there are 8 cylinders and then some other codes. Definitely not what I was expecting.

I think what it is, is he bought a roadster and these extra parts came with it and he's selling them to recoup some of his money, despite the roadster being really cheap by market standards. He has never run the engine, but he trusts the guy who he bought it from. Like you said, trust but verify.

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the paint on the motor looks like a recent paint to cover up who knows what. they didn't have that type of blue masking tape back in the day and wouldn't the tag have been put on after the paint and not masked badly? I cherish most barners advise and like someone posted if you cant take the pan and head off to check It should just be considered a core IMHO. even one of the spark plugs is broken, and 2 studes are missing or broken flush on the manifold surface and everything is just painted one color, even the frame looks suspect, it looks like the top and bottom flanges look bent or wavey. it also appears that not all parts in the pile are model A.
 
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If you also look at where the oil filler tube is there is a fleck of red under the green. could this Motor also been painted red before and if so why?
 
The idiot who installed the engine tag thinks it's an 8 cylinder.:rolleyes:
Does anybody seriously think the tag belongs there? Do the math.
This entire thread is a complete and utter waste of time and bandwidth and should be deleted. :mad::mad:

I'm beginning to suspect Fordbarn has been invaded by Trolls.
 
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