Would you buy an "A" not running?

Ross,Your points are very valid, but it could have been the last straw for the guy, had a friend pull it apart, no friend to put back together. In this economy, easy for someone to lose interest with a hobby thats supposed to be fun. Oh, post another reply youre the number of the beast at the moment...

Question for the op, have you seen the car? what does the paint or the metal on the engine look like. I have seen many a head cracked from freezing, not many from heat. Brent recently posted pics of an engine that got really hot, very obvious outward appearance. If indeed it did crack from heat, there could be other issues.
 
What's the price of the car? $1500 buy it $15,000 forget it.

If what he says is true and it is only the head it's cheap to fix. But if the radiator is blocked and it caused the car to over heat and the interior of the block is cracked and a piston froze in a cylinder while he was driving it in gear the ****** lost the tooth...... Get the idea?

Buy it cheap or move on is my opinion.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a non running car if you keep in mind all of the things that may be needed to get it back on the road. The cost of an engine rebuild, possible trans and clutch rebuild, brakes etc. All of this should be factored into what the seller is asking for the car and what you are willing to pay.
Factor in your ability to do the mechanical work yourself vs. having it done professionally. With all of this in mind the cost of a non running car has to be low enough so that once you put all of the repairs into it you're not too far upside down on the total cost.
 
I'd love to see pictures. Yes a rebuilt engine is 4-5k, but if the body is solid its still a 4-5k car - at least to a rodder it is.

I have been offered more than that for our surface rusted car - before it was running and driving.
 
Buying a Model A or any car of that era isn't anything like buying a used car from one to fifteen years old. Likewise, there are no easy ways for you, or anyone, to evaluate or know the condition of every component in a Model A without dismantling it and inspecting every single component. If you buy a car that's not thoroughly restored with some kind of assurance that it's correctly represented, then you will have plenty of worn out parts and pending failures. Now, you can't logically expect anything better. You may be fortunate and get some pleasant surprises, and those occasions are the little thrills that offset some of the big investments of time, money and soul in this hobby. If you can find a Model A-er in your area to look at the car with you, he will likely be glad to help you. Those helpful friends are another of the pleasures and benefits of this endeavor. It's a big adventure waiting for you, with a variety of challenges. Any smooth sailing you experience will be the result of your (sometimes desperate) determination and patience. You will find yourself forced to come up with answers and solutions that you didn't know were in you. And friends, including "barners", will be an invaluable help. But, again, this ain't anything like buying a used car to bomb around in. The purchase is just the beginning.
 
Of the four model A's I have none were running when I bought them. I planned to totally restore all of them, so rebuilding the engines was part of the plan. I agree with most of the previous posters in that the price you should consider is the car with a new or rebuilt engine factored in (i.e. car, less the engine rebuilding costs).
Rusty Nelson
 
Alot of alarm on this site-take it all with a grain of salt....
bought a nice running engine and trans from a rodder for 250.
yes, they can be bought for that. Not everyone needs a 4000.-5000. engine to have fun!

just my 2 cents worth
if the body is nice-buy it!
 
Why all the fuss over an engine, how is the overall condition of the body, interior, paintwork etc. The value is in those featuers not the engine. IMO. Bob
 
A model A is not an investment you should ever plan on making money on. Buy with your heart, using your head to temper the heart a bit. Fixing the engine is going to be fun, it will also get you and your new baby aquainted. There will be lots of things that you won't see until you get her home and in your garage, both bad and good. Have Fun, take a chance! It doesn't sound like it would scare me. I have a 2004 Ford F150 that needed a cam phaser replaced, went to two very competent mechanics, neither would do it, told me to take it to a dealer. Last night I pulled it in the shop and did the job myself in 2.5 hours. Not being scared is half the battle. Of course, fools also rush in where angels fear to tread! Yeah, thats me the fool, but its amazing how much you learn by getting yourself in a good pickle now and again!
 
