Value of an Un-Restored Model A Engine

[Swingle]

Do I want to get "out" of the Model A Hobby? No, I enjoy driving my Model A's, and love to work on them - even when they frustrate you with a simple fix.


As I said in original post, I no longer see a need to have all these Model A engines in storage, last count was 20. Would like to 'thin the herd down', and maybe keep 2 of them. Have them mounted 2 per pallet, tucked up on pallet racking, easy to get to with the fork lift.


I have no desire to tear apart the blocks, selling the good parts, salvaging the rest. I have enough projects around here.



Just curious with the new Burtz block, if there is even a market for someone to buy 'barn-stored' Model A engines, that are close to 100 years old.

[Ernie Vitucci]

Good Morning...You might advertise them in the two national magazines at moderate prices...folks within a days drive of you might come and purchase them...We see that happening in Arizona...Ernie in Arizona!

[J Franklin]

Take 4-5 to a swap meet and keep lowering the price as the day wears on. have a sign offering them all.

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

Take 4-5 to a swap meet and keep lowering the price as the day wears on. have a sign offering them all.

I came upon about 3/4's of a pick up load of good Model A parts while buying a V8 parts lot. We took the Model A parts to Hershey.

In that lot, were very nice but used Ford script distributor caps. I had them for $2.00. I am 53 and anyone older than me that looked at them, would pick them up and offer $0.50 or want more than one for $2.00.

A new, in the box commercial side view mirror. It sells for $30 new plus shipping. We were asking $20. Not one offer even close. $10 was the highest of about about 7-8 offers.

I have other examples of this cheapskate behavior, but I don't want to derail the thread.

Anyway, I have two friends who were also at the swap and they are heavily into Model A's.

I was so sick of dealing with the low ballers, I offered all of the remaining stuff- good brake drums, brake parts, other stuff for $50. They were happy to have it, I was happy to get rid of it so I could stop dealing with the all the nickel and diming.

Think long and hard about hauling around potentially bad parts. If you can verify they are good, it may be worth your time. If it's questionable, get rid of it. Your back and sanity will thank you.

[Joe K]

I have other examples of this cheapskate behavior, but I don't want to derail the thread.

Easy to call it "cheapskate" - BUT you're selling to a market which is "saturated." And getting more so with the passing of those who actually LIVED the Model A Ford. Maybe as a pre-WWII driver - but certainly as a 1950s-1960s "cheap transportation" aficionado. Or possibly as a 1960s "Happy Days" rodder.

Cheap transportation - a concept used to good effect in the muffler commercials of the 1970s. (RT 45 sec)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCyJ47cZm2E

"See you 'round boys..."

One imagines even old man Creedy is dead now. I wonder what happened to "Annabelle?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hoyt

Joe K

[Tim Ayers]

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Originally Posted by Joe K

Easy to call it "cheapskate" - BUT you're selling to a market which is "saturated." And getting more so with the passing of those who actually LIVED the Model A Ford. Maybe as a pre-WWII driver - but certainly as a 1950s-1960s "cheap transportation" aficionado. Or possibly as a 1960s "Happy Days" rodder.

Cheap transportation - a concept used to good effect in the muffler commercials of the 1970s. (RT 45 sec)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCyJ47cZm2E

"See you 'round boys..."

One imagines even old man Creedy is dead now. I wonder what happened to "Annabelle?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hoyt

Joe K

I don't agree, Joe. What I experienced is flat out cheapskate behavior. Lets be honest and call it like it is.

[ModelA29]

At a recent SoCal estate sale A/B blocks and A/B/C cranks were sitting unsold for $20. These had been cleaned and inspected when they were disassembled. At the Pomona swap meet a month ago there was a guy with 2 complete engines carb-dist-etc - he was hoping to sell them for enough to get his $70 space fee back.

[ronn]

interesting thread- I see both sides of the coin and understand why china ends up with all of our metal.


Just isnt worth the time.

[DJ S]

Originally Posted by ModelA29

At a recent SoCal estate sale A/B blocks and A/B/C cranks were sitting unsold for $20. These had been cleaned and inspected when they were disassembled. At the Pomona swap meet a month ago there was a guy with 2 complete engines carb-dist-etc - he was hoping to sell them for enough to get his $70 space fee back.

I had a similar experience a few years ago at an estate auction. Pallets with 5+ complete engines each selling for no more than $100. Most of the buyers took the best looking one off the pallet and let the auctioneers scrap the rest.

[David in San Antonio]

I feel your pain, brother. A few weeks ago I gave away for free a 24 year old German sports sedan with somewhat unusual spec package. I had bought it new in 2000 and loved driving it. Then the darn thing started failing, one startlingly expensive German part at a time. Then in pairs, then all at once. I just couldn’t summon the energy to deal with it anymore.
Copart offered me $170 for it so I gave it away. According to the fellow I gave it to, $1,000 in parts and free labor got it running. The windows don’t open and the a/c doesn’t work, but now someone has a jalopy to get to work in. A very high spec sports sedan jalopy.
I’m happy it’s helping someone and thrilled not to have it hanging over my head as a failed project any more.
Also my name came up at a recent HOA meeting and they were fixing to send me a letter about the non-running car in my driveway.

[California Travieso]

Originally Posted by ronn

interesting thread- I see both sides of the coin and understand why china ends up with all of our metal.


Just isnt worth the time.

A lot of the cheapskates want the parts cheap so they can re-sell them to people who need them. I’ve been to a lot of swap meets where the sellers leave their wives at their space while they’re out looking for “bargains” to flip.

