When the owner of this 1928 Ford Model A purchased the vehicle, he intended to treat it to a full restoration. However, he has come to appreciate that it is original, right down to the paint. Therefore, he has decided to leave it untouched. He has driven and enjoyed this classic but acknowledges that all good things must come to an end. With this thought in mind, he has listed the Model A for sale here on eBay. It is located in Melbourne, Florida, and the bidding action has been pretty spirited. Forty-two bids have been submitted, which has pushed the price to $9,300, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
The Model A is finished in a combination of Arabian Sand with Black fenders. The owner claims that it is wearing the original paint that Ford applied, and if this is accurate, it has survived remarkably well. It wears its share of scratches and marks, but it has bags of character. In an interesting twist, the owner doesn’t even wash the vehicle for fear of changing its personality. The panels look very straight for a car of this age, and even the damage-prone fenders are free from problems. It appears that there is no rust for the buyer to contend with, and while the wheels look dirty, they don’t look like they would require restoration. The windshield is in good order, while the same is true of the radiator and shell. The bumpers and lights are present, and the buyer could follow the owner’s lead of continuing to drive the Model A untouched.
This Model A is an early production version and is one of the vehicles that carried the unofficial designation of a Model “AR.” Those cars featured some subtle differences over later examples, and a couple of them are visible in this interior shot. Where regular cars featured a black steering wheel, the “AR” came with a red wheel. The handbrake lever was also to the driver’s left before Ford eventually relocated it to the regular position to the right. This interior remains untouched, and it is complete. The housing for the gauges shows pitting and corrosion, but the gauges and glass look clean and crisp. The cover on the seat has some wear, but it is still serviceable and doesn’t need to be changed. This Ford also features a rumble seat, and its upholstery only has a few marks. Once again, if the buyer wants to retain this Ford as an original survivor, I can’t see why they would need to change anything.
Taking a peek inside the engine bay reveals the original 201ci 4-cylinder flathead engine, which is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. It also allows us to see another component that marks the difference between an “AR” and a later Model A. The generator is what is known as a 5-brush “Powerhouse” unit. This is shorter in length but has a larger diameter than the regular component. The little four should be producing 40hp, which gave the Model A pretty good performance. This one is in sound mechanical health. It regularly sees the road, and the owner says that it runs and drives with no problems.
There are plenty of beautifully restored Model As plying our roads today, but this one is something special. It is about as original as they come, and I can understand why the owner doesn’t want to change a thing. He is right when he says that they are only original once, and it isn’t every day that you will come across a 93-year-old classic that is as well-preserved as this one. Some of our readers will be itching to return this Ford to its former glory, while others will want to continue the tradition of using it untouched. Which camp do you fall into?
My camp says if you don’t clean up this car and address some of the mold and captured dirt in the seams etc. this car, especially in Florida, will start to disintegrate. Do the ongoing maintenance necessary to preserve it and hit the road.
My camp to using it untouched and do the ongoing maintenance necessary to preserve it and hit the road as Bobhess said.
This was the first new car my Father bought after he started working for U.S. Rubber Company ( Uniroyal ) in Detroit. At first look, they do look boring and uninspired. But my Father told me that a lot of owners had very loud colors put on their wheels and pinstriping to accentuate the lines of the car. He choose orange to be the accent color, and he flipped the odometer before he bought another one. Seeing his trade-in on the lot, he ventured over to look at it. The salesman gave him the tired story of being low miles, well kept, etc… My Father told him the odometer was way off and that he was the previous owner. The embarrassed salesman took off angrily and my Dad just laughed. He died 31 years ago yesterday, I miss him everyday.
Absolutely clean it up (soap and water), and enjoy it and show it to people, that want to see what a model A looked like. Never been a big model A fan, and they are not extremely rare, but this car needs to be preserved ,there is no good reason to restore it or modify it, there plenty examples of those, so do the right thing, leave it alone.JJ
While I would not want to do anything to change it, I think it deserves a thorough detail to bring out it’s original colors. Too bad I don’t have the time or space to make it mine. It is a true survivor.
It really warms my heart to see roadster examples like this.
The “powerhouse” generator is not installed and will most likely need a rebuild. I am pretty sure the jumper from the positive on the starter to the engine block is not “original”. There must be some issue with the ground as these were positive ground systems.
I’m glad someone caught the replacement generator….. This looks like a nice old “AR”….. not a very early car for it has the closed end bumpers…..
The bidding is up to $9800. The seller may want to lower his reserve. Nice car, but those most interested have or are about to pass. I personally love it. But I am old.
1 of my uncles had 1 of these, as I understand it he had one as his first car and then bought another as he approached retirement age. After retiring to Florida he drove the car sparingly eventually having it fully reconditioned. When it got to the point where he was no longer allowed to drive it was first offered to his son, then his grandsons, no one wanted an old car. As a consequence, his daughter would eventually get the car.
I was casually offered the car when the daughter was no longer interested, but had to pass due to not having any garage space, even for my then current car.
Needs a bath. Why anyone would think not washing it adds to it’s desireability is beyond me.
I noticed a few issues a couple have been touched on. Down in the gravel pit I have a 28 and a 29 two-door sitting. A pile of spare parts in the old tool shed. The cover for the wiring on the firewall is missing it is held in place with two wingnuts. The metal thing coming from the oil breather tells me two things the engine must have really bad blowby and the wood on the floor must have holes in it that allowed the smoke from the blowby into the car. Would like to have seen at least one photo showing the underside. The brake rods and shock linkage would tell a big story if they could be seen.
This is a car I’d love to have, but this feels like an early restoration rather than an original….A’s were one of the first cars to be restored in large numbers and by the mid-50s there were 2 national clubs that offered support and restoration guidelines.
Few clues – the grill shell and headlights appear to be chrome instead of nickel. Red oxide primer is visible under the black paint on the steering column and fuel tank, but there is grayish primer under other areas. Also there are some little details – like the tips of the hose clamps all point the same direction, etc.
One of my all time favorite A’s is a friend’s phaeton that was restored in 1955 and won the first ever MAFCA national show…it had a wonderful patina and could pass for an original.
I agree very old restoration . The running boards are not the originals. Where is the top and bows ?
IF and that’s a big IF, I had the money to buy and a place to keep it in Orlando (only 45 miles from Melbourne) I’d consider doing what others suggested. Give it a good bath and see what it looks like under the dirt and get the salt off from being so close to the ocean. Might want to double up on insurance if I’m to take it out on the roads around O town considering how some of the nimrod here drive, lol.
owner finance?
A few other non early items also:
conduit from ignition to distributor is a replacement, float-a-motor motor mounts, early fanbelts were red, AC spark plugs. Any of these could have been changed during the lifetime of the car, but it isn’t really a unique highly original car.
Looking at the space between the radiator and bumper, I wonder how one hand cranks that car if needed.
???There is plenty of room.
i had two model a`s growing up ,, a 31 convertable, with chrome around the door glasses, and a 29 twodoor,, that thing proble never need cranking,,
Arabian Sand was an original paint offered on that model, but what’s going on with the drip marks?