Quote:
Originally Posted by ronn
a good fordor today is worth more then a tudor, in my opinion.
wasnt that way 10 years ago......
|
Very true. Many people who own Model-As like to take their friends to dinner or to a show. Tudors, -or especially rumble seats are not attractive for mature adults. Everyone having their own door for entering & exiting a vehicle is worth the premium.
Something that I have been preaching for the past 20 years, ...and folks are slowly starting to agree with me now is that it is VERY foolish to 'restore/refurbish' a Model-A these days re-using the original wood. Even a Convertible Sedan or Cabriolet that appears to have sound wood during the repainting or re-upholstering process quickly goes downhill once the car is driven because the wood has lost its elasticity. The vibrations and flexing that these vehicles encounter during even normal driving conditions causes the body wood to split where the body nails, upholstery brads, and all the screw fasteners in the joints all loosen. Then trying to stay ahead of this with all kinds of band-aids or MacGuyver fixes just takes all the fun out of owning the car for most people. At that point the car just sets not being driven. (Do you suppose that is why the car Johnny looked at has been in "dry storage" all these years?)
Also, the paint materials costs, the upholstery material costs, and the time (labor) that is all lost if the wood must be replaced is just too great IMO to take a chance. IMHO, cars being restored some 20+ years ago which had 60 year old wood was marginal and you could get by with it. Now this same wood is nearing 90 years old from the time it was cut from the tree. Personally I would never, -and I mean NEVER purchase a restored Model-A (no matter if it is a Roadster or a S/W Fordor) that did not have the original wood replaced during the restoration. The risk of this mindset of saving a few bucks by not replacing the wood is just not worth the investment loss on down the road when the owner or his estate is trying to sell the car. Johnny just saw first-hand evidence of this.