What do I need to know about a Model A, to own one?

M

matt167

Junior Member
I'm not a collector of classic/ antique cars but I like to own one at a time. I have wanted a Model A hotrod for a long time and was in the process of collecting parts to build one, when I just decided to get my '51 Plymouth as it was nice and ran and drove and I used to have a '50 Plymouth.. I didn't get far with the Model A, but have a rear axle, dropped front axle with hairpins and a few other things. That's where it gets interesting because the cost of a body is so high that original cars are very appealing to just steal the body from one of them... However I refuse to do such a thing and it made me research a stock model A for what it is and I actually think it's more what I want.

Now, I'm trying to either trade my Plymouth or sell it ( I have a single car garage, one has to go to get the other, and funding ******* as well ).. But I'm seeing prices between $7-10k for cars that are pretty nice shape, but also $6-7k for something that needs help. I honestly think I want something that needs some help as I need something to do. What are the real world values?

I hear about A's being driven daily, and I'd love to do somehing like that if it's realistically feasible. The old Plymouth runs really well but parts are expensive so I limit it to ice cream runs. I used to daily drive an MGB and it was great.. What are some things I could do?
 
Join a local Model A Ford chapter and start to learn about the cars before just jumping in.
They can advise and help with finding one. For a daily driver there are several things you want to keep an eye out for. A touring type engine a Mitchell overdrive ect. ect. talk it over with club memebers,
they've been there and have the T-Shirt to prove it.
Best of luck you will love one.
 
Don‘t worry, once you own one, you will learn everything you need to know.

Before buying my Margarethe, i watched all of Paul Sinns videos on youtube.
Also, get LescAndrews Books…
 
"However I refuse to do such a thing and it made me research a stock model A for what it is and I actually think it's more what I want."

Well, praise the Lord! 'Glad that you saw the light and decided to go original instead of ruining yet another of the ever-shrinking supply of Model A's by hot rodding one. Plenty of guys have started such projects, only to give up mid-stream - after destroying an otherwise restorable Model A. If you change your mind and want a hot rod after all, you'd be money ahead to search out an unfinished hot rod project. There are tons of them out there, wasting away in garages and storage units. But are you prepared mentally, mechanically and financially to build a true hot rod and not a rat rod mess? True hot rods can end up costing much more than if one restored a Model A. The chroming expense alone could cost more than a total Model A restoration! A crate modern performance engine will cost more than buying a running unrestored Tudor Sedan!
If you stay with your new direction to buy and keep a Model A original, do NOT buy an unfinished project or try to piece together a Model A from swap meet parts finds, tempting though a seemingly low cost piece-by-piece project may be. It won't be. There are approximately 5,500+ parts in the typical Model A. Are you prepared to search out each one individually? You'll give up on your project car and will spend a lot more money than if you had bought a complete or near-complete running Model A. It's becoming a buyer's market these days because so many of the older owners are dying off and their heirs are dumping their Model A's and T's onto the marketplace, which effectively makes an ideal situation for a potential buyer = good selection at competitive, reasonable prices. It's the old supply and demand economics law at work here: the bigger the supply, the lower the demand and cost.
Determine which body style you like best and which one will suit your family needs, and stick to that decision while wading through all the Model A's offered for sale. Buy this inexpensive Floyd Clymer booklet from eBay and use the factory photos to help you decide what you want. You will be amazed at how many body styles Ford offered in the Model A. See attachment. You do NOT want a basket case for your first Model A. You will become discouraged and give up. It's happened millions of times before (by actual count). Settle for a decent and running Model A for your first one. Once you have learned about Model A's, THEN you could try a project. But you'll still be money and success potential ahead by buying a Model A that is already together and drivable. Use that one as your "learner".
Marshall
 

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  • Model A Ford Album, Clymer.jpg
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When I was collecting parts to build a Hotrod, I did get a nice clean and straight bare frame and I bought parts off a guy to build a roller with a dropped axle and an old Chevy rear with a T spring on it. But that's as far as I got because the cost hangup of a Spirit industries body. I bought the Plymouth for the same money as a Spirit industries '29 Roadster body and had something to drive.. Mentally for me, using a stock model A or other nice original car is just something I can't butcher.

And yeah of course Paul Shinn and Derek Bieri are major influences to where I saw the light
 
Marshall V. Daut said:
"However I refuse to do such a thing and it made me research a stock model A for what it is and I actually think it's more what I want."

Well, praise the Lord! 'Glad that you saw the light and decided to go original instead of ruining yet another of the ever-shrinking supply of Model A's by hot rodding one.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the reality is the market for stock cars is shrinking faster than the supply. Buy a $8,000 Model A stick a junkyard small block Chevy and automatic in it and all of a sudden you've got a $15-25 grand car.

 
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