Looking thru FB marketplace and found several really nice Model A coupes and roadsters for reasonable money. $10-15k, running and nicely restored. The owners would probably hate me, but it seems like this might actually be an economical way to build a rod. Wouldn't need paint, upholstery, lights... All the little stuff that eats time and money. Update the suspension, install a new drivetrain or update the banger. Would this make more sense than starting with a pile of rust?
I had the exact same thought and followed through. Bought a decent home brewed restoration for 12k. It is a solid car with ok single stage paint and an ok interior. Bought a new rolling chasis, installed a 283 sbc and slush box i had on hand. It saved a ton of time - it took about a year from purchase in late October of 2023 to November of 2024 to get the rig driving around the neighborhood. I didnt get the chasis until june of 2023, so I got to drive the car as Henry had built it until I had the chasis and drivetrain ready to go. This was a real plus to me and I enjoyed that (just not enough to keep it that way). It gave me a better understanding of what I liked and kept and what needed updating. I work on my junk alone, evenings and weekends, in a small two car garage, with basic hand tools, and just a couple jacks and stands. It would have taken two or three times as long without a good start to finaly get to drive what has been a dream of mine for a long time. I could have bought someone else’s project or completed car for the 30k i have in it. However - it wouldnt really be “mine”. Now I know every nut and bolt, made a few things myself, and picked the parts I bought vs somebody elses choices. I restore Japanese motorcycles from the 60-70s for fun and sometimes proffit (sold off six bikes to finance this project). From this experience I can assure you - working on a clean rust free project is way more fun. No stuck and rusted bolts, no 100 year old grease balls, no wasps or mice. As for pissing off some folks: that was never my intention. The car had just been sitting when i got it. Probably would sit 362 days a year the rest of its life in stock form. I assure you the car will get driven now. The model a drivetrain (non matching # engine) and suspension went to a restorer who was tickled to get it. The frame (with VIN) is waiting for “someday”. Your milage may vary.
While I was heavily looking at stuff, I'd see occasional 10k cars, but most of the time, 15k was the bottom of the price range for a complete, decent appearance ride. Most older home restos need to be checked for amateur body repairs (bondo, braze, lapped patches) and if you are going to sell off parts (drivetrain, axles and springs, wiring harness), gauge their sale-ability as well. You can also haunt the stock clubs for abandoned projects, since you aren't going to pay a premium for running and roadworthy. More chance of getting burned here, but lower buy-in. Probably a good idea not to wear your Roth shirt during negotiations!
It just makes economic sense. I'm in the middle of a major project now on a car that was fully restored, but it didn't have correct parts or matching numbers. I got it super cheap, and sold the non-matching numbers engine for over half what I have into the whole car. Too bad I really hate the color, because the body and paint were good.
Here's one with big n littles and 'juice brakes' for 10k. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2031914053880628/ Beats the 6500 primered and missing parts ones, if you can swing the buy-in.
I've had five Model A's, one stocker, two with flathead V8's, one with a hopped up B motor ( Winfield head, Ansen intake with a Holley 94, Mallory distributor and a header) and I'm working on a 29 Roadster Pickup with a warmed up banger. I agree it's a good idea to buy an older restoration and start from there. The gray coupe is stock, my Avatar had a V8 60 flathead in it, the 30 Pickup had the B motor, the Sport Coupe has an 8BA flathead and then the Roadster Pickup. I don't take my own advice since the Roadster Pickup is the most complete car I've started with. Still have the gray 29 and the Sport Coupe and the Roadster Pickup in the garage.
Years ago, my buddy bought a fully restored 30 Ford 2 door sedan for somewhere around $5K. He pulled the sheet metal off of the original frame and installed it on a modern chassis. Then he pulled the frame tags off the original frame and sold the complete chassis to a guy that was into restoring the 30s Fords with the understanding that the chassis had to be used as parts for different car(s) because he was using the numbers with the original body (legal here at that time). I believe he got his entire purchase money back from the original buy, simply by selling the complete frame to a restorer. He built a really nice hot rod for just the cost of the modern chassis. Doubt you could do it these days, but maybe?
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