Technical Why isn’t anyone doing Repro Steel Model A Coupe Panels ?

Hey Guys.

It seems like a no brainer to me for why there should be an aftermarket for steel Model A Coupes. They are finally starting to get scarce, the ones that have not been turned into hot rods, street rods or restored are often worse for wear.

Couple that with their modular design that would enable individual panels to be stamped such as the quarter windows, rear windows and tulip panels and there would certainly be a market for anyone wanting to resurrect a sad old body.

Just imagine being able to order a full roof and quarter panels to turn your run of the mill Tudor into a coupe.

I can hear the counter arguments now. Good solid coupe bodies are still plentiful, the cost of tooling could never be recovered because there is not enough demand and so on.

30 years ago did anyone imagine companies would be reproducing full steel 57 Chevs, Mustangs and Comaro’Anyway it’s just a thought, and I welcome any counter arguments

 

Some one has to feel they can recoupe the cost of the investment in tooling......and then make a profit.They dont make parts as a favor to us.The generation that loves early cars is getting old.I dont see a lot of 20 year olds in this hobby.Someone has to be a buyer.

 

I want to sell my stash of stuff for another car because if I don't sell it now, there will be no-one left to sell it to.

 

chev, I replaced the quarters just behind the doors and the lower trunk panel on my '29 coupe. The replacement panels I purchased were junk. For example the rear trunk panel should be 7.5" tall. First one I received was 7 and 7/8" sent it back next one was almost 8". I finally just sheared it to the correct dimension and welded a lip along the edge. The quarter patch panels were flat sheetmetal with a 1/2", 90 degree lip. The panel on a stock A is curved, I could have built my own if I knew what crap they would send me. When I called the company, they told me that their supplier has worn out die's and aren't going to replace them because the day's of people building Model A's are over.

 

Model A's were for the guys with not enough money to buy a 32-33-34. Guess the powers to be didn't think the Poor Boys would step up for new Tin pieces either.

 

I agree with 34 ute,
from 1" below the q window down, from the door jam to the lower rear... that would be nice...
$1,000 quarters sound expensive,
but buying [3] $100 quarters and a month to piece, weld and grind
plus the agrivasion … the thousand dollar quarter wouldn't hurt too bad...
united pacific ?... brookie ?... gin lee sung ?

 

There is a small contingent, maybe larger than you think, who like the style of the Model A better than the '32,33,34. Heresy, I know. Those folks are glad that everything is less expensive for an A.

 

I think plenty of model a fords both cars and bodies still around so no need for the reproductions yet. When I got this one the gentleman had 15 others along with a few bodies 3 coupes I think taken 100% apart. The funny thing is he has had them for ever and bought them in the 1960s

 

Brookville Roadsters offer the 32 roadster for $11,500 and you can buy a steel 5 window coupe from United Pacific for $ 23,688.99

Brookville Roadsters offer the 28-31 roadster body for $7,300, I'm just spit balling here but considering the price difference between roadsters & coupes comes roughly to 12,000 bucks.

So adding up the numbers to manufacture a 29 -31 steel Model A body and offer it to the public it would sell for around $19,000.

I am unaware of how many Model A coupes were build but someone wanting to build a coupe certainly could still find a nice older restoration half of the guesstimated the price of a new steel body. HRP

 

Simple business deal...Supply and Demand....I wonder how many repo bodies are sold every year...

 

I bought a 31 Model A in California 10 years or so
back. An all original coupe not restored other than
the interior. Motor ran but had a knock. Tires were
just rollers. I paid 8,000 for the car. Now I see really
nice sedans, coupes etc. for not much more money than that. I thought surely a few dollars could be made if I did decide to sell the car here in Louisiana. I asked around and mentioned selling it to a few folks. Including members of the local Model A club. I
asked 10,000 for the car which is what I have in it
with the parts I have acquired thus far.. No interest
at all at that price. The body is really nice To compare, a friend here about. bought a 56 F-100 about the same time as I got the A. He just sold it for considerable monies above his investment. Actually double. I have been following Model As on facebook market place lately. They are everywhere! In all states of conditions,and usually within an easy day or less drive. Parts are plentiful as well. I have acquired
a good motor recently and am in the process of
doing a basic install, repair a few items and just drive
the little coupe around town. Evey dollar I spend on
the process will probably not be recouped (no pun intended) in my life time. That is okay, profit is not
what drives my interest in vintage vehicles. However
I do try maintain some semblance of investment to
value parallel.

