Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Maybe refurbished, but not restored. The bill of sale is very interesting. Note the cowl lights are on it so I wonder if the ones on the car are the ones the dealer installed? When did cowl lights start on some models?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1928-Ford-M...QAAOSw~YldPeph

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Wow, that is one example of "high quality restoration".
While I'm no purist, one of the first things I look for when ads use such descriptions is whether the engine pans are installed.
And wouldn't an early '28 have a radiator shroud?
Forgot to mention that the '28 California plates should be blue with yellow numbers.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I used to tell the children in Art Class, "Know when to stop!"

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

For some reason did not paint the engine in Ford green.....to me, that really detracts. Lots of mods, but looks very nice....

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I'd call it a very nice, pretty, customized Model A, almost a hot rod. Not a restoration.
I also doubt it was the first Sport Coupe sold in the San Francisco Bay Area at that production date. I wouldn't be surprised if the first one sold would have been at Billy Houghson
Ford in San Francisco.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Nice but for that kinda money, there are other cars that I would have bought, done already.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes it is a nice car, but some of the stuff done can not be fixed without a lot of work , for example gas tank cut up to install radio, this is very nice car and if It was the first car sold in that area and the owner knew this why would you modify it and not restore back to the original way it was sold with just adding some of the mods such as motor work and overdrive unit but paint everything to stock condition so if someone did want a nice AR coupe this would of been a great car to buy, but a lot of work would have to be done to put it back to a fine point or even a touring car especially with gas tank cut up.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Regardless, it's a good looking motorcar !

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes, and will very likely sell to someone who could care less about authenticity simply because how the seller described it all seems believable.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Looking at the original sales docket, I'll bet the salesman went home that night with a smile on his face. Nice to see an early sport coupe with the correct top.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

look at that radio they cut into the tank.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

that engine color just doesn't get it in my opinion, but to each their own!

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Are those correct early cowl lights? They look good but I've never seen them before and given the rest of the car it's hard to tell what is authentic.


It's odd they went though the effort of cutting the gas tank up to install the radio and made up the tank in the trunk but still kept the old 7 tooth steering box. It all seems well done, just confuses the hell out of me.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Boy, you guys are tough! Looks like a really nice car to me (guess that's why i should take a Model A guy with me when Im ready to buy). There are a few things that stand out for my untrained eyes, but all in all top shelf. I wouldn't be crazy about the gas tank relocation, and for the quality of work done I would have done something else with the stereo.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

In regards to the cowl lights , it looks like the hole the wire harness comes through is rough around the hole, like drill burrs, also I would think there would be a rubber grommet in place , still a nice job , also would two tail lamps be on the car originally?

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Thats a car someone went to great lengths on,the chassis is impeccable.Fit and finish is first class.Folks get wadded up on authenticity and the word 'restored'.If you strive for that,great,if not,this is a fine example of a modified model a..32k worth? debatable..the market is flat,and personalized cars are just that,they have a narrow market. All the hoo-hah about provenance is just that,hoo-hah,makes a buyer skeptical about what he's getting.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

When the Model As came out, the Sport Coupes were in very big demand and especially with folks that could afford better cars. Dealers were promising them to the famous and well to do. The "new" sort of wore off of them in late 1929. The Cabriolet might have had something to do with that but the depression was likely the rest of the story.

It was sort of like what happened when the Mustangs first came out in mid 1964. I own a Sport Coupe and they are a fun little car but not something I'd pay that much for especially when it's been restomoded that much.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Not sure about the cowl/parking lights? Was Ford offering the type we see now for 28/29 or did the dealer have to used non-Ford on the early cars?

The rear end: looks like wrong bolts (with star washers?) holding the tubes to center?

No one has said anything about the carburetor.

Looks like chrome plating instead of nickle.
I would not be wild crazy about the fuel tank location, almost like lets just hang it off the rear as an after thought.


Yes the finish on the car looks top shelf, just not Ford points judging. :)

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I’m sure someone is very proud of this car.

It’s like a custom house. The owners taste but not always easy to sell. Enjoy.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I seriously find it hard to believe that this was the FIRST Sport Coupe to be sold in San Francisco, especially when the San Francisco plant start up date was January 4, 1928, if in fact this car came from that plant!

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes I am hung up on the term Restoration especially when advertised as a “total” restoration. For that kind of money the car should be correct.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I guess I'm sorta purist. I always look for original paint chips, dings, scratches, and rust. Especially rust. When that's missing I feel that a big part of it's character has been erased. I may be outdated in my thinking.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Pluck's site has a good bit of info on the San Fran plant.
http://www.plucks329s.org/pdf/assypl..._francisco.pdf

Considering the first known Sport Coupe built in SF was on Jan 5th, and they built over 3,000 of them in '28, I seriously doubt this was the first one sold in the area.

Really like this part of the ad "NOS "Dog bone" shock connectors."

I've always wanted to do a '28 Sport Coupe but this one wouldn't be one for me.

To each their own.

-Tim

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Just WAY to many people TEXTING to have the gas tank where it is for me ..

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I have to agree with the gas tank being ugh.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

The old San Francisco branch plant at Harrison and 21st was slow in manufacturing due to it being a 5-story building where stuff had to go by elevator up & down to the various assembly shops. It was outdated in the model T era let alone the model A. The Richmond plant came on line late in the model A era so I'm sure the early Model A cars were slow to come out the door. They likely produced most models anyway, just not as fast. I think there production was around 200 a day.

