The Ford Barn

TomInCologne · 01-26-2022, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatMan1

When I got mine in May of last year I only knew the basics of them, but had never worked on them. I've been around old cars all my 50 years and have owned many. I was frustrated with the rear main leak and other issues I saw. One of the guys in my church said that he would be praying that God would send me someone to help with my car. I never had an idea that it would be my new girlfriend! She loves getting her hands dirty and working on the car! She's quite good at it and has given me the confidence to get in and tackle things thus making it a better car. It's what I needed after losing my wife in February of last year.

Wow, very nice! Congratulations, you've done everything right.

My girlfriend says she will keep Margarethe clean but she will not help me with the technical stuff. Fair enough...

Chris in WNC · 01-26-2022, 08:40 AM

There's no right or wrong answer.
I grew up on my Grandpas farm and unlike many farmers, he was not a mechanic so I had no learning experience there.
In college I worked at a full-service gas station and learned oil changes and tune-ups but not much more.
Later in the hippie years I had a VW bug and no money so had to learn how to keep it afloat, with the help of John Muir's "Idiot" book.
Almost 40 when I got the first Model A and was very comfortable by then taking it all apart and fixing things.

Circumstances and temperment determine your style of Model A ownership.
One of my friends in FL hardly knew which end of the wrench to grab, but after a couple years learning was confident and competent enough to drive it to NC alone in the winter. He is of modest means and could not hire a lot of work done....

Another friend has 16 or 17 old cars from Model Ts to 60's cars. He has deep pockets and retains a full-time employee to maintain his cars so all are dependably driveable at any time, and hires out all mechanical work.

Everyone has to figure out their own solution. And yes, a few people probably are not well-suited to old car ownership.

Mike Peters · 01-26-2022, 08:41 AM

F
folks with little to no mechanical abilities buy Model A's all the time. Some are dreamers who want to restore/rebuild, or buy a nice car to drive. One of two things happen: 1. they realize that a Model A really isn't for them and sell it. or
2. It sits in their garage for many years untouched until circumstances change and either they or family members sell it to one of us. Then we go through it, and either drive it ourselves or sell and make some $.
People don't live forever, but antique cars live on indefinitely.

Bob-A · 01-26-2022, 09:06 AM

I have nothing against anybody, mechanically inclined or not, who want to own, drive or repair their "A". The ones I detest are the idiots who take nice restored/unrestored Model-A's and make what I call "crap"-rods! It is one thing to take a pile of rusted junk and make a beautiful piece of machinery 'vs' taking a nice old car and destroying it..........

Bob-A

CatMan1 · 01-26-2022, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomInCologne

Wow, very nice! Congratulations, you've done everything right.

My girlfriend says she will keep Margarethe clean but she will not help me with the technical stuff. Fair enough...

Thanks!

51504bat · 01-26-2022, 09:32 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

And there are some so called experts who shouldn't own one or at least keep their opinions to themselves. JMHO

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 01-26-2022, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfitzpatrick

My concerns is finding a replacement when our club mechanic shuts it down. We're both 80 this Summer. Now I can afford to hire the work, finding someone may be the problem
instead. It keeps me awake sometimes

I trust my perspective brings some ease to your worries. I have been in this hobby for all of my life of 61 years. My father and a few friends founded the Houston, TX Model-A club back in the mid-1960s. I have seen/heard much of these same arguments almost every decade throughout that time. In the 70s it was hobbyists worried that all engines were going to insert bearings and no one would be able to cast (pour) engine bearings for the Model-A. Then the 80s came along and hobbyists were worried that with new car's engines going to electronic ignition, no one would know how to set the gap on ignition points, -and that was pivoting on even being able to find a set of points or condenser for such an old outdated car! Then in the 1990s, the worry was fuel injection was taking over all engines and no one would even know how to rebuild a Model-A carburetor. The 21st Century has brought new worries with Model-As having poor emissions and with electric cars taking over, where will we even be able to buy gasoline in the future to drive our beloved Model-A.

This same mindset was also applied to being able to buy tires, or where to buy lacquer paint, -or who would even want to own a Model-A and therefore we could never sell one when we get too old because "nobody will want them as kids today only want to play with computers".

