What "Drove" you to the Model A?

I can vividly remember my earliest car experience, standing behind that huge steering wheel, aiming that 1931 Ford four door down the street, my Grandfather providing the extra strength needed for the corners. I grew up with that car, it had a pair of slides (front fenders) that I could play on. It was, later on, to be my first car. When I got my mitts on it all I could think was "Wow, a 25 year old car just like Elliot Ness and the Untouchables". Of course it succumbed to the ignorance of youth, but that car gave me the fundamentals of mechanics. It had about every type of carburetor setup conceivable, from two Zenith updrafts and manifolds with the front horns cut off, to a one bbl, 2 bbl, 2 97s, 2 94s, Winfield 2 bbl, even a little S.C.O.T. blower. Add in a Winfield cast iron head, light flywheel (45 lb), Wico mag driven off the cam gear and $.21/gallon gas and I drove that car to its untimely death. It didn't give up easily though, and I limped away from it on numerous occassions bleeding and bruised by the handcrank and the lack of setting the spark.

Fast forward a little over a decade, the wife gets her first baby and I, not to be left out, get a 1931 pick up. She had a girl, I had a pink Ford pickup, with a dropped axle and one brake, that nearly killed me on the first drive. After a lot of repair time I had a pickup that could haul 2/3 of a yard of rock up the grade to our house (justification) and my Grandfather got to ride in it. Later still I got a 1931 Ford Tudor. Got rid of the Tudor for a ******* T-Bucket 350 powered suicide car that we went to OK City in. Gotta respect those Arizona monsoons! Got back from OK and was looking for a better mode of transportation for the Street Rod Nationals. There in the back yard was the answer, a car that had been in my possession for 30 years. This is a shameful part of my life. I turned that pickup into a 350 powered, 4WIS, Woody.

So here we are, 2010, and I come into possession of another Tudor, a 1930 Ford. A friend had purchased it earlier, popped the motor in it and I replaced it with an H&H touring motor. Naturally he just had to "see what it could do" and tried to spin a rear main bearing in it. It wound up in a shop for repairs and, thanks to my buddies way with words and natural charm, it languished there for over a year. Anyway, since my friend was fading fast from Diabetes I told him that I would get the car back together for him. I got the crank journal sprayed and turned and the parts required and gave the shop instructions on modifying the oil passage to the rear journal. Got the flywheel back, it was lightened and theoretically balanced. Got the engine delivered and took it apart to find the oil passage wasn't done and the motor vibrated horribly. Got it all under control and told my friend, now a double amputee, that once he got out of the hospital he was going for a ride. Instead, he died three days later and the car was mine. Went through his stuff and got a manifold and two 94s that he wanted to put on it and did so. Of course, to keep the carbs from washing out the motor, I got a really aggressive cam, 27 lb flywheel, etc. Now it runs like a champ, smooth as glass, can do 55 mph up the grade, everything I was after in my youth and it is still a Model A in apperance. This car is going to survive me and I am not going to deviate far from Henry's plan, except for the extra pep in the engine... Oh yes, maybe a Mitchell trans with an extra 15%, hmmmm, OD would be nice...
 
Saw American Graffiti as a youngster in the theater, fell in love with the yellow coupe. I was like 5 or 6 started reading hot rod and saw model a street rods and knew I had to have one. Started a lawn mowing business at 9 and by 13 had enough to pay cash for my roadster. I had all intentions of chopping it up and making a street rod out of it. After getting it home and learning more about it, something told me to keep it stock. At 15 I bought a 71 cutlass convertible and built the engine and restored the car, that gave me my need for speed, allowing the roadster to stay original. So happy with the way things turned out. I am now more of a purist, I still like a nice street rod, but prefer them to be fiberglass. Still have the roadster, the cutlass, now the postal truck and a stockpile of good original to N.O.S. parts. I can't tell you how many times my wife has said why do you need that part you already have one or it doesn't fit either of yours. She doesn't quite understand, but is starting to........
 
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I wanted a roadster, and a Model A was the only kind I could afford. Now, I'm a confirmed Model A nut. I have a coupe too.
 
