John Steinbeck’s landmark book “The Grapes of Wrath” is a fictional account of a family’s desperate attempt to escape poverty by moving across the country to California. In the movie adaptation, the family traveled in a 1926 Hudson. In real life, Ford Model As probably carried the most families west during the Depression. If you really want a taste of what they went through, take a look at this 1931 Ford Model A tudor for sale on craigslist in Brainerd, Minnesota. This Model A is rough but pretty much complete and can be had for just $4,650. Thanks to T.J. for the prewar tip.
“Grapes of Wrath” tells the fictional story of the Joad family. Having lost their farm in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl they followed thousands of other families west towards California looking for jobs and a fresh start on life. While the book and movie are fictional, the account gives you a basic idea of what the journey was like for people who had lost everything. In our current world of plenty it is hard to fathom just how awful this experience must have been.
While there are no claims that this Model A made the trek across the country, this is the type of car that would get you there. Ford produced nearly five million of these reliable vehicles over their relatively short production run. The company’s dealership network was well developed by this time so finding parts wouldn’t be a problem. Paying for them would most certainly be an issue for those unfortunate folks.
A large percentage of Model A production ended up being tudor sedans. You could have most Model As in either standard or deluxe trim. This one is a standard. You can tell even with a dilapidated example like this one by looking for the cowl lights. No cowl lights=standard. Another difference was cloth seats on a standard vs. mohair for deluxe cars.
Model A Fords are one of the best choices out there for a rookie restorer. There are a multitude of parts suppliers and two different Model A focused national clubs (MARC and MAFCA). Anything you need is either being reproduced or you can order a serviceable used part with just a phone call and a hit on your credit card. If you decided to go the hot rod route, then you have a plethora of choices for suppliers and an infinite amount of Model A hot rods out there from which to draw inspiration.
You will need a credit card or four to restore this tudor. The odometer lists just 48,048 miles traveled, but that really doesn’t matter at this point. The condition of the car indicates that it has led a hard life and the lack of weather protection would have made this car a poor candidate for a parts car just a few decades ago. Make no mistake it is rough to the point that recovery is questionable.
Times have changed, and parts car Model As are not really a thing anymore. It would cost a king’s ransom to restore this one. A quick list of items to replace or rebuild would be the body wood, a whole interior, an engine rebuild, transmission rebuild, a fuel tank clean out, wiring harness, and more. The list would go on and on. It even needs a correct set of wheels. Oh, add tires and brakes too.
One positive here would be that this Model A has an Autolite heater. That’s about it for positives. All of the engine components are still present, but the pictures kind of point to this car having more miles under its belt than the odometer suggests. The characteristically short craigslist add tells us that the engine does turn over. We are also told that the body is solid and the car is mostly complete. The seller also feels that it has a nice patina.
Nice patina or not, you have to acknowledge that the Model A Ford is a historic car. That history wasn’t so positive for folks that had to weather the Depression with only their trusty old Model A to help them find a way to survive in such harsh times. There is no telling what the history of this Model A is. If it helped some suffering folks find a better life, then I hope it gets the restoration it deserves.
Do any of you have any family stories about the Depression, especially of the Dust Bowl migration? If so, please share them in the comments.
Beautiful yard art. Don’t even think the Mrs would complain about this one compared to other past yard art ‘projects’.
I have one now and it started with one as bad the one in this post. I know, some of you are tired of seeing small block Chevy engines with Turbo 350 transmissions so you’ll be happy to know that mine has a turbo 400. It also has a 8″ Ford rear on Volvo trailing arms, coil springs. The front suspension is Mustang II type but the crossmember is home made as are all the other crossmembers in the car.
Always been a fan of the sedans. Beautiful car Brian. Just right. hope someone does the same with this car. I do like the ’35/’36 wheels. Widen the rears and duplicate what you’ve got and drive it!
I met a couple at a car show s few years ago who were on a cross country road trip with their Model A sedan. The only giveaway that is wasn’t stock were the wider than original wheels and tires. When the hood was opened it showed an Iron Duke Chevy four mated to a 5 speed S10 transmission, obviously an open drive rear as well. It was so well done. It wasn’t original and I don’t know if you’d call it a hot rod, maybe in between. They were from the west coast and the small show I was at was in Vermont. They were just about to head back west but not until they went to Maine, driving that Model A the whole way.
Beautiful car, Brian. Looking forward to a ride in it, one of these days.
That’s a very reasonable price by today’s standards, I’m surprised that it isn’t sold yet.
During the Great Depression, my uncle sent his family $50, and with that they bought a Model A and my dad and grandparents moved to California from Oklahoma. I can see my grandmother (she looked just like Jane Darwin) packed in that car with grandpa, my dad, and his siblings, leaving everything they had and heading west for a new life in the “promised land”. Braver than me by far.
There is one with the rumble seat restored many years ago still running and driving at a small car dealer in Clarkston Washington for $19k or best offer. If I had the garage space I would consider taking this one one on because I have never worked with them before
As a 10 year old. my dad and his family came to California from Oklahoma in a Model A during the Great Depression. And I can picture my grandparents (grandma looked a LOT like Jane Darnell) with dad and his siblings all piled in that car, with everything they owned in this world, and heading for an unknown new life. Braver souls than I by far. And my dad said (this may or may not be true), that they had to stop every so often and put another piece of leather belt in one of the crank journals to replace a non-existent main bearing. I’ve heard from others that that WILL work for a single main, but I’ve never known anyone else who claims to have done it.
My father-in-law used to talk about using a piece of belt for a crank or rod bearing, too, to get an old Model T home.
Sorry for the double post, they didn’t show up on my feed for a couple of hours, thought it didn’t go through.
The cars in the background of the photos are by far the most interesting part of this ad. Lots and lots of cool stuff.
Day gone by not worth throwing money at …….
This is a nice lookin’ Ford !
But like my Dad said, Matthew, you can’t rescue every old car you see.
i’m too old, and have a TR4 to work on.
Good luck to somebody…
This is just like my first car. I bought it in 1962 for $15.00. Drove it home, tore the whole thing down and sold it thru Hemmings. Hemmings was maybe 10 pages then. I still have the photos taken in 62.
In the book by Steinbeck, there’s a pretty detailed description of having a connecting rod bearing fail, and getting a replacement connecting rod from a one eyed man in a junkyard. They discussed how they used a piece of wire to re-ring the piston. It’s a very detailed piece of automotive forensics that he chose to include in the novel. It was exciting to me on my first read in tenth grade. Great book. The movie is wonderful, but it’s fun to read the book and mull over it at your own pace.
I read the book every few years over Labor Day weekend. It’s good luck to me. I was settling down and reading it when my buddy called and told me to meet him at a happy hour. Met my wife that night 24 years ago.
Love seeing these with small block Chevy! 300hp in a chassis designed for 25 hp what could go wrong?
Cushmoney, c’mon, be real. Anybody throwing 300 HP in one is smart enough to box the frame and build adequate cross members. Mine has aftermarket fully boxed rails with homebuilt crosses. While it does have a 300 HP GM crate motor in it now, it did have an engine with a lot more and never twisted it up.