Model A destruction

I watched turn to dust 30 years after I was told "I'm going to restore it"I asked about it many times only to be told the same thing.
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I have seen the same thing many times. in fact my 1928 Sport Coupe was one of those cars. A friend got the car in 1960, tore it all apart. It sat there until I got it in July of 2000. Had it on the road in Sept. Put 20,000 miles on since then.
 
Destroyed mine too.:p
 

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This thread is PATHETIC, folks have been hotrodding old Fords, since they first existed. Just looking at a stack of Hot Rod magazines, in 4 or 5 pages of ads, you can buy enough parts to build a HOTROD!! THEN, you only need an assembler, a paint guy, an upholsterer, etc, VOILLE' A HOTROD!!
Wish they would put as much quality in stock parts--The Dog jist LAFFED!!
Bill W.
 
all you need is a plan. Once you know, what the final product has to look like, you should know what to expect.
When I bought the top open pickup 1929, I was a greenhorn, did not understand much about "A"s and had to learn a lot during the technical restoration, the body was pretty ok, the gas tank was a mass.
Knowing all that and also knowing the necessary budget, the second purchase, a 1929 Phaeton was already a better calculated deal. Still, the extend of necessary restoration is known, as soon as you remove body from frame.
Another recommendation for those of you, how start in this: there are two options: Either you buy a perfectly restored vehicle (make sure, it is perfectly restored also in technical matters with original fitting parts) and pay more, a lot more, in average US$ 30.000,- and up...
...OR, you are either skilled yourself or know a perfectly skilled mechanic doing the restoration job, paying far less for the vehicle but pumping in at least 10.000,-- without engine or 15.000,-- with engine.

However you do restoration, I highly recommend to use original replacement parts, not just some screws, use the original type of screws, just follow the judgment guidelines.

My recent baby, the 1929 Phaeton from Florida was purchased for US$ 14.800,-- shipping to Austria was another 6.000,-- and now we are investing about 10.000,-- into body, the mechanic condition is very good and has already been properly restored... So at the end, it will be a 30.000,-- investment and that is pretty good in range, resale value in Europe is about 40.000,--

Cheers
Happy A-cruisin...
 
Remember well back in the 1960s when I was active in antique car club activities in New England. Preservationist - owners were always spouting off stuff such as . . . "At least this is one more saved car that the hot rodders won't get".

It still amazes me now a half-century later to see all these so-called "barn find" cars finding their way to the market place. Many of the dust covered dilapidated vehicles seem to be decades old poor quality amateur "restorations". On "You Tube" there are now all sorts of videos showing serious guys ripping apart Model A Ford cars for their deep chop and channel "shabby chic" "rat rod" jobs. Thing is . . . many of the hot rod projects look to be skillfully done reworks of otherwise Bondo patched-up rust bucket cars. Still, I sometimes think, that those now long departed past owner "restorers" must be spinning in their graves.
 
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Just my two cents. I have no problem with hot rods or the most pure A that can be built. This is a hobby, we each have a vision of what we want for ourselves in our car. Whether it be a trailer queen that goes to fine point or to a Vegas drag strip or one that takes us on a grocery run. ALL are beautiful cars when done properly. The most sacrilegious thing that can be done to a car is let it rot, that only being trumped by tearing into it first/unskilfully hack-mod it. I would hazard to guess over 90% of the A's are rodded in some fashion. Whether it be small blocks, or a high compression head. At least the ones that are on the road are being enjoyed by someone. Rodders are not destroyers, they just have a different vision. The deeper issue is that the ol timers are seeing what they preserved for the next generation being, in their eyes, destroyed.


Looking for the front bumper emblem that has "Ford, Made In Canada"
 
Keith True said:
I never would try to guess at a price for something other than in my own area.And,that would only be for unrestored cars.I've only sold a couple of A's that I've owned but I've sold a few for other people.I treat selling an A like I treat selling a british bike.I point the people at it,tell them the price,and leave them alone.I'll answer any questions and tell them anything I know about it, but the price is the price,and the buyer can say either yes or no.I was selling a Tudor a few years ago that a buyer was trying to subtract so much repair work I was going to have to give him money to take it away.An old fellow here in town passed away and his wife wanted to sell his 31 Tudor.Solid,straight,no interior and the babbit was talking.It had been talking since he bought the car in 1971.Quite a few A guys looked at it,but they all lowbawled her with explanations of having to spend $3-$5000 on the engine.A rodder paid her the $6500.she wanted and the body was on a custom chassis within days.
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I like that philosophy!
 
I was raised around a Model A restorer, my Uncle Henry....He HATED hot rods til the day he died. I once had a copy of Rod&Kulture on the dinner table....his eyesight was going by this time, he knew there was a Model A on the cover but couldn't tell anymore than that...he put it real close to his face, once he realized it was a hot rod; he cursed and threw the magazine back down. I miss that guy. Model A guys are hard core :)
 
If you follow the ads on EBay for "Model A's" it seems as time goes on more of the rigs advertised are "rodded". But that seems to be the way it is. Not good for the purest but the rodders seem to be doing OK.
 
A true shame... and why the 1932-1934 fords in historic condition as so rare... Anyway, I'll give Ms. Daisy to a good home worse case before anyone were to pimp her out...

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Yup, Everyone has a different Dream. I've seen them all, The Good, The Bad and The ugly.
4 Wheels come in many packages. I enjoy the challenge of Restoration and enjoy the ability to create with Hot Rods and Customs, Race Cars, Etc.

John Poole. The Old Tinbasher. 140 builds and counting.
 
rocket1 said:
In the latest copy of street rodder they destroy a really nice 30 coupe,we all should try not to sell to these butchers,they can use glass bodies and repro parts.
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Paid several thousands of dollars over market price for our Tudor at farmyard auction of an acquaintance's estate. Once I looked it over I fell for it and could not let it go to the hotrodder I was bidding against.

Best thing I ever did in my years of vehicle ownership.
 
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