Here’s a 1930 Ford Model A coupe out of Columbus, Texas that feels like it’s sitting right in the middle of a story. It’s listed on eBay with a clean Texas title, and while it’s not being presented as a finished car, there’s clearly been some effort put into getting it closer to the road. For someone who likes early Fords and doesn’t mind picking up where someone else left off, this one might be worth a closer look.
According to the seller, this is a Briggs-bodied coupe that’s mostly complete, though it’s missing some glass. Specifically, the passenger door glass, front and rear glass, and the back glass aren’t currently installed, but the seller does mention having frames and new rear quarter glass included. That kind of detail matters on a project like this, since tracking down small parts can sometimes take longer than expected.
There’s also been some mechanical and prep work already started. The listing says a new wiring harness has been installed, although it still needs to be finished. There’s also an additional harness included to convert the car to 12 volts, which gives the next owner some flexibility depending on how original—or not—they want to keep things. The carburetor has been rebuilt, and the seller notes the gas tank is good, which at least checks a few boxes on the fuel system side.
The chassis and rolling setup seem to have been addressed to some extent as well. The seller says it has new brakes and a full set of new tires, tubes, and liners, and the car has been kept on jackstands to avoid flat spots. There’s also mention of a spare tire that will need to be drilled to be usable, which sounds like a minor detail but still something to keep in mind.
As for the engine, the seller keeps it simple—stating that it turns over by hand. That’s really the extent of what’s shared, so anyone interested would probably want to dig deeper there. The car also reportedly has had some bodywork in the past, with the seller noting previous bondo repairs. It’s currently being stored under a lean-to after previously being kept in a garage.
This feels like one of those projects that’s not overwhelming, but definitely not turnkey either. It’s somewhere in that middle zone where a lot of the basic groundwork is started, but there’s still a list to work through. That can be appealing if you want to avoid starting from scratch, but still want to be hands-on.
Early Model A coupes have always had a strong following, whether restored to stock or turned into hot rods. This one seems like it could go either direction depending on the next owner’s plans.
The first car I ever drove looked practically identical to this, in overall condition but my Uncle Marvin’s (Yes, Howard, I also had an Uncle Marvin who influenced my younger years) Model A ran well but it was still rough, having rolled over recently. I was the ripe old age of twelve in 1965, and this seemed like an incredible opportunity when he let me drive it around Fort Walton Beach which looked somewhat different as opposed to now.
First car I drove was my grandfather’s Model A Ford. He bought it in 1942 for $50 and it was still his driver when he passed in 1965. He only owned two cars and the first was a Model T Ford that he bought for $50 sometime between 1918 and 1920 I think. When I was 12 he told me to pull the car out of the garage which I did and naturally I started it and had it purring when he opened the passenger door and told me to take him to town. I drove right down Main St thinking that anytime I was headed to jail. But he went to the bank and I drove him home. Exciting times for a 12 yo kid.
Drilling the spare? I always though the spare should keep the air in, not let it out! Anyway this body style would be better to be restored at least to road-worthy condition as opposed to hot-rodding it. It looks like there’s enough to work with.
Not a coupe. Fordoor.
Yup.
If that qualifies as “half” finished then I guess I am not nearly as far behind as I thought I was …
I think it would be fun to get back on the road, if I recall the history some of these 4 doors were converted into a pickup during the depression so to find one you can get driving again is cool, wish it was closer to inspect in person because your not driving this one home yet.
Can you say gasser.
That would one way to go, the other being a pretty cool hot rod. It appears to have fairly good bones for either of those endeavors. If I were a whole lot younger I would consider taking a shot at something along either of those lines, but alas I afraid that the days where that would happen have passed by long ago. Pretty cool old car nonetheless.
cool ride but not a lot of excitement according to the bids
Days gone by Sorry not worth restoring