Kansas storage since 62'....A pair of Model A's

I debated about the title for this post since they were not a "barn find" from 62', but a "storage container" find.

Well, the story starts off as........I have been chasing 53' Stude hardtop parts for a buddy at work this past winter and every "Stude" guy that I have run into, I have asked about "Old Ford Parts", or "Speed Parts". I have found some superchargers and some other stuff for V8 Fords, but nothing til' I went to this place.

I have heard about this guy that lived near my dads place since I was a kid, and he is the "Stude" guy. So, we go to his place with the wifes little brother and my buddy the Stude guy. Well, we find some parts and look at 60 plus Studebakers and I ask about Model A's or old Fords........."Son, I have a couple down in the storage container on the hill, but be careful when you open the doors", so he tells us to go look at them and the little brother and I walk down the hill to look at the "Model A's", while the other guys chat Studes.

We get down to the container and open the doors and low and behold there is a coupe and it is DARK in there (but, the snakes and spiders and not out yet, whew). Mike and I open both doors and see both Model A's and take a couple of pictures. I start climbing around with my cell phone as a flashlight and Mike took some pix.

HOLY COW! I see the Sedan..........and my pop's just drug home a Sedan and not in this good of shape. After a couple of pix, we stroll up the hill and my buddy ask's about the Model A's, and I tell him on the ride back "Ahh, they are alright". I say, thinking to good to be true. And I did not want him to get them from under me.

I call the older guy that evening asking about the cars and wanting to take more pictures. He tells me to come to his place on Wednesday in the evening to take more pictures. Ok, I tell him.

Weds: I go the the farm with my digital camera to take pictures and talk about the price for the "A's". I dig around and take ton's of photos and the sun is setting and I ask "How much for the Coupe?", well the price was REAL GOOD "and the Sedan?" well he told me the price for it and I told him that I was interested in both of them and the sedan is for a buddy (aka: my pops).

I call my pops on Thursday while on my way back to his place to chat with the guy again, and then the guy tells me that a lifetime buddy of his was interested in them also.........errr.....the one that got away......so we chat again and he told me to call him on Friday evening. I did not sleep much on Thursday night and then instead of calling I stopped by his place and he decided to sell them to me........Whew.......but, now we have to get them outta' there.

Did I sleep much on Friday night? Nope.........and heck I think that I was ready to load them on a trailer at 3am.

Well, off to get the cars on Saturday and we rolled the coupe out of the storage container and the guy told me that she had not seen the light since 1962 and then he hooked up a rope to his Dodge truck and pulled me up the hill thru his back yard while honking his horn for his older wife to come out and check out the cars.......hahaha..........I was smiling ear to ear.....I felt like a punk kid in the 50's with the old "racer" farmer that was happy that a kid was getting his old coupe. He told a couple of storys about the car and I told him my first plans for the coupe (Drive it to work). Well, we loaded the coupe and back to the Sedan.

The Sedan used to be his daily drive to work in the 50's and 60's and the lady that lived across the street did not like to look at the "Old red car" in his driveway in the 50's. So, he went out and painted the back of the sedan "Black" so she would not have to look at the "Old Red Car"......she never said a word after that day, he told us. We drug the sedan out and heard a few more stories about it.

Well, the "Nelson Boy's" drug home a pair of Model A's on a Saturday morning and the thing that was funny they were 3 miles from my pop's house and all of the local guys could not believe that they were right in the area and I found them and I live 45 miles away.......hahaha...

I cleand up the inside of the coupe while the pops dug into the sedan and we kept yelling at each other "Look what I found", buried in the ole' A's. I power washed the Coupe and drug her to the garage, and relized that the "Barn find" sedan would have to go.

The wife mentioned that her parking spot in the garage was no longer there........but, the swapmeet was coming up the following weekend. So, I sold the Sedan by 8:05am and got home by noonish and started digging into the motor of the coupe. I hope to try to get her running in a couple of weeks.

Oh yea, and the wife asked how hard would it be to cut the top off the car and make a roadster or at least chop the top. She told me that it looks like and old man car.

Chris Nelson
Kansas

Here are a handful of pix and I will try to post what they are.

The container:



First time to the light:

 

Riding thru the yard: Insert smile here......



Clean body, no rust.





Back for the Sedan.....




The sedan............solid

 

Holy crap!!! great find!

 

He tells about driving the ole' gal every day......



The pop's with the A's......



Mid-west power wash........



On the way to the garage....



What rust? Damn solid car.....

 

You have to take a picture of the "found it" in the garage.......



A pair of Model A's chatting and one will soon be gone...



Off to the swapmeet in the rain to find a new home....

 

Great story...hell of a nice find!

 

Great story - that coupe looks like it's in great shape! Keep us posted on what you do with them....

Malcolm

 

wow chris... WOW...

That coupe is really really nice... and what a kick ass story.

 

Nice find!! Your coupe is a 29 Special, sometimes called a leather back. Did a complete restoration on one and gave it to my in-laws on there 50th wedding anniversary. Still remember the look on there face when they took the first ride. That was 1993, I miss him more than the car. Good luck with yours.

 

Totally fantastic story!

 

ur are truely one lucky fucker...joe

 

That's great! I hope I'll get lucky enough whenever I start to look for the '57 for my wife! I wish I'da found them both - they'da come home with me!

 

awesome story Chris. Thats cool. You guys each got a super nice car!

 

That is so cool, great fine.

 

Excellent find! How did it go at the swap meet?

 

That's a keeper!

 

Nice score.

 

Damn Chris!!! way to go. Looks like you have new ride for the drags.

 

Thats a cool story Chris...and great score. Just prooves they are still lurking out there.

 

Looks alot like my A I just bought a couple months ago...mine sat in a garage since 1962 as well!!! I got mine ona Friday, and was driving it around the block by sunday. If it turns over, it will run

 

WOW,you are one lucky guy.Glad to know a HAMB'r got them,enjoy.

 

Wow, great story and an awesome find. I was going to say "lucky" but in this case it sounds like persistance paid off.

 

Thats awesome! Congrats on your finds.

 

Chris, you guys are the Model A bloodhounds. Congrats.

 

What a find !!!

 

Hey Chris,I wonder how long it will be before that shit eating grin goes away .....Lucky bar steward!

Tim

 

Wow Chris! Good for you!

 

Loved the story of the complaining old lady and the black paint job on the sedan!LOL
Ted

 

I love the tread pattern on the front tires of the coupe.
Whatever you do, do not cut the top off the 'old man's car'. Keep the fenders, hop up the 4 banger and leave it be.