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Technical BUYING A ORIGINAL MODEL A TO BUILD A HOT ROD

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HOTRODPRIMER, Jun 9, 2022.

  1. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    Nope, I haven't. One of the "some day" things I'd like to do is to get a stocker and slowly modify it. Drive it stock for awhile, start hopping it up like @stubbsrodandcustom has done. Or a T speedster.....
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  2. Wise words
     
    J.Ukrop, HOTRODPRIMER and dana barlow like this.
  3. Jim, your stories are always the best!
     
    HOTRODPRIMER likes this.
  4. When I bought my '29 Tudor, from the original owners grandson, it had been restored back in the '80s by the grandsons father. When I got it, the motor had been completely disassembled and for whatever reason, the grandson had given up on putting it back together.
    19.jpg
    I purchased a recently rebuilt engine and after installing it, I drove the "A" in it's stock form for a very short period while I was gathering parts for it's redo. It certainly was "different" from anything that I had driven before!
    117.jpg
    I liked it much better after the transformation!!
     
  5. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    Got to drive only a few,as Factory built 1920s, 30 n 40s cars,only one stocker was mine ,40 sedan for a very short time.
    All fun.
    They were buddy's cars mostly when they first got them,but turned into hotrods a little bit later { time frame late 50s to mid 60s}.
    Steve's 30A 4door sedan he got at start of 10th grade for him {1960}was pretty much ,kind of stock the longest,of any of our group.
    He drove it all through 10th grade,that way !:p< Did add a down draft intake n 2 bbl about 2 months in. { it did not get faster LOL:rolleyes:} Would top out at about 50mph max. That on hind site was likely good,as it was at the time stock brakes.
    The hyd. brakes in summer before 11th grade,was his first big mod that worked well. I helped him get a two door 30 body,an we added that. At the point,we painted it shiny red, he named it; "Scarlet Fever".:D
    In fairly short order ,came the Ford Y-block V8,making it,a all out hotrod.
    My own 28A roadster was not a full car when we dragged home what was left of it,in 1957. Took me tell 1959 to make a running hotrod of that.
    Things go through steps for most of us,part of the fun an helping each other out.
    Thinking back, very lucky I grew up in a place with a doz. other teens with in just a few blocks an big back yards=All car nuts. Coconut Grove Florida.
    Dragging anything home was not a prob. ,$ to fix was.;)
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2022
  6. Purchased this 30 coupe last year from a friend who had cancer and didn't want to cut it up.
    Have had the 29 for 5 years and love driving it .
    Odometer shows 42,000.
    I watched Youtube videos and had it running in a few hours. Very fun to drive if you like going slow, but it really gives you an idea how it was to drive in the early days. Started it this last February when temps were in low 20's just to see how it would do. Popped off on first try and ran like a top.
    Took it to our farm to keep and gave all the neighbors rides. They kept telling me not to change a thing until they actually took a ride. Then they got it.
    Currently collecting parts for a late 50's style build. Can't wait to get started. 20210501_201601.jpg
     
  7. Steves46
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 533

    Steves46
    Member
    from Florida

    Here is mine. Recently hopped up the motor a little more with a two barrel downdraft carb. Also has juice brakes with a Super Bell drop front axle. Still has the stock transmission although I’d like to change that out someday. Has plenty of giddyup and go.
    F1C92CBE-9C74-420F-9CF9-635692E841EA.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2022
    Dave Mc, hfh, dana barlow and 3 others like this.
  8. I really like what you've done with this car!
    I'll get flamed for this, but.... As much as I like hot rods, it pains me to see guys start with a nice (maybe restored), complete driver, then strip, chop, replace frame, running gear, etc. I understand it's easier and cheaper to start with the best car you can find, but I hate to see really good examples turned into 'me too' hot rot rods, when the same thing could be accomplished using cast-off parts and the aftermarket or home built stuff (frames, etc.). We need good examples like yours so people know the 'essence' of old cars, even though they may be subtly modified for modern convenience and safety.
    Flame away.......
     
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  9. ironandsteele
    Joined: Apr 25, 2006
    Posts: 5,918

    ironandsteele
    Member

    Some cool looking Model A's posted here. I forgot that my first real hot rod was a basically stock Model A Coupe. I bought it as a stocker that already had juice brakes. I put a single downdraft carb on it, yanked the fenders off and had it chopped/painted. I can honestly say I had the most fun I've ever had with a car, with that little banger-powered Model A. I put a lot of miles on that thing. Photo is Trent Sherrill:

    thebiz.JPG








    politicstshirt.jpg
    ironandsteele.com​
     
  10. I talked with Charles last night and he said he put a deposit on the car but he found out he was being transferred to Virginia last Tuesday , the owner agreed to hold the car for a couple of months if paid for in full.

    The transfer was out of the blue. HRP
     
  11. stuart in mn
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,406

    stuart in mn
    Member

    My uncle was one of the first state highway patrolmen in Minnesota. I think about him driving around every day in his Model A patrol car, in northern MN, in the winter...brrr.

