My Barn Find '31 Coupe

[Oldwood]

I just joined your little clan here. I found this '31 coupe down in South Arkansas while chasing a low mileage '00 F250 Diesel. The man that owned it parked it in the barn in 1957. He was @ 14yrs old at that time. He drove it hard and the motor went bad and this is the barn that he took me to. It came with another motor that has no or low miles. I plan on putting it back on the road in this "as is" condition, sort of!!! It's missing the front bumper and the head lights and bar.

[Hoogah]

Welcome from another fairly new member. It's a good place here! Your coupe looks awesome, and I love and endorse your plans for it!
There was no doubting that the barn door had been well and truly closed for quite some time!!

[29er]

Originally Posted by Oldwood

I plan on putting it back on the road in this "as is" condition, sort of!!! It's missing the front bumper and the head lights and bar.

Oh Yeah! Another cou-pay saved! Welcome home!



Mike in Oregon

[montanafordman]

FANTASTIC! Welcome! Stories of a Model A getting a new lease on life after a 50+ year slumber just make me happy. There is a lot of great knowledge on here and you'll find many people willing to provide expertise AND parts to get your car going again. I sure hope you keep it stock and find the parts to complete it and get it cruising down the road again.

My coupe sat in my grandfathers garage for 30 years before he did anything with it, and he never put any real miles or made any serious mechanical restoration efforts other than to get it moving again with a new (very amateur) paint and interior. He never even licensed it and after I found the original paperwork he got with the car I discovered I was the first to license my coupe since 1958. I put more miles on my granddad's car in one weekend than he did in nearly 50 years of ownership!

Have fun with your new toy!

[mhsprecher]

There are many so-called barn finds out there. Yours is the real deal! Congratulations!

Did you get the F250?

[fordcoupe]

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Nice find you will find a lot of help here welcome

[Not George]

WOW!
It looks to be in pretty good shape!
AND it came with a can of P.B. Blaster!
Congratulations.

[Oldwood]

The "barn find" term is used way too often with no barn in site. That tree proves how long its been stored. I want to get it up and running and drive up to the farmers house without notice. This farmer had planned on shortening this A and making it pop wheelies. Ugh!!! The '00 F250 PSD with 46k miles is tied up in an estate fight. I'm lucky that this A didn't get mixed up in this estate. I've bought some of the rusted out sheet metal pieces from Doug Zahn here in Little Rock. This A was used to haul wood evidence by the wood box made into the Rumble seat area. Thanks for the comments.

[juke joint johnny]

Nice find looks like it was a real Deluxe with the twin sidemounts and the luggage rack,

I don't think anyone was dressing this one up in the 60's or 70's

[FL&WVMIKE]

Originally Posted by mhsprecher

There are many so-called barn finds out there. Yours is the real deal! Congratulations!

Did you get the F250?

I was going to say the same thing, until I got down to your post.
It's good to see a real "barnfind" !
MIKE (mikeburch)

[Tom Wesenberg]

Fighting over a 15 year old F250 is such a waste of money. The time it takes for the lawyers to write about the truck will probably cost more than the truck's value. But, when it comes to money, some kin can sure turn ugly.

[montanafordman]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Fighting over a 15 year old F250 is such a waste of money. The time it takes for the lawyers to write about the truck will probably cost more than the truck's value. But, when it comes to money, some kin can sure turn ugly.

True, but a low miles 7.3L powerstroke is worth something. It was a great motor that wasn't as plagued by all the emissions stuff that's been tacked on since then or had reliability issues like some of the 6 liter motors from what I have heard. I'm also curious if that old early 60's ford pickup in there is a unibody? I can't tell from behind what year it is.


Another thing with the engine you got with it, I would suggest dropping the pan and cleaning it out, and also the valve galley and make sure all the passages to the mains are clear. Old oil can sludge/gum up and cause problems. Check the bearing clearances and babbit too. Then when you have it back together dump a couple quarts down the distributor hole so it has oil when you go to start it.

[Oldwood]

The family is fighting over more than the F250. Years of 4 brothers farming and 2 died within a 1 yr apart. I don't know all the details but farm land can get kinda pricey. My intent was to tear the engine apart, clean and re-assemble. The '65-'66 truck was behind the A but its part of the estate. It appeared to be really solid. Here are a couple more pics till I hit the lottery. I have a few projects to finish before this one breathes again.

[Clem Clement]

Good advise on the new motor. Bugs love to sleep in the oil passages to the mains.

My uncle cut the back of his 36 coupe and make a farm truck out of it. He gave it away before I could raise my hand.

[lajones]

Awesome! I just love the "unrestored" cars!!