Where do you find your vintage Fords?

Hey guys, I have been searching for a 30-31 Ford coupe for about a month now and I haven't had much luck. Just curious as to where everyone has found theirs. I search Craigslist daily as well as the HAMB, Ford Barn, Ebay, RacingJunk, and the Hotrodhotline. I find high dollar rods and full frame off restored coupes all day but I haven't had much luck finding either original cars or older restored cars. Heck, I haven't even been able to find a good body for that matter.

I know everyone isn't just lucking into finding these through word of mouth or driving by houses and seeing one in a barn or someones front lawn. I do realize a lot of these are owned by older people that may not be too saavy with listing things on the world wide intrawebs.

So where did you find your Model A?

 

A friend went to buy a part from a guy, spotted this '28 Sports Coupe sitting on a trailer in pieces and asked about it. He then called my dad and he asked me if I wanted to build a Model A and I said yeah. Turns out the guy had just gotten a pacemaker put in and couldn't weld anymore. Paid $200 for this old thing.



A friend donated a cowl to the cause and I got this..



It pays to have good friends.

 

searching for a whole month? took me 3 months just to find a decent used truck.

 

I know a month isn't long, I just thought there would be some neat stories out there on how people found their car.

 

Most of my "finds" come from friends that spot one and let me know. Make sure EVERYONE knows you are looking. Have cash on hand. Cheap deals dont wait for you to "come up with cash".

 

My buddy fellow hoodlum J scow found mine for me.

 

I have seen some really nice finds in craigslist and here on the HAMB,it depends on the time you search,i too am looking and have seen some nice model A's.Are you willing to search outside your area,possibly your state,thats why i am doing.

 

found mine in my father-in-laws pasture... it's seen better days though!

 

First I went to different folks that had an A to learn about them,then as you've done I searched C.L.,Emay etc..I looked at a lot of junk and a lot that were too much $. After about 6 months I saw a Fordbarn add for a tudor in my price range in a town near Memphis T. My wife and I went there and made the deal with an older couple who were going to an assisted living home and couldn't keep "Jo". As we were leaving them I asked them if they had given the car a name.The wife said that she had tried to get her husband to name the car for years but he wouldn't. I asked her what her name was and she said"Jo". I told her that from now on the A was "Jo"! And it still is. Be patient and do a lot of searching and putting the word out and you'll find your car.--Bill

 

I got mine in 1975 from a buddy who lived by Lake Mcconaughy Neb. That was 38 yrs ago. Now that I am retired I can build it.

Lee

 

This is good advice. I was at the same point you are when I was looking for a used engine. I started letting everyone know that I was looking and people knew of others that had engines that weren't listing them for sale. I followed up on every lead. Most of them went no where. But as someone said, they aren't going to come find you.

There was also a friend that had a nailhead that he didn't want to sell. Every time I saw him I would "joke" about him selling me the engine. Guess who was the first one he called when he needed some cash?!

Through these methods I now have 4 engines (Y-Block, Desoto Hemi, Nailhead, SBC) in hand for really decent money. Now if I only had 4 cars to put them in! The hunt has kind of become an obsession....

Stevie

 

Cool stories, keep em coming. I have the cash and I am fortunate enough to have a job where it's not too hard to take off work and travel to get one although I really wouldn't want to travel more the 6 or 7 hours each way from Kentucky.

 

This is one of those things that if you keep your eye out and stay patient, you're gonna find a rockin deal.

 

Contact your local Model A Club. They usually have meetings once a month. A lot of their members are getting to be the age where they are wanting to reduce inventory and have cars/projects for sale. They are usually pretty reasonable. Remember you can purchase an older restoration that has the body work already done fairly reasonable and make whatever changes you want to the car cheaper than buying a field car and putting all the time and money into body work.

 

You do have to look almost everyday and expect to pay 3,000 to 4000 for a decent model a project. In my experience its better to start off with a complete project that's not beat to shit. In the end you will be coughing up the cash or it will end up being a long term project that you end up selling. Those 200, 300 dollar buys are mostly luck and your usually still gonna have to pay to get it up to standards. You also have to pay attention to the time of year and the time of month. Not always the case but usually the beginning of the month people need money for bills so things go up for sale, also your geographic location may limit your searches, if there's snow everywhere people aren't going to be pulling cars out of a field to sell, they will wait till the spring. If you really want a coupe the Hamb and Craigs, is a great place and using U-ship I have shipped cars and engines all around the U.S. with good results. Just a hint if your not all ready doing it you can search multiple states and locations this way, in Google type model a site:craigslist.org you also need to be vigilant and search by year 1928, 1929, 1930 etc remember people don't always list things as they really are.

