Starting to Have 2nd Thoughts About Restoring This Model A Coupe

[Oldbluoval]

Cost wise I maybe a little over break even if I pay myself 2 cents an hour labor


But sitting on your backside watching television (idiot box) doesn’t get you anything!
Besides it’s a hobby and you don’t break even playing golf, tennis etc….unless you’re good enough to hustle!!

[jack backer]

I love the solitude of the shop..free to concentrate solely on what’s at hand,knowing how much I enjoy the outcome of all the work.

Being frugal forces the personal labor to rise..or to put it another way. I’m too cheap to pay anyone when I can do it myself.

[Terry, NJ]

As i said, Very little was bought after 2015. I was doing my coupe by then. Being rather "Frugal" myself, I tried to do most everything myself too. I am a former tool and diemaker/modelmaker myself duplicating parts comes naturally, except for some of the wood which I felt compelled to buy. Nor do I have the machinery available to make sills and hearders, etc, which consists of some close hole locations. Most of the bottom wood was purchased. Same for the top wood. Anything I made, I tried to hold Henry's speced tolerances of plus or minus .010 on size and location and 1 deg. on angles. I don't have any machines, so all cuts and holes must be laid out. Also, No prints to reference! So I took the easy route and bought much of it. about $3800. worth of wood.
This was the first Model A I ever did and I had no fear of anything under the hood! That is until I started reading up on it. I've brought a number of engines back to life and I considered just somewhat more complex than childs play. But the A motor was a different breed of cat! It didn't have insert bearings for instance. Suddenly, I didn't want to mess with one! That's when I heard of Schwalms and the rest is history.
A Friend had recently acquired an industrial sandblaster and I brought the cowl section to him to clean up which he did at minimal cost. The blasting exposed more rust than was immediately visible. This required lots of time filling in rust damage and repairing holes. "Fit the patch, Weld it on, grind it off!" Gradually the old girl came back to life! Now I'm old and full of holes (Figurative Rust) and I would Like to turn this over to a younger person, but I'm not giving them the gift of a life time! I want something back for what I've spent.
Terry

[Robbie Horn]

Well since it's close to impossible to communicate with Fordwood I canceled my order today. After doing a lot of research on this site & others I have read good & bad. With my luck it probably will turn out bad.lol

[Terry, NJ]

This is the same story I've heard so many times. "It's impossible to communicate with Fordwood!" Classic wood is much easier to deal with.
Terry

[pcpat]

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I've been working on mine for several years now, looking forward to driving it someday... I started with not much and and have been working towards finishing it hopefully soon. I agree with everyone that if you build it yourself you can make it the way you want it, and have more pride in your efforts. here are some before and after picts of my project

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=44607

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/pictu...ictureid=44608

[MickyD]

I always wanted a roadster. I bought my 28 Roadster site unseen. $16,000. $4,000 More to make it safe to drive. $4,000 for paint job. Now next week $3,000 upholstery. I could have bought a really, really nice one for that amount t of money. But I have worked on it, learned a lot, and have a lot more to learn. But so much fun to drive and like I said I always wanted one and now I have it and am enjoying it.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

There are things you can do yourself and things you should have other craftsmen do when building any car if you want to drive it before you die. Lots of projects end up half done.


I used to be concerned about throwing so much money into an old car until I looked at the crazy prices people are paying for new or used cars. They need work just like the old cars. But what really made me happy was realizing that if i sold my 1930 Tudor and my 1947 Coupe at top price I still could not pay for a good used late model F150 pickup. The difference in value is more than made up by the enjoyment I get out of the old cars.

[Ed in Maine]

Obviously try to be as knowledgeable as possible before your buy. Know that you will spend more than what you probably could get for the car. After this, buy what you like and don't look back. You purchased the car to have fun climbing under and in it and to have the satisfaction that you took the project to completion. My 1932 five window coupe is an exception but it took me 26 years before I restored it and it runs and drives like a new 32 Ford. I feel bad for others who never experience the sound of an antique car leaving a stop sign in first gear and shifting into second gear. To me it is just pure music. Ed