1929 4dr?

[skawars1]

Hey All,
A buddy an I am looking at what we think is 1929 4dr to restore. It's a sure cool car. Runs rough, little rust, bad interior. The seller thinks it's a 29. Not knowing allot about these types of cars are there certain things we should be looking at and what would be a good offer?
Thanks

[Steve Wastler]

The fordors have a large amount of wood in the body, can get very expensive, for the kit and if you have to pay someone to install it.

[Hicktick]

The main thing I would look at if buying it would be the title.

I am not trying to be a smartass .

[skawars1]

Are titles even available for these cars? And what is a general price for an unrestored one?

[Hicktick]

Most cars have titles , check with your state DMV

Tell us where you are and im sure someone will help you from a local club.

As for the value ??? post some pictures of it in detail or get some help from an A club member .

[Charlie Stephens]

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Originally Posted by skawars1

Are titles even available for these cars? And what is a general price for an unrestored one?

skawars1,

Couple of things. It would be nice to know at least know your first name. Mr. skawars1 just doesn't have a nice ring to it (did you mother hate you when you were born and actually name you that?). Next it would be nice to know in general where you live. Are you asking about a title in Afghanistan or California? And your second question about the price. It is good to see the picture. It looks a lot better than what I expected. Without looking at it up close about $5000 might be a good price. The devil is in the details. You should contact someone that is familiar with the Model A to look at it. Go to MACFA.com or modelaford.org and find a local club (probably none available in Afghanistan). I would strongly recommend if you are just getting into the hobby that you buy one you can drive. You could very well lose interest in one that is a monumental task. I know that I am not motivated enough to tackle a '28/'29 Fordor with all off its wood. You might find the following web site interesting. I wrote this and Jim Mason was kind enough to post it on his site.

http://jmodela.coffeecup.com/wherestart.html


Best of luck and welcome to the hobby,

Charlie Stephens

[skawars1]

Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens

skawars1,

Couple of things. It would be nice to know at least know your first name. Mr. skawars1 just doesn't have a nice ring to it (did you mother hate you when you were born and actually name you that?). Next it would be nice to know in general where you live. Are you asking about a title in Afghanistan or California? And your second question about the price. You haven't even posted a picture. It is very possible that free might be too much, or a couple of thousand reasonable. I would strongly recommend if you are just getting into the hobby that you buy one you can drive. You could very well lose interest in one that is a monumental task. I know that I am not motivated enough to tackle a '28/'29 Fordor with all off its wood. You might find the following web site interesting. I wrote this and Jim Mason was kind enough to post it on his site.

http://jmodela.coffeecup.com/wherestart.html


Best of luck and welcome to the hobby,

Charlie Stephens

My name is Brent. As this is the web I normally do not give out my real name. Anonymity and web safety are wonderful things. I should know since I work in IT. I am located in the Chicagland area. That car is downstate and will be sold tomorrow. Last month I sold my 1958 Buick Roadmaster and am looking for a new project. I think this might be it if the price is right.

[Terry, NJ]

Are you sure it's a 29? Some things I se in the picture suggest to me that it's 30/31. I wish I could see the radiator. That's the ndefining thing for me, but The wheel look as though they're 19", not 21". The 30/31 are 19". Another thing, are there holes in the cowl, at the top, where something has been removed? Does it have a dome light in roughly the center of the cart or is the light in the back, over the window. Is there a folding arm rest between the two passengers in the rear seat? These are defining characteristics of models. Judging by what I can see it looks like it might bbe a $5000 car. Good luck!
Terry

Originally Posted by skawars1

My name is Brent. As this is the web I normally do not give out my real name. Anonymity and web safety are wonderful things. I should know since I work in IT. I am located in the Chicagland area. That car is downstate and will be sold tomorrow. Last month I sold my 1958 Buick Roadmaster and am looking for a new project. I think this might be it if the price is right.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

Are you sure it's a 29? Some things I se in the picture suggest to me that it's 30/31. I wish I could see the radiator. That's the ndefining thing for me, but The wheel look as though they're 19", not 21". The 30/31 are 19". Another thing, are there holes in the cowl, at the top, where something has been removed? Does it have a dome light in roughly the center of the cart or is the light in the back, over the window. Is there a folding arm rest between the two passengers in the rear seat? These are defining characteristics of models. Judging by what I can see it looks like it might bbe a $5000 car. Good luck!
Terry

Terry, What picture are you looking at ?? 100 % a 1929 including the wheels..