 

Wow... marrying to get a hold of a vintage ford.. that's persistence.

 

Also, just saying "I have cash" doesnt amount to anything. Every seller sees and hears that daily. Let guys know what price range you are looking for. Everytime I see "I have cash", its always meant the guy has $300 and wants a mint 3 window 32 Ford. So anymore, even though I have bodies for sale, I don't reply to wanted ads. Now if I see "looking for a model A and am willing to spend up to $XXXX" and I have a project, than I'm MUCH more likely to contact him.

 

I think if they told ya, they'd have to kill ya.

See, there's this secret stash of 30-31 Fords that were on a railcar headed across country when the train derailed and the railcar headed down a ravine, into a river, and sunk into an ice-cold glacier lake. The water was too cold for rust to form, so they've been perfectly preserved.

At least that's what I was told....

 

I've pretty much found them online and had to drive to them...

 

Texas! I have many ol cars and they all came from Texas.

I have learned that the best way to find old cars is to drive one everyday......Lots of total strangers approach me and tell me where an old car is.

 

It's where I got my A Tudor project as well... along with a T tudor, 3 model A frames, and 4 or 5 straight axles and wishbones! for the record though, we were together about 4 years and engaged before I got all this stuff! We'll just say once he learned that I was into collecting early ford parts, they started coming out of the woodwork! He just happens to know the right people, and Model A bodies and frames do exsist in NE South Dakota yet! Now I just need to find who's hiding all the doors and windshield frames...

 

- 1931 Ford Model A Coupe, 2 door w/ trunk
- all original with 29,600 miles.
- Runs Great! Driven to Street Rod Nationals five years straight.
- New tires with fresh paint job on the wheels.
- Garage Kept.
- Please call or text Brad 502-641-7756 if interested.


<!-- -->

 

Both the Coupes I've found were by placing wanted ads and paying a fair price for them.

 

Craigslist

 

1930 Model A Coupe - $16000 (Leitchfield,Grayson Co.)

<HR>Date: 2012-09-11, 8:34AM EDT
<BUTTON style="DISPLAY: inline-block" id=reply_button type=submit>Reply to this post</BUTTON>Reply to: <SMALL>[email protected]</SMALL> <SUP>[Errors when replying to ads?]</SUP>

<HR>

!930 Model A Coupe - excellent condition - runs good - has not been totally restored - headliner needs replaced

<!-- -->



ANOTHER ONE. LOOK ON CRAIGSLIST

 

Ford Coupe 1930 - $9500 (Madison In)

<HR>Date: 2012-10-05, 6:37PM EDT
<BUTTON style="DISPLAY: inline-block" id=reply_button type=submit>Reply to this post</BUTTON>Reply to: <SMALL>[email protected]</SMALL> <SUP>[Errors when replying to ads?]</SUP>

<HR>

1930 Ford Coupe with rumble seat, older restore, original 3 speed, with flathead motor, clean title. May consider trade for something of equal value, or partial trade, and cash. call or text 812-599-5656. Leave message.

<!-- -->

 

They will come at you when you don't expect. I sold my FED, and as we were loading it on the trailer this friend of a friend says" I have a 31 roadster that might be for sale", 3 weeks later I bought it. For the last 25-30 yrs it had been in a barn a mile and half from me. 2 yrs later its going back together for the last time.

 

It is quite rare for a Model A roadster or coupe body to still be out in a field or wood lot. Most were "collected" by somebody at least 25 years ago, and are in a barn or shed. Accordingly, the owner will want at least a couple of grand for the body 'cause he has been saving it from the elements and scrappers for a quarter century or longer. Get to know people who are into Model A restoration or hot rodding, and you can get lots of contacts who know of the desirable bodies and who has them.

 

possible roach....but who knows

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/3300396576.html

 

Petit Jean Ark swapmeet Father's day weekend. Start talking to the old guys about what they have at home. I have brought home 2 model a coupes, 35 Ford pickup and alot of parts over the years. Have made alot of friends with alot of cars, good leads but it has taken time(years). The hunt is part of the fun.