On the gas tank, folks thought the Pinto was dangerous. At least it had some sheet metal & structure around it.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I agree. Also it still appears to have mechanical brakes. That's the problem with resto/rods. You have this one person's interpretation of what needed to be improved and what didn't, and unless it lines up with a buyers view it will be sitting for a while, especially at that price.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Kind of like my house. It was built with 2600 square feet an 1 bedroom with 2 baths. I have since remodeled some daylight basement area into another bed & bath.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Seems overly restored but yet incorrect for what it is. I guess the guy paying the bills wanted it his way.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I do not like the gas tank. The trunk mounts if stock are not heavy enough.
However 32 Fords have the tank in the rear. The car is strange. If he wanted a rear tank with all the work he put in he should have put on a 32 tank. Kits are available to mount it.

John

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I thought it was a beer barrel with a hose running to a tap somewhere on the dash. If it's not . . . that really changes everything.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

When you check out the prices of hotrods this car to me looks like an absolute BARGAIN and yes a shining example of the restorers skills. Top marks to whomever is responsible for the result !

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Yes, most hobbyists have no idea the amount of time (-in man-hours) that it takes to do a project like a Model-A, ...even when it is not even a thorough restoration. The simple reason is because they have never done a full restoration, so they are just speculating on the amount of hours that seems believable.


Based on our experiences, an accurate, full restoration on a Sport Coupe like that will easily take 1,300 - 1,500 hours for a professional that has the tools and experience, -and starts with a car that was decent. Naturally you back-out hours required if you replace with reproduction parts instead of restore, -or not follow the RG&JS book.


And while some here will complain about how this vehicle was 'restored' unauthentically, I'm sure if we took a hard look at each other's vehicles, we'd see many deviations from 'factory-done' too, -so in all likelihood, the owner that was paying for this car's restoration chose it to be done the way he wanted it. The shop that did this project executed many things well, and very likely made this owner's dream happen. Yes, it is not 'restored' buy the truest sense, but in this modern era, this appears to be one of the nicer Model-As available on the market these days, and if the car performs equal to its' looks, the person that buys this car will likely have a car they can cruise with while getting many thumbs-up.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Beautiful car. Put the tank back to original, repaint the engine,add pans and fan shroud. Cowl lights??
I think that would take the car to the next level.
At a good auction I think the car will bring somewhere in the 30 thousand + range.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

If someone attempts to restore a car and makes an honest attempt I have respect for his efforts. I do not expect a concourse restoration but a period correct car. When someone says he restored a car but decided to make changes for whatever reason then do not call it a restoration especially a total restoration because it is not. You are miss representing your car.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I don't know if I will ever get used to folks using the term "restored" so loosely but it seems to be prevalent these days. Too may folks don't know the definition of the word.

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

When selling a modified vehicle you need to find someone who agrees with your changes or interpretation of what makes the vehicle "better". Some may find this person's interpretation very appealing. All that is needed is for one person to put the money down.

The dictionary that I use defines the word restore as 'to bring back to or put back into a former or original state'. Using this definition, this car is not restored. I agree with Tim, 'To each their own'. However, I also believe in truth in advertising. This ad has many untruths.

With all that said, I sure do like the Radiator Hood Goddess!

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

What I think is slightly humorous in this discussion is trying to determine exactly 'what' pushed this car over the (imaginary) line that many here feel it is not 'Restored'. Is it the alternator? Is it the Mitchell Overdrive Transmission?? Is it the Weber carburetor or the modern Distributor cap & wires? Is it the Crème colored wheels or the Whitewall tires? Maybe it is the Float-a-Motor mounts?? That list could go with the accessories and such, ...HOWEVER if we were all truly honest with ourselves, many of our own Model-As that we call 'Restored' have those same items on them, -so what makes this car different enough that it has crossed that line yet our own cars haven't??


Playing Devil's Advocate, this car looks to have an authentic paint scheme (-closer to the correct color in the Paint & Refinish Guide than many A's I see at National meets), and it has an accurate representation of top material. It even has metal stemmed tubes, lever shocks, and mechanical brakes! In some ways, it looks more authentic than many of our own Model-As that we tell folks is 'restored'.


As Fred mentioned above, the engine color and the gas tank are the two biggest issues that are obviously wrong, ...but if it is any consolation, most of the 'restored cars' have the incorrect shade of engine green on their engines too, -so surely it cannot be the engine color that has made this car be considered "not restored"! :D :D


So is the definition of what this car is just like defining Pornography? As that Supreme Court Justice loosely stated "I shall not try to define it, but I know it when I see it!". Maybe we cannot put a definitive line across what is restored or not restored, -but we apparently we all know what is or isn't Restored when we see it!! http://www.model-a-ford.com/LOL.gif http://www.model-a-ford.com/ROFL.gif

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

Give the man a break ! He describes it as "a high quality restoration". No mention of what the car was like prior to restoration.....maybe just a grubby,tired,worn out version of what we see now.


Credit where credit's due for a top job ! I bet very few Barners who own a convertible have a wrinkle free hood ?

Re: Totaly "Restored" 1st Sport Coupe sold in San Francisco
 

I think what gets me more than anything is the "Color Coordinated" license plate. :eek::eek: California never had license plates that color and I'm not even sure they're legal that color.

Second is the radio in the gas tank and the speakers on the tray. They both look like after thoughts. With all the Blue Tooth devices these days they could have done a better job hiding them.