It is truly amazing how all of that worked itself out!!

With regard to finding someone to work on your Model-A, based on ones that I know of today who specialize in Model-As on some level, you will have no problem getting your Model-A's needs met regarding restoration or repair.

dansluck · 01-26-2022, 09:52 AM

I bought my first Model A when I was 12. It taught me alot but I still feel sorry for that truck. That is how we learned about cars.

eagle · 01-26-2022, 10:37 AM

The only thing that really bothers me is when someone with no knowledge, skills, or experience decides they're going to "restore" an old car. First thing they do is start tearing apart, never to put back together again. Its none of my business what someone does with their own property, but it is sad to see.

burner31 · 01-26-2022, 10:49 AM

If you think it's bad in Model A's you should see how some Harley-Davidson owners are...can't change battery, can't change oil, can't put on the simplest little add-on do-dads, frankly, I'm surprised some of them could even wash their bike.
Back in the day when some of the week-end bikers would show up at the bar and try to be the "bad-ass biker" they'd get their clocks cleaned...so to speak

With Model A's...we're different, don't care if you can turn the wrench, it's a Model A...we love you Brother.

johnneilson · 01-26-2022, 11:01 AM

hmmmmm...

more division, maybe just appreciate the fact that we can enjoy the hobby, even if someone's car is not to Our liking.

John

chapmark256 · 01-26-2022, 11:46 AM

I got my 29 Model A handed down from great Grandpa, I have been storing it, keeping in barns and sheds for 30+ years. I just started in July 2021 to get it running and drivable. I have learned a lot. Doing the work yourself pays a lot of dividends, the feeling you get from working on the A is indescribable.

WHN · 01-26-2022, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chapmark256

I got my 29 Model A handed down from great Grandpa, I have been storing it, keeping in barns and sheds for 30+ years. I just started in July 2021 to get it running and drivable. I have learned a lot. Doing the work yourself pays a lot of dividends, the feeling you get from working on the A is indescribable.

Your Grandfather would be proud of you. Please don’t ever sell it. Try to pass it on.

Enjoy.

chrs1961815 · 01-26-2022, 12:24 PM

I agree with some of the sentiment. To own a model A, you have to have some mechanical experience just to operate the thing. Much less for the repairs that come up out of the blue.

aermotor · 01-26-2022, 02:59 PM

[QUOTE=Mike Peters Then we go through it, and either drive it ourselves or sell and make some $.]

Unless it was given to you the make some $'s doesn't happen too often.

Gene F · 01-26-2022, 07:38 PM

Lot of good points here. This remionds me of a car I was interested in, at Lloyd Youngs auction in 2018. I pasted that text in below:
I went to the bank and got things squared away, with a block of more than enough money on my checking acct, and got the letter I needed....

I wanted the 27 REO Flying Cloud 5-person sedan. It was Lloyd's touring car, and he had repainted it from "Old Blue" to a two-tone tan in recent years. He freshened up the car overall. I thought perhaps if I could get that car it would be worthy of an entry in The Great Race 2020. 2019 is already sold out. I stopped at $25,000 which was a little more than double the "book" value. I did a lot of value research in addition to value guides. The old guy kept bidding, and he just looked like he wasn't even going to so much as flinch until he said $30,000, which would have left me at $31,000 and that was way more than I wanted to pay. I never try to run up the bid on someone, I think it's dirty, and you never know when your opponent will stop and leave you stranded. I really wanted that car, but I felt like $25,000 with the 8% fee on top of that was a plenty. I told my wife a week before I wanted the car, but I didn't wanna pay more than about $20,000, or $25,000.

I wonder what that old guy thinks he is going to do with it. I mean I look at my collector cars as me just being the caretaker of them. I retired WAY EARLY, but collector cars will live beyond me, and I can still get around quite good. I hate to say it, but that guy is plainly in his late 70s, and can hardly walk. How in the heck is he even going to change the oil, and perform the annual lubrication on that car? The first time the car has a flat tire, the carburetor needs cleaned out, or some other minor maintenance repair the car will simply sit and deteriorate. The only two shops that perhaps work on something of that vintage are not even around here: Hills Restorations in Racine, OH, and perhaps the Studebaker specialty shop over in Duncan Falls, OH.
It sound like sour-grapes, but it's really not. Sure I would have liked to have it though, but I have enough collector cars to keep me plenty busy (both
driving and repairs).