Meanwhile, those of us who genuinely are looking for parts we need are left with price inflation. Same thing with real estate. A realtor bought my neighbors house, did some cosmetic upgrades and flip it for twice what he paid my neighbor.

David Serrano

[Keith True]

A man closed his dairy operation down in the early 50's,most of his land became Pease Air Force base.He was left well off,and took up tinkering with Model A engines.He'd take them apart,tinker them up,run them,put them on a skid and line them up in the barn.His son died in the early 2000's,and the family had a local scrap place haul everything away.The scrap guy lined them up in his yard and found either an A club or just a group of A guys to come look at them.He wanted what they would bring him at the dock.They showed up with toolboxes and rags,and he asked them what they thought they were going to do.They wanted to pull pans,heads,and do inspections.Not happening.It was,you point,and I will pick it up and load.He was a scrap dealer,not a parts seller.A couple of the guys tried to argue with him,and at that point he started snapping off the generators and starters with the backhoe bucket.

[dmar836]

LOL. Can't blame him. There is nuance in this world and some respect for others time and cheap prices. My family did occasional garage sales in the 80s. Our outgrown stuff - not flipping stuff. My mom would sell a Polo oxford shirt(fairly pricey at the time) for $2 and someone asked if she'd take $.25. That's not frugal or wisdom. That's looking a gift horse in the mouth. Two sides indeed.

I think it's also an age thing. We all can acknowledge we have more than we need and I, for one, cannot justify more unless it's a deal. I have car parts, motorcycles, bicycles, etc, I've paid good, competitive prices for but I would now rather give things away to a younger person who would be into it but there are only those with dollar signs in their eyes so it all slowly rots in place.

Secondly, quick money is more important to people anymore than about anything else...sadly. Fill in the rest.

D

[Seth Swoboda]

WOW, you guys are mostly pessimist. The consenus here is that if you have Model A engines that are not running but cores that need rebuilding, they are all junk so throw them away. I'll assume your are correct. Therefore anyone that needs an engine to rebuild or has an engine that needs rebuilt throws them away and buys a Burtz. Okay, I suppose I can believe that.

I know that the cost to build a Burtz engine or rebuild a Ford block cost about half as much as the average driver model A is worth. I understand that.

When I restored my '31 Victoria, it needed an engine. I picked what looked like a good candidate from my supply, had it checked out and it passed as good. Damn good thing I didn't give up and throw my entire car and engine away.

I am an early V8 guy. I have rebuilt 5 flathead V8's. I have found a couple of blocks over the years that were cracked and no good. I took a chance on them knowing that they might not be good. Usually paying no more than $200 for a core engine. I do not advocate for throwing used, non running V8 engines in the scrap heap.

I have Model A engines that are potentially cores for someone to rebuild. Price is entirely negotiable as I'd rather help someone out than scrap them. After this thread, I'm taking all my Model A parts to the recycler. Well gotta get going before they close.

[Tim Ayers]

Don't get me wrong, I like a bargain like everyone else. Sometimes these lowballs are just insulting. We all know folks who are the I got 'ems. I got this so cheap way back. I got this so cheap back then. On and on. When they need something, they chisel you down to the point of surrender. When you need something from them, all the sudden they've got the Midas touch and everything they touch is made of solid gold.

I'm so over those type of people. At this point in my life, I try to give away parts to people I know will use them. Have I been burned? Sure, but lesson learned and they are off my list.

[Oldbluoval]

“ WOW, you guys are mostly pessimist. ”

A pessimist is an optimist….after 20
Years!

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

Don't get me wrong, I like a bargain like everyone else. Sometimes these lowballs are just insulting. We all know folks who are the I got 'ems. I got this so cheap way back. I got this so cheap back then. On and on. When they need something, they chisel you down to the point of surrender. When you need something from them, all the sudden they've got the Midas touch and everything they touch is made of solid gold.

I'm so over those type of people. At this point in my life, I try to give away parts to people I know will use them. Have I been burned? Sure, but lesson learned and they are off my list.

Tim, I get ya. I had a local EAA Chapter inquire about a Pietenpol build that needed a Model A engine. I told the guys I'd give them an engine until we found a good one. The cost was a ride in the airplane when it was finished.

[jgriffin]

Swingle,


I would post them! Post them here, post them on Facebook and post them on Craigslist. I am fairly new into the hobby (2 years) and have paid a premium for not so premium parts. I have not been in the hobby long enough to have a pile parts so I get whats offered. Seems to me $100 a engine would be a fair gamble?!



Good luck with thinning out your collection

[dmar836]

Seth, I haven't seen anyone say throw them away, just that because rebuilds are so costly, they are worth very little as a core. I, too, have 4-5 flathead V8s and lots of parts. I see people asking tons for a core but I couldn't give one away.
Dave

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by dmar836

Seth, I haven't seen anyone say throw them away, just that because rebuilds are so costly, they are worth very little as a core. I, too, have 4-5 flathead V8s and lots of parts. I see people asking tons for a core but I couldn't give one away.
Dave

Dave I have sold V8's to folks to rebuild for $100-$200 with no issues. They were all happy and satisfied. That's why I don't buy into the idea that, well it cost too much and the block is probably no good so junk it. In fact I thinned down my V8 engine supply fairly easily to the point I got worried and bought more engines. Personally, every aspect of this hobby cost more than any early Ford is worth and it makes no practicle sense to spend $1 on one of these cars. It's a hobby and I enjoy it. That is why I do it. I guess I could start smoking dope instead? I just can't be that negative about the hobby.