Greatset Disappointment

BILL WILLIAMSON

BILL WILLIAMSON

Well-known member
We all learn from our mistakes and bad decisions. What were your greatest disappointments, if any, after completing and driving your restored Model A?
 
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My greatest dissapointment was that I didn't know what a treasure I had in my first vehicle, a '31 Model AA 280A (only 85 were ever built), and that I let 50 years go by after selling my second Model A (a '31 Fordor) and getting the one I have now ('31 Budd Cab Pickup).
 
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Greatest Model A dissappointment was in 1961, when I was 13, my great uncle had a completely original 1928 open cab pickup, with low miles, that he parked when the original brakes started to fade. At that time, I wanted a Model A in the worst way. My dad asked him to sell it to us if he decided to part with it. A few months after that, one of the high school kids asked him if he would sell "that old truck in the barn". Well, he did to them for $35. They made a street rod.

Now that was dissappointing.
 
My dad sold my 29 Model A two door "perfect" body plus my Model T for $20 while I was at college.
 
Not getting a Model A 25 years ago when I first became interested in them. I could have many of them by now.
 
I think the biggest Model A dissapointment that I ever had was when I was 15 and the older neighbor that lived 3 houses up told me when I turned 16 in 2 months that he was going to give me with my parents blessing of course his 1928 roadster he had bought it new and it was in excellant shape it had always been garaged kept and never has any rust or damage that was visiable. He had taken it down to our local ford dealer and had everything checked and I was counting the days down. His wife and him were as much as a mom and dad to me as they were to every kid in the neighboe hood, They had a daughter but she lived up north and during my first 15 yrs had never seen her but had always had heard from Mr Ed was a good daughter she was but she was always too busy to visit or call on any regular basis in fact he allways scolded me to never be strangers to my mom and dad because it would hurt them so much. One week till the big day Mr Eds wife of 55 yrs died of a heart attack at the house . he was so sad and said that the world was a funny place one minute everythings fine and then poof it is all upside down. Those were the last words uddered by Mr Ed right in front of me he left to be with his wife Miss Elsie . with in 24 hours the long lost daughter showed up with moving trucks helpers etc what she wanted or had value was loaded what was importanted to her parents was piled up on the conner for the trash man I wanted to tell her about the aggrement that her dad and I had but my dad said that was not going to happen if only things would have gone on a little longer but I know that I still was given the best gift that the old folks had to offer they gave me and all of the kids on the block all of the love that they had in there hearts
 
For me, it was after I sold my 40 Merc Fodor Convert. to my cousins and left for the military and they did not offer it back as promised, whenthey were done with it. It rests in another man's garage today. And then there was that blond on a Saturday nite when I was more worried about getting my sick ****** home than paying attention to her interests...
 
Clem Clement said:
For me, it was after I sold my 40 Merc Fodor Convert. to my cousins and left for the military and they did not offer it back as promised, whenthey were done with it. It rests in another man's garage today. And then there was that blond on a Saturday nite when I was more worried about getting my sick ****** home than paying attention to her interests...
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WHAT A SHAME!!!:mad: Thank you for serving!
 
Back on the Model A's- Using a set of Jap Crap spring shackles in the '31 Roadster I used to have. They worked ok until I went to pick up my girlfriend at the time so we could go to one of those steakhouses in the next county over with the Chateau Style Feel, cloth napkins and chilled salad forks etc.

We went over a railroad track and something didn't feel right, about a block down the road the damn shackle broke, I was pissed off, she was laughing. Got it home and we took my '55 Olds instead.

Hunt down NOS or NORS shackles and buy all you can find!
 
sidevalve said:
Not getting a Model A 25 years ago when I first became interested in them. I could have many of them by now.
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Me to, 26 years ago we had the chance to buy a 1930 two door, that had been in a basement for 30+ years....it was original paint and all...On the drive home my dad was regretting not buying it...
 
My biggest disappointment is a steering box I built with NOS parts.The sector housing and sector came from my grandfather.They closed the shop in 1937 and he got a bunch of new parts.He sold everything else,but those two parts were on a beam in the barn and got overlooked.I saved them for years,planning to use them on the right vehicle.Then I got a new worm and shaft with a 31 Tudor I bought.It was covered with mailing tags where it had gone from dealer to dealer over the years.The last tag was to a Ford dealer less than a mile from where I bought the car,and dated 1956.I put them all together a few years ago,adjusted,readjusted,over and over again.The sector doesn't fit the housing as tight as I feel it should.I do know the history of those two parts personally,they went from the dealer to my grandfather,and then to me.They were coated with a waxy substance,real thick,a good protectant.The worm gear and the threaded end of the new shaft was covered with the same stuff.There was a new nut on the shaft too.I had strange binds in strange spots when turning the wheel when properly adjusted.My own thought is that the NOS shaft probably took a few hard hits being shipped over the years.I didn't check it properly,I rolled it down my welding bench and called it good.I was looking for a bend in the shaft,not near the end.I can just see the guys at REA and the postal service chucking the thing around like a spear.After I adjusted some slop into it the thing steers fine,but with the NOS parts I expected better.
 
Hiring half-*** body shops to paint my car. The latest "expert" is going to have it finished next week...for 8 months now. My advice is to get off your wallet, and get it done right.
 
In 1962, in my 1928 Sport Coupe.... I made a u-turn without looking and got t-boned....

I've remembered that every time I've made a u-turn since.
 
I received my 30 fordor sedan for graduation from high school in May. In Aug. I was backing down a hill in nuetral,gained speed as brakes wouldn't slow it down. Swerved and hit a 3' dia. pine tree at 25MPH, I ended up in the back seat. My first car--I cried. When I pulled away from the tree the spare tire hubcap was stuck in the bark. I started restoring A'a sooner than I expected.
 
I bought my first Model A, a 1930 standard coupe, in 1964, just out of high school, and my first car. I drove it every day to work and school until 1967 when I enlisted in the Air Force. I sold the car, feeling no one would be able to take care of it while I was gone 4 years....big mistake I always regretted!
 
Last year I bought a "fully restored" '29 roadster. What a POS! I noticed
some tell-tale things about the car before I finalized the sale and should
have said no deal. But I didn't and I was buying the car from a good Model-A buddy.....yeah, right. It has definitely been the biggest Model-A
disappointment I've had. And one of the dumbest (plus most expensive)
things I have ever done!:(

On a side note I also had another "Model-A disappointment" today. The
two supposedly real good shape, well within limits brake hub/drums I got off eBay a few months ago. I had them checked out at an auto machine shop today and one drum is pure junk and the other might clean up to the max allowable limit of turning it if I'm lucky.:mad:

AMF/Bob-A:D
 
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