Lets face it, the car is likely in as good a shape right now as it ever will be. I expect never to see it again. Someone said to me, you never know Gene, maybe he will die, and you can buy it from his estate cheaper. Sounds unfriendly to me, but perhaps there is some truth to it. It's more likely that (I kinda hate to even go down this road) by the time the car ever would become available again, it will have deteriorated again to where I would not even wanna fool with it. Lets face it, it's not like my Model-A where parts and resources are plentiful.

Actually, I think the auctioneering team did a nice job. Sometimes I go to auctions (including with my stuff up for sale) and feel like the auction team just don't know what to do. I was at one 12 months ago in Marietta, and it was terrible. The Aires' really
took a beating, and they likely didn't even know it.

Things they did before auction at Lloyd's:
Starting every car before the festivities
leaving the cars unlocked
starting them before each car was offered, went a long way.

I could go on, but your get the idea. You can tell when pre-planning is done.

So bottom line, I hope the old guy enjoys the 27 Flying Cloud. Sure he paid for it fair-and-square, but he also has a little bit of responsibility to the car, and the hobby we all love so much.

al's28/33 · 01-26-2022, 09:32 PM

I think the real point is being the proper steward or guardian of the antique/classic car for the time that you own it.
It's like having personal ownership of a fine piece of art in your home. You would display it safely and securely and have it insured. You look at it, study it, admire it and proudly boast of it's stately features. Would you erase the smile of the Mona Lisa and add vampire fangs to her ??
I have dreamed of owning my "A" since I was in grammar school. I am now 52 and have owned it for 20 years and still flood the engine from time to time trying to cold start it. I have worked on the carburetor, the horn, the gas gauge, the interior upholstery and searched all these past 20 years to locate the "period correct" components for a mid-year 1928 Model "A"...……. HOWEVER...….. I do not have the tools or space or experience to work on major engine/transmission issues and I do not feel knowledgeable enough to work on the brakes myself. I have found others from local clubs to work on those parts with my assistance and I do have a local mechanic willing to work on the front end alignment. I do not have the means to do body work, welding and repainting but I truly admire those who can.
I have found many of the FORDBARN members reasonably eager to help with my questions posted here and with full use of the internet I can locate distant shops and specialists who can help too. All those options are what makes the old car hobby so enjoyable. Just like the Mona Lisa, it was meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Being the proper guardians of our cars means we need to be responsible and keep them safe and reliable on the road. I also own a 1933 Ford V8 pickup which has different parts and problems but I have managed to restore it back and road safe. If I had the space and bottomless pockets I would have an early brass era car or Model "T" parked in my garage too ….. someday.....

CWPASADENA · 01-26-2022, 11:46 PM

A member of my local Model A Club bought his Model A about 15 years ago. He had no real mechanical experience and knew nothing about a Model A. With some help and guidance from other club members, he restored the car and then he and his wife proceeded to tour with the car. Sometimes it was an organized tour but often not. The have been all over the U.S. and have racked up more than 100K miles on the car. I think he is on his third engine.

If a person is willing to learn and ask for a little help from others, they can make good Model A owners.

Chris W.

WHN · 01-27-2022, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by al's28/33

