Projects What to look for when buying a Model A Roadster

Saw your ad on Craigslist. Seems like its fairly priced if it has a title. JMO

 

WOW! Call Brookville and see how much you would save buying their new body & a '32 frame. Bob

 

15? no way!

 

Here's my advice (which I stole from Chip Foose by the way): Find a photo of what you want your car to be when your project is completed. Then build the picture.

Sounds simple, huh. Well, it is. Because when you have a picture of the finished product you can compare whatever candidates you come across and see if it makes any sense to buy that candidate or to wait until a more appropriate one comes along.

It's like setting a clear goal. This approach will keep you from wandering off target and buying something that won't get you where you want to go. Sometimes impulse buying can be your worst enemy, especially if you've only got time, energy and money for one car at a time.

This approach will also help you make cost-efficient decisions. When you go to look at a new candidate, make a mental inventory of what parts will be appropriate to your finished product and what parts will not. Mentally make two piles, one of the parts you'll retain and one of the parts you won't. If the pile of stuff you won't be using is bigger than the pile of parts you'll retain you might want to keep looking. This will help you avoid paying too much for parts you won't be using anyway.

For sure don't pay extra for paint, upholstery, tires/wheels and exhaust. You'll be changing them for sure, so don't pay for them in the first place or you'll end up paying for them twice. In your particular case, I don't think I'd pay for a Model A frame and suspension either because you'll most likely end up with a '32 frame under your roadster once you've critically compared the two. And...if you prefer Chevy motors, don't buy a car with a Ford in it. You'll end up changing that, too.

Sounds pretty basic, but you'd be surprised how many guys just don't think their project though before laying down the cash for a candidate. Been there, done that.

Good luck!

 

That car is maybe 8K to the absolute ONLY buyer that has to have it. If I showed you what a friend just bought for that money you'd run away, FAST! And what he bought has a high comp head, full synchro trans, fresh engine, and perhaps high speed gears too. We picked it up in Grass Lake and drove it back to Monroe and at times he was cruising at 60+. Based on that you want to look at that one to see what NOT to spend. Also at 6'3" plan on removing the panel behind the seat and modifying the mounting and riser to give you the needed room. Roadsters get really tight for lanky types like us. I'm 6'2" and I don't like em for that reason. Roadster PU is worse, just an FYI. I'm gonna shake some trees here in the Motorstate for ya, that one's priced double at least. All that said I'm glad you brought this up and I'm not tryin to be a buzzkill, but take your time and look, look, look. Don't hurry whatever you do.

quick edit, what my pal just bought so it's worth the wait to get something better, they're out there:


It's not perfect, but it's a lotta car for the same dough, doncha think? There's some body work but it was done alright, not a mud puppy. I had to show ya, right?

 

If that’s as nice as it looks in photos, it was a really good buy.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

@31Apickup It is that nice. At 1st blush it's a show car. In full disclosure it has some of what I call "old man mods" like turn signal cowl lights, stone guard, chrome headlight bar, a trunk and a rack, all the things the old guys just had to have back in the day. The foundation is a reasonably solid sport coupe with a few "usual suspect" body repairs but they're done well. Paint is very nice, not at all a 20 footer, more like a 10 footer or less. Has a fresh LeBaron Bonney interior and top too. It's only a picky dickhead restorer like me that picks up a thing or 3 but the casual observer will see "show car" everywhere else. We drove it back with zero issues, about a 2hr drive and it was 92 degrees that day. Not a whimper. Why rub it in? I'm not. I'm showing a HAMB brutha that there's indeed better out there for the same money, WAY BETTER, but we gotta shake the trees and shoot the breeze sometimes to find em. To reinforce the thought process, this car was aquired from a friend who I'd call a shameless flipper. Not a bad thing and no disrespect but right place, right time, ready to strike.

Hang in there Joey, there's a hot rod in your future and the approach of drive and enjoy 1st is as smart as it gets. I just don't think you have to pay a premium over retail to get it. Then again, you too can be somewhat shameless as well. Make an offer after you point out all the mess and filler. Everyone else lowballs.

 

Looks good. Just one question - title? If not get that figured out before you get too far into this project. JMO.

 

Cool. Did the engine run?

 

Looks like a good solid start. Wish the Title BS didn't kill the excitement. Bob

 

I’ll bet the “ title” numbers have been stamped into his new frame the body and fenders went on... no rocket science here because it’s what I would have done.

 

Concerning California registration numbers . . .

Times have changed. I bought this one in 1962. It was registered as a 1931 6-cyl. I drove down to the DMV (in the rain) and asked to change it to a 1929 8-cyl. for the body and engine change. They issued me a number to stamp on the frame and bring it back to verify it. I drove to a nearby welding shop, paid $5 to have the number stamped on the right front frame rail, drove back to the drive-up window at the DMV, rang the bell. Another worker came out to verify it. "Open the hood. No, not that side, over here on the left." Back to the welding shop, another $5, back to the DMV, everything was okay. Three months later got a new registration – 1931 6-cyl. with the stamped number on registration. It's now on its 3rd frame with that number on it.

