Tag: ford model A

It took a no-holds-barred restoration to turn a patched-up 1929 Model A Standard Coupe into a prize winner – Mike McNessor @Hemmings

It took a no-holds-barred restoration to turn a patched-up 1929 Model A Standard Coupe into a prize winner – Mike McNessor @Hemmings

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Photography by Matt Litwin; Restoration Photography by Bruce LeFebvre

The Ford Model A’s good looks and low price of admission attracted millions of buyers before and after World War II. In later postwar years, those same qualities made the A one of the world’s most popular collector cars.

As a restoration project, you can’t beat a Model A: They’re simple, they’re supported by a vast network of specialists, and parts are widely available. That’s why hobbyists fixed ’em up decades ago and why many of those same Model A’s are being restored a second or third time by hobbyists today.

Here’s our feature car, circa-2012, as found on eBay by owner Bruce LeFebvre. The exterior looked solid, but the green paint was concealing a lot of makeshift body repair work.

Bruce LeFebvre, the owner/restorer of this month’s stunning Bonnie Gray and Chelsea Blue 1929 Model A Standard Coupe, is a history buff and had always admired the Model A’s styling. “They look cool,” he says. “And Henry Ford was a fascinating character who really put America on wheels.”

Bruce wasn’t what you would call a Model A expert when he started shopping for one of his own about a decade ago, but over the course of this project, he gained a lot of knowledge.

“I didn’t know my ass from my elbow about Model A’s, but I knew I wanted one,” he says. “I saw one online located in a town called Peculiar, Missouri—so I bought it for $6,500, then my friend Roger Parrott and I spent almost 10 days going out and back to get it.”

The coupe’s four-cylinder was treated to a rebuild and pressed back into service. A breakerless ignition stands in for the points and condenser, inside the stock distributor. Period accessory touches include a mount for the oil can and an Auto Lite heater.

Bruce’s reasonably priced, online auction fi nd was a nice-looking car, though maybe a little worn and in need of attention. It had already been converted to hydraulic brakes —a selling point and something which would’ve been on Bruce’s to-do list anyway. Outside, the car wore aged green paint and inside there was what looked like water stains on the upholstery. Some fresh interior pieces, some paint, and some general sprucing should have brought it back to like-new condition — or so Bruce thought. But once back at his shop in Connecticut, a teardown revealed a lot of hidden rust, wood rot, and some hasty body repairs, too.

“When I first saw the car, it didn’t look bad at all,” Bruce says. “But once we started taking it apart—we took the headliner out, the seats out, and the side panels —you could see it was packed with body filler and there was haphazard fiberglass work that looked like bandages holding it together

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Prohibition mash: The makings of a prewar sleeper – Daniel Beaudry @Hemmings

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This is where it starts… the stock 1929 Ford Tudor on the day I took delivery. From here, there will be a series of subtle hop-ups to arrive at a powerful interwar sleeper. Sorry–I couldn’t resist a bit of fun with a sepia-toned filter. Photos by the author except where noted.

A few weekends ago, members of my club generously descended upon my garage for a big “thrash” to help me finish my 1931 Ford Model A/B bobtail speedster. When father-and-son Barnstormers VSC (“Vintage Speed Club”) members Brian and Matthew Cholerton arrived, they were towing my next project: a 1929 Ford Model A Tudor sedan. It came at just the right time, because it would prove a positive counterbalance to some unexpected setbacks with the speedster, validating the wisdom of having at least two vehicles to play with.

For almost as long as I had been working on the speedster, I had known that I also wanted a hot-rodded sedan, so when I discovered that Brian had one and that he was planning on selling, we quickly came to an agreement. He even very generously towed it the 200-plus miles from his home to mine. Though I wasn’t quite mentally or financially ready for it, there it was, exactly what I had been hoping for.

And what I had been hoping for was an affordable Model A Tudor in running condition with a serviceable body, but one that wasn’t rare or in such good condition that it would be a good candidate for restoration. As someone whose tendencies run toward preserving historical artifacts (rather than altering or even restoring them), I knew it would be a long time before I’d find one that fit the bill as well as this one did whenever I finally decided I was “ready” to buy one.

As far as this particular sedan goes, and 1929 Tudors in general, they are indeed special… because with 523,922 of them rolling out of Ford’s factories, they hold the record for the greatest number produced of any Model A in any body style for any year. So this means I don’t have to feel quite as bad about hot-rodding the A, at least from a rarity standpoint

In terms of condition, while it starts up, runs, and stops well, has a remarkably clean underside, and no significant dents or rust, it appears that the owner before Brian might have begun restoring the car but then lost interest and hastily put it back together for sale. So while a new correct “Cobra Long Grain” vinyl top had been installed, many other condition issues went partially or entirely unaddressed.

Most obvious of these: Its paint demonstrates a tendency to chip, its driver’s-side door is significantly out of alignment, and its interior is limited to only seat covers and door panels made from cardboard boxes upholstered in gray crushed velvet (crushed velvet?!). Behind those door panels, the metal window anti-rattlers–both bent, and for some reason at the same angle–had been loosely stashed and, along with one internal upright support with broken rivets, had been creating a significant racket when driving.