I think the real point is being the proper steward or guardian of the antique/classic car for the time that you own it.
It's like having personal ownership of a fine piece of art in your home. You would display it safely and securely and have it insured. You look at it, study it, admire it and proudly boast of it's stately features. Would you erase the smile of the Mona Lisa and add vampire fangs to her ??
I have dreamed of owning my "A" since I was in grammar school. I am now 52 and have owned it for 20 years and still flood the engine from time to time trying to cold start it. I have worked on the carburetor, the horn, the gas gauge, the interior upholstery and searched all these past 20 years to locate the "period correct" components for a mid-year 1928 Model "A"...……. HOWEVER...….. I do not have the tools or space or experience to work on major engine/transmission issues and I do not feel knowledgeable enough to work on the brakes myself. I have found others from local clubs to work on those parts with my assistance and I do have a local mechanic willing to work on the front end alignment. I do not have the means to do body work, welding and repainting but I truly admire those who can.
I have found many of the FORDBARN members reasonably eager to help with my questions posted here and with full use of the internet I can locate distant shops and specialists who can help too. All those options are what makes the old car hobby so enjoyable. Just like the Mona Lisa, it was meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Being the proper guardians of our cars means we need to be responsible and keep them safe and reliable on the road. I also own a 1933 Ford V8 pickup which has different parts and problems but I have managed to restore it back and road safe. If I had the space and bottomless pockets I would have an early brass era car or Model "T" parked in my garage too ….. someday.....

I would have liked to have written this, very well done. Congratulations.

Enjoy.

Ted Duke · 01-27-2022, 05:55 PM

I only knew of ONE Model A Ford in the rural community I grew up in back in the forties and fifties. Yes, strange, but true.

In 1971 I bought a Model A Rdstr PU and started disassembly with my three very young sons. I found the RUST had been covered well and I had made a stupid mistake. Long story, I finally running in late 2021 but need to install the top.

I know people who have bought a running one and drove it. I know some who chopped their A into a rod.

IMHO there are too many people who want to run other people's lives. I wish someone would restore and love EVERY old car, but I don't think I have the right to tell you what to do with your car and I don't understand why people get charged up about it.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Rant over.

01-26-2022, 08:40 AM	#22
Chris in WNC Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Spruce Pine, NC Posts: 1,458	Re: Some people should not own a Model A There's no right or wrong answer. I grew up on my Grandpas farm and unlike many farmers, he was not a mechanic so I had no learning experience there. In college I worked at a full-service gas station and learned oil changes and tune-ups but not much more. Later in the hippie years I had a VW bug and no money so had to learn how to keep it afloat, with the help of John Muir's "Idiot" book. Almost 40 when I got the first Model A and was very comfortable by then taking it all apart and fixing things. Circumstances and temperment determine your style of Model A ownership. One of my friends in FL hardly knew which end of the wrench to grab, but after a couple years learning was confident and competent enough to drive it to NC alone in the winter. He is of modest means and could not hire a lot of work done.... Another friend has 16 or 17 old cars from Model Ts to 60's cars. He has deep pockets and retains a full-time employee to maintain his cars so all are dependably driveable at any time, and hires out all mechanical work. Everyone has to figure out their own solution. And yes, a few people probably are not well-suited to old car ownership. __________________ our next Model A is out there in the unknown......

01-26-2022, 08:41 AM	#23
Mike Peters Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South East Wisconsin Posts: 1,279	Re: Some people should not own a Model A F folks with little to no mechanical abilities buy Model A's all the time. Some are dreamers who want to restore/rebuild, or buy a nice car to drive. One of two things happen: 1. they realize that a Model A really isn't for them and sell it. or 2. It sits in their garage for many years untouched until circumstances change and either they or family members sell it to one of us. Then we go through it, and either drive it ourselves or sell and make some $. People don't live forever, but antique cars live on indefinitely.

01-26-2022, 09:06 AM	#24
Bob-A Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central FL, USA Posts: 1,137	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I have nothing against anybody, mechanically inclined or not, who want to own, drive or repair their "A". The ones I detest are the idiots who take nice restored/unrestored Model-A's and make what I call "crap"-rods! It is one thing to take a pile of rusted junk and make a beautiful piece of machinery 'vs' taking a nice old car and destroying it.......... Bob-A

01-26-2022, 09:32 AM	#26
51504bat Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: SoCal-Redlands Posts: 3,014	Re: Some people should not own a Model A Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) And there are some so called experts who shouldn't own one or at least keep their opinions to themselves. JMHO __________________ Making the simple complicated for over 30 years.

01-26-2022, 09:52 AM	#28
dansluck Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Nevada Posts: 217	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I bought my first Model A when I was 12. It taught me alot but I still feel sorry for that truck. That is how we learned about cars.

