My grand pa told me he can remember when he was about 13 years old, the guy across the street had a good running, good looking, model A for sale in the front yard for $125. my grand pa was born in 37 so this was probably 1950. so the car would have been 19-22 years old. a few years later his dad bought a model A from a used car lot. it was a black sedan with yellow wheels. grand pa ask great grand pa "how much did you pay for it?" great gp answered "$150". grand pa replied "why did you pay so much?" great gp "I could have gotten it cheaper but I had to finance it." so even when you could have got a good model A for $125-$150 you probably would not have been able to afford that ether. some of you old guys on here may know what I'm talking about. grand pa got out of the navy and starting working at ford motor co. on the ***embly line. he said he heard of a guy that worked a lot of overtime and made $100 in one week. no body could believe it. that's back when on pay day an armored car pulled up and they paid you in cash.
I bought my high school hot Rod, a 1956 Chevy 210 2 door, fresh Earl Schieb paint, tuck & roll 4-bbl 265, Hurst Mystery Floor shifter & chrome reversed wheels, in 1974 straight off a LA car lot for...................................... $747.10 - Including transfer fees!!! & You are correct, without Grandpa's help, I would not have afforded it on my part time mechanic's wage.... I was 17...
Bet it was on the back row. In the 70s all the interesting cars were allways on the back row. : The more little plastic flags hanging outside meant more cheap cars out back. We called that sort of car dealer a fly-by-nighter.
In 1968, I was making minimum wage ($1.60/hr) at a warehouse, $1.05/hr at a pizza joint three or four nights a week and I forget how much per bale bucking hay during June and early July. I was exhausted constantly, living off beer and pizza. By the end of the summer, I had enough money saved to pay for the next two semesters of college, buy five shirts, five Levi's, shoes, a coat and car insurance for the next year. AND . . . just enough to buy a '29 Model A coupe for $450. It had no gl***, hardly any brakes, no interior, just enough wiring to operate the engine, no roof and an engine that was so huffed that the blue smoke trail it left behind kept motorists at a safe distance. I felt richer then than I do today.
I am a grand pa... great grandpa too! In 1950 I made $5.00 a week delivering 100 newspapers six days a week snow, sleet, heat, and rain. Gave half to my dad. By 1955 I was making a whoppin 50 cents an hour bagging groceries. The next year I was so rich I bought a 1949 Dodge with my grandpa's help cosigning. I could take my girlfriend out to eat for less than $1 at the diner and another $1 for an evening at the drive-inn movie. Almost a whole evenings pay. Damned life was good! Married in 57 and bought my first old car, Model A coupe, for $150. It sorta ran! Sounded like four rubber mallets clattering inside the engine. That's my Model A story.
Bought my first car in 1950. Model A sport coupe that I had to tow home fpr $50.00. Needed a head gasket. Worked all summer as a hodcarrier for a guy buildiing a cement block gas station. I then was able to get ajob on another farm while still in school for $20.00 a month & room & board. Slept in the attic. During the summer when not in school the pay went up to $40.00 a month. Went in the service in 1954 & the pay was $80.00 a month & room & board heh heh he.
my grand pa died in 1993. he was a hell of a man. worked hard his whole life. when he was young his mother died. he had to go to work to help feed his brothers and sisters. this was probably in the early to mid 30's.when he was 15 years old, he got paid .50 cents a day to clean out out houses. yep, they would lower him in with a rope. as bad as that sounds to us, he was very proud when told that story because thats what the "full grown men" at the factory made.
Mines not a Model A story --- I bought my first car in 1955 --- I was 14 , lived in South Dakota, no driver lic. law at all then, had been driving since I was 12. Had been making 5.00 a day in the spring and summer for a couple of years as a "flag boy" for an aerail spray service , so I had a few bucks saved up. I found a Forty Ford convert. with a 3/8 x 3/8 296 inch flathead , 4 97's , offy heads , Clay Cmith cam, for 150.00 bucks. Told my dad , "I found the car I want" , he asked about it--- I told him 40 Ford ,---- "they are nice cars ' he said , "how's the motor? " " Thats the best part dad --its a full race flat head" "YOU ain't buying no hot rod Ford boy"!!! Nothing would change his mind!! So I went looking some more , finally found a 47 chev ragtop--- with a 324 inch jimmie , again full race including a 12 port head, for 125.00 ,--- this time when my dad asked about the motor I just said its a 6 cylinder! By the time they found out what kind of a 6 cylinder it was--it was too late and they decided if I had survived that long it would be ok. My dad did not think one should modify a car , figured the engineers knew what they were doing and it should be left that way -- but as time went on , he always helped me with my rod building efforts, even tho he still felt a car should be left alone. He was the best mechanic I ever knew even if his profession by that time was electricity.
I see on TV and movies that the 50s where so great. everybody had a new V8 chevy and all the kids hung out at the dinner. but all the old guys I know that lived in the 50s say nobody had any money. how they couldnt afford to eat out. if you worked hard all week you might be able to go to white castle. forget about taking a girl out. barly be able to aford for your self.
Dad (he's 74) tells me stories of his youth in the '50's and his buddies and him building crates out of any old half-*** car the could scrounge up... how some of his buddies would take girls out on dates and disappear long enough to grab a coke and some fries for themselves so their dates wouldn't see them eating! he was a dieahard A restoration fiend when i was a kid; we used to spend Saturdays searching down parts in the backwoods of Virginia. i practically learned to read by memorizing Clymer's restoration manuals! he's never been a rodder or customizer, either... he's had to get used to me "tearing up" old cars!
I guess it depends on where you were & how hard you wanted to work & manage your funds. I got out of the service in1956 & moved to so cal in 57 to be in the hotrod scene. Lived 2 blocks from the beach had a 55 vette & another 48 harley & was single. I was self surpported & never went thirsty or hungry. Worked steady & tried to stay out of trouble. Before I went into the service I had a 48 ford vert with a 3/4 race engine then 50 chev vert with a hopped up 270 jimmy & a 48 harley. Pretty much went out & dated as much as I wanted. If I wanted something I couldn't afford I saved for it. No complaints about the 50s from me.
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