Question about value of a 24 Model T

[mrhyde]

A high school classmate of my father has a 1924 model T his father purchased new. I have expressed an interest in purchasing the car, but I am not sure what it might be worth in the current condition. I have posted a few pictures for those interested in looking or suggesting what the value of a completely unmolested 1924 Model T might be. You can see the picture here: http://www.datsun2000.com/modelt/ Sorry about the quality of my cell phone. Thank you.

[Jack Innes]

A major consideration is the condition of the wood. A hat pin can sometimes find soft areas without doing damage. The header over the windshield is often soft. The moisture you mentioned could have caused rot. This is a great consideration in value.

You will be surprised how good it would look cleaned & rubbed down with an oily rag. It certainly is a candidate to be left original.

Does the engine need to be rebuilt? It may run fine as is. The differential likely still has babbit thrust washers which should be replaced with bronze ones before they come apart on their own.

[t42]

Very nice T. Prices are all over the place right now. Have the Owner determine his asking price, you might be surprised or you might be shocked, but at least you have not offended anyone. At that point you can accept, walk away, or counter-offer. Once common ground is established, the cost of transportation, parts, restoration (optional) etc. all have to be considered. I would check past auction and sales results for a rough idea as to value. Local T clubs may help also. As long as you and the present Owner are happy with the deal, that is all that matters. Good luck, I hope it all works out.

[Big John]

please keep the car in its original condition ... a good wash job will make it look wonderful.... only repair what is needed for safety, and running gear.....there is a lot of original parts out there both used and n.o.s. gud luck....

[yachtsmanbill]

Let the owner price it first! If you promise to "keep it in the family" he may love you like a son! In the real world Id say 3500 would be OK... 2500 would be pretty good, and 1500 would be outstanding with your promise to him to keep it.
The cracked front right fender is offset by that neat horn button! ws

[dumb person]

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Rub it with oil, it may not need repainting. Is the battery a wooden ford one? If it was it would be worth repairing rather than using a plastic replacement.

[CharlieB]

It's a nice car and the history is a definite plus. The fact that it hasn't run in 60 years actually can work in your favor. Especially if it really was only a carb problem. Honestly, you can't do much to this car. It's so original it's almost nuts. You don't find them that way any more. I think you'll be surprised at how it cleans up. That dirt is really your friend though you might not think so now. Bill is totally correct: Let the seller price it. Get someone that knows T's to assess it with you. You can use his expertise to chop the price a bit. DO NOT JUMP AT IT. Unless the price is really low. that is. Good Luck.

[mrhyde]

Thanks for all the input. The owner is not hot to sell, so I am not worried about loosing it without a chance to purchase it. He is holding off in case his kids might want the car. I will have my father talk to them, but I don't think they are interested at this point.

I appreciate the information about where the wood is located in the body, and a simple suggestion to look for problems there. The next time I see the car I will check the wood out to help me understand what I am buying when we get down to purchasing the car.

As to a major restoration. I understand there are only a few cars left in similar condition, so my first inclination is to keep it as is as much as possible. After not turning over for over 60 years I do expect to rebuild the engine, but that should not be a large problem.

I don't know about the battery, but I will take a look next time I see the car if I can. If it is a wooden battery I will look into having it restored. Suggestions about improving hidden components will likely be done to improve reliability without changing the character of the car.

[CanCoupe]

Small detail perhaps, but that horn button on top of the steering wheel tells me there's a good chance the car came from Ford Walkerville (Canada.)
Look on the head, crankcase, running boards and likely the rad shell and tell us if you see "Made In Canada" anywhere...

[mrhyde]

I know there was a Model T in a very small garage about 50 years ago. When I saw it I remember the body color was light green with black fenders, and we were told the car was built in Canada. While there is very little green on the body today, it does look like there are traces of green and a green pinstripe around the body below the windows. I am beginning to think this is the same car, which I always thought was a year or so off of this one.

I just noticed one photo did not work. It has been repaired to show the interior and side vies of the steering wheel.