I guess the 3rd one's the charm. I originally bought a '30 coupe two years ago to hotrod and sold it knowing I should start with a better example. I also didn't know if I was up to the challenge. I ended up missing it and located a very straight and clean '31 tudor. I again sold it knowing a tudor was my 3rd choice with a coupe being my first, followed by a pick up. I also didn't know if I was up to the commitment. I again missed having an "A" and the search began again. I also started welding class at the local college. I now feel I'm fully committed to a hotrod or just crazy. I think it's just who I am. Well the search has payed off and I've located the best one I've had. It's a one family California 30' coupe with 97,500 miles and only been in the midwest for 3 months. I'm extremely fortunate to have landed this one. It apparently was painted in '90, has an insert bearing engine and was converted to 12 volts. It also has 16" wires and some kind of 2 speed rearend. I've probably put 200 miles on it in the past 2 days. She's a keeper. The immediate plans are to get the bumpers off of it and to get the fenders sold( they are a very nice set of what I believe are to be original Ford). The long term plan is to build a 40's/50's style hotrod.
Just a thought.......selling all the parts like fenders etc.......give it a good deal of thinking. if you ever want to change up....you'll have to go searching for good originals or settle on after market. we have just built an RPU for a fella and he sold everything off to help fund it.....he now regrets it!
I would just lower that one and keep the fenders on it. A T spring in the rear and a 3 to 4 inch dropped axle up front should get it sitting just right. If that is an insert banger than I would keep it and play with that for awhile. That looks like some kind of overdrive you have there that would really help the banger at highway speeds.
Wow, that's a sweet example. I'd be tempted to do a little stance adjustment, wheel-tire experimenting, & cruise the crap outa that one for a while (pretty much as is).
X2 Take the fenders off but hold on to them. Tuck them away and then if you decide to put fenders back on to that car later, you already have steel henry fenders that fit properly. Most of the fiberglass fenders do not fit worth a crap and even the steel repops need rework to fit properly. I have found that running our fully fendered A coupe puts it in the minority. There are probably 3 fenderless cars for every fully fendered A coupe out there. and I have found that probably a third of the fully fendered cars have fiberglass fenders. I am pretty proud of the fact that you can stick a magnet on the body of our car anywhere and it will stick.
I am with the fender crowd on this one, I love fenderless A's, in fact I have one. I bought it full fendered and have driven it for years. Luckily kept the fenders and now I am thinking of putting them back on.
There were 5 million sets of A fenders built, but when you get ready to put a set back on it, you wont find any that will fit like the ones on it now. Heck you may not find any, period. I pulled mine off my 34 and stacked them neatly in the attic. They aren't eating a thing. As your tastes change, your little A may have many faces. Great looking car by the way.
Leave the fenders on. You'll regret pulling them once the new wears off. That one is too nice to mess with.
flatford39 X2 To get repros to fit correctly talk to Brent Terry in Elizabethton, TN. He has done several. The labor to make them fit will easily double/triple the initial purchase price. Hang on to the ones you have. BTW, Model A steel does not "stone star" like the softer steel repros.
Heck I just wish I had the money laying around to buy those fenders before the rest of the guys changed your mind.
Great advice here. Most important, drive it as it is right now, and put the miles on it. You can always buy something with a big engine and pull off fenders. Nothing like a banger to bring back a feeling of many decades earlier. Enjoy this!
Build it the way you want too otherwise it'll again be something other then what you've always wanted. Unless $ is a big part of getting it to the way you want it then I'd stash the fenders for a bit and see if you still want to keep it fenderless a year from now. I've always wanted a chopped fenderless A with a banger and now I have one and love it, but now all I think about is building an unchopped full fendered A with a flathead. Build it your way but don't rush into getting rid of anything you take off the car. To have the hot rod you always wanted it doesn't seem like you're that far away. Stance is EVERYTHING, just get her sitting the way you want and get the tire sie right and you'll have a smile for miles!
You have a nice clean car. Maybe lower the front a bit. But leave it mostly as is. Take those welding classes. Buy a project and build your dream car. You can sell or keep this one later.
Very nice car. Like everyone else has already stated, keep the original parts unless you desperately need the money. Interested to hear your plans for the drive-train.
Thanks for all the positive remarks. I'm super happy with this car! I agree it has some serious stance issues. It needs tires like yesterday and I'm thinking 7.50 in the rear and 5.50 in front. What do you guys think. Unfortunately I'll probably end up having to pull the tires off the wheels this winter as I want to redo them and possibly change the color. I may even put a set of 40's on it. Kicking myself for selling the set I had!
Sorry to all the fender guys but I just don't like them on Model A coupe hotrods. They will remain on the car for the rest of the season though. As of right now just making sure everything is up to snuff so I can continue to drive it. I'm sure it will remain a banger for next season also. As to selling the fenders, I'm on the fence. Some of you guys make sense about keeping them and I don't know what they're worth. I think they are pretty damn nice and about 100% sure they are original Ford. I do have to finance a flathead build. At least I have a complete '53 Merc engine. As for buying a car in this condition. I'm miles ahead in money and time.
I'm with the fender crowd....altho my channeled 31 is fenderless...fenderless Model A hiboys look like tractors (sorry, just my opinion). I could see doing what your thinking with a lessor car, but that car looks too nice.
Nice early 30, early dash in a 30 tank I'm with the at least stash the fenders crowd. You'll pay a lot of money for nice fenders in the future. 750 rears and 550 fronts stance an A nicely. That's what I run but 17's not 16's. The ugly spare tire will fit in the trunk and the license plate bracket can be used over the spare tire mounting holes upside down to hide the scar that the tire mount leaves
Re the fenders, note that I sold everything not needed when the coupe got built and was gobsmacked to find out what they are worth if original. Sold JUST the fronts for $1,500 as they were a clean set of originals. Could be the luck of the Irish , I don't know. Rears went for a more modest @$300, I can't really recall. Same for the drivetrain, went for just north of $2k for the engine/trans. By the time I sold everything not needed the body/frame cost me just over $1k.
I ordered some tires from Coker in sizes 7.50 x 16 and 5.50 x 16. I think I changed my mind though and want to go with 6.00 x 16 on the fronts. Decisions, decisions.
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