- Seller: Tom R
- Location: Vancouver, Washington
- Mileage: 89,999 Shown
- Chassis #: DMV85857
- Title Status: Clean
If you visit any new car lot these days, you will find a sea of pickup trucks, but you aren’t likely to find any that come in roadster form quite like this 1929 Ford. This pickup is from an era when the line between a car and a truck was paper thin, as a matter of fact, mechanically there isn’t a difference between a Model A Coupe or a Pickup, but they are so simple and rugged that there really wasn’t a need to make them different. And while it might seem strange to have a roadster truck, in the days before air conditioning, being able to take the roof off and get some fresh air would have been great! This example spent its early life in California, eventually finding its way to a small town in Southern Washington. It’s now in Vancouver, Washington awaiting a new owner to get it back on the road. If that person is you, be sure to bid below!
The Model A’s design is really quite simple, with a basic body-on-frame design. This allowed Ford to offer a variety of body styles without overcomplicating production and subsequently helped to keep costs down. With a price under $450, or around $7,700 in today’s money, they were a very affordable option for anyone needing a truck or basic transportation. Closed cab models were admittedly more popular with buyers at the time, so fewer open cab models were built, meaning today it’s rather difficult to find solid roadsters like this one. The seller notes that there is some surface rust, but they haven’t found any major issues and the photos seem to back that up.
Power is provided by Ford’s 200 cui flathead inline-4 engine. While 40 horsepower doesn’t seem like much by today’s standards, this was a decent amount of power for 1929 and given how light these are, it was plenty for the time. Roads weren’t nearly as developed as they are today, so high speeds weren’t of much concern to the average consumer. These engines are very simple and surprisingly durable for their age. If you plan on taking it longer distances and need to reach higher speeds, there are a lot of vintage bolt-on upgrades for these engines. Of course, a flathead V8 swap would be an easy and period-correct route to get the biggest increase in performance. Heading down the route can get expensive though, as you will want to also upgrade the mechanical brakes to hydraulic.
The interior is as spartan as you would expect a Model A Pickup to be. The seller believes the truck was restored sometime in the ’70s. The seat upholstery has the look of something made in the ’70s or ’80s, but without documentation, it’s hard to know for sure. It clearly has been redone and it looks to have held up well enough to be used as is. Its next owner might want to restore it back to its original state. Thankfully correct style parts are available to restore this truck fully. Given how popular it once was to customize Model As it would be refreshing to see this one kept as original as possible.
This truck is in need of some attention, but it’s complete and solid. The seller is including some spare parts and another set of wheels. We would get it back on the road before diving too deep into a restoration, as it could prove to be a fun driver without much work. The current look is actually quite cool and it would likely be a popular attraction at car shows. Whichever route the next owner decides to take it, this will be a fun and interesting project. So, if you’d love to have it, be sure to cast your high bid below!
Bid On This Auction
- Larry bid $15,000.00 2023-11-19 11:19:06
- Johnson bid $8,500.00 2023-11-19 07:00:57
- sanjo bid $8,000.00 2023-11-16 21:26:09
- George Berner bid $7,000.00 2023-11-15 11:02:24
- Mark Skelton bid $6,000.00 2023-11-15 09:02:24
- George Berner bid $5,500.00 2023-11-15 08:02:24
- Alaskan bid $4,000.00 2023-11-13 20:18:16
- sanjo bid $2,000.00 2023-11-13 17:35:04
- Coastal Cruiser bid $1,000.00 2023-11-13 15:25:30
- HDA bid $500.00 2023-11-13 12:28:40
Nice. Fix the little bits and paint and drive it.
Oh to pull up to a loading dock at an old school lumber yard with this…
BTW,is this running currently?Can you drive this on a trailer?
Looks like the truck used in the Waltons TV pilot or movie. I believe it was an earlier closed model. There was also a 1929 Coupe featured in a few episodes of the series.
Juice brakes? When properly adjusted there is no difference between juice and mechanical brakes. You still have the same brake shoes on the same drums turning kinetic energy into heat. You are mostly by the contact between the skinny tires and the pavement. These Model A’s are so light it just doesn’t make any actual difference. It’s the same with the engine. Forty horsepower does just fine. A much better way to go is with mods to the little 4 banger or swap for a modern version. Once you swap in a V8, you have to keep going with mods to keep the nose from dragging. The same goes for the 12 Volt conversion. Just swap in a pair of LED bulbs and you have the bright lights as modern mounts. The only mod I see useful is either a Mitchel overdrive or a modern 5 speed tranny. I hope the new owner keeps this stock.
“I love you just the way you are”.
NO TO JUICE BRAKES–not necessary
I used Flathead Ted brake energizer kit and can lock the brakes up anytime I want. Assuming that shoes and drums and rods are in good order, the cost is about $200. you are then finished with brakes.
HEADLIGHTS
The original bulbs are impossible except on lonely roads with no oncoming traffic, the first car coming towards you ruins your night vision
ANSWER:
6volt positive ground alternator with Halogen bulbs
SPEED
flatout is 50-55 mph which is fine around town
HIGHWAY TRANSMISSION
Convert to five speed T5 transmission: the engine has plenty of torque to pull the five speed.
This does give you syncromesh. and no double clutching is necessary..
I use a stock Model A to push and pull 6000 pound trucks around the yard
THEN DRIVE IT
It is a perfectly good truck; use it as a truck. I have had 1200 pound loads on several occasions. Just dont go too fast on the turns as the load is top heavy
ERGO
if you want a daily driver. improve the lighting and the brakes and forget everything else.
you will have spent $500 or less and can have a blast.
Thanks for all the positive comments – for a change! – for an A. I have owned one since 1953. Drove it 60 miles each way to college. Brakes are fine as mentioned here as long as they are kept adjusted. Didn’t drive much at night so headlights weren’t a problem, though boy I wish there were leds at that time.