Article in the new Restorer

28ACoupe

28ACoupe

Well-known member
There is an article(Insuring Your Model A) in the new Restorer Magazine this month which kind of hit a nerve. The article and it's message are very good.

As usual, however, both the cars were pronounced unrestorable.

People, just because a Model A was in a fire doesn't mean it can't, or shouldn't be brought back. While I agree that there doesn't appear to be much left of the Roadster in the pictures, the Tudor, in contrast is actually in very restorable shape.

However, sadly, both of these cars are probably already half way to China right now to be turned into the next junk to be sold at Walmart.
 
my nephew is highly skilled in metal work and is restoring right now an A that was totalled out after it went down the road on its side. I helped him with a porta power and he took over from there. He is re-working all the original tin, no matter how crushed; no repop fenders here.

last I knew they were no longer making Model As. I think we should try to save them. China surely doesn't deserve them!
 
Can someone scan & upload the article? I am a member of MAFCA, but I live in an apartment and have my mail sent to my parents house so it'll be a while before I can get to it.
 
tbirdtbird said:
my nephew is highly skilled in metal work and is restoring right now an A that was totalled out after it went down the road on its side. I helped him with a porta power and he took over from there. He is re-working all the original tin, no matter how crushed; no repop fenders here.

last I knew they were no longer making Model As. I think we should try to save them. China surely doesn't deserve them!
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Just so everyone knows what his nephew is working with, this is the car he's restoring after another local guy was involved in an accident with this car. I've seen his nephews doing work on this car, and he's saving everything... even the front fender.
 

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It's so very sad to see the old girl lying on her side......I hope the passengers were OK and no one was injured. The pocket book aint gonna be so well off either!
 
i should add that no one was seriously injured, fortunately...
thanks Jordan...another workshop coming up on cutting and buffing, the way only Miles can do it!
since the before pix have gone up we'll post pix when he is done, which should be by June just in time for the Texas tour
 
A car, any vehicle for that matter, that is pronounced totaled simply means that the cost to repair exceeds the worth at present market value.

It does not mean it cannot be restored. I know of two people personally that purchase "totaled" cars fix them themselves and sell them at a profit.

We have a car in our club that was totaled in a fire and was rebuilt to drive many trouble free miles. Tony S. can confirm this.
 
I'd take a torched roadster for yard art. Seriously who would scrap a roadster.


Oh and thanks. You guys suck!!!:)
I haven't gotten mine yet
 
This is what happens when do not properly balance the bling attached to the rock guard on the radiator. If not evenly distributed these cars will eventually flip on the side with the most items or shiny badges (especially when opertated on Alcohol infused gasoline). At least the radiator was saved! LOL.
Thanks to the nephew saving the car,
 
28ACoupe said:
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Thanks for playing though.
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Why not? I was always in the impression that heat changes the property of metals. I am sure a talented person can bring it back to looking near perfect, but looks isn't everything if you drive it. If I take a hammer and heat it red hot and quench it; there is a good chance it will explode if I hit something hard. I can take the same hammer heat it red hot; cool it slowly, and it will dent when I strike a hard object. Am I wrong?
 
Just because a car has been in a fire doesn't mean that it has been annealed dead soft. Which, btw, was the original comment.

Even if the sheet metal and frame were annealed, they would not be annealed all that much as they are very close to being mild steel which is fairly soft to begin with.

That having been said, there are certainly parts on the cars that you want to take a very close look at before re-use. Pieces such as the brake system and suspension.

in my car, I hauled off the front axle assembly without bothering to tear it apart as it was obviously not going to be safe for reuse. I did, however, keep the frame, rear axle and all the sheet metal though as they appeared to be in good shape. I will know more once I get to them in the restoration process.

To answer your final question 30ccpickup - The annealing process for ferrous metals is very specific to the alloy. However, generally speaking, it take heat over time to do it. There is a vast difference between a hammer head and even the frame on a Model A with regards to the alloys used.
 
Jordan said:
Just so everyone knows what his nephew is working with, this is the car he's restoring after another local guy was involved in an accident with this car. I've seen his nephews doing work on this car, and he's saving everything... even the front fender.
Click to expand...

Those pics made me sick, You should warn us when you are going to post such graphic display of carnage :-)
 
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