01-26-2022, 10:37 AM	#29
eagle Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Eagle Bend, MN Posts: 2,025	Re: Some people should not own a Model A The only thing that really bothers me is when someone with no knowledge, skills, or experience decides they're going to "restore" an old car. First thing they do is start tearing apart, never to put back together again. Its none of my business what someone does with their own property, but it is sad to see. __________________ "There are some that can destroy an anvil with a teaspoon and shouldn't be allowed to touch anything resembling a tool."

01-26-2022, 10:49 AM	#30
burner31 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Shawnee, Ok Posts: 3,471	Re: Some people should not own a Model A If you think it's bad in Model A's you should see how some Harley-Davidson owners are...can't change battery, can't change oil, can't put on the simplest little add-on do-dads, frankly, I'm surprised some of them could even wash their bike. Back in the day when some of the week-end bikers would show up at the bar and try to be the "bad-ass biker" they'd get their clocks cleaned...so to speak With Model A's...we're different, don't care if you can turn the wrench, it's a Model A...we love you Brother. __________________ Keith Shawnee OK '31 SW 160-B

01-26-2022, 11:01 AM	#31
johnneilson Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: 34.22 N 118.36 W Posts: 1,054	Re: Some people should not own a Model A hmmmmm... more division, maybe just appreciate the fact that we can enjoy the hobby, even if someone's car is not to Our liking. John __________________ As Carroll Smith wrote; All Failures are Human in Origin.

01-26-2022, 11:46 AM	#32
chapmark256 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Gadsden, Alabama Posts: 14	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I got my 29 Model A handed down from great Grandpa, I have been storing it, keeping in barns and sheds for 30+ years. I just started in July 2021 to get it running and drivable. I have learned a lot. Doing the work yourself pays a lot of dividends, the feeling you get from working on the A is indescribable.

01-26-2022, 12:24 PM	#34
chrs1961815 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Spring Grove, Illinois Posts: 1,371	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I agree with some of the sentiment. To own a model A, you have to have some mechanical experience just to operate the thing. Much less for the repairs that come up out of the blue. __________________ "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

01-26-2022, 02:59 PM	#35
aermotor Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,099	Re: Some people should not own a Model A [QUOTE=Mike Peters Then we go through it, and either drive it ourselves or sell and make some $.] Unless it was given to you the make some $'s doesn't happen too often.

01-26-2022, 07:38 PM	#36
Gene F Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,958	Re: Some people should not own a Model A Lot of good points here. This remionds me of a car I was interested in, at Lloyd Youngs auction in 2018. I pasted that text in below: I went to the bank and got things squared away, with a block of more than enough money on my checking acct, and got the letter I needed.... I wanted the 27 REO Flying Cloud 5-person sedan. It was Lloyd's touring car, and he had repainted it from "Old Blue" to a two-tone tan in recent years. He freshened up the car overall. I thought perhaps if I could get that car it would be worthy of an entry in The Great Race 2020. 2019 is already sold out. I stopped at $25,000 which was a little more than double the "book" value. I did a lot of value research in addition to value guides. The old guy kept bidding, and he just looked like he wasn't even going to so much as flinch until he said $30,000, which would have left me at $31,000 and that was way more than I wanted to pay. I never try to run up the bid on someone, I think it's dirty, and you never know when your opponent will stop and leave you stranded. I really wanted that car, but I felt like $25,000 with the 8% fee on top of that was a plenty. I told my wife a week before I wanted the car, but I didn't wanna pay more than about $20,000, or $25,000. I wonder what that old guy thinks he is going to do with it. I mean I look at my collector cars as me just being the caretaker of them. I retired WAY EARLY, but collector cars will live beyond me, and I can still get around quite good. I hate to say it, but that guy is plainly in his late 70s, and can hardly walk. How in the heck is he even going to change the oil, and perform the annual lubrication on that car? The first time the car has a flat tire, the carburetor needs cleaned out, or some other minor maintenance repair the car will simply sit and deteriorate. The only two shops that perhaps work on something of that vintage are not even around here: Hills Restorations in Racine, OH, and perhaps the Studebaker specialty shop over in Duncan Falls, OH. It sound like sour-grapes, but it's really not. Sure I would have liked to have it though, but I have enough collector cars to keep me plenty busy (both driving and repairs). Lets face it, the car is likely in as good a shape right now as it ever will be. I expect never to see it again. Someone said to me, you never know Gene, maybe he will die, and you can buy it from his estate cheaper. Sounds unfriendly to me, but perhaps there is some truth to it. It's more likely that (I kinda hate to even go down this road) by the time the car ever would become available again, it will have deteriorated again to where I would not even wanna fool with it. Lets face it, it's not like my Model-A where parts and resources are plentiful. Actually, I think the auctioneering team did a nice job. Sometimes I go to auctions (including with my stuff up for sale) and feel like the auction team just don't know what to do. I was at one 12 months ago in Marietta, and it was terrible. The Aires' really took a beating, and they likely didn't even know it. Things they did before auction at Lloyd's: Starting every car before the festivities leaving the cars unlocked starting them before each car was offered, went a long way. I could go on, but your get the idea. You can tell when pre-planning is done. So bottom line, I hope the old guy enjoys the 27 Flying Cloud. Sure he paid for it fair-and-square, but he also has a little bit of responsibility to the car, and the hobby we all love so much.

