Accurately identifying the body style of a 1930 Model A can be tricky since Ford offered nine different versions of the car in that year alone. This Model A, offered here on Craigslist near East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania at $6,500, is labeled by its seller as a Coupe in the title of the ad and a Roadster in the ad’s description. So which model is it? Despite being in a state of disassembly and deterioration some identifying features are still present.
I should probably give the seller the benefit of the doubt by suggesting he may have inadvertently used the word “coupe” to describe this Model A, and didn’t actually intend to classify it as a Sport Coupe model. Sport Coupes came with solid door frames that enclosed the side windows as well as a non-folding fabric top, unlike the open-style, glass-less doors and folding top seen on this car. And even though it can be easy to confuse the Roadster with the Cabriolet Convertible body style, the latter also came with glass side windows. Giving credit to the seller, he identifies this car as a Standard Roadster in the ad, but gives little information about its history other than stating it “last ran in the barn back in 1963-64.” The camouflage paint job is a likely indication the car was converted for use as a hunting vehicle in later years before being retired to the barn.
The 4 cylinder L-Head is still there and the seller mentions it was “bored 60” at some point. Again no further information is given as to whether or not the motor is free, etc. This Standard Roadster comes with a rumble seat and since there doesn’t appear to be a rear spare tire mount I’m curious to know if the car was purchased with the optional side-mounted spare when new.
There it is…I think! Can anyone confirm whether the front fender seen in the pile of parts in this photo is fitted for a spare tire mount? It looks like it has the indention where the tire would sit next to the cowl, just behind the hump of the fender. The seller states the obvious by saying this Model A “needs restoration” but that it’s “99% all there.” I guess by “all there” he means the rest of the car is in this pile of parts. Looking closely at the photos reveals he is telling the truth. In addition to the radiator cowling (which looks to be in nice shape) I see various engine components, both fenders, head lamps, and even the fabric top with the rear window still intact. For the most part this relic looks to be fairly solid despite its 55-year barn slumber. Considering a nicely preserved Model A can be found in the $12,000 range and up, it seems $6,500 might be a bit too high for someone looking for a restoration project. But is it priced right for a rat rod hopeful?
$6500.00? Is it just me or does $6500.00 for an old pile of parts seem like $6400.00 too much? I have to be honest and say I bewildered by the high prices people want for some of these old cars. What does everyone else think?
Whether from ignorance or wishful thinking an advertiser (I don’t call them sellers until they get real on pricing) has to start somewhere. The question is, or will be, how do they respond to the feedback they get? If this is his first ad he’s only been on the market 9 days. Likely he’s experienced silence or maybe an occasional “are you nuts….?” email. Until he gets enough push back he’ll probably sit there saying stuff like “nothing but a bunch of low balling thieves out there….”. If/when he gets seriously motivated to move it he’ll probably come down.
it has the rumble seat you can see the step for it on the back
Does anyone know when the seats were moved back or when these became large enough for a driver over 6 feet? I went to look at a 30 two dr w rumble seat and could not even get my legs inside!
This will never be restored because you can buy a really nice one for $20k all day long. A hotrodder will want it but he will only want the main body and will not be willing to pay for the rest. It will bring about $4500
Definitely a roadster, definitely a 1930, definitely no side mount well in either fender, and definitely over priced.
Is that the ‘Mike and Frankie’ price?
Why buy junk when for not much more one can get a tidy driver?
Wish this had come 30 years ago. Then we could drive it next week…. Lots of money.. lots of time.
Wish I were 10 years younger, and if closer to here, I’d try my skill at negotiations to get it at a fair price.
I’d not go for an all out body off restoration, but to a tidy driver. I thought the splotches were efforts at straightening highs and lows in the panels.
As camouflage, just someone wanting a different look. As a kid, pal Roy built a couple from sport coupes for all around fun to include hunting. dumping the 19’s for 16’s like this car part of it. Roy also dumped the fenders.
As a very young guy, our family car was a Ford A Roadster. 6’+ Dad would not even try to get in to the rumble seat. Barely enough in the driver’s.
Sold a complete and solid Model A sports coupe minus just the fabric top and headlight bar and headlights for $5500 about a year ago. Had not been started since 93 and after cleaning the carb and bypassing the varnish clogged gas tank it fired right up. Both myself and the buyer were happy. This one is way over priced.
my best friend recently sold a complete, nice looking, running and drivable one of these for $6500 and struggled to get that.
Pickers have ruined this hobby.
A 30 Model A Roadster, way overpriced. Just what “Uncle Bob said”.
I’ve seen (and restored) much worse. There are lots of original solid sheet metal parts that would be easy to restore with minimal patch panels. Paint is not camo, it’s body work (bondo) that was never finished. You even get a banjo steering wheel. There are many of us who can see the potential but you are correct that for MUCH less than the cost of restoration you can find a good older restoration or a driver that would take less time and money. There are purists out there who would pay what he is asking just to get the original sheet metal. Almost everything else will need to be replaced.
This one gets the hot rod treatment for sure. Personally I’d go for something you could run at TROG.
There are thousands of restored Model A’s in garages all over this country, far more than younger people want to buy. That means the prices are relatively low, making restoration of this rusty pile impractical at best.
The price seems high, but consider the options if you want a steel roadster body to hot-rod: 1) Buy a restored car for around $15-20K and part it out to recover costs. 2) but a reproduction body for $8K and still need a bunch of stuff. 3) Get lucky and find a good body shell hidden away somewhere and manage to pay a decent price for it before the flippers show up.
Agree the price needs to come down, but this car still has a lot going for it when you look at it.
AZD is correct. Just FYI I converted two model a 2 Dr sedans to roadsters for customers. We bought the sedans unrestored, removed the bodies, bought metal reproduction roadster bodies + all the stuff that is not common, and made roadsters. The reproduction parts never fit right and we spent a ton of labor relocating holes, adjusting gaps, and making everything align. I’m a strong believer in using as much original stuff as possible. Sad but true that the younger generation does not want these.
So for the TROG enthusiasts here’s an example of a far better deal that couldn’t pull a single bid at $11.8k:https://www.ebay.com/itm/1930-Ford-Model-A-/323402960464?hash=item4b4c518e50%3Ag%3AsvIAAOSw-MFbeIn2&vxp=mtr&nma=true&si=%252B5ezhOlk%252BCPT3u3Riw7LtCjcW8s%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Might mean the right price for a running car with features is even less.
Mickey, your “sad but true……” is spot on. Some on here and elsewhere attribute that to the supposed high cost of these old cars. Reality is, those young hoped for replacements (with just a very few scant exceptions) can’t identify with “our” kind of cars. This or the one above could be priced at $500 and you wouldn’t get a line of under 30 types long enough to wrap around a flower pot on your front porch willing to fork over for something that means little to nothing to their lives. Times change………..
Times do indeed change Uncle Bob. I had a restoration business for 5 years in the mid 80’s. All of my customers had some emotional attachment to their cars to justify spending the money for restoration. If we needed parts we ordered catalogs or went to car shows and flea markets. Now with the internet, we have “flippers” and so much information that nothing can be found for reasonable prices. There are just too many people with too much money. Almost every hobby has been ruined by people who are willing to spend whatever it takes to be the winner of a plastic trophy to satisfy their ego. The average Joe can’t compete with the big spenders, so when projects like these show up, you know it will go to some jerk who already has more than they can use but must have another one for their “collection”.