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Lucky 17. We hit sub zero in Bob’s stunning Ford Model A Speedster! – @HotRodRevue

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Bob runs us through the story of Lucky 17, his stunning Model A Speedster and puts it to use on a sub zero New Zealand winter morning! Film commissioned as part of Panhead Custom Ales’ custom can series. Check out the full range at http://www.panheadcustomales.com Subscribe to Hot Rod Revue for more tales of New Zealand’s rod and custom culture. And follow along on instagram and facebook for your daily dose!

First Wash in 91 Years: Ford Model A Found in Woods and Start Up! – Ammo NY

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This is a 1929 Ford Model A that was turned into a Doodlebug Tractor. It was left in the woods over 8 years ago to rust in Connecticut. We found it in the woods behind a barn and pulled it out of the trees, bushes, prickers, and vines that had been growing on it over the years. Ted, the owner, pulled the spark plugs and fixed the transmission, and the 91 year old Ford started right up. Once out of the woods, he performed a quick tune-up and brought it to the AMMO Studio for a full detail and first wash in 91 years! This is one of my favorite restoration or “disaster” detailing videos I’ve ever cleaned. Such a privilege to preserve a piece of automotive history. Hope you enjoy the story. For a full list of products visit http://www.ammonyc.com. Thx for watching! -L

Contents 00:00 – Introduction 00:55 – Workshop 03:40 – Master Mechanic Ted 07:35 – Cranking Engine 09:25 – Larry Drives Doodlebug 10:40 – Extra Maintenance 13:40 – Tractor Built To Last 16:05 – Tractor Wash and Scrub 19:30 – Fluid Film Application 21:33 – Preservation Recap

Get Excited for Winter Driving With a Snowbird-Equipped 1930 Ford Model A Coupe – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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I’m not advocating that municipalities in northern climes sell their snowplows and let their salt reserve piles dwindle to nothing, but I can imagine winter driving would be far less of a headache in something like this 1930 Ford Model A coupe, complete with a Super Snowbird snowmobile kit, that’s listed for sale on Hemmings.com. Yes, travel would be slower and a bit more arduous, but that’s sort of the point. It would give people pause to consider whether they really need to go out during a snowstorm. Plus, anything to reduce the amount of salt on the roads gets an enthusiastic thumbs-up from me. As for the Model A, it appears to have benefited from periodic restoration and refurbishment but also looks more than capable of taking on unplowed roads with select enhancements to the original tracks-and-skis kit. From the seller’s description

This beautiful Coupe has an Arps snowmobile attachment (Super Snowbird) triple rear axle set up. The standard rear axle has power drive units 5:1 gear ratio attached with internal brakes, The rear axle has paddle tires that fit into the notches of the 14″ wide steel tracks. The Tracks have been sand basted and epoxy primed/ painted. The center axles are idlers in nature and have solid rubber tires. The front rear axle has turn buckle rods to adjust the track  tension. The entire undercarriage is authentic Snowbird and painted the correct color green as original.  The front axle (Model A) has super snowbird flip-up spindles. The front wheels stay on the car with the skis. The tires rotate up and out of the way when on the skis. This coupe has hydraulic cylinders added to assist in the change over so that no jack is required. This system was designed and installed by NH Snocar in New Hampshire.

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Amazing Garage Find: 1931 Ford Model A – Adam Clarke @BarnFinds

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I would be willing to bet that almost every one of our faithful Barn Finds readers dreams of the day when they open the door to a shed or a barn to find some well-preserved classic lurking inside. I can think of something even better, and it is one of those stories that we rarely get to hear. A gentleman purchased a house in Oxford, Massachusetts, and was told that the sale included the car parked under a cover in the garage. Fast forward many years, and the owner has finally peeled back the cover. What was revealed is a 1931 Ford Model A that has undergone a refurbishment at some point. It still presents well after all of these years, and the owner has decided to sell it in an untouched state. He has listed this Ford here on eBay with a BIN of $15,000, but there is the option to submit an offer.

With the cover removed, this old Ford looks pretty stunning. The owner acknowledges that he knows nothing about classic cars, but it seems that he has a good one. The panels appear to be laser straight, while the Dark Blue and Black paint shine beautifully. There is no evidence of rust, while all of the trim and plated pieces are free from visible corrosion. A few hours with a high-quality polish should see them returned to their best. The wheels look like they have accumulated no miles since the previous owner restored them, and the tires also look new. However, this Model A does leave us with one puzzle that the owner is unable to solve. I’m not surprised that there’s no top, as this is a common occurrence. Less common is to find a classic car like this that appears to be so spotless but is missing its doors. There’s no trace of them, and the owner has no idea where they are. The buyer might have to perform a search to find replacements. A brief internet search allowed me to locate an extremely clean pair of secondhand doors. The seller was asking $400 for the pair, so even allowing for preparation and a repaint in the correct color, addressing this rather odd shortfall will not be too expensive.

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The Model A Leafspring Debacle Part 2 – @Astra-Werke

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Part 2 of the rear spring video from Astra-Werke

Only while editing Part 1 did I notice that something was odd about my car’s rear leafspring that I had just fixed. And, yes indeed, after comparing it to photos online, I was missing some spring leaves – most likely the cause for the broken leaf in the first place. So, today, it’s all back apart again to get things sorted once and for all – plus a little extra. Enjoy!