Hot Rods Model A (Phaeton?) "Barn Find"!!!

I spent the weekend at my parents' house, and found out that an older family friend is trying to sell his Model A, which he called a touring car. To make a long story short(er), he bought it when I was a kid (he lived across the street from my parents), and it sat, untouched, in his basement until sometime in the mid-late 90s, when he had a local restorer start a restoration. The car looks to me to be mostly original, but the frame and running gear were mechanically and cosmetically restored, and they ran into a problem with the body. From what the owner remembers (he his in his late 70s and in poor health), the restorer claimed that the rear section of the body had been altered somehow, and that it wouldn't mount properly to the frame. I don't know Model As well, but in the Nov Hot Rod (the one with the *** rod on the cover), there is an article on a '29 Phaeton, and the body looks just like it to me. I did find a seam in the rear portion of the body, behind the rear doors, but it "looks" original to me...definitely wasn't done with a MIG or TIG.
I'm seriously considering buying this car, but if I do, I will be selling the rolling chassis with the drivetrain and most everything short of the body itself. I'm a hot rodder, and want to do a traditional style build, but I can't bring myself to start cutting on such a good chassis. The owner spent quite a bit having the engine rebuilt (babbit bearings), and the trans and rearend, as well as the brakes and suspension were all rebuilt.
I'll post some pics in a minute, but mainly I'm trying to figure out a) is this a Phaeton, or some other model?, and b) what is something like this worth, either as is or without the body?

The grille shell and cowl aren't installed, but they go with the car, along with a lot of other parts (?)...I haven't seen them yet. There are full fenders in the car, and they are steel....probably repro, because they look new.

Edit:having issues getting the pictures to upload...message about missing security token. Will try again on next post.

 

sounds like a good find, let's see it

 

Uploads keep failing...check out the album on Photobucket (27 pics). The last one is the Phaeton in the Nov Hot Rod.

http://s292.photobucket.com/albums/mm28/1981z06vette/Model A/

 

Yup, it is a 29 phaeton.

 

Thanks Henry! Any ideas on value, even ballpark?

 

it's a phaeton ,not sure about the seam in the body. you don't see many of those around in that good of condition. I don't know about a price.could be a bitch'in ride

 

well Im a sucker for Phaetons,good luck with the build.
I have a Phaeton thread,good info and pictures there....have fun enjoy
Brian

 

There's a 28 in the classifieds listed for $7,000
Its about the same shape.

 

You need some A guys to look at the back body lines.

The last pic looks strange at the rear of the back door

also first pic in post # 10 looks odd. the back panel.


...but I am not up on A's

 

It's probably just a 75 year old repair. With todays equipment and techniques, anything is restorable.

 

Maybe that is the issue the original restorer was referring to...I would call him, but we are not on speaking terms (long story). In any case, even if the body is not completely original, its in good enough shape (only some surface rust) that it would make a great hot rod. Anyone know if the frame is any different than any other Model A? I was told they were all the same. If the body isn't right, I'd have no qualms about removing it and letting a restorer get the rest. I can make any repairs/mods necessary to use the body on another chassis (32). The current owner at one point was going to put a Brookville roadster pickup body on this chassis, after he got the bad news, but his wife nixed the idea.

 

Hummm, it has 29 wheels and steering but the cowl is 30 - 31 unless someone has cut the top off of a 28 / 29 Fordor. Anyone else?

RGG

 

28/9 touring or pheaton. There is a difference in the name but folks call em both. Looks to be in pretty fine shape. I see nothing that would scare me. We built a rod for a guy out of one that was 100% worse.

 

Maybe the idiot restoring it didnt know about the wood blocks that go under the subrials for the body to mount on, ya never now, from the looks of the pics it looks pretty good.

jeff

 

Who knows with "restorers". The "restored one we tore apart had the entire bottom 6" fabricated out of 24g galv. riveted on with window screen and bondo.

 

The guy that did the work mostly did '55-57 Chevys at the time, so he probably wasn't too knowledgeable about the details of this car, so the wood blocks being missing makes sense. He's honestly one of the best mechanics I have ever seen, though, and was capable of some excellent work. This buildup was done pre-internet, when good info was much harder to find.

Thats what I love about this place...you guys know your stuff!

The previous owner was supposedly a pretty serious Model A collector/restorer, with one of every version made.This car could very well have been put together from several different parts cars, but in any case it looks like most of it was done pretty well.

 

that is most certainly NOT a 30/31 cowl. 28/29 for sure...

looks pretty damn nice to me too. i'd buy it (for the right price) and build it...

 

Ok, how come it does not have the indention on the bottom of the cowl? The only 28 / 29 with the flat cowl were the fordor ones ( Murray bodies if I remember correctly). Anyway, I am not an expert and think that it is a great project anyway.

Thanks.

RGG

 

Let me throw something out there...if I put all but the body up for sale, with the understanding that it was all rebuilt 10+ years ago, with 0 miles on anything (though the engine was run and broken in), what would be the "right price"? Is $2500-3000 about right for something like that? Or am I way off base? I think I could get the whole thing for that (or less, though I don't want to take advantage of this guy), and keep the body for my time and trouble.

 

looks sweet to me

 

I think the cowl/front door post does have the curvature common to 28/29 's but it is hidden in the pics by the plastic 'tarp' blocking the view of the lower cowl. If you compare the pics of the subject car with the other pics posted hereon of another '29 the visible portion of the cowl/door post are identical. In addition, the upper portion of the 30/31 cowl is quite different than this.

Ray

 

I sold two chassis for a customer for that same amount (each) 5-7 years ago. they were both driving A chassis.

 

thats definite hot rod fodder

 

Treat yourself to some Model A Ford books, IT IS A 1928-29 COWL!!!!!!!!! Ever see a two piece 30-31 firewall? The back panel does look odd in the photo, the top tack strip should flow smoothly over the joints in the corner. MAYBE the back panel is a modified Tudor sedan panel, it is a bolt in piece, the belt line looks modified to me. Rolling chassis prices start at $1,000, who knows what "REBUILT" engine is in this thing. If you can get receipts from the rebuilder fine, but asking $3,500 in todays market sounds high to me.

 

You can buy the back panels from certain vendors if it needs replaced.

 

There are so many guys trying to do exactly what you want to do and sell off the chassis that the price on chassis, as 37Kid says, is probably closer to 1,000-1,500. Besides that, if you keep the title, like everybody wants to do, you kill the value of the chassis even more. In some states the frame # is the # on the title and selling off the frame with no title just screws everything up. In my state the frame # is king so I would keep the frame until I was 100% sure that I had all the titling issues taken care of and an ID# transferred to the body.

 

i'll buy the complete car for that today
but the frame is probably only like 800-1000
tk

 

Oops, you know things are a little clearer in the morning. I completely missed the tarp and it looked like the cowl was flat. I guess I have earned my "FNG" status

RGG