Considering purchase of Town Sedan, help please

[Anteek29]

That is a sweet - looking truck

[Gwill65074]

Thank you. I really like the way it turned out. I still need to put new upholstery in though.

[burner31]

It's a '31 Murray body. 160B. I have the same identical car. I paid 35 hundred, been sitting in a garage since 1958, no interior, did not run, did not stop, needs paint badly, two broken windows. Took a month to get her running, a week to get her to stop. I have a little over a grand in her to date, but I CAN drive her.
I'm very happy with the car and the price, and the condition, I wanted something I could work on for awhile, so condition was not an issue on my purchase.
In your case I would leave it as is, just clean and detail it up, then drive and enjoy.
It's worth what you are willing to pay for it, it's NOT the dollar value, it's the ENJOYMENT value. I would jump on that beauty in a heart beat. If the price feels good...you wont regret it.

[Gwill65074]

Thank you, I really appreciate all the advice I'm getting.

[burner31]

The '31 slant did come with center armrest, and were built by Murray, with the curved Murray windows, during early production,how do I know this...I have one.

[Charles Coe]

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Keith, all of the 160B bodies have the curved windows whether built by Murray, Briggs, or Ford. And as Marco has pointed out, the back seat in your car has been changed at some point. The 160B did not come from the factory with a center armrest.

[Gwill65074]

Did the slant '31 Town Sedan come with a side mount or was the spare installed in the rear? Did it have fancier door and window handles? Were assist straps standard? Where would I find a description of what was standard and what was optional for the '31 Town Sedan?

[Charles Coe]

A side mount or mounts would have been an option. The door handles on the 160B & C were a more sleek design than the scroll handles on the 160A. Assist straps were standard. The Restoration Guidelines & Judging Standards has all the details.

[burner31]

Charles:
Thank you for continuing my education, I swear I learn 10 new things everyday, of course I forget five of them, but at least I'm falling in the right direction.
That also might explain the loose back seat, I kinda like the middle fold down, so I think I'll keep it.

[Classiccanuck]

Body/paint and mechanical work are not cheap, you don't know what's under the flat black/faded paint, don't be mesmerized by a new interior and shiny red rims. Its happened to all of us at one time or another.

[Gwill65074]

I thought I'd copy the guys ad over to here so you guys can get a feel for what he has done and shed some more light on how I should approach this. Glen

"Up for sale is a very nice 1931 Model A Ford Slant Windshield Town Sedan. This was purchased from the original owner who resided in a nursing home. I have restored nearly everything in the vehicle except the paint. It has a very old paint job on it and although the paint doesn't look new it has such character and personality to it that I just couldn't make myself repaint it. This car has not had just a superficial makeover. Even the wiper motor was rebuilt. It is also done correctly to the two national Model A clubs judging standards. Original parts were restored rather opting for new replacements on all the major items such as headlights, radiator, bumpers, cowl lamps, radiator shell, etc etc. It has newly rebuilt engine, transmission, differential, brakes, top, glass, running boards, etc."

[Skibb]

Gwill, he's a good writer and perhaps its all true, perhaps. Personally, I'd never buy another A without taking along one or two people who could tell whether what's written above is factual.

You know this is his 300th Model A sale, he told you that. You also might have the impression that two or three thou was paid to the previous owner who was basking in a state of immobility in a skilled nursing home. He told you hs's put in four thou. You have suggestions from several of us on the Barn that the car is worth eight to ten thou. Just get someone who knows A's to look at the mechanics to be sure and offer him eight thou. Give him your phone number and walk away.

MAFCA's website has nice looking sedans for sale that don't need paint for his price. I can't imagine trying to take that old paint off, prep the metal, prime, then put color and clear on while that sweet interior is inside.

Reduce it to a numbers game.

[oliverguy]

I would say that car even from the nonev detailed pictures is far from original. It looks in primer, the wood grain is not done and the roof insert looks bad. Take a expert model a along to view and drive on a real test drive, not just around the block. and also ask for receipts for the engine rebuild. If there is no documentation then assume it has not been minus 4k. Don't get ripped off or fall for stories. It looks like a car someone started to restore and ran out of money.

[Gwill65074]

Thanks Fellas, it does get hard to keep things in perspective.

[Skibb]

Originally Posted by oliverguy

I would say that car even from the nonev detailed pictures is far from original. It looks in primer, the wood grain is not done and the roof insert looks bad. Take a expert model a along to view and drive on a real test drive, not just around the block. and also ask for receipts for the engine rebuild. If there is no documentation then assume it has not been minus 4k. Don't get ripped off or fall for stories. It looks like a car someone started to restore and ran out of money.

Oliverguy hit the nail on the head. Only in old primer is Lie no 1 - exposed. It's used car shark goes Model A time. Be careful.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by burner31

... and were built by Murray, with the curved Murray windows, during early production,how do I know this...I have one.

I learned the same. See posts #12 & 13. It helps if you read all the posts... You learn and save yourself embarrassment .