What drove you towards the Model A hobby?

[Steve Plucker]

What drove you towards the Model A hobby and not some other type of vehicle?

I was 8 years old when I was hooked. Used to sit in the drivers seat of our 1928-29 Closed Cab Pickup on the ranch and pretend to be driving it. Used to pull rye for a farmer friend of mine down the road and he had a restored 1928 Open Cab Pickup and used to take me for rides...I was really hooked then. He had a 1929 Standard Coupe in the barn that he was going to restore someday (how many times have we heard that?). One day in 1966 he asked me if I would like the coupe if I promised to restore it and not turn it into a hot rod. I said yes and was soon the proud owner of two 1929's. A Standard Coupe and a Closed Cab Pickup...all for $250.00.

Fourteen years later, 1980, I took my farmer friend for a ride in the coupe. He had a smile that went from ear to ear when I showed it to him for the first time since I had bought it. I will never forget that smile.

Pluck

[JoeWay]

I worked for my Dad the spring and summer I turned 15, in 1962. In the fall, he bought me a Model A as payment. Simple as that.

He was into old cars. He built a '24 T speedster which I have now, and for many years owned a nicely restored 1915 Dodge touring. Other old cars came and went. So I was raised in an old car environment. But the Model A was mine, and it stuck with me. I mean that literally; it's the one in my avatar and I still have it.

Joe

[mmindling]

Originally Posted by JoeWay

I worked for my Dad the spring and summer I turned 15, in 1962. In the fall, he bought me a Model A as payment. Simple as that.

He was into old cars. He built a '24 T speedster which I have now, and for many years owned a nicely restored 1915 Dodge touring. Other old cars came and went. So I was raised in an old car environment. But the Model A was mine, and it stuck with me. I mean that literally; it's the one in my avatar and I still have it.

Joe

Hi Joe, I also turned 15 in the summer of 1962. My dad and I bought a 28 Tudor for $125 and we restored it together. Although we lived in Chicago at that time, dad grew up on a farm in Ohio and knew how to fix anything. After we joined the club, we saw many fine restored cars and re-restored the 28 three times. I passed my drivers test in that car - wow, the employees at the DMV were impressed. Would love to find it now - it was A 457909.
Glad to hear you kept your car,
Regards,

Martin Mindling [email protected]

[JtownJoe]

Actually I had a 34 Ford V8 4 door when I was in high school in 63/64 & always wanted another one just like it, but just couldn't put that much $ into an old car hobby so I settled for the next best thing, my 30 Tudor & I still just love these old cars!

[Logan]

I've been in model a's my whole life. My grandpa bought his first model a when he was 12 years old in 1945, and has only spent 9 years since then w/o a model a. He bought the car i drive now in 1959, and since then has restored it twice, and put over 50,000 since its last restoration. Then my brother and i came along in 1993 and he knew he had to pass on the hobby. He has taken me to over 20 national and regional meets, and now it almost seems like i have started taking him along since i drive now. (around 8000 miles under my belt in a little more than a year) He is almost 77 now and has slowed down a lot, but always goes on the tours with us still. He has put the model a fever in my blood, and it will stick for the rest of my life. I will forever be gratefull to him for getting me into this wonderfull hobby.

[Roadster62]

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Dad graduated High School in 1932, and thought a used '31 Roadster would be a great graduation present. Didn't get one until 1961, I wanted a Model T at that time. Still have both of them now plus the Roadster I found in 1962.

[TerryH]

In 1963 when I was ready to get my first car, several of my friends just happened to have Model A's.....just drivers, nothing really special. I instantly became attracted to them and found myself looking for one. Found a one owner 1930 Standard Coupe in San Diego, and bought it for $360. The fun part was having my dad help me pull the engine and have a long block completed....I had no idea my dad knew anything about cars....but he had grown up with Model T's and A's.

[MikeK]

I was registered at an auction because I wanted to bid on a Packard. A Ford 40B was up on deck for the block. Wife thought it was real cute. Went home with the 40B. The Packard, in better condition, sold for 10K less. Started collecting spare "A" parts. Then the wife also wanted a 4dr. Enter, 160B.

