'28-'29 Deluxe Roadsters? Restore?
Out in the barn is an unrestored '28-'29 roadster which appears to be pretty much unmolested since it was first sold. I have had it inside for the last 33 years. I am recently retired and now have some time to either restore it, or go through the mechanicals and get it driveable. In looking closely at the roadster, I have noted some features which suggest that the Ford dealership which sold the car originally might have tried to spiff the car up as a 'deluxe' model even if Henry never made any deluxe roadsters in 1928 or 29. For example, the roadster has dual spares on the front fenders, and some kind of solid steel bracing coming out of the cowl to support the spare wheels or whatever. Also, on the right side of the dash (barely visible in the attached pic) is a fancy scripted 3-inch brass plate which says:
"Sold by Don Neher
Forson Ford Lincoln
2820 Broadway, Oakland California"
What do you expert Model A guys think? Did Ford dealerships typically upgrade some models to sell on the showroom floor as 'Deluxe' even though they might have left the factory as a plane Jane standard model? Maybe in a fancy dealership on the West Coast they did that, even though typically not.
What do you think the steel rods coming out of the cowl were intended to do?
Please give me your opinions as to whether this roadster should be restored to the way the dealership sold it originally. Sorry about the poor pic quality; it's pretty dark in the barn.
Thanks!
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