The NOS ford?

[John Duden]

I was thinking that with all the new old stock parts that are still available would it be possible to build an entire car from nos parts? I have seen Nos sheet metal, blocks, frames, axles, gaskets, ECt.
Would this be some thing we could do as a national club to Put I the new model a museum?

I am talking a brand new car made from New original part. Not reproduction or used originals but nos. ( with the exception of a few things like glass and tires ECt)

What do you think?

[J Franklin]

Expensive if possible.

[Rex_A_Lott]

When I hear NOS I think it means New Old Stock, but there are a lot of people out there that think it means Nice Old Shit. Caveat Emptor.
As for building a whole car, it might take a long time to find all the correct parts and someone willing to sell them.
I would say extremely difficult, if not impossible.

[Slotblog]

Time-consuming, since there's far less NOS stuff out there than there was 20-40 years ago. An NOS body might be impossible to locate, too.

[wrndln]

I would be extremely surprised it a model A of any type could be build with entirely NOS (Ford produced) parts. Things like rubber items would be very hard to find in usable condition, although I have heard of people finding NOS fanbelts, radiator hoses, etc, but I don't think they would last long if used much. The toughest thing as some said some time ago is finding NOS water for the radiator and NOS air for the tires. I suspect someone with a ton of money could come fairly close, but it would take a long time to find most the correct part for the car being built.
Rusty Nelson

[CarlG]

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John LaVoy built a Roadster Pickup with "mostly" reproduction parts.

[Mike Peters]

Not for love nor money. Considering all the changes made in four years of production, finding all the correct parts for any given month and year would be impossible. BTW,has anyone ever seen or heard of a NOS body?

[todd3131]

Originally Posted by Mike Peters

Not for love nor money. Considering all the changes made in four years of production, finding all the correct parts for any given month and year would be impossible. BTW,has anyone ever seen or heard of a NOS body?

I was just going to say that, I have never heard of any type of body at any time
that was nos also I have never heard of an nos frame either. My Father built many model a's in the 50's and 60's when you could still buy the parts out of the Ford Garages and never did he run across any of those parts. My model a was
built with many nos parts including the wheels running board fender and even the hood and shell but still had a junk yard body that he bought.
todd

[C26Pinelake]

What would be the purpose ? No matter how you look at it, it is not an original. It is an expensive rebuilt car.
Wayne

[Mike V. Florida]

NOS? Not possible.

[mot]

Marcos roadster is about as close as anyone will get
he collected NOS parts for years,
the restoration he did on it is phenomenal

NOS bodies?
there was a taxi that was in storage
it had parts stripped off of it ,but the body was NOS
it was in the restorer years ago
there used to be lots of NOS fenders and doors

I knew of a NOS model T
the owner bought it and after a few minutes talking with the dealer ,he took off for home
when he went to stop he was used to the horses and he yelled whoa!
but hit a big bush
he towed it home and parked it in his barn
the last time I saw it ,the chickens were roosting in it
it couldn't have had more than 10 miles on it
I wanted it ,but the owners wanted way too much money for it

[bikejunk]

A few years ago a Shaw (an American light weight motorcycle from the early 20' ) was built out of truly NOS parts , because the shelf wear varied so much part to part it really kinda looked odd , but it was NOS. Do I understand that a few Tuckers were built from NOS parts?

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by mot

Marcos roadster is about as close as anyone will get
he collected NOS parts for years, the restoration he did on it is phenomenal

Yes, all the way thru reading this I was thinking "How soon we forget." regarding Marco's Roadster restoration.



Now the NOS debate becomes a controversial topic sometimes for many reasons both Pro & Con. Up until about a year ago I had collected about 75% of an entire running gear for a late '31 in NOS for a fine-point build. Since that time I have begun to sell off some of those items simply because for me, I realized that as soon as I installed them, they were no longer NOS parts but were instead 'used parts'.

Of the two sides of the debate, personally in these modern times I am not impressed with someone building a fine-point car out of NOS parts for two simple reasons;

A) Marco has already done it (which means we are only copying what he set the bar so high on!)

B) ...anyone can bolt on NOS parts!


Allow me to elaborate why I said this. Today, finding NOS parts is WAY easier than when Marco did it 20-25 years ago simply because it is easier to find parts via the internet and networking today. In addition to that, identifying the parts today is much easier with the information that is available via Bensen, Judging Stds, and various websites who are posting information than what he had available to him then.

2nd, (...know what Marco went thru restoring NOS parts and you will realize I am not taking anything away from Marco or his car by saying this) The degree of difficulty comes when someone returns a component to a former state in thorough, exacting details. That is called 'restoration'. Most folks will never have a clue how much work Will Cronkrite actually performed restoring his Panel Truck. Will spent countless hours at the archives researching each and every part on that vehicle. For example, in an effort to save money Will would make a drawing of a part either by free-hand or in Solidworks, and then take that to the Bensen Library and transcribe the measurements and details off of the print onto his drawing. On the missing or more complicated components, Will would search for, and research the proper print to purchase. The reason he did this is so he could "restore" or fabricate that component with exacting standards. When comparing this procedure to buying a NOS component, which do you feel has more degree of difficulty?