[Jack '29 Sport Coupe]

Great question, Steve! I was 17 when I fell in love with my classmate's coupe. He was going off to college and needed to sell the car. My dad was going to give me 200.00 bucks to put toward a car for my 16th. birthday. That just happened to be
the amount of the coupe. Dad wouldn't allow me to have the Model A because he
was sure that I wanted to hot rod the car. He was dead wrong, but I couldn't convince him otherwise. I wound up with an old Chevy but never forgot the coupe.
At 19 I got a great job with a major corporation, and bought my first A a year later.
That was the longest four year wait of my life! Before dad died, he apologized for not
understanding my love for the A.

Jack

[Chris Haynes]

In 1961 when I was 151/2 I bought my first car. It was a $125.00 1931 Sport Coupe. There hasn't been one day of my life since then that I haven't owned a Model A.

[cradlescyth]

I envey you guys that have had A's in your life since youth.
I'm still looking for my first. Have loved them all my life but
other things got in the way. Soon Soon!!

[raceron1120]

Originally Posted by cradlescyth

I envey you guys that have had A's in your life since youth. I'm still looking for my first. Have loved them all my life but other things got in the way. Soon Soon!!

Sounds like my story too. I wish I had gotten one sooner but now that the kids are gone and retirement looms on the horizon I figure it's about time for one before it's too late.

I got my high school car done (my avatar). My son picked up a complete & unmolested '47 SuperDeluxe Fordor a year or so ago and we were thinking of restoring it but it's not really what either of us wants so might consider trading it off. I'm leaning toward an A (1st preference) or maybe a '42-'47 pickup project.

Don't know much about either model but I guess learning about them will be part of the challenge.

[Ray A from PA]

Restored tractors for years, then one day the light came on and I remembered my youth when I worked with my Dad in his garage. That was in the 40's and 50's when there were many Model A's still being used as every day drivers. I was inspired again, to get back to those years. So I bought my first A. A 29 Special Coupe, now I have 2 A's.

[Kevin - Illinois]

Can't say I was driven to the hobby, more like I was inspired by my Dad who's first car was a 31 coupe in 1939.

[peters180a/170b]

Started in 1974 at age 19] [the high price of "GAS" 74 cents a gallon]that left me from racing to a old car. Turned out to be a 1931 Tudor sedan 1/2 restored. $1,550.00 later it was mine.Seem cool at the time since my friend had a late "T" coupe [26/27?] to drive to high school in 1970. Stuck with it ever since. Now at age 56 i just finished a 7 year project[180a] and now start fixing a 1930 standard Brigg fordor[170b] for driving. BUT i think it was going 120+ miles per hour in the 1/4 mile on the strip and the street racing that did it. Needed to slow down some..l.o.l.

[30ccpickup]

I have always wanted a 1930-31 pickup. My father had passed away a couple of years ago and my mom gave each of us kids $5,000. I promised myself I would do something fun with the money. My son was turning sixteen and I thought it would be fun to buy him a car, something I could help him work on. The more I looked the more I got the car fever. In our search we went to look at an old mustang and it was parked next to a Model T speedster. That’s when I broke, and that’s when I thought “why am I buying him car, It will be much more fun if I bought myself a car and he can help me work on it.” My wife, the good woman that she is, backed the idea, and made me promise not to just settle for any old car, but to buy the one I have always wanted. A year later I found my pickup.

[Gary/IA]

Childhood memories of back in the 1940's riding in the family A. Just never got those memories out of my system so I bought one of my own in '71, now I have two.

[roadster]

I was 14 years old my brother towed home a Model T Ford that
needed a lot of work.

He told me how he was going to fix this car up and run it.

He got me excited about it and I started reading all about the
Model T. In my reading I came across the Model A Ford and
I said I liked the Model A better.

At 15 years old I found a Model A Roadster for sale $75.00 (in 1953)
that started it. I now have 7 Model A's but not my first one.
1931 Roadster
1931 Cabrolet
1931 Pickup
1930 Coupe
1930 coupe
1929 Town Sedan
1929 Tudor

[Brubaker]

Memories of riding around the apple ranch clinging to the spare tire well of a '28(or '29) PU. My uncles bought it from their shop teacher 'Mr. Hanies'. To this day, 'Mr Hanies'(the truck) survives. We also had(have) an Overland.
I finally acquired mine through marriage(father-in-laws). I think the real reason I am drawn to A's is the restoration aspect. Makes me feel like I'm saving a little bit of history.

[Brian SATX]

I was in high school- 1966- and saved enough money to get a used car. I wanted a 56 Chev. My dad would not let me spend $250 on a 10 year old car but we found a 1929 Town Sedan that he let me spend it on!! Been hooked ever since.