 

Good luck I’m sure you can figure something out, but none if it sounds to Taxifornia friendly.

We are currently bringing back a 40 Chev i bought in 1974 and licensed until 1980. It’s been a race car since 62. The Cal pink numbers are engine numbers for the vin and of course that’s gone. The body numbers (Alpha-numerical) are on the original tag still attached to the floorboard but not on the pink and either body or engine was allow in Cal back then.
A private DMV contract person is helping us bring it back and changing the VIN to the body class and sequence numbers which it always should have been. We also hoping to use the black plates issued to the previous owner and me when I put it my name. There was no “non-op” in 1980 when I quit buying the license for $12 a year...... big mistake. Good luck...

 

This info from the AACA site might help with the non op issue.

Many of you may already know this. I still find many that do not though. There is a directive in the CA DMV code book, 4604(d)3, that exempts most old cars from having any back penalties due to not registering vehicles or not placing them in a "non-op" status. This equates to sometimes as much as $1,000.00 in penalties for not filing. It could make a barn find car somewhat unrestorable if you know you have to pay penalties. Past president of ACCC and active AACA member Jack Passey put this together for us back in the 70's. Thank you Jack.

 

Looks like fun!

 

I bitch about freezing my ass off and shoveling snow but it is easy to register an old vehicle here....if you can find one that ain’t rusted!!..... Mark

 

Stock Model A parts are worth almost zero $ sadly but looks like a solid start. Personally I wouldnt spend a cent until title is sorted. In the interim you could strip that chassis to the frame as its all you will use then try and find a home for the remaining parts. Good luck with it.

 

Yes, my '34 was too old to be in their system as well, and it was titled as a '35, not '34 (DMV doesn't have a clue about old cars). DMV also wanted me to register it as a commercial vehicle since it's a PU. I hired a woman up here to research the frame numbers against some books she had, and she was able to fill out the necessary paperwork for CA DMV to update the title to the correct year. She was also able to keep it as a passenger car since that's the plate that was on the truck.
Good Luck!

 

I had commercial YOM plates on a car.

I bought CA YOM plates on ebay. The alphanumeric meant they were commercial plates. I called DMV headquarters and dood said no problem.

 

I've had YOM plates on 3 trucks in CA, 2 '40 1 1/2 tons and my current '39 p/u. All were passenger car plates. DMV verified the plates weren't currently in use, charged the appropriate weight fees, and the YOM plate fee and I was good to go.

 

I bought a 28 roadster recently, First off Im not complaining about my purchase , Im a big boy and when I make mistakes they are my mistakes, I just have to pull myself out of them

Anyway I paid to much for this one, but bear in mind my purchase price included shipping and handling to the UK and a profit to the sellers . Its the way the world turns

Car looked kinda decent in pics ( dont they all) and fortunately ive done this so often I pretty much always expect the worst .. some times Im surprised and the stuff is spot on but most times Its junk as expected .. No harm done, I enjoy saving them

So check out the pics what you buy and what it turns out to be isnt always concours material .. but its all fixable .

In this case I went for convienience and bought new rear quarters, doors and upper trunk panel .. The rest will just have to be fixed .

Fenders, well they wont be used , chassis and running gear will go under a 27T whils the 29 will be deposited on some genuine 32 rails ..

Left rear quarter turned out to be a large section of sport coupe including the subrail and cross rail and weled up ( roughly) the upper deck panel was actually 2 x coupe panels , the doors looked like they were rescued from a creek bed , the deck lid had at least 10lbs of filler on it as did the gas tank/ cowl
The fire wall was decent as were the front A panels and funny enough the rear lower deck panel . The gas tank was rotten through behind the gauge cluster and the gas in the tank was like tar..

Engine run after a going through , steering box was worn out , gear box sounded as if it was just filled with random chunks of metal and the rear axle sounded as though several teath were missing from the crown wheel and the pinion bearing had colapsed .. the roof bows were err bowed and the frame was broken at the body hinge ..

I actually managed to drive it once I got it running but it was kinda like a circus car lol.

Knowing by this time it was junk and being £10k in to it, it was a toss up, flip ii or build it . I dont like selling cars its all to stressfull so decided to build it or should that be save its sorry ass .. Knowing what I know now I would have been quids in buying a brookville .. but wheres the fun in that , as it is it will be half and half best of both worlds
The rusty no paint 27 t roadster body I just bought is much much better condition than this 29 with paint , I broke all my own personal rules when I bought the 29. Its better to buy em desert burned and solid and take it from there .. at least you can see what your buying without the cosmetic makeover..