Another example; a couple of years ago we were restoring a 1928 Sport Coupe. Luckily for us Bill Sturm still had a bolt of the original fabric to upholster this Coupe in. Therefore all we had to do is write a check to pay for the material and we were on our way. On Will's truck, the fabric was unavailable in any original or an accurate reproduction. In that scenario Will and his wife Peggy set out to accurately duplicate the original material he needed. After many hours of devotion they accomplished it. So between the two scenarios, which do you feel has more difficulty and level of craftsmanship involved --writing a check or hand making it??

I could go on with other examples but I think you begin to see why I feel 'assembling' a Model-A today out of NOS parts vs. actually accurately 'restoring' a Model-A is much more impressive.

[DougVieyra]

Well, except for the body (and a few other bits and pieces) I suspect that one could labor to build a New Old Stock Model A.

However, this would be an especially daunting task which will consume much of your life ! A good friend of mine did do such a task about thirty years ago. Well, to be more exact I should say about ...... Well, let's just say that for years and years I would visit him at his home and find room after room of Model A Parts in various stages of "acceptablilty". Some N.O.S. parts indeed had never been put on a car - yet, were less than optimum. So he kept that part while he look (this process takes years - or decades) for a BETTER NOS example.

The years went by, and the rooms of his home filled and filled, with NOS parts as he slowly but tenaciously strove to complete his dream. One day - who know what the day or event that caused it - but he finally said "I am done !" And he started to build his NOS Ford Model A.

So, it is not so much about building a NOS Model A, as it is about extreme dedication, thoroughness, and support of loved ones, to achieve one's goal. Few of us really have what it takes. But we are all richer for having SOMEONE build a dream. Whether it be a Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, or a NOS Ford Model A.

- Doug Vieyra

[BlueSunoco]

Originally Posted by C26Pinelake

What would be the purpose ? No matter how you look at it, it is not an original. It is an expensive rebuilt car.
Wayne

Good point, and to take that further, how many Model A Fords that are restored, are a conglomeration of parts from donor cars, the parts shelf, somebody's stash in a garage or barn, etc.? I'd say, the vast majority of them so these Model A's are not, for the most part, "original" in any sense of the word anyway.

Also, reading Marco's story on restoring his Roadster, he said himself that many of the NOS parts he obtained had to be factory rejects because he had to tweak many of them somewhat to fit properly.

[Keith True]

I'll bet the cost would be up in the clouds.I saw a pair of 30 NOS front fenders sell for $3000.The owner was laughed at for a while by the A guys.Dozens of guys asked him to sell them,but he had plans for them.When he decided the fine-point thing was not for him he advertised them in Hemmings.Somebody in the midwest that got their Hemmings by overnight mail(that was a subscription option)spotted them and called him.They talked on the phone for five minutes and the guy bought them.The buyer said he didn't want to get into any bidding wars,and didn't want to miss out on NOS fenders just for money.I built a steering box with a bunch of NOS parts I saved for years.That box is the worst one I own.I feel that the shaft/worm assembly has been dropped,stepped on,thrown around,etc.over the years.

[Ed in Maine]

There was an article in the Restorer back in the late 60s/early 70s where the actor who was Joe Friday's side kick (Ben Alexander, officer Frank Smith) in Dragnet built a Model A with NOS parts. All I remember is that he did it and to what extent (I doubt it was 100%), I don't know. Now I am giving away just how old I am getting! Ed

[Ed in Maine]

There was an article in the Restorer back in the late 60s/early 70s where the actor who was Joe Friday's side kick (Ben Alexander, officer Frank Smith) in Dragnet built a Model A with NOS parts. All I remember is that he did it and to what extent (I doubt it was 100%), I don't know. Now I am giving away just how old I am getting! Ed

[Roadster62]

Must be the same story I read back then, the restoration started with a NOS frame and engine block, think it was a 180A Phaeton. Bob

Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

There was an article in the Restorer back in the late 60s/early 70s where the actor who was Joe Friday's side kick (Ben Alexander, officer Frank Smith) in Dragnet built a Model A with NOS parts. All I remember is that he did it and to what extent (I doubt it was 100%), I don't know. Now I am giving away just how old I am getting! Ed

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

There was an article in the Restorer back in the late 60s/early 70s where the actor who was Joe Friday's side kick (Ben Alexander, officer Frank Smith) in Dragnet built a Model A with NOS parts. All I remember is that he did it and to what extent (I doubt it was 100%), I don't know. Now I am giving away just how old I am getting! Ed

Back then there were probably some NOS complete left-over Model A's at the Ford dealers!