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

Are you sure it's a 29? Some things I se in the picture suggest to me that it's 30/31. I wish I could see the radiator. That's the ndefining thing for me, but The wheel look as though they're 19", not 21". The 30/31 are 19". Another thing, are there holes in the cowl, at the top, where something has been removed? Does it have a dome light in roughly the center of the cart or is the light in the back, over the window. Is there a folding arm rest between the two passengers in the rear seat? These are defining characteristics of models. Judging by what I can see it looks like it might bbe a $5000 car. Good luck!
Terry

Everything looks 29 to me except the later headlamps. Small hubcaps on 21" wheels and the front fenders hug the wheels, where the 30-1 fenders drop down much more gradually.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by skawars1

Are titles even available for these cars? And what is a general price for an unrestored one?

As mentioned above, the Model A VIN (actually a serial number) should be stamped on the frame rail under the left front corner of the body. If the engine is original, the same number should be stamped on the left side of the block just below the head. IL is a title state although they do not require VIN inspection on transfer, unless that has changed recently. That said, I would not buy the car unless it has a title in the seller's name and the VIN on the title matches the number on the car.

It seems the consensus on price is $5K and artdeco's rough estimate for restoration is $12K. You may not be in it to make money but, to keep things in perspective, I think you'd be doing good to sell it for what you'd have in it. Another thing to keep in mind is that IL collects tax on private sales. In this case, that will be only $25 if the purchase price is under $15K. It would be foolish to pay anywhere near that but if you did, the tax would be $750 - $1500 depending on price. Finally, IL requires liability insurance and has several license plate categories.

As for anonymity and web safety, I completely agree. There are some good folks on this forum and I can understand how they might interpret anonymity as lack of trust or having something to hide. But this forum can be read by anybody, anytime, anywhere and some of them may be not-so-good folks. And no, although I know a little about IL vehicle transactions, I ain't there!

[skawars1]

Wow. You guys are quite a knowledgeable group. I have learned allot very quickly. Looks like there is not a clear title for the car. So we decided to pass on it. Too bad since it looked like a fun project. Something way different than the 50s "chrome tank" I had before. Thank you all for your help.
B

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by skawars1

Wow. You guys are quite a knowledgeable group. I have learned allot very quickly. Looks like there is not a clear title for the car. So we decided to pass on it. Too bad since it looked like a fun project. Something way different than the 50s "chrome tank" I had before. Thank you all for your help.
B

If the price is right and the wood is OK I wouldn't let the title stop the purchase. I bought several cars without titles. My 29 and 31 Model A's cost $250 each to get the title and tax paid.

[1930artdeco]

Yes there are titles and if it doesn't have one, then be VERY carful! Since this is a fordor and runs a bit rough here is kind of what to expect in restoration costs:
wood:$4K
paint: $2-3K
Interior: $2K
engine: $3K

These are numbers I found looking for prices for my car, so you can get a rough idea of what to expect.

Mike

[skawars1]

Thanks. What would be a good offer?

[skawars1]

This is the only pic I have at the moment.

[Semper Fi]

I blew the picture up to 400% and it does not have a 28/29 cowl. I agree the wheels look to be 21 inch , but that cowl goes straight down like a 30/31.

Ernie

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Semper Fi

I blew the picture up to 400% and it does not have a 28/29 cowl. I agree the wheels look to be 21 inch , but that cowl goes straight down like a 30/31.

Ernie

Yep, Briggs and Murray built bodies are like that. Ford built bodies in 28 and 29 had that neat antique looking offset, including the 4 door taxi.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by Semper Fi

I blew the picture up to 400% and it does not have a 28/29 cowl. I agree the wheels look to be 21 inch , but that cowl goes straight down like a 30/31.

Ernie

You need to read up on the cowls that some (all?) of the 4 doors had. I know where you are coming from since that is not the usual '28-'29 cowl found on most body styles but that cowl is correct.

Charlie Stephens

[Tom Wesenberg]

From the looks of that picture I'd leave it as is and drive it. That looks like good paint and what little I can see of the inside I don't see the headliner hanging down. Depending on the wood condition I'd say $5,000 might be a good buy.