First Post! What can you tell me about 1931 Fords?!?

[Fred K-OR]

It has probably been covered above, but the first thing you want to do before you even think about starting the motor or even cranking it over, is to change the oil. A friend of mine purchased one than had not been run for awhile and started it right away. It plugged up the main bearing drain pipe and started throwing oil out the back of the engine. When he did drain the oil, it was very heavy. Yes they had only run it one hour, but you never know how the oil has been over all those years.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I can't see the interior, but to me that looks like a car I'd drive as is, rather than spend thousands restoring it. Nothing wrong with a good survivor car. Too many good survivor cars have been "restored" with new paint.

I'd replace the sealed bean headlamps with original reflectors and lens, make sure you have good tires and brakes, then drive it. At least drive it for a year before restoring it, if you really need to restore it. Of course, when you check the brakes, you will repack the wheel bearings.

I like to go through or restore the 5 engine ancillaries, the carb, water pump, distributor, starter and generator. Then I feel good about driving without having problems.

Don't overfill the oil and radiator, but keep an eye on them for a while to make sure they don't go low.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by chstitans42

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Seems like an excellent forum to be a part of!! Mike V, I really really hope you didn't type all the out and used the copy and past function! Thanks everyone for their help so far and Stay tuned for videos on the car!

Here is a great site to learn from;

http://modelabasics.com/

It's a lot easier if you post specific questions in the future.

[1930artdeco]

Welcome and where are you located? I noticed that your car has duel wipers, that is a very rare accessory. The above is all good advice. As far as the everything else goes, get new tires, tubes and liners, making sure the wheels are not cracked.

As far as the brakes go plan on spending about 1K-1.5K to bring them back to serviceable use. These are mechanical brakes and there can be NO SLOP in them at all. Check the front end, king pins for any loose play as there should be NO play at all. The springs may be flat but they can by fixed later along with the shocks.

You are fortunate that there is very little wood in that car. As long as the fabric is mostly there just put a seat cover on the seat and just go for a drive until ready to restore the interior.

Any other questions ask away.

Mike

[1930artdeco]

Another thing that I just thought of. If you have a trunk please don't convert it to a rumble seat. And keep it as a basic model A coupe don't add cowl lights, I like the looks of it as is.

Mike

[BlueSunoco]

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Good advice by all,,, and on a similar note, I too would leave it 'as-is' at least for now, just doing the above mentioned clean up repairs.

When they went thru the John Dillinger Coupe a few years ago and gave it a ground-up restoration,,,,,, yeah car looked good when done BUT something was lost after they did that. Kinda wished they would have left it alone.

Heck, just toss a towel over the blood stained front seat what the hay

[Russell in Tulsa]

Good advice above. However I personally would use a small gas tank hung above the carb to test run it. Remove the gas shut off valve and drain tank if anything is left. If not look in with a boroscope and have a look-see.

Also use the search function at the top of the page, lots of info on gas tanks and fixes and hopefully you won't have to pull the tank.

Look at member rosters for MAFCA and MARC and find members that live close by. Join one of the clubs and attend meetings and someone will want to help.

Also look at the "Stickys" on the home page, more info there.

The tires may hold air for a day or so but use common sense about driving on them. Get tag, title and insurance started so when it starts you know you'll want to go around the block.

Have fun.
Russell.

[Terry,NJ]

Welcome to the "Barn"! We cover all aspects of model A s here, from daily drivers to fine point cars (Just not chopped and channeled hot rods) The latest fad sweeping the antique car world is the idea that the car is only original once! New paint and a lot of body work ain't original! I don't know if you and her want to go this route, but the body I'm seeing in the pic looks good enough if you do. My own coupe (1930) is almost identical and I get a lot of attention (Not that I'm looking for it) Maybe I should say "Appreciation". But it's fun to drive and the kids faces light up when I tell their parents, "Yeah, go ahead, you can get climb in and take a picture"!
Have fun! Terry

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by 1930artdeco

Another thing that I just thought of. If you have a trunk please don't convert it to a rumble seat. And keep it as a basic model A coupe don't add cowl lights, I like the looks of it as is.

Mike

I agree 100% with Mike. It will not only cost less you will get a lot more attention since in the past most of the cars became deluxe when "restored".

Charlie

[Al Mack]

I would get a good understanding of what your neighbor's budget is, or is willing to pay for parts and labor, just to get it running. It wouldn't take too much to put a grocery list together and give her an idea what tires, tubes, brakes, possibly engine parts, etc. would cost BEFORE you proceed. Just saying, her budget thinking might be $500 for $5,000 actual worth of parts and labor. Good luck.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Terry,
Whut do you mean, you're NOT lookin' for ATTENTION?? I sure AM!! I'm about as insecure as a shoe without a sole. I'think" everyone's INSECURE, some jist won't ADMIT it. Why else would we spend MULTIPLE thousands of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$'s jist to git folks to LOOK at us & we go into a withdrawal scenario when the horn goes PFFFST!
Bill W.

[CarlG]

The best thing I can tell you about the 1931 Fords is:
They are awesome!

[Maclab58]

I have owned 3 different slant window cars, a 160-B a steel back Victoria and my final acquisition, a 68-C cabriolet. By far my favorite! I still have my March 28 AR sport Coupe with all the weird stuff. Love them all!

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by CarlG

The best thing I can tell you about the 1931 Fords is:
They are awesome!

Well, Karl, WHUT ABOUT '29's?
Buster T.

[bikejunk]

Hey nice car!! Don't be overwhelmed by all the work, one thing at a time. The model a is a pleasure to work on and very forgiving. original parts for the most part are better than repro so don't start replacing stuff just for the heck of it .and hey nice car !!

first thing I'd get working is the horn aaaaooooogggggaaaa

[Steve Plucker]

What are your goals for this car?

It is a nice looking Standard Coupe. A lot of guys like the Deluxe look and will take a Standard Coupe and convert it...not to many Standard Coupes around. Leave it as is but it is your car.

Pluck