    I wonder if he ever had any 'high speed' pursuits. :)

    State Patrol 1, Eric, cropped.jpg
     
  12. I wanted a Model A "Hot Rod" so I built my green Sedan "Hazel". Only after that did I start to think I would like a stock version of the car to go along with it. Next thing ya know I'm buying a stock Model A pickup, love driving it! Later I buy a stock coupe for my wife. What do ya know, a guy offers me a very nice Sport coupe for a good price. Long story short is I seem to have a collection now of Model As in different forms. Stock, V8 hot rod, hopped up banger, slightly modified "stock". They are all fun to drive in their own right. Of course I have a slightly modified '29 roadster that will go over 200 mph in the next 60 days, that is a completely different driving experience. Try a stock Model T, that's a bit different too. ;)
    McMastercars-0011.jpg 20200919_175710 (2).jpg
    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]
    Dancing on the pedals, trying to stay up with traffic and trying to stop before you go into an intersection. lol
    [​IMG]
     
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  13. Hindsight indeed is 20/20. I wish I had kept the '29 standard coupe - my first car - but sold it in 1971 to pay back my parents for loaning me the money to buy a '64 Barracuda. Looking back on it now, I should have kept the coupe, bought the '57 DeSoto four door from my neighbor, pulled the 341 hemi out of it and gone to town putting together a hotrod. I have a sneaking suspicion that the DeSoto still exists in a barn in north central Missouri where it was parked in the early 70s. The barn still exists because I found it on Google Maps street view. The original owners are long gone, but maybe some first cousins are still around and would be willing to do a deal . . . I got a '96 Explorer that could offer up its rear axle. Where to find that perfect Model A, now?
     
  14. 1946caddy
    Joined: Dec 18, 2013
    Posts: 2,059

    1946caddy
    Member
    from washington

    Bought a stock 1930 two door sedan from a guy a few blocks away when I was 15 1/2, drove it around town until I turned 16 and drove it to the DMV and took my drivers test in it. No one seemed to notice the I drove to the DMV by myself before I had a license.
     
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  15. BigDogSS
    Joined: Jan 8, 2009
    Posts: 979

    BigDogSS
    Member
    from SoCal

    My friend bought a stock Model A last year and is hell-bent on keeping it stock. And he just turned 40, so there is hope in the old car hobby. I drove it, and it was fun! The mechanical brakes suck, but other than that, it is a kick to drive.
     
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  16. J.Ukrop
    Joined: Nov 10, 2008
    Posts: 2,789

    J.Ukrop
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I've told my Model A story elsewhere on here, but I will say that there's something special about driving a car like this—especially in today's modern world. That being said, if you're in hilly territory, a downdraft and an electric fuel pump will change the game. I drove mine with a completely stock engine for the first three months or so. Not ideal in San Francisco.
    4M5A3390.jpg
    A snapshot from my Harvest Drags adventure in Portland last year.
     
  17. I’ve had A’s most of my life, none kept original for too long. The most fun to drive is my hopped up four banger cabriolet. I am currently building a new banger motor for it.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
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  18. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,264

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I learned how to drive in a '31A, bone stock.

    Nowadays there is no way I would leave one stock. The museums are full. Everyone that wants to do a restoration has done one, or has access to one to do it with.

    Get to cutting. This is not a restoration site.
     
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  19. woodiewagon46
    Joined: Mar 14, 2013
    Posts: 2,269

    woodiewagon46
    Member
    from New York

    I have owned a restored Model A (or two) since 1968 and buying a restored car is the way to go. You can pick up a nicely restored Tu-Dor Sedan for about $8000, so if you are ok with the color, the body, hood, and fenders the body work is already done for you. If you are ok with the interior another plus. Probably cost more than that if you started from scratch so you already come out ahead. Sell some of the unused parts and use the cash to buy your parts.
     
  20. klawockvet
    Joined: May 1, 2012
    Posts: 580

    klawockvet
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    To answer HRP's original question I would be surprised if anyone over 60 hadn't driven an original Model A. I started fooling with cars in 1956 and 57 and they was an unlimited supply of Model A's. It was no problem to find a stock beater for $50.00 or less. I bought a nice one for $75.00 in 58. My current roadster was somewhat stock when I got it and the modifications I made are pretty much what I would have done ( or did) in the late 50's with the exception of the OHV conversion that I could never afford back then. (still cant but did it anyways). My mother, grandmother, neighbors and everyone I knew drove Model A's and never thought anything about the non syncro trans. So my current Model A ride was somewhat original when I got it and I bought it to turn it into a 50's hot rod. Image 1.jpg
     

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  21. Boatmark
    Joined: Jan 15, 2012
    Posts: 384

    Boatmark
    Member

    I’ve never driven a stock one. But I’ll admit I keep looking at ad’s for restored cars at bargain prices and thinking that looks like fun. Maybe futz around with it stock, then give it a Tardell style hot-rod makeover - flathead, hydraulic brakes, stance, etc.

    Looks like it could be a quick and easy project on a budget, with the paint / upholstery / chrome already done.
     
  22. Dave Mc
    Joined: Mar 8, 2011
    Posts: 2,576

    Dave Mc
    Member

    I have a stock 29 Business Coupe, that I've owned since the 70's was my only car for awhile when I had my Body Shop, It is needing attention now, But I have a bunch of other cars I'm driving now, our pic`s 234.jpg our pic`s 010.jpg IMG_0177.JPG my Business coupe has the original, numbers matching 4 Cyl. upgraded with F1 Steering Box, 12Volt system and Juice bakes, last Restored in early 90's. I Love the car, just can't be in a hurry while driving anywhere, top speed 47 MPH. has it's tongue hanging out at that speed
     
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  23. Picked up my "Accidental A" Town Sedan at an auction a few years ago bone stock. It's still mechanically stock, but has a dropped axle up front, T spring in the rear and big n littles on '35 wires. The non synchro trans and mechanical brakes work for putting around town here, but I picked up the juice brake parts @1stGrumpy had gathered for his tudor before he sold it, so I expect they will find their way under one day.

    IMG_0696.jpg
     
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  24. Model A's are a LOT cheaper in your neighborhood than mine!! A really decent one is about double what you can fi

    That's a classy looking Model A! I agree with the brakes and maybe a trans swap, but I hope you can resist the temptation to mod it too much!
     
    drdave likes this.
  25. Lookin' good my friend!
     
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