Talk about a skinny garage find! This 1929 Ford Model A is really packed in there. The seller describes it as a Roadster/Cabriolet but I can’t decide which because I can’t get a good look at the windshield frame, etc. but it appears to be a roadster. Whatever the case, it comes with a bit of a surprise in the powerplant department, a choice not available in ’29. This Ford is located in Monrovia, California and is available, here on craigslist for $3,995, and the price has been REDUCED!! Thanks to Ikey H. for this tip!

As I review the images, I note that the fenders are in one place, the radiator grille is in another, the rear bumper in yet another. It reminds me of the scarecrow in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz when he proclaims, “First they took my legs off and threw them over there! Then they took my chest out and threw it over there!” To which the Tin Woodsman responds, “Well, that’s you all over!” And that’s the condition of this Model A, it’s all over and its entombment in this svelte garage, coupled with virtually no listing description, makes getting a grip on this subject a real challenge. The seller states that he has, “all steel/fenders” but that’s it in terms of details. This Model A does have new tires, however!

The big surprise happens when the seller adds, “Will included 5.0 Ford motor.” There is no engine provenance identified but it appears to have at one-time been fed by a four-barrel carburetor. The engine is not completely dressed so an inquiry would need to be made as to what is included, or even it if is operable. There is no mention made of the A’s original 201 CI, in-line, four-cylinder motor or its transmission, or whether the seller has a suitable transmission for the 5.0 – I imagine the answer is no.  This car will be a major project!

The interior looks to be mostly gutted but there is no way to know for sure, especially with a plastic tarp obscuring the view. There is one opening in the simple instrument panel but it is unknown what’s missing. It’s the same story in the rumble seat, it looks to be stripped and currently serving as a repository for various parts.

Calling this car a do-it-yourself-project is a palpable understatement. It’s very hard to know what you are really getting, and more importantly, what you are missing when you make an acquisition like this. The lack of verifiable images is probably the major contributor to the price reduction – and the obscured nature of this Model A may lead to another reduction, there is just too much uncertainty. Clearly, someone had hot-rodding intentions with this Model A, ergo the 5.0-liter engine but this car has a long way to go before it will be ready for that. Knowing what we know, which admittedly isn’t much, which way should this Ford go, hot-rod, restored to stock, or just forget it and keep looking for another?