All those body, seat and timing tags are bogus. No way that car did 8.80 in the 1/4. No interior or sound deadening material means that it will be a rowdy trip to the burger joint with no mufflers. There is really no high dollar parts used in this build, but appears to me as solid hot rod construction. Body work is so-so. deck lid fit is poor and there are ripples on the cat walk. I would peg it as $20,000-24,000 as a good deal. You're 50 so you might want a little more room and comfort, don't think you're 19 again and can drive this cross country.
As Bill Engvall would say, "Here's your sign!" See if they can put you in touch with the guy or shop that built the car. Please educate me, what is an "engine tube"? I've not heard the phrase before.
I have a Model A as well. That is a Nice car. I have a few questions I would ask them. Mine is. 1930 and was home built and has an aftermarket A frame. I bought it last year from a local family. If you want to get a bit of advice from a Newbie that has learned a lot. Give me a buzz. Nick Sent from my Pixel XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
'Engine tube' is a term used in Australia. It's a tube from chassis rail to rail bolted to the frame rails that also usually incorporates the engine mounts. Sort of an extra crossmember. (Please correct me if I'm wrong mgtstumpy).
There must be some large shows in your area, I bet you could find a dozen cars for sale for the same or less money that you could drive and examine in person. I have bought cars for projects by looking at pictures, always somewhat less than I expected but low enough price I could live with it. If I was looking for a complete car I would do whatever it took to look at it in person, test drive it and think about it over night. You are at the cusp of 32 or 34 Ford prices, usually a better investment long term than a model A, not that anything is wrong with A's. As previously mentioned the cars got larger as time went on, be sure to take a long drive in whatever you buy first.
OK. Looks like the frame is boxed. Everyone agrees that this car is OK, but they think it’s overpriced and you should keep looking. They are spotting flaws and things that bother them. $30k is a lot of money. You are a working man. You toiled hard all of your life and you have responsibilities. That’s why you should just go ahead and buy this car right now. Because it will make you happy and you’ve earned it. You will die of old age before you live up to everyone else’s’ standards. (and I can’t stand electricians. You guys are like bunny rabbits; any time you are in one spot for more than 2 minutes you leave a bunch of wire trimmings and plastic from strippings for everyone else to pick up. ) Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
@clunker - That's a broad brush you're painting with. 20 years self employed as a master electrician with a reputation well earned because I am clean and neat. The job isn't done till it looks like we weren't even there. I don't tolerate sloppiness and all my work is referrals from happy customers.
I've known electricians and plumbers (yeah, I said plumbers) who are as much artists as they are craftsmen and tradesmen. They simply do not tolerate shit work (no pun intended regarding the plumber) and will always go the extra mile to make sure the job that they do is beautiful.
Ask all the questions you need to from the people with access to the car. Hell if a sales guy can't get down on his knees and take a look under it for you or snap a picture or two of something you want to see then he doesn't want to sell it too badly. Then use as much info as you can get from them to make a decision as to if the price is too steep for that car or not. A lot of the keyboard jockeys will tell you that they could get that car for way less than that, but if the car rings your bell and is well put together, do what makes you happy.
The listing says it has been painted silver, but it sure looks like its bare steel cleaned with a scotch brite pad and some Gibbs. For that money it better have some type of paint on it. If it is painted it is splotchy and uneven as hell. the trunk lid looks like it has stripes in it. which is not hard to do with silver paint......ask me how I know...
I agree with most, that is a really solid well built, nice, attention to detail hot rod. But, its too much money and the company selling it doesn't know anything about it, so it would be a no deal for me. You need to connect with a builder of the car, (any car) and get details of how it was built before buying a car if you're new, then you have some history and confidence the car will suit you. Lots of fine cars on the hamb, check out the classifieds.
@Chaka I think you've just discovered your true carlust is for a hot Model A. You're agonizing over this one car because it may be the first one that really struck a deep chord at the right time. I would advise you to take a little time and sleep on it. Look around you (I use Craigslist and FB to look for stuff a lot) and in the classifieds here on the HAMB. Go look at the cars that you find that flip your switch. It's Spring finally, so go to hot rod shows, talk to guys about their cars. Go to swap meets, look at all the stuff; buy some of it if you find something you think you NEED in your car someday (I've got a box full of cool pieces like switches, gauges, mirrors, lights, etc.) because the time to buy that stuff is when you see it and you'll help make that guy selling's day. Talk to those guys too. I'm having a little bit of an issue seeing $33k there too. It LOOKS like nice work from the photos, but I don't see any paintwork, interior, or pedigree that I would expect of a 33 thousand dollar model A. I can see there being an argument for quality workmanship but that's something you would need to inspect firsthand and by knowing who built it.
