Looking at getting my first Model A

[Choppachris]

Hello everyone! My name is Chris, 38, and recently found a 1929 Model A Sedan (Tudor) that i'm working on aquiring. I have always been a car nut, worked on my own stuff, and have dreamt of someday owning an early Ford. I will be trading a custom Harley that I built myself for this '29. The more I learn about these cars, the more I want one. I consider myself mechanically inclined, but some things the manufacturers do these days leaves me scratching my head as to why they over-complicated so many things that perform relatively simple tasks. The Model A makes sense to me, if that makes sense. I am glad to find this forum and the wealth of information it provides, and look forward to chatting with you all and of course beginning my new hobby.

[roccaas]

Sounds like you'll fit in just fine, just don't drop a Small Block Chevy in it!

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Welcome Chris. If you like old cars you'll love your model A. They are a hoot to drive, I've met a LOT of neat people, and they ad fun to work on.
You need to start building a library. The Les Andrews #1, is a good first manual.
Order some catalogs, as there is a lot of good info, and breakdowns in them as well.

[Choppachris]

Thanks guys, and don't worry, I want this car to be as original as possible. I also own a '57 Chevy 2 door post with a hot small block and a 4 speed, so my need for speed is satisfied.

[al's28/33]

Welcome. Familiarize yourself with the search feature here and you'll find tons of old threads on most topics. If you know the value of your Harley and are also car saavy then you must be fully aware of the condition of the car you're interested in.

Look it over from top to stern and listen to it breathe and you should be able to justify a fair deal. Make sure you have read some of the several common "A" books and be aware of any non-authentic upgrades that it may have.

My Phaeton was pieced together from several cars over the years before I got her and it has been a love affair ever since!!

[Dick Webber]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I, too, wanted a Model A since I was very young. I bought one when I was 23 to drive to work. That was 52 years ago. I still have the same 29 tudor. What a great choice. Stock except for a fuse holder, seat belts and an added tail light. What a great choice. Welcome to the hobby! You'll have a great time.

[Mike V. Florida]

Smart guy!!! welcome and we all are ready to assist you.

[Pinstripe]

good choices made by you. welcome

[Charlie Stephens]

The "where do I start" question seemed to keep coming up so I put together the long answer and Jim Mason was kind enough to host it on his site. Be sure to go through the rest of the site as it contains a lot of useful information. Go to: http://jmodela.coffeecup.com/wherestart.html

Charlie Stephens

[foxfire42]

I bought my 1st A in 1981 almost sight unseen. Didn't know anything about A's but I got lucky and it was a good purchase. Then I joined a local club. Best advice is Join a local Club first.

[Choppachris]

Thanks for the warm words. I've been reading threads since i've found the site, really enjoying learning things I haven't even though about yet. The bike i'm trading is a sportster motor on a rigid frame, I have about 5k in it. The '29 A is nice, mostly complete, and was running about 3 months ago and is currently sitting in a garage. Someone recently had it re-painted a light beige and it's beautiful. The interior is not so nice, seat covers are all torn and tattered. The front seats are low-back buckets, I thought these cars all had bench seats, wondering if they are original or not. The front left wheel leans in toward the top quite a bit, I'm thinking it has a bent axle or spindle on that side, but not scared to take on the task of repairing that. I'll post some pics of the car up tonight, but the deal is not 100% complete at this point, we will see by this weekend. I'll keep you all posted.

[Choppachris]

Here's the car...

[John Butts in CT]

Chris, I'm certain you'll get a lot of feedback on this. That's a '30-'31 body, hood, wheels, bumpers, headlight bar, headlights and fenders. The radiator shell's a '30. The only reason I said '30-'31 is that the pictures aren't clear enough to detect whether it has one or two-piece splash aprons. What's the engine number and frame number?

P.S. Tudor sedans all had low-backed individual seats in the front. No worries there.

[QGolden]

Nice find, and welcome!

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Choppachris

The front seats are low-back buckets, I thought these cars all had bench seats, wondering if they are original or not. .

They sound correct for the car. The front seat folds up to make room to get into the back.

Like you I spent years on the forums to see what I was getting into. I joined a club and eventually bought a car from a member.

I would not have traded all my years with an A for anything.

[Choppachris]

Originally Posted by John Butts in CT

Chris, I'm certain you'll get a lot of feedback on this. That's a '30-'31 body, hood, wheels, bumpers, headlight bar, headlights and fenders. The radiator shell's a '30. The only reason I said '30-'31 is that the pictures aren't clear enough to detect whether it has one or two-piece splash aprons. What's the engine number and frame number?

P.S. Tudor sedans all had low-backed individual seats in the front. No worries there.

Now that you mention it, when I was looking at the car in person the guy kept calling it a 30. The original ad when I found the car says 29. So maybe it is a 30 afterall.

[Charlie Stephens]

Chris,

Be sure to get all the DMV paperwork straightened out ASAP. You want to do this quickly before the seller disappears or spends the money you gave him. The fact that he called it a '29 and it sure looks like a '30 worries me. What year does the title say? I assume you checked the serial number on the title against the number on the car and found them to match. Where did you find the number on the car?

Charlie Stephens

[John Butts in CT]

Originally Posted by Choppachris

Now that you mention it, when I was looking at the car in person the guy kept calling it a 30. The original ad when I found the car says 29. So maybe it is a 30 afterall.

I think you're on the right track. The typical 1930 had a two piece splash apron (the part that runs up from the running board/front fender to the top of the frame) with a vertical seam. 1931's had a seamless apron.

Oh... in addition to (AND BEFORE) whatever books everyone else recommends, buy a repro 1930 instruction book

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by John Butts in CT

I think you're on the right track. The typical 1930 had a two piece splash apron (the part that runs up from the running board/front fender to the top of the frame) with a vertical seam. 1931's had a seamless apron.

Oh... in addition to (AND BEFORE) whatever books everyone else recommends, buy a repro 1930 instruction book

Note that the instruction book evolved as changes were made to the car. An example would be oval versus round speedometer. Be sure to get the reproduction as close as possible to the date of your car (not all were reproduced).

Charlie Stephens

[Choppachris]

Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens

Chris,

Be sure to get all the DMV paperwork straightened out ASAP. You want to do this quickly before the seller disappears or spends the money you gave him. The fact that he called it a '29 and it sure looks like a '30 worries me. What year does the title say? I assume you checked the serial number on the title against the number on the car and found them to match. Where did you find the number on the car?

Charlie Stephens

I'll be sure to check the numbers on the car against the title well. I haven't traded yet, this is a deal in the working so it's not too late to back out if anything looks wrong. Calling it a '29 could have been my mistake, looking back at the ad today it says 1930.. I could have sworn it said '29 when I first started looking at it. It could have been a mistake on his part and has been edited since, or just a bad recall of what it was on mine. Thanks for the tips though, I appreciate all of the information and support from everyone! What a great bunch of people I have found!