Hot Rods Stock unrestored 29 Model A value???

Hi Everyone
Looking for some advice on price for a potential new project. It's an unrestored original 29 Model A coupe with rumble seat. I haven't been able to look at it so not sure if it's a Standard or Special. I've owned cars and trucks form 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's etc but never 20's or 30's. My intention would be hot rod.
Due to Corona, the widow who owns it won't let me come by to look at it yet, but she's going to try and send me some pics. So I'm just looking for ballpark value for this model. She says there is spare fenders, bulbs, etc he collected for 30 years. It's been in a garge for the last 30 years and was running when parked. She says it needs to be restored but is very solid. I'll post pics as soon as I can.
Thanks.

 

Great.

 

The truth is in the pudding, so to speak. Until you can see the real shape it is in , assess your wants and abilities and how much of the car you will actually use plus your budget for buying and building it is like throwing a game of darts .

 

Post pictures when you can. Hard to put a value on it without pictures. I’ve been looking for one off and on for awhile. Prices are all over. Seems about $4,000 for rough on up to upper teens for nicer units. Many available in the $10 range. The Shay replicas with glass bodies are in the $10 range also if you’re inclined that way.

 

Probably somewhere between you don't want to spend the money to haul it home and $5K. Looking forward to pictures. Also looking forward to to you adding your general location to the profile and where in general the car is located. Are you going to have to ship it 2000 miles or can you tow it home with a rope.

Charlie Stephens

 

For what it's worth I sold a 1930 standard coupe, rebuilt original running gear , registered, inspected, good driver, solid car but backyard body work lots of bondo . Looked good, nice interior. tried to sell it for 10 finally took 8,500 had 12 into it. It is a thin market...

 

Thanks guys. She said it was appraised for $10-13K Canadian($7100-$9300US) and she wanted close to that. I thought it was a little high but I'm not up on the 20's and 30's values. I was thinking maybe $9-10Cdn($6400-$7150US) or am I off base?? As I said, I would make it a hotrod so the main value to me would be the steel body and title.

 

If it has a bunch of stock parts with it, like she claims, is their a market for them to recoup some of my cash?

 

Sounds reasonable but without pictures it is impossible to say. A lot would depend on what you plan for it, fenderless, chopped? Bodies go for a lot less than that.

 

I would rather pay a little more for a bare body and not get into the business of selling parts.

Charlie Stephens

 

I know I need pics for myself and everyone here to get a fair idea of what were dealing with. I just found it today and the woman in her 70's, doesn't want me to come by due to Covid, so I'll do my best to get pics asap.
It's a package deal for the parts and the complete car. I should also mention, I'm up in a smaller(pop 100,000) city in northern Canada where rust is prevalent and finding any decent projects is near impossible. Even stuff from the 70's and 80's is usually rough or big $$. To find another car or body from a more rust free area would also entail $1000-$1500 worth of shipping it here without being able to see it in person. Or even buying a glass body would cost a good chunk or change to ship it up here and they've really tightened up on getting titles on "kit" cars here. Plus I get hammered on the exchange rate as well. Tack on another 30% to the US price for me to buy from the US.
The value for me would be the steel body, trim, etc. and clear title. But the frame and drivetrain would likely be updated.

 

It might be a tough purchase. Model A prices have come way down over the last 15 years. Unless it's a rare body type $7500/$10,000 for a Model A that has been sitting for 30 years might be high, although you won't know until you see the car. I have been involved with purchases where the owner has convinced his wife that the car was worth X amount of money and in reality it wasn't nearly what she thought. The last thing you want to do is to start knocking the car and piss her off. What I have done in the past is to copy several unrestored or even restored coupes for sale and show her what more realistic prices are for the same type of car. Pictures are a must to get a better feel for what the car is really worth and for us to help.

 

I will say this. If it was truly appraised by a knowledgeable person for 10-13K Can then I think your offer is in the ballpark. It depends on who did the appraisal, A lawyer for the estate is usually on the high side(they get a percentage). A local car guy friend, his price might be based on what he sees around at shows, he is seeing asking, not selling price. So he is a bit high. A classic car flipper, he will be low. A professional car appraiser, he will usually be spot on if he is told the car will be for sale and a bit high if there is friction in the estate and someone in the estate wants it.

 

I bough a 1930 Model A Deluxe Coupe, all stock with original paint & interior (decent shape) last year for $9500. Runs, drives, pink in hand. I've since done a few things to it, but this gives you an idea of the shape. Seems the market ranges between $10k for a drive and $18-20k for a nice restoration.

