By 1925 sales volumes of the Ford Model T had begun to decline. This was in spite of an ongoing price cutting policy by Henry Ford. By the time our subject vehicle rolled off the production line the Model T was being offered at the lowest price that it would achieve throughout its production. This Model T Fordor is offered for sale here on Craigslist. Located in Hammonton, New Jersey, this Fordor is offered for sale with a clean title and a $7,500 asking price.
With the Model T talking declining sales volumes is a relative term. In 1923 Ford were at their peak and sold more than two million cars. By 1925 this number had dropped to a “mere” 1.9 million as the buying public recognised that the Model T was aging, and began to consider more modern options. The writing was on the wall for the Model T, and production ended in mid 1927. The range-topping Model T was the Fordor. Our subject vehicle is just such a car, and has been sitting unused since 1964. The body appears to be quite solid, but there are some areas that will need some careful checking and inspection. The seller states that the rear wheels will need replacing and as you can see there are also some issues with the hood. These will deteriorate over time, and this combined with the wheels indicates that there may be some issues with the timber framing in the car which may require repair.
The interior looks to be in surprisingly good condition for a car that has been left sitting for 54 years. It may be able to be used as is if it is cleaned carefully, but be prepared for the upholstery to have dried out over the decades causing it to become brittle. I hope not though because it is quite attractive.
The engine is said to turn over, but the seller states that he hasn’t tried to start it. Obviously we also can’t be sure about the condition of the rest of the mechanical components, but thankfully parts are still readily available, and the Model T was not particularly difficult to work on. They were also notoriously robust, so I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if a new set of spark plugs and some fresh gas might see this old girl fire up. There is also one photo of the underside of the car, and it does look to be quite solid.
I’ve never really gone looking specifically for Fordors for sale before, but researching Fordor pricing showed that there are very few for sale in the marketplace. This is hardly surprising as the Fordor was the range-topping vehicle in the Model T range, and therefore was more expensive that the Touring, the Tudor or the Coupe. As a consequence of this premium pricing it sold in significantly lower numbers. Of course, when a manufacturers is producing 1.9 million examples of a particular car per year, the term “significantly lower” is a relative term. If the timber-work on this Fordor is solid, replacement wheels can be sourced and it can be brought back to life relatively easily, then this could be an enjoyable old car to get hold of.
Not for me to much work.
Don’t worry, this car is about as resto-mod proof as you can get. I don’t recall ever seeing a Model T resto-mod, although, I’m sure one exists. Problem I see with this, is the lack of interest. At a recent local show, there was only ONE Model A ( usually there were at least several) and not one Model T. Probably because nobody knows how to drive one.
No work at all. T’s are mechanically very robust and want to run. Very original, clean it and drive it. The issue with the hood looks like its not latched down properly. Looks like it will need new top material (if you want to drive in rain), possible radiator (looks shaky, but maybe not), tires, wiring harnesses, tune the coils, plugs, lube and clean and go. I had a ’27 TT that had been sitting since 1951 that I had driving down the road in less than maybe 4 hours of work, mostly involved in rebuilding the carb.
Price on this one is a bit high, though
disclaimer that after some amount of time I had to replace the old cotton transmission bands with kevlar, which was a job and a half, even with the new style ‘quick’ change bands.
Hoping someone takes it on and restores it as close to factory specs as possible. The price is a bit heavy-handed, considering that pre WW2 cars have such a small following. The folks that had these cars when they were fairly current are few & far between
Henry Ford was a miserable SOB as a person, but is there any automobile that had a bigger impact on American life than the Model T? I’ll never own one but I love seeing them.
I don’t think that the price is too bad. It’s a 93-year-old car in fairly good condition.
I’d have it.
It does take a bit to learn to drive one but they are fun to drive. They cannot be easily driven like a Model or other more modern cars, though, so it does make them much less popular. The right pedal, for example, is the brake and not accelerator pedal.
I heard, brakes being almost non-existent, in a panic stop,(I know, a panic stop at 25 mph, but still) people would jam the reverse pedal down, tearing the bands out of them.
Doesn’t really hurt the reverse bands so bad when you do that, just don’t make a habit out of it. When in doubt, just slam you feet down on all the pedals.
Being pretty much an antique, I hope the car is preserved and made safe for the road but not restored.
Assuming it’s all original, it would be a shame to change than now nearly 100 years later.
Played in/on these in neighbors’ barns growing up. Always wanted a truck and when I came home from AFG, bought one and been loving it ever since. They are an adult-size go-cart and a LOT of fun to drive and work on. It is imperitive that one finds a good mentor to learn the old tech of Model T’s from. But once you know how they work and how to drive them, they really are easy to own and run. Parts are easy to find, cheap, … there really is no easier pre-war vehicle to own and drive than a black era Model T. I will be sending my wheels off to Amish country this winter to have them respoked. Some things like this require the knowledge of where to have specialty work done, but most things can be done by anyone with a reasonable aptitude for turning wrenches. The rest of my fleet has sat idle in my shop for 5 years, while I enjoy the heck out of my T. I cannot recommend them enough for the car person who likes to drive them over just hanging out at car shows. They ARE a car show everywhere you go, and you’ll meet a lot of really neat people everywhere you stop, when you own and drive one.
Burger, do you happen to live in middle Tennessee? I live in what is affectionately termed “amish country” and have at least 3 sawmills within five miles of my house. I’ll have to keep them in mind when/if I ever own a car with wood spoke wheels or wood framing.
Negative, Sir. I live in Spokanistan. Noah Stutzman is a well-known wheel builder in Ohio that does lots of early car wheels for restorers. There are others as well.
The Model T is a really easy car to work on. It was designed to be kept running by farmers who only had the basic mechanical skills to keep their machinery going. There are Model T clubs all over and the information to keep them running is easy to find so there is no reason to be afraid of them. The best description is the one I just saw above; Like driving an over-sized go-cart. Don’t expect it to keep up with normal traffic and keep your stopping distance in mind.