Hot Rods Shay model A's

This may be O/T but does anybody ever hot rod Shay model A's? I think they were sold through Ford dealerships sometime in the '80s. They were offered as roadsters (I use the term loosely as they probably had roll up windows) and RPUs. They were pinto powered and would seem to be a good base for a hot rod with more modern brakes and suspension. I believe they had steel bodies and sell used for less than a Brookville body. They also sold a 55-57 T-bird.

P.S. No more O/T than a 'gl*** bodied hot rod...

 

Saw one last year on ePay. It wasn't bad looking. Retained the full fenders but not the Pinto running gear. Seems like it was a no sale for +/- $5K.

 

Maybe not "Hot Rod", but a friend of mine has two. He put 16" steelies and bias ply tires on it. Ford V8 caps and rings. It doesn't look half bad. It would be a perfect driver for my wife. Now, with a turbo, headers, etc.............

 

at a distance they might look ok..but up close if you know your A's you know it isnt one..

Not to mention the front suspension..ewww
Ive seen people try to get $8 to $12 K for them

if i could find one sound and cheap I might buy it for my kid to daily drive..but would never try to p*** it off as an A

 

Some guy put one on craigslist here and was asking $16,000 for it ,wanted to trade it for my 66 LeMans,went and looked at it,fenders and body are all one piece and the thing had a toyota engine in it,it looked nice in the picture but in person just a kit car with not much hope for dropping in a v-8 and fixing up,sat in the thing and it just seemed narrow as hell,there a few more around but I haven"t seen any hotrodded.

 

They are gl*** bodies, and horrible ones at that. They look like a Model A from 30 feet away, and may fool some people, but up close they are obvious poor facsimilies.

 

I like the little Shay's for what they are but like others have said, they ain't no A Model. There's a roadster that's run around here for years I'd drive the wheels off of if I could get my hands on it but it's just like it was new. There was another roadster one around here that someone hot rodded and for what it was I wasn't too turned off by it but I don't want one just like it.

I've seen a 2 door pheaton (sort of) at rod runs, roll up windows 70's door handles weird proportions. I'm almost certain it started life as a Shay although it's the only one I ever saw with theat body. It's had the full Street Rod treetment and man it's ugly. Almost wish I had taken a picture of it some time....almost.

 

I had a chance to trade one for my 38 Chevy.

 

There is an old saying for the people that owned Shay's.......Shaym on you. Anyone that thinks they have any potential for a hot rod is in serious trouble.

 

Definitely not as good as real or Brookville's but can be found reasonably.

Although it's not my cup of tea it was a Roadster and no worse than the Gl*** T buckets I've seen running around town.

So I bought a Shay body at a swapmeet in 1988 for $600 the running boards and fenders are all moulded to the body but my friend and I fabed a ch***is from discarded street Rod projects got it running for a quick sale.

The guy that purchased the car painted it Red and used the Shay interior kit where it looks pretty good and has been driving it without any issues for the past 20 years!

I'll get the photo's up as soon as I get home.

 

I think I'd rather drive a Shay than a Street Beast.

 

a guy next to my old shop bought one in kit form. he stuffed a sbc in it, hung a 9" to replace the pinto rearend, dropped the whole thing three feet and it didn't look too bad. it was a rumble seat car too.

 

I'd rather walk outside in a downpour when the temperature is 33-deg F.

 

You have to look at the Shay for what it is. A factory kit car designed for the non enthusiast that wanted something dependable, and in their mind cool, with a warranty that they could take for a Sunday drive and take to the dealer to be serviced.

Although it'll never be even close to a real Model A with a little work it could make a nice little beater. Something you wouldn't be afraid to leave unattended in a local Home Depot parking lot. Something the kids or grand kids could climb in and out of.

 

There is one here on the Seattle craigslist for $7800. Looks great in the pics... Like g***ersgarage said "it'd be nice for the wife".

 

The touring bodys were not Shays,they were an International ch***is. Much worse than a Shay. I have seen several Shays,lowered with steelie wheels,and a repaint that don't look too bad.

 

Didn't those things have Pinto running gear?

 

These cars were called "Gl***ics" and they were built not too far from me. The first ones did use International Scout drive trains, later ones had a 302. And yeah, they were pretty damn ugly. Once again, a car for those that liked an early style car but wanted new model reliability.

 

yes

 

I'm not familiar with these. Any pictures?

 

Read all of todays threads. This time next month there will be a test.

Recent thread
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=493679&highlight=shay

 

Here's the Shay....... reverse order!

It took two weeks to go from body to driver...

 

i have one but not shay brand had M2 fea and a SBC in so tight that I cant take off a valve cover and has a s10 rear with coils

it must have had a pinto rear w leafs and a 4 cyl before they converted to to V8 got some welding scars of removals and fine tuning

wife loves it, just keep it for a divorce preventer

 

They were a poor copy of a Model A Ford, and would be a poor investment for the start of a Hot Rod IMO.

 

Waste of time, you can't fake the funk.

 

Here ya go

 

that one looks like it might have a hemi

 

This Shay was a Rental in Napa around '99,

 

i agree. they have their place. i dont really wanna see them at cars shows or other places where people are gonna try to p*** them off as looking the same or as good as the real deal but for putting around and just flat out enjoyment, ah hell...why not

its like buying cheap ice cream. may not be the best tasting stuff but it can still put a smile on your face!

 

Dude, I hate to be a hater..... But if you gotta ask that question, are you always going to be a FNG?

A Shay? Really? A Shay?