I've bought a few cars not running and my best advice is to look it over and figure how much it will take to get it in shape, then double that amount and you'll be about right on what it will take to get it going.
 
Most of the time I would buy one not running. Any A I buy running or not I always assume the worse when it comes to the engines condition unless it has recently been rebuilt by a reputable builder. The engine in the chassis I bought for the delivery sedan was a running engine, with a barely audible tick, but did sound like a sllightly loose rod. Upon disassembly I found the engine had no shims left anywhere and was right on the edge of acceptable tolerances. Full rebuild is in its future as i restore it. Rod
 
Steve Wastler said:
There are way too many A owners that would be not mechanically inclinded enough to replace a head. It's always easiest to tear things apart, quite different to put back togehter and have it run. I tend to think loss of interest due to it being appart.
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You get your best deals this way but you have to be very stingy with offers and the seller has to understand that you are making a based-on-worst-case offer. Suggest that if he wants top dollar he should have it fixed and running before selling. This has do be done with a certain tact but he has to have in his mind that you have no way of knowing what will be needed and so have to be on the low side.
 
Yes, I would and did. Bought a Roadster that hadn't been started in 20 years. But it had a straight, original body and interior with no rust.

As a rule, mechanical is cheaper than bodywork and paint.

Other than replacing a valve and cleaning things up, it ran just fine. No regrets.

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Houston Rodder said:
My brother is looking for a car to buy and we found a nice coupe. Unfortunately the vehicle got hot and cracked a head. The owner has a new head, gaskets, and fasteners to fix. What other problems can we expect to find as a result of the overheating. Would you be scared?
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Houston Rodder it seems to me that being a "rodder" you know a heck of a lot more about engines than most people. If it was a hot rod that your brother was going to buy what would you do. It's the same game.

There are two words that we all know: Buyer Beware. Nothing is simple in Model A land just as it is in yours. Price it on worst case.
 
HoarseWhisperer said:
Yes, I would and did. Bought a Roadster that hadn't been started in 20 years. But it had a straight, original body and interior with no rust.

As a rule, mechanical is cheaper than bodywork and paint.

Other than replacing a valve and cleaning things up, it ran just fine. No regrets.

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Agreed!! I would. Like said above body and paint is more $. Mechanical might be a easy fix.
 
It depends on what they want for it. Finding another engine is easy. And sometimes cheap. I gave a hundred dollars for this a few weeks ago. It turns over fine. He said it was rebuilt and ran a stationary baler. I would plan on rebuilding or replacing a motor with a cracked head. A non running car I would want to get a good deal on.
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Again I'd do it. My cabriolet is great condition. Id love to find a fixer uper in my area. If I could find one id buy it in a second especialy a truck. My wife would let spend our savings on a truck. Got to love a woman that loves A's!!
 
Wait a minute here, this IS a Model A page, right? These things will damn near run on rat urine! You need to go to the personal Model A questions dept. Every A owner has that. You'll find the location right over the top of your bathroom sink. Ask that bastid "How bad can it be?" because deep inside, unless this is your 1st youthful foray into old cars, you already KNOW the answer to your question. I can't recall how many weed laden, surface rusted, field find A engines that I didn't fire up within hours (sometimes minutes) and find that they ran just fine. You find one in a garage with repair parts and hesitate. Lucky for you it's not in Motown. Bought a pig in a poke just last year with the whole front end apart. Looked for signs of a cracked block...nope. Checked to see if it was stuck by plopping it into 3rd gear and rocking it...nope. "I'll take it." Didn't even try to talk em down. Less than a week of evenings I was driving it with NO ill effects. Oh yeah, it's because IT'S A MODEL A...
 
bhiland said:
Again I'd do it. My cabriolet is great condition. Id love to find a fixer uper in my area. If I could find one id buy it in a second especialy a truck. My wife would let spend our savings on a truck. Got to love a woman that loves A's!!
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lucky you! I have an equally wonderful wife, she has already picked out the truck she wants (a friend's '35 V8) we just have to persuade them to sell.
 
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