It started when I was real young, I would tell everybody that I was going to own one of those cars when I got older. When I was 15 I bought my 1 st Model A 1929 Town Sedan with twin side mount, cowl lights, and froze up engine. And all in pieces. 16 got 65 Chevy convertable (my driver car) and a 1929 CCPU. At 17 I purchased a 1929 Tudor, 1930 Tudor, and a whoopy. Last year I turned 54 bought me a 1929 CCPU AA, this I plan on taking total apart and restoring it.
 
As a child I shared a love of the automobile with my dad. I also loved films from the 20's and 30's and Laurel and Hardy were my favorites. They always seemed to be driving a Model T of some kind. I decided I wanted a Model T Touring car and in my late twenties I was able to find one right down the street, we bought it and I soon found out how unpractical it was to drive. A few years went by and I sold the Touring car, went to a 54' Cadillac, and then I let the kids talk me into a 73' VW Thing. I sold the Thing and started hunting something else, looked at a Packard, a Nash, and a 1928 Chrysler and they just didn't grab me. I read an add for a 31 Tudor on Craigslist and went and looked at it and when I heard the distinct sound of that Model A engine I knew that was what I wanted. I knew that the parts were relatively inexpensive and easy to come by and I had been told they were very dependable, but I still loved the sound. It triggered for me a memory stored way back in my mind, a neighbor of ours used to take me to church in a black Tudor when I was in elementry school and that just added more to the Model A, I could remember the thrill of riding in that car and the real first time I heard that sound.
 
It was 25 years ago when a colleague from work introduced me to the car hobby. He had a Model A, Checker sw and 2 early Chevy pickups. That was it, had to have an A. So for $3,000 my first A was purchased from Hemming's.
 
Redundant: What "Drove" me to the Model A? a bicycle.

I've told this story here before, but here goes again for you, Father Mike:
about 1961 I was riding my bicycle along Mill Creek Road near my home in Delaware County Ohio. saw a Model A Coupe in an open shed near the road. it was in rusty primer and had no tires, roof, glass or upholstery. being a 13-year-old dummy I immediately thought what a cool hotrod that would make. it would be a babe magnet like the cars on the Beach Boys album jackets! looked to me like a $50 car at best. after all, you could buy a good driveable car for 50 then. I knocked on the door and inquired if it was for sale, which it was but they wanted $350. end of that story for me.
but the Model A desire stuck with me. fast forward to 1986. I passed on a major project Todor that someone wanted $2400 for- it was in about the same shape as the Coupe from '61 except it had no paint remaining on the body. Soon thereafter I bought a driveable early 30 Tudor in Tifton GA for $3200. prices have continued to escalate upward since then... ;)
 
When I was 5 or 6 years old I realized I was being woken up every morning about 3:30 AM by the sound of a Model A starting. I was right outside my window next door. The old Italian fellow raised flowers and fruit for the Los Angeles market and hauled a load every morning in his '28 delivery. I guess the disease was imbedded in my soul before I ever woke up. A couple years later Dad bought a beat up "28 Chevy roadster pickup to make dump runs. I guess I was destined to have the '28 A roadster pickup I've had since 1968. Now the stable includes a '30 cabriolet,also since '68, a '26 T roadster, my wife's '31 coupe, first car in H.S. and her mom's '31 slant window sedan. Oh yeah, & the GordonSmith air compressor.
 
Back in 1962 we moved back to the town my grandparents lived in while my dad served a years assignment in Pakistan. Next door to us lived Mr and Mrs Boyd, an elderly couple that had a Model A coupe that they had bought new. I can still remember him taking me for rides to the store for candy and to give my mom a break from a 4yr old in that car. I have always loved old cars and I am finally in a position to satisfy my rust addiction. I bought a 28 AR Sport Coupe last year and just recently picked up a 31 Slantwindow sedan. Thanks Mr Boyd!
 
I was born in 1952. When I was growing up, there were lots of "A's" around. My cousin drove a '29 coupe; a friend's uncle had a coupe in his barn; the family across the street was "restoring" a Fordor, etc., etc. I was always (and I remain) partial to antiques... steam engines, sailing vessels, cars... you name it. I acquired my Tudor in '67 (or, should I say, it acquired me). All of my dad's friends knew (or THOUGHT they knew) how to work on "A's." You could still buy tires "off the rack" at the Firestone store.

