Throwing Out Good Model A Parts

[Tom Wesenberg]

I see this all too often, where people throw away good Model A parts. I've seen good original parts thrown out and replaced with poor quality repro parts. At the auction I attended last Saturday I found several good engine parts half buried in the weeds and dirt beside the pole barn. Here's a 1928 timing gear cover I pulled out of the dirt and tall grass. I pulled out several other pieces including 2 good oil pans. I let the junk man buy them for just a few bucks, then he sold me this cover for a dollar. Someone bought a pair of doors that were also out in the weeds.

I sandblasted and painted it, so it's ready to use now, but I couldn't understand why someone threw it out in the first place. It even had the original timing pin with copper gasket and the cam plunger and spring. I used G-96 gun blueing to blacken the timing pin. It would be nice to find more dollar parts like this. Better to use or store these parts than to send them to China.

[Henry's Lady's Man]

Well spoken, Tom!
I wish I could run across that kinda stuff.

[C26Pinelake]

Very few people have your extensive knowledge ( I know I don't ) to identify the treasures in the weeds. Wayne

[Jim Mason]

I'd be interested in the timing pin and gasket...I'd double your money plus shipping. grin

[coupe1942]

I used to work for the state of Texas and covered 87 different counties in my job back then. Tons of small towns along my route of travel. I ended up making a hobby of driving off to the small towns along the way and driving up and down all the back streets and alleys of each. You would not believe what one can find by doing that, especially in depressed neighborhoods. Talking with just the local guys in a hardware store has been a real lead to a lot of things in the past when I was more into finding old cars and such. I have many fond memories of finding stuff by sheer accident n simply going through all of those old neighborhoods or looking closely at the farm fields about such small rural towns. Finding the right owners was probably the most difficult thing I came across, but you would not believe what you can come across if you keep your eyes open.

Unfortunately, even old shops used to frequently toss away a lot of stuff someone these days would call a treasure. My Dad and my two uncles ran a garage for years when I was a kid and I still recall a lot of things they tossed out back in the alley which sure would be nice to come across today. The cars weren't so much vintage back then as they are now. Heck, I can still recall going to the jalopy races at the circle tracks and seeing a ton of Model A and coupe stuff being tossed as the cars were stipped to the bone for racing on the circle tracks. No one gave a thought as to them having value back then or the idea that you should store them as opposed to tossing them. I bet small fortunes were lost as these pieces were junked or tossed.

I saw a '36 Auburn at a car show a couple of weekends back. The owner had tossed away a lot of the stock parts so that he could convert the thing to a street rod. It was a really sad site to see if your not into the hot rod mode so much as you are in keeping one stock. He did a real butcher job on the bumpers and interior of that car, too. One can only imagine the worth of all the parts he tossed from that car, from the engine, tranny, seats and such. He told me he didn't have any space to keep the items and that he was 16 when he got the car so keeping them or even salvaging them meant absolutely nothing to him at the time. He had ripped out the glass divider between the front seat and the passenger cabin. Even as a street rod, it was poorly done with all that was flubbed up on it.

Me, I have been out of the hobby for quite a while, so I am just now keeping my eyes open for those jewels in the weeds and back yards of others. This is how I came across my first '36 Ford Coupe, my '42 Chevy Business Coupe and others in my past. When I worked for UPS, I found a complete flathead engine down in the open field out back of their hub. Unfortunately, the whole area was graded in over the years and all was lost there.

[Ed in Maine]

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I am concerned about my own stuff when I pass away. It is hard to know when it is time to get out of the hobby (I'm 74). Sure would be a shame when the house and garage are emptied that all those parts accumulated over the years are tossed. I am in the process of labeling things. At the very least I will make sure our local club knows about it whens the time comes. Ed

[Dollar Bill]

Ed, your post struck a cord with me as I have a ton of old Ford tractor parts and have been thinking about what will happen when I'm gone.

[Jim Mason]

My kids are going to fight over all my stuff. "I dont want it..you take it" "oh hell no...you're older you take" "no i had take all the GD books, i'm not take this stuff too"

[biggieou]

There are younger folks like myself sitting in the wings. Granted, there aren't many like myself (33) into keeping cars stock and not cutting them up, but we are out there!

