While it is a bit of a cliche at this point, the whole glass half empty or glass half full thing applies to car projects as easily as it does to our outlook on life.  When you look at a car like this 1929 Ford Model A roadster, do you see enough there to make a neat car, or do you see far too many things missing for this project to ever go anywhere?  This 1929 Ford Model A roadster has been stripped of many parts.  At first glance, we can see that the windshield, stanchions, convertible top, bumpers, headlights, its original wheels, and a plethora of smaller pieces have left the building like Elvis.  Yet all of these parts and pieces can be found by either perusing an aftermarket Model A parts catalog or haunting the swap meets.  Would it be worth the effort?  Would you be willing to take on a project like this?

Let’s start with the positives in this deal.  First off, Model A Fords have shown a steady increase in value over the last decade.  This is in sharp contrast to what has been happening to almost every prewar car that isn’t a full classic.  Model A roadsters are incredibly well-designed cars both in looks and in the mechanical details, and the lack of a top enhances the value even more.  While the full cost of a restoration is still going to be more than the car is worth in the end, there is another way to look at a car like this.

Model A clubs in particular and antique automobile clubs in general tend to do a lot of touring.  This is a fun way to enjoy time with like-minded enthusiasts, see the sights, and enjoy the fruits of your labor and smoking hot credit card.  Starting with a roadster like this, it would be fun to build up a Model A for this specific purpose.  Brand new Model A engines with insert bearings are now being produced.  If you combine one of these with an aftermarket high-horsepower head, a later transmission, and a Mitchell Overdrive, then you would have a Model A that could be driven at higher speeds with little mechanical worry.  You could also paint the car however you want and take a few liberties here and there to make it your own.

On the less-than-positive side, there are a lot of missing parts on this car.  You don’t think about how many parts are on a car until you get out a list of them.  Some may be available as reproductions.  Some may need to come from a vendor of secondhand parts.  Then you add the cost of new upholstery from the seat stuffing up, a new top, top irons, the wood for the header, and the primary bow and you start talking about real money.  The good news is that the seller tells us the seat springs will go with the car.

The seller also informs us that the car has light rust spots and a very clean subframe.  It is also described as being very clean under the doors.  While I think that when the seller says very clean, they mean lacking in rust through.  Regardless, there is nothing obvious in the pictures to suggest that this is not a solid body except for some possible rot on the lower edges oof the cowl and doors and the cheap door latch you see in the picture above.  That, however, is a sign that the car will need a wood kit.  The metal parts will need to be stripped, primed with a high build primer, and a lot of time will be spent sanding and building up the surface for paint.  All doable, but it will be exhaustively time-consuming.  A lot of this can be done by a home restorer as well to save money.

Under the hood, we see a stock Model A engine that looks a little rough.  Judging by the amount of surface rust we see it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume the engine will not rotate at the moment.  While you could soak it in solvents and hope it breaks free or take it apart and rebuild it, it might be easier to source a running used engine or one of the Burtz blocks mentioned above.  Or, if the car is destined to become a hot rod, then you can put in whatever you want.

There are a lot of ways you could go on this project, and all of them could produce a very nice vehicle with a lot of work and money.  If you are the kind of person who has a whole pile of Model A Ford parts or you are looking for a cool body for a hot rod project, then you might want to consider this 1929 Ford Model A roadster for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Los Osos, California.  While this project car may need a lot, it is priced at a reasonable $4,900.  Thanks again to T.J. for the Model A Ford find!