The owner of this 1930 Ford Model A suggests that it would be equally suited to either a restoration or rod project. While I appreciate both, I think that it would be a shame to see a car that is original and essentially complete, dismantled for a rod project. However, that will be a decision for the new owner to make. If you would like to take the Ford on as a project, the owner has set a BIN price of $7,000 for the car, although the option is there to make an offer. Located in Mooresville, Indiana, you will find it listed for sale here on eBay.
The Model A is a Fordor Deluxe with a body by Briggs. There is rust in the bottom of the cowl and a bit in the front fenders, but the rest of the car looks quite solid. One item that will need replacing is the wood, as time has taken its toll on that. All of the glass is present and seems to be in good condition, while all of the external trim is present, but some items will need restoration. All five of the original wire wheels are also present, but judging by the surface corrosion present, I would be inclined to have them checked and restored before I drove the car too far.
Under the hood is the 201ci inline 4-cylinder engine. One of the interesting features of this engine is the exhaust manifold. It isn’t a genuine Ford component, but an aftermarket item. The finned section is a heat collector and is all part of a cabin heater manufactured by Auto-Lite. You can see that the hole in the firewall directly behind the manifold has been blocked, as this is where the warm engine from the manifold would have entered the cabin. The owner says that the engine of the Model A doesn’t run, but that it does turn freely. So hopefully, it won’t take too much to get it up and running.
The interior of the Model A is going to require complete restoration, but at least all of the items that will be required are easy and affordable to source. It looks like the seat frames and springs might be okay, along with the steering wheel and gauges. However, the seats will need new padding and covers, the car will also require new door trims, along with numerous other small bits and pieces.
The Ford Model A was a massive sales success for Ford, and during its production run of just over 4-years, Ford managed to sell 4.8 million cars. That means that they aren’t particularly rare, but it does mean that getting parts and components for a restoration project is pretty easy. This one needs some work, but the beauty of these is that they are one of the most simple and basic cars ever built. For someone looking at taking on a project that they could complete in a home workshop, or looking for their first restoration project, then this car would appear to be a great candidate.
If the wood needs replacing, this is NOT a car for the novice.
A friend replaced all the wood in a 1930 Briggs body just like this one and it was a major undertaking even thought he had all the required skills.
Seems a bit high for a needy car.
So sad, nobody cares about the Model A anymore,,,
I love em. Just not in the cards right now. I’m not sweating the falling values though. For those of us who are pretty much priced out of old cars it will help us.
When I say nobody, I mean up and coming generations. Model A’s used to be the staple of car shows, with no less than half dozen shown. At a show last summer, there was one(1), and nobody was looking at it. The owners seemed bored, so I went and talked to them. The lady said, they used to have several friends with Model A’s, and they’d do the shows together. Now, she said, they are the only ones left in the “group”, and the other cars just sit in garages now. The kids don’t want anything to do with them.
The wood kit for a Fordor A is NOT cheap. Last I checked it was over $4200.00 for the body and top wood kit… and its a ton of work. With a 7k entry fee this will be a labor of love with no regard to resale value.