I've sold my car (again) and finally bought a house with a proper garage. I'm planning on building a coupe or roadster. I just wondering what people have found. Is it cheaper to buy single parts figuring you're really only using the body, frame, axle, springs, etc.. Just looking for opinions and killing time until I get some cash.
I'm on the east coast as well and I've been looking also. It seems like it would be cheaper to buy a complete car and sell off what you don't want. Bodies only on the east coast seem to be expensive or non existent. The only decent parts are in the mid west to the west coast plus shipping. But there have been some decent complete (running) cars in the east coast for the same cost as parts....
Ive been looking for a while and it seems like all the just bodies Ive seen around me have been just sitting on the ground in the elements, so they are usually pretty trashed. I always planned on getting a complete car as starting there. You might have a bit more up front cost but then you can sell off any parts you are not using and get some of your $ back, might even help a few people out looking for parts in the process. ps- Is your last name walls? -Justin Walls
definatly a complete car,the time spent searching for parts can make a project a long term deal.not to mention shipping,fuel to pickup,bad leads,etc.
Buy the car i thought the other was but now I have 3 ..A's <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
It will depend on what is available. I think an amature restoration can be had for a pretty fair price . That would be a great start.
Buy a whole car, take off what you don't want, sell it to me, use the money to buy what you do want, EASY! That is how my car came about.
I think it depends on the type of build.. If it's a fenderless hot rod, buying just the body could be best and not worry about dismantling and selling off parts.. Part of the fun is searching for that just right part.........
Buy a restored car & then hot rod it. you can get a well restored driver model A for $10-15,000. Sounds expensive up front but think - no patch panels needed, no sandblasting, no chasing down random body panels, no bodywork, no searching for & buying all the nickel & dime stuff. Either hop up the banger or put a totally different chassis under it & you are pretty much done. Buy one that you already like the color of & you will not even need to paint it if you are careful. Ignore the guys that say "don't cut up a restored car". There are literally tens of thousands of stock restored Model A's. But if you do buy a restored car, don't let it slip to the owner before you buy that the car will be hot rodded. The antiquers look at us like the devil incarnate & the owner will probably chase you off with some sort of sharp instrument.
It took me about five years but I put one together from parts for under a grand with enough left over to cob up a second one. Of course they still needed patch panels and so on, and I had to drive back and forth across the state about three times, but - If you need instant gratification, I'd say get a whole one, just watch that it's not some old amatuer restoration that's half bondo under shiny paint.
Yeah, Bob Walls. I haven't decided for sure how fast I'd try to complete it but, money will be an issue. If my car's not running, at least going to swap meets and looking for pieces will still be a reason to go to shows. I guess I need to settle on what type of body engine and trans I'd like to use and keep my eyes open. I'd love to get a old restoration but, money may not allow it. Food for thought though.
I bought a complete Model A, I end up by keeping the body only and I sold all the other parts to buy stuff to build a new frame, I bought a rear axle and a complete front end and I'm looking for a sbc now... so I guess it depend of your plan, if you're doing a restoration and plan to keep the hood, fenders etc. buy complete otherwise for fenderless/open engine if I had to redo this I'd buy a body only...
I was buying parts to build a car and then found a complete project model A for a deal I couldn't pass up. Now I am trying to sell off the extra parts I picked up that I don't need. For me, buying the parts to build exactly what I want was going to be more expensive in the long run, but spread out over a long period of time (I was planning for a 2-3 yr build). Now I have a fairly complete car close to what I wanted, but still spending money on changing things I don't like as I put it all together. I kinda feel like I am cheating since the chassis work and driveline was pretty much complete. ________ Laxpatient remedies
I'd have to say that if i were to do it again, I'd probably go the route of buying a complete car. I got my body very cheap, but its amazing how quickly $35 parts add up. The parts themselves are readily accessable and affordable, but if you were to build any car from parts it would cost many times what the whole car would cost. Like Harpo said as well, shipping adds up too!
It is usually a lot less expensive in the long run to buy a complete ( or mostly complete ) car and sell what you do not need. Chasing parts gets expensive and time consuming. But I like the chase ... I have done the car thing both ways ... I built my 32 roadster ... over a 10 year period and the 32 3W ... I bought a complete car ( less engine.transmission ) and built it in 3 and 1/2 years. Model A's are way more plentiful than 32's and therefore are easier to find/buy and build. A lot less money too ... .
I've personally loved the search and traveling for parts, you meet new people that may help you later, you can find deals and hear good stories about each part of your future car, as far and running gear id look for the parts, as far as the body goes, itd be nice to get a whole one but I wouldnt wait for that, just collect stuff as you go, I mean you can never have too many hot rod parts, but most importantly whenever you buy or get any old parts get all the history you can behind it, sometimes the stories are as cool as the part your getting
Two observations : 1. For every dollar extra you spend up front to buy a better car, you save five over the entire build. 2. All the guys that want restored Model A's either have one or are dead.
For me, the whole car is the way to go. Depends on what you want though. This coupe I have now I bought complete. But, I want a mostly stock-hopped up model a. No 32 rails, v8, etc for me this go around, so it made more sense for me to start with the whole car. It depends on the deal too. In this case, I couldn't have bought the parts for what I payed for the whole car-even on a great day. Shit, I paid a little less than half for this whole car than I did for the last (very nice) body I bought. And this body is in even better shape than the last one-and I drove the thing home.
coming from a guy that does restoration stuff for a living. i would try and stay away from cars that have been restored. unless you can get progress pics of the work that was done. i have fixed too many cars that were "restored". check and see whats there. i prefer to get a car that has original paint. at least nothing is hidden under mud. thats my personal opinion. patch panels can be found for pretty reasonable prices and you can always sell the rusted out stuff to someone building a rat rod
I found it much easier buying a whole car. Stock, un-restored A models aren't that expensive in the grand scheme of things and it was worth it if just for the little bits. Sure you might just be using frame, body, axle but thing like door latches, window regs, brackets etc. have a habit of disappearing from a body only that is just sitting around. Also I found it better starting with a complete car as it was on the frame since new, and hopefully more protected rather than sitting on the ground for however many years sinking into the earth.
X2 on this. I have done it both ways. One reason to go with an original is the value of original parts. As I have started to sell some of the parts from my coupe, I have found that original parts sell for quite a bit more than repops. The model A restoration guys are pretty hardcore about originality. Go to fordbarn and have a look at the model A classifieds, you'll see what I mean. This is one way of helping to offset your original purchase price. -Mitch
After having pieced together my car, I have to agree with everyone else. It would be much cheaper and faster to go the complete car route.
I bought a restored car, kept the body and sold everything else for the original price of the car. Body was free, money wise and rust wise!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=409232
I bought a whole car, running and driveable (not very safe though) I parted it out (what i knew i wasnt going to use)sold off the parts and didnt do too bad, used the money to fund the start of my build had some of the parts i know i needed for my project, hunted the rest of it down and bought some of the other parts on here Im still working on it
i bought a not restored but complete running model a and bought a 40 ford chassis complete with running motor and trans.pulled the parts from both to build my av8 roadster and sold the rest.alot cheaper.plenty of street rodders pullin off 40's bodies and putting them on newer chassis.their loss is our gain.
i've done both. this time around i'm piecing one together... and it's not easy. at all. but i really enjoy chasing/finding parts, meeting people in the process and having fun. kinda like a game. on the other hand, if i'd bought a complete coupe i could spend my time selling the stuff i don't want and chasing speed parts...
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