 

Sitting for the last 30 years will the engine even turn over? Try it by hand before you even attempt to try the starter with the hand crank. And do not be rough with it as it could be something as simple as a stuck valve or worse a stuck piston. Although neither is a death bell an engine that will not turn over by hand will drop the price. No matter if you are intending to use the banger or not if you sell it even as a core you can recoup some of your money. If you intend to hop up the banger there are ways to un-stick them most of the time.

 

A good coupe body is in the $ 5,000 range. Try to figure out what the extra parts may be worth, and how much trouble you will have trying to sell them. If you can sell all of the extra parts at one time, and the price gets you closer to what you may think the body is worth, go for it.

 

Update.
I final got a couple of pics from here dated from 1998. Turns out it's a Sport Coupe or Cabriolet. Not sure based on the pics and experience. I know they're not great pics but she's 70 and could only take pics of old pics she had. So rough idea on value based on the pics?? This is what I was told "he spent $20,000 on it. He took fenders frame to states to get blasted and are brand new looking"
Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice.
https://attachment.outlook.live.net/owa/MSA[email protected]/service.svc/s/GetAttachmentThumbnail?id=AQMkADAwATE0N2QwLTQyNWQtMTEAN2YtMDACLTAwCgBGAAADfBaHjomuUUyw8LorBxij7QcAVqZ7/lXQgkGnKJfT2JSUAMcAAAIBDAAAAFame/5V0IJBpyiX09iUlADHAAR3IgRXAAAAARIAEACJtD8pI3A4RLA7N38/VOHf&thumbnailType=2&owa=outlook.live.com&scriptVer=2020042702.11&isc=1&X-OWA-CANARY=NWUHLSbqskKBYAMgUkE6_FACSZ507dcYkg-HG1q3WAh8sbErbUH3P7Jn8SqIRIoCnt8Qk8eLwOc.&token=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsImtpZCI6IjU2MzU4ODUyMzRCOTI1MkRERTAwNTc2NkQ5RDlGMjc2NTY1RjYzRTIiLCJ4NXQiOiJWaldJVWpTNUpTM2VBRmRtMmRueWRsWmZZLUkiLCJ0eXAiOiJKV1QifQ.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.aw3tVmMsuD6su1r4IKI0Kaa8doRoV0Y-8pNMwuy_dn5nGQbBMb0b_bCEKhCDUBew7Cztk8Ae0BsgL_Fzl5fXG-VESY0F0C8YGTmdZtRBF8LQlWGWRh5NW2nj6ONS8bmJ3uzRT7eAu-d1T94ndUg-lUOG-OIWQ5ynNAAKz1fVtgtIviMbCLPDlpAVxsVxoFDv5F2Q3yeXK7EDOcZ28pvpkOcbBvCsDDTYJpi7K4b7c9MoZzd8JuXRw1mhl9O_dB4vaxhNVFGPPLsdrDjAEGKqPrC3sVkWga5aRRxs6AsiAUyuWy5cNR-izYmj2o6aTfWcNl8vIX_o-6kECsi879QI8A&an

 

She's probably not going to be happy with less than $20,000! Good luck....

 

Other pic

 

I only see red "X"s, no pictures

 

She said she's pretty firm at $11-13K Canadian.

 

Trying to figure out how to include pics from my e-mail account, sorry.

 

Commonly called a Sports Coupe and it appears to be a Rumble Seat. I would not go more than $5000 if the engine is not locked up. Still needs the fenders painted. It appears to have later 19" wheels, 21" were on all '28 29 Model A's so not original. What about the rest of the interior, is it there?

 

Other pic.

 

Apparently a bunch of extra parts and the frame and fenders were blasted and painted down in the US. That's what it looked like in 1998.

 

Hey s55Mercury66 –

"John 3:16
How about this: You keep your politics inside yourself, and stop getting threads closed. What a great idea!"

How about you keeping your religion to yourself. Kinda (not really – especially hypocritical.

 

Sport coupes aren't usually sought after for hotrodding.
In Ohio that's a $3500 car with a lot of extra parts.
Just went to an auction locally and there were three '30 amateur restored Model A's one being a Sport coupe. These ran and drove and were pretty decent painted cars. All brought less than $8K each.
Took me two years to sell a nice rolling chassis with good title in my name for $2K.
I'd keep looking.

 

Yep keep looking. She wants way too much for a Sport Coupe, especially for a Hot Rod starter. You'd only be using the body and title if one comes with it, and that's way too much for a body and title. Market is really soft for stock-used Model A parts.

 

Yah, I agree. I wanted a coupe which is what I was originally told it was. Finding stuff up here is pretty difficult though.

 

Sport Coupes may be a little trickier to hot rod, but they still make cool hot rods IMO. But I agree that the asking price is too high. Still, I wish complete running Sport Coupes with decent paint were available for $3500 in CA.