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

[carolinamudwalker]

Tom, It is a mind set. After 30 years in the military and frequent moves with limited shipping weight, " IF YOU HAVE NOT USED IT IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS YOU DONT NEED IT." Having said that, with my 30 sport coup every modification I make I am keeping the original parts but I still have to fight the urge to toss it. Cant imagine any one wanting to remove that wonderful synchronized transmission and putting back that hateful original but i will keep it. BTW tom if you run into 2 good rims I sure could use them. Not a hoarder Bob Reid

[Terry, NJ]

Tom, You and I are children of the children of the depression and in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, we threw nothing away. Today, it's a different mentality. It's Just "Get rid of that old s---, and Buy new (From China)" New is good, Old is bad!
Terry

[BudP]

One may consider stating in his will or trust that all Ford Model A stuff including special purpose tools not wanted by a family member be sold at auction (on EBay, by his local Model A club, etc.) and the funds be donated to the Model A Ford Foundation, a local educational fund run by his/her local model A club, etc.

[Jeff/Illinois]

[QUOTE=coupe1942;1347959]
I saw a '36 Auburn at a car show a couple of weekends back. The owner had tossed away a lot of the stock parts so that he could convert the thing to a street rod. It was a really sad site to see if your not into the hot rod mode so much as you are in keeping one stock. He did a real butcher job on the bumpers and interior of that car, too. One can only imagine the worth of all the parts he tossed from that car, from the engine, tranny, seats and such. He told me he didn't have any space to keep the items and that he was 16 when he got the car so keeping them or even salvaging them meant absolutely nothing to him at the time. He had ripped out the glass divider between the front seat and the passenger cabin. Even as a street rod, it was poorly done with all that was flubbed up on it.

There may be a shortage of rare parts and cars but there's no shortage of idiots. What a complete moron.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Don't throw away NUTHING & live long enough to be a PROBLEM to your KIDS--LOL---"What do I do with ALL this CRAP"!!!
Bill Terrible

[Jrobbins]

Helping my father restore the Model A he bought in 1955. Frame is restored along with suspension, trans and rear end. At the body shop now as it is time to get it moving again.

Numbers matching, original except of rumble seat skin and fenders.

I am in my fifties, I will be making sure nothing in my fathers collection goes by the wayside to the junk man! I have already told my siblings, its not junk to me.

John
Waco, Texas

[VFRhugh]

I happened upon a Lincoln Zephyr V12 rally in Red Wing, MN a couple of weeks ago. Unbelievably I didn't take any pictures , guess I was too busy looking. One of the owners fired his 47 up for me, sweet sounding. There were about 20 cars represented. All were stock except for one full custom with a 502 big block. The only uninteresting car there.
Hugh

[mshmodela]

My grandfather who would have been 112 now raised my Dad and his 3 sibling in the 30s. He saved everything, grew his own food as much as he could and even recycled his engine oil himself and filter it for reuse. I'm a young 53 but will tell you people who raised families during the 30s were surely not folks who did not waste anything.

Today, things are too dang disposable.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

Today, things are too dang disposable.

Today they make things where the only logical thing to do is dispose of it. NOTHING is built for longevity anymore. Average refrigerator life is 7 years, water heaters are 8-10, washers dryers 6...

Compare a 1980's and older push mower to a new one - new ones half the deck is plastic right where the handle attaches and the rest might as well be tinfoil its so thin.

When a $400 washing machine dies and the replacement circuit board or plastic pump housing or cast iron transmission made in china from our old brake drums and beer cans cracks the replacement part alone is 1/2 - 3/4 the cost of new if not more than a new washing machine...

Im all for fixing something but when the cost to repair is way more than the value of the thing its pointless.

[mshmodela]

Sea,

My 3 year old dishwasher is surely and example. Two parts $175 and $135 to fix an electronic problem... I've chosen to cut my loss since dozens of others having the same issue and get rid of the Maytag -$450 down the drane... Steam and electronics DON'T mix...

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by mshmodela

Sea,

My 3 year old dishwasher is surely and example. Two parts $175 and $135 to fix an electronic problem... I've chosen to cut my loss since dozens of others having the same issue and get rid of the Maytag -$450 down the drane... Steam and electronics DON'T mix...

oh I know haha, I cant think of one thing made better today than years ago...(think of random stuff like wheel barrows, kitchen mixers, coffee makers, etc)

One of the oldest and thankfully still produced is cast iron cookware - a properly seasoned pan is the best non stick pan out there - dont need any weird Teflon coated copper bottomed pans...Problem is it takes a bit of effort to care for - something modern society doesnt want to do is EFFORT.

I suppose one could argue cars have gotten better - to a point. The main guts of engines do seem to last effortlessly to 150-200K+ miles, its all the rest of the stuff that dies.

Altho one could argue people take less and less care of cars nowadays...Speaking of I need to grease the ball joints, u joints, and tie rods this weekend on my modern... I try to do it every oil change but sometimes that just doesnt happen...