I’m a carpenter and am always working with electricians, (all of them great, many good friends), but they tend to clip-clip-clip, then walk away. Just like sometimes I’ll leave a little dust pile as a love offering. (Just a friendly jab, from one tradesperson to another, brotha.) Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Maybe I'm cheap, or can't afford to charge electricians rates, but I'm always picking up their copper scrap. Bit by bit you have a 5 gallon bucket full. Bob
I took a cruise around your local Craigslist and I can see why $33k seems so reasonable to you. Some guys asking top dollar out your way on there. BUT, there are nice cars that aren't two states away! The Rufus Ranch is out your way I think. http://www.rufusranch.com/Model A Page.html They have a lot of stuff from what I can tell and I spotted this AV8 pickup that seems nicely priced and a good place to start for someone who wants to tinker without getting full on into a build. http://www.rufusranch.com/29pickup6.htm https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/cto/d/brainerd-1929-ford-model-pickup/6840106523.html Ad says: "1929 Pickup Mercury Flathead F-1 Transmission Runs Great! Solid Body $13500.00 More pictures are at: http://www.rufusranch.com/29pickup6.htm I will trade for Ford Model A's, Cushman Scooters and Pre 1966 Snowmobiles" I would clean up that unsealed primer, paint it however I liked & buy a new wood kit to get the roof to look right. You can buy steel roofs for these too which might be a better option on that truck. If nothing else, it's good to look at stuff and digest it, figuring out what you like/don't like and what stuff is going for.
I sincerely appreciate all the honest opinions you have shared. I'm not so sure about "too loud" being an issue for me, in fact I am looking for something with a bit of angry tendencies but I thank you for the input. I agree this tag is suspect and the disc brakes and 283 seem to preclude this car from earning the time in 1941, but do sand/salt flat timing organizations gather both the time and speed over a set distance? I am aware that they gather speed stats, but i don't recall seeing any time notes?
There are similar cars in Minnesota that can be bought for same or less money if you look Looks like a decent car but you never know until you touch it or dig into it
I bought an OT Alfa Romeo Spider QV from Grand Rapids Auto Gallery. The pics did not show the extremely faded paint, the crack in the dash that no one makes replacements for or the non working speedometer and odometer. They were not interested in coming off their price at all, even though it was a 850 mile ride for me to just look at it. I bought it anyway because it's one of the few small sports cars that has enough leg room for me. Rob, the manager, is ready to look for someone else to talk to if you haven't finalized a deal in the first 5 minutes of you being there. They are not in the business of knowing what it is they are selling. They are just a high dollar used car lot that's indoors. They carry a lot of inventory and a lot of that is too high priced consignment stuff. Look at all the stuff they have on their site. A lot of it has been there for years. If you want to trade a vehicle you recently bought from them back for something else, be prepared to take a sizeable cut in your trade in value as opposed to what you paid for it. Would I buy another vehicle from them? Possibly, but only if I can see it on their lift. The place is so jam packed with cars parked practically door handle to door handle, they would have had to move a dozen or so to get the Alfa to the lift and they weren't going to do that. Any of their three showrooms are interesting places to visit because of the variety of cars.
Asking because I don't know but are there title / vin issues that you need to be concerned with transfering it to your state?
I don't know S. Harris but I have read of a guy named Barney Navarro that only managed 107 mph in November 1941 at Muroc before the war effort shut it down for a time. The car is worth more without the timing tag.
Someone with more knowledge than me will be able to tell us when the FIRST Coupe ran in a timed SCTA event. Bob
Following along..... Thoughts.......When a piece of crap is turned into a "acceptable" state, running, driving, registered without any "it need's this/that" to make it complete, Why not? Too many guy's bitching about price. Does your time sourcing, buying junk engines= take outs, trans,junkyard rears, fabbin', and KNOWING what your doing, come into play here? Some here- CAN/DO make it happen, and the results are stunning. BUT- that is with hard work,tools,time, and SKILL..... If you cannot do this yourself, don't say what should be done...... Wear the shoes, then speak from experience........... If something is found for sale, and in the same /better condition, then it's a decision.............. Live it, show what it cost's to do, and reply.......... Not the I scored cheap shit for a cheap build..... Hack jobs wear bright eyes....... Some of you guy's just kill me with half assed remarks..........Do it, Prove it, show YOU have worn the shoes.
I would like to present a sincere thank you to "captain scarlet" for stopping by and inspecting this vehicle for me today. Spray foam filler, a poor chop, under-body rusting, numerous leaks and a probable frame crack disqualify this car. It is representative of much of the work I have been seeing in my area and is making me question if "quality" builds are priced beyond my comfort level. I'll keep looking and thank you for the input from the group. I am available to anyone that needs assistance in the Minneapolis area.
Obviously buying something like this requires a close up inspection and it’s good that you didn’t buy the car and then tell us about all of the problems you inherited. A good case for not trusting pictures.
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