01-26-2022, 09:32 PM	#37
al's28/33 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Redwood City, CA Posts: 1,591	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I think the real point is being the proper steward or guardian of the antique/classic car for the time that you own it. It's like having personal ownership of a fine piece of art in your home. You would display it safely and securely and have it insured. You look at it, study it, admire it and proudly boast of it's stately features. Would you erase the smile of the Mona Lisa and add vampire fangs to her ?? I have dreamed of owning my "A" since I was in grammar school. I am now 52 and have owned it for 20 years and still flood the engine from time to time trying to cold start it. I have worked on the carburetor, the horn, the gas gauge, the interior upholstery and searched all these past 20 years to locate the "period correct" components for a mid-year 1928 Model "A"...……. HOWEVER...….. I do not have the tools or space or experience to work on major engine/transmission issues and I do not feel knowledgeable enough to work on the brakes myself. I have found others from local clubs to work on those parts with my assistance and I do have a local mechanic willing to work on the front end alignment. I do not have the means to do body work, welding and repainting but I truly admire those who can. I have found many of the FORDBARN members reasonably eager to help with my questions posted here and with full use of the internet I can locate distant shops and specialists who can help too. All those options are what makes the old car hobby so enjoyable. Just like the Mona Lisa, it was meant to be enjoyed by everyone. Being the proper guardians of our cars means we need to be responsible and keep them safe and reliable on the road. I also own a 1933 Ford V8 pickup which has different parts and problems but I have managed to restore it back and road safe. If I had the space and bottomless pockets I would have an early brass era car or Model "T" parked in my garage too ….. someday..... __________________ 1928 "A" Phaeton (mid year with many early features) 1933 "V8" Closed-Cab Pickup Truck (originally a Model B, 4 Cylinder dating to May, 1933)

01-26-2022, 11:46 PM	#38
CWPASADENA Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: PASADENA, CA Posts: 1,882	Re: Some people should not own a Model A A member of my local Model A Club bought his Model A about 15 years ago. He had no real mechanical experience and knew nothing about a Model A. With some help and guidance from other club members, he restored the car and then he and his wife proceeded to tour with the car. Sometimes it was an organized tour but often not. The have been all over the U.S. and have racked up more than 100K miles on the car. I think he is on his third engine. If a person is willing to learn and ask for a little help from others, they can make good Model A owners. Chris W.

01-27-2022, 05:55 PM	#40
Ted Duke Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fairfield, Virginia Posts: 615	Re: Some people should not own a Model A I only knew of ONE Model A Ford in the rural community I grew up in back in the forties and fifties. Yes, strange, but true. In 1971 I bought a Model A Rdstr PU and started disassembly with my three very young sons. I found the RUST had been covered well and I had made a stupid mistake. Long story, I finally running in late 2021 but need to install the top. I know people who have bought a running one and drove it. I know some who chopped their A into a rod. IMHO there are too many people who want to run other people's lives. I wish someone would restore and love EVERY old car, but I don't think I have the right to tell you what to do with your car and I don't understand why people get charged up about it. Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Rant over.