 

They could start by building the panels to converting a 1928-29 sport coupe to a business coupe.

 

It sounds to me like you guys have the hard part figured out already.... You have the fair market price, the boundaries of the project, and the drive to follow thru!

Now all that’s left is the easy part! Reverse engineering the compound shape of the original body skins and internal structure, documenting the design and construction of the new products, contracting a manufacturer/toolmaker to do the stamping, validating all components fit as intended, design and manufacture assembly fixtures, and finally design shipping crates to safely deliver each product variation to all corners of the world. Oops... forgot to mention the part about paying for all this...! Good luck with your new business fellas

 

According to Ahooga, just counting Coupes-standard and deluxe- there were 1,216,484. More or less. Just coupes.

 

I see junky Model A s on Craigslist for $5000. I'm talking rusty junk, no paint, motor, glass or interior. Just a junky old car and the ads dont stay up long so I guess they are selling them. I thought nice cars fetched $13-18,000

 

Well hell, I have a couple of Model A"s always like the way they looked,had no idea people might be looking at me as a Poor Boy,,

 

I don't think its accurate to say the model A is the poor guys car compared to a 32 or 33. None of em are cheap to build anymore really. It's a preference. Ive got a 34 coupe and I gotta say I like the body style of my 29 roadster more. I have a soft spot for model A's, they're my favorite.

 

in the fifties and sixties the ultimate hotrod by a large group was the 28-29 roadster on a 32 frame. there were no after market frame's so the least desirable of the model the sedan was sacrificed for the frame

 

Just so you guys know I've built 3 customer project Model A's and I own a 30 Roadster and 2, 30 Sedans. I just figured I would have 3 Toys for the price of One.

 

heres one of those $5000 coupes. Off of I-20 near the Texas Louisiana border

 

You can get a nice running one for 8-10 so I think I'd pass

 

heres one of those $5000 coupes that will likely never sell for that price.

There, finished the sentence for you manyolcars. Hope you don't mind.

Lynn

 

Don’t forget the licensing fees to Ford for reproducing their trademarked design. Don’t laugh, they have been going after people for the last few years for using their logos and even pictures of their vehicles . I was making a calendar for a Mustang site, did so for several years, then all at once I had to either give up all rights to my designs to Ford or not get my calendars published. I told them to fuck off and I quit making calendars. Even if you take a picture of a Ford product yourself, they claim ownership to it saying you are using their intellectual property. Seems a bit far fetched to me being that some of those designs are close to 100 years old and haven’t been used in close to that length of time but the courts are letting them get away with it. So just setting up and making replacement panels isn’t a walk in the park.

 

Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in that statement, if you look at the HAMB profiles the majority are retired. The Early Hotrod and Custom guys are aging out and not enough young guys are interested in them.

 

I agree. Its insane but the ads only run a few days. Maybe someone is buying them

 

Sold this for around 5 grand....with no rust doors and deck lid, all garnish mouldings, w/s frame and more. Really nice body.

 

You raise a good point, but at the same time Ford outsourced many of its bodies to coach builders. Briggs, Murray and Budd did a lot of them so technically those bodies are not Ford bodies.

 

Converted into Australian dollars that coupe works out to $6500 AU. The cheapest 30 Model coupe I have seen here has been around $7500 AU and that was just the bare body. A complete coupe like that here would be worth at least 12 or $ 13 grand. Nothing is cheap in Australia.

 

Hotrodding isn’t cheap.

 

Is there something I'm missing? We can't expect everything in life to be free...or even cheap.

There were millions of Model As built and no shortage of them still around. Not in everyone's backyard, but they are not rare by any measure. And getting cheaper by the month from what I can tell.

I cannot imagine why anyone would tool up to produce Model A coupe bodies/panels in today's world or market. Charity? I don't think so.

That's a little disingenuous. Location is what it is. The market is what it is. And the world doesn't owe anybody anything. We all make the best of circumstances and you seem quite enthusiastic about and capable of making what isn't readily available car body wise. That's admirable, keep at it and more power to you.