New Guy
- Thread starter James77
- Start date
700rpm
Well-known member
James,
I was going to invite you over to see my cars and talk about finding one locally, but I'm in Oregon, a fur piece from you for that. But there is a MAFCA chapter in Kentuck (http://www.mafca.com/chapters/KY.html), though it's in Falls City, still a fur piece but not as far as Oregon. I suggest you start by contacting Jerry Mills of the Falls City Chapter. I guarantee he will be happy to talk to you and have all kinds of helpful advice for you in finding and working on a Model A.
And welcome to the hobby and the Barn!
I was going to invite you over to see my cars and talk about finding one locally, but I'm in Oregon, a fur piece from you for that. But there is a MAFCA chapter in Kentuck (http://www.mafca.com/chapters/KY.html), though it's in Falls City, still a fur piece but not as far as Oregon. I suggest you start by contacting Jerry Mills of the Falls City Chapter. I guarantee he will be happy to talk to you and have all kinds of helpful advice for you in finding and working on a Model A.
And welcome to the hobby and the Barn!
Clem Clement
Well-known member
Agree. Join a Model A Club and tell 'em what you want. There ae plenty out there to fool with. Please keep us posted.
clem
clem
Fred K-OR
Well-known member
Yes to most of your questions.
One way to get a "feel" for what is available in the Model A world is to look for them on EBay. I am not saying you should buy one on EBay but it gives you a good idea of what is available and what they look like. Also don't think the "asking" price shown on EBay is what a car is worth at this time-there are some dreamers who put unrealistic prices on their cars there. But you can see what a car will sell for on EBay and give you some idea what you may have to pay for one.
Another place is to look at the Swap Meet on this site. Cars are being listed here and you can get information as to what is out there and what maybe a more realistic price.
A few other things you may want to consider are-what is your budget? Remember if you buy a unrestored car you may end up putting at least twice what you pay for it into even to get it to be a driver. Maybe thinking about at least a driver (one you can get in and go with) may be a good start. Another thing is what do you want in a car like this?-Coupe, 2 door, 4 door, hot rod, plain car or more "expensive" one, etc.
Just my few cents worth about this hobby. Don't get me wrong, it is a great hobby and the people on this site will help you along the way to enjoy your hobby.
1930artdeco
Well-known member
Hi James77,
Welcome to the club and glad you caught the addiction. The cars are very simple to work on, although they have their quircks as the technology is 80+ years old. The quirks are not so bad though, that you can't work on them with a basic set of tools and build on the set as you go.
They are relatively plentiful and at reasonable prices depending the body style you want. If you have kids or will in the future then you will probably want a sedan. If you want the sporty look then go for a roadster or coupe.
Also, keep in mind that these cars use wood and sometimes a lot of it. My car is entirely made of wood with a steel skin. So if you find a fordoor sedan with rotten wood it is going to be VERY expensive to restore vs. a coupe or roadster. So do your homework, join a club and good luck.
Mike
Welcome to the club and glad you caught the addiction. The cars are very simple to work on, although they have their quircks as the technology is 80+ years old. The quirks are not so bad though, that you can't work on them with a basic set of tools and build on the set as you go.
They are relatively plentiful and at reasonable prices depending the body style you want. If you have kids or will in the future then you will probably want a sedan. If you want the sporty look then go for a roadster or coupe.
Also, keep in mind that these cars use wood and sometimes a lot of it. My car is entirely made of wood with a steel skin. So if you find a fordoor sedan with rotten wood it is going to be VERY expensive to restore vs. a coupe or roadster. So do your homework, join a club and good luck.
Mike
James77
Junior Member
Yeah, I got a little boy, so I'd like a two door sedan. Don't want to hot rod it or anything, I was thinking original. I was thinking to about waiting and trying to get a more complete on. I've seen some that need total restoration for cheap, but like you all said, it'd cost alot in the end!
Pepsi Mechanic
Senior Member
welcome to the gang 
... you will love working on the A's 
.. easy and lots of parts still available , new and used .. Keep us posted on your finds
Harry / pepsi mechanic
... you will love working on the A's .. easy and lots of parts still available , new and used .. Keep us posted on your finds Harry / pepsi mechanic
John LaVoy
Well-known member
Visiting the Model A club websites is a good approach. www.mafca.com has cars for sale. Also the local chapter route gives you a resource of people with knowledge of what to look for. Welcome!
Georgew48
Senior Member
Welcome James, now I'm not the newest guy. LOL. I live just nort of you in Ohio. I just bought a 1929 Sport Coupe from Phil Stalling Classic Cars in Newark, Ohio. Their prices on the internet are high but you can work with them and get a decent deal. They have been restoring cars for over 40 years and are nice people. Sometimes they have cars that are already good drivers and the also have cars that need total restoring. They just bought some from an estate sale in Chicago. They all need restoring. You can also get leads from local Model A clubs. Find what you like and negoiate the price from there. The guys and gals on this site have a wealth of knowledge and helped me through my buying decision. I didn't always follow their advice but did for the most part. I will only have myself to blame if I mad a bad decision. Right now I am pretty happy with my choice. Good luck in your search.
Chris in WNC
Well-known member
welcome to our world....
the Tudor is an excelent choice for a family with small kids; and a good first A because it has minimal body wood.
before you start shopping in ernest, get into a local club and find a mentor who knows what to look for in a buying situation.
make certain you know what the car will need mechanically before you agree on a price. do not be mesmerized by nice paint and upholstery.
the average Model A for sale will need complete rehabilitation of brakes ($1000+), steering ($500) and cooling ($500+) systems. then there is about a 50% chance that it will need an engine rebuild in the short term.
Rainmaker Ron's good advice: "if you can't drive 45 mph for 45 minutes without incident, it's not a driver"
post or email for specific advice as needed and HAVE FUN!!
the Tudor is an excelent choice for a family with small kids; and a good first A because it has minimal body wood.
before you start shopping in ernest, get into a local club and find a mentor who knows what to look for in a buying situation.
make certain you know what the car will need mechanically before you agree on a price. do not be mesmerized by nice paint and upholstery.
the average Model A for sale will need complete rehabilitation of brakes ($1000+), steering ($500) and cooling ($500+) systems. then there is about a 50% chance that it will need an engine rebuild in the short term.
Rainmaker Ron's good advice: "if you can't drive 45 mph for 45 minutes without incident, it's not a driver"
post or email for specific advice as needed and HAVE FUN!!
HillbillyTim
Member
Hey James,
Welcome to the Barn. You'll find lot's of help and good advice on here. There's a lot of fun to be had working on a Model A. I worked on mine most of today while my wife cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
I'm from grew up in Pike county, KY and Mingo county WV. I graduated from Belfry High. You may have to search outside of the area to find what you want. I don't remember too many Model A's back home.
Tim
Welcome to the Barn. You'll find lot's of help and good advice on here. There's a lot of fun to be had working on a Model A. I worked on mine most of today while my wife cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
I'm from grew up in Pike county, KY and Mingo county WV. I graduated from Belfry High. You may have to search outside of the area to find what you want. I don't remember too many Model A's back home.
Tim
James77
Junior Member
68HILLBILLY
Senior Member
hi, I am over in Richmond KY. Have a few a's myself. there are cars in KY, but there seem to be more in TN AND ga. Pennsylvania also seems to have quite a few. This sight can give you a lot of info from lots of experienced owners. The model a ford is pretty simple but not without its limitations. If you can try and find a nicely restored one to drive just to see how they should be. generally speaking you will get a better deal on a good driver quality resto, than buying a car and restoring it yourself . watch what you spend on a sedan , you s/b able to find a real decent quality driver that looks good for under 10 k.
Bruce in southern OH
Well-known member
James, this is Bruce up here in the Huntington, WV area, we have MARC club local, with people from Louisa, Ashland all around Tri-State area, let me know what you are looking for and we will come up with one, hundreds of cars in our area, most parked in garages and never move, good deals right now with A's in our area, email for phone number and we can meet up, River & Rail A's MARC, Bruce Johnson - bjoh1938@aol.com