We all know about how the "A's" quality contributed to its survival, but there's more to it than that when we're trying to pinpoint why they're so doggone attractive. Let me add two thoughts:

(1) "ANTIQUE FACTOR": 1967 or 2011... the "A" is the oldest, most archaic looking vehicle we can still drive routinely.

(2) "CUTE FACTOR": Simply put, if cars were dogs, "A's" would be golden retriever puppies. Nobody doesn't like an "A."
 
One day In september of 2005, Dad said get in the pickup, we are going to go look at your first pickup. I always loved to go with dad, in the truck, on the pickup, or where ever. so we got down to the scrap yard, and he said there it is! being 8 and dad picked it out, I LOVED IT! IT WAS MINE!! Dad said that we could restore it together, so we went down to get it a week later. it was missing almost all the cab, but we relized that it was not a 1929 model aa, but rather a 1928 Model AA truck AR.

i wish he was still here today, to assist me with it, he loved the truck, and was so proud of it. it will remain a memory of him and his talent, and his love of mechanics and auto body.
John Duden
 
First, let me say that I grew up in a very poor family. We did not have a lot of money but that didn’t matter, we all worked hard and all turned out well. When I was 13 years old I had saved up $75 to buy a go-cart that I wanted. When I told my dad that I wanted to buy the go-cart, he said “Why don’t you buy an old car with that money instead.” At 13 I had never even thought about being able to buy a car! Dad and I went looking and found, what was probably, a 2 door sedan for $50, and a 1929 Closed Cab Pickup for $75. The pickup had better tires so that is the one I bought. Those tires were really bad but I used them quite a while anyway.

I drove the pickup around the farm where I lived, and then when I was old enough to drive legally I drove it to high school and to work in the summers. An old mechanic helped me rebuild the engine which gave me some experience in practical Model A mechanics. When I was about 18, I also bought a 1930 Town Sedan, Briggs Body, for $50. It didn’t run and needed an engine overhaul, which I did.

At some point I took the pickup all apart and started the restoration process. In reality, it was moved from place to place (fortunately I did not move much) throughout my working carrier, but not a lot was done to it as I did not want to spend the money on my hobby when we needed the money for more important things. I retired in 2000 and moved to Mexico. At that time I sold the 1930 Town Sedan and decided that the 1929 pickup it was going with me even though it was still in parts. The kids were out of college, and I finally did not feel guilty spending money on the restoration.

In Mexico I found a wonderful body and fender person in a nearby town that really took an interest in doing a very nice job on the body parts. All replacement parts needed to be brought down from the USA as there is nothing available for Model A’s in Mexico. It was completed about 3 years ago and I drive it in local parades and just for the fun of it sometimes. A year ago I entered it in a local car show and won 1st prize in its classification. That was good for 2 free steak dinners. Then I entered it in a car show in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico, and it won 1st prize which paid about $800! Now I think I should be treating it nicer!

The "before" picture. That is me on the left at 13 years old (1960). It was 30 years old when I bought it, and now I have had it 50 years!

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The pickup today.

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Last November I convinced my wife that I needed a project to keep me busy so I bought the October 1928 Model A Ford chassis with a Martin-Parry Station Wagon Body. Since I enjoy wood working and the weather is perfect most all year for an open/wood car I figured it was the perfect choice. I hope to have it mostly completed and drivable by next spring.

The Martin-Parry when I bought it. Lots of work needed.

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I believe that my love for Model A’s is mostly due to the fact that a Model A was what I first owned, and later discovered that parts are relatively easy to obtain. In addition, the price of these cars is something that most of us can afford.
 
at about age 13/14 a buddy had a 30 rdstr on the road so i had to have one too. Bought a 28/29 cpe from behind a gas station. Was towing it home when i decided to pop the clutch. It started right up and i drove it home. Later used for racing on dirt roads. Kids will be kids.
 
Heres how i came to own my 30 A.
It all started around 8 years of age, when i saw my first Model T coupe, and heard the term, "Grandma Duck car".
I couldnt forget it, and a year or two later, did a school project on gangsters, and the prohibition era.
I knew i liked old Fords, Model Ts mainly, but at age 11, i discovered a large shed just around the corner from where i lived, that the local hot rod club owned. So i got heavily into hot rods, and not any particular brand, i loved them all. Funny thing was back then, not many people could understand my passion, and by the age of twenty, i moved onto other things. When the 80s rolled around, the whole billet and graphic paint thing almost made me forget old cars completely, except for continuing building scale model hot rods, which i had done since i was ten.
Then i discovered the rat rod thing in the early nineties, which was a refreshing take on old cars for me, but i soon got tired of that, when they got silly, and over the top.
About then, mid two thousands, i found the Hamb, and decided here was what i was what i thought my idea of the old car hobbie should be.
So now we're up to around 2010, and i find an old 30 model A truck, with a locally built cab from back when they were imported as knock downs. I buy it, and start making plans for an old school style hot rod, nothing to hard out, just a tidy, chop, and hot the banger up some and also some nice 16 inch wheels.
Well, id once read that a car will speak to you, but never thought any more of it.
So id go out to the garage, and sit in my chair , smoking, and looking at the truck. After a few months, it seemed like it was kinda speaking to me, (yeah, about now, you may be wondering what i was smokin...) and the idea of cutting it up just wasnt feeling right. I had plans for an all gloss black paint job, (it was originally green) but it didnt feel right.
So now, it looks like ive got two car hobbies. One, ill always love a well done old hot rod, but two, ive now become a restorer. And love it!
 
When I was 16 years old and wanted a car. I spotted a 1931 Sport Coupe parked on the street with a For Sale sign on it. Price was $150.00. With my dads help I bought and havent lived one day of my 65 years since without owning a Model A.
 
My Dad has often told me about the several trips made from CA to TX and back in a Model A, sometimes pulling a trailer, when I was but a young thing. Then when I was 9 or 10, Dad bought a 31 Model AA 280A (Ambulance) and converted it to a church bus. Several years later we moved and Dad sold the "bus" to a guy that owned a grocery store in a little town in southwest NM. He used it to haul groceries from the big town 50 miles away to his little country store. He later sold it to a farmer. When I was 14, I asked Dad if it was possible to find that ambulance, I'd like to buy it. We had moved several times by then and lived in AZ. He tracked it down to the farmer that had bought it and made a deal for it. Only problem, it was now located in Mexico. The 2 of them went down to Mexico and couldn't get it to run, so they towed it back across the border. Dad got it to run and brought it home. I was now the proud owner of my first car, a Model AA at the age of 14. I had that car for several years, and decided that the body style just wasn't what I wanted, so I found a 31 Fordor. It didn't have an engine. I bought it and proceeded to take all the good mechanicals off the ambulance and soon I had my 2nd Model A. After High School, I sold the Model A, but It was never out of my thougnts. Fast forward 50 years, I bagan looking for a Model A. I found the 31 pickup in my avitar and now have completed the circle. Having a blast!
 
Back in 1951 my cousin bought a 30 roadster and we used to bomb around in it when I visited him during the summer in Bridgeport Ct. He had no fear driving it through the city although the brakes weren't much good. We had a ball down by Seaside Park with the top down and I was hooked ever since. I now own a similar car (my Avitar) and think of those summer days (but don't drive it like he did).
 
When I was growing up there was a pasture we kids used to play in. Over the fence was a garage with a window. I could see through the window enough to tell that there was some kind of squareish car from the thirties inside.

When I turned 15 in 1966, armed with a new driver's license and six hundred dollars, I knocked on the door.

It was a 31 Tudor which had been sitting there for at least 20 years. I got it home and my dad and uncle taught me how to get it going again. I think they enjoyed it more than I did being of the generation which remembered Model As when they were "State Of The Art."

In those days there were very few reproduction parts so restoring any car was a more difficult task. You had to prowl through local junkyards for parts. But my mother knew a man who gave her a Hemmings Motor News issue to give to me and now I was "cookin' with gas."
It's a lot easier to restore one nowadays.

45 years later I'm still tinkering with em.

P,S.

My mother who is now 88 years old still occasionally requests a ride in the Model A. It's really fun to have someone walk up admiring it while filling it up with her groceries and pointing to mother saying something like "I offered to buy her a new one but she says as long as her old Ford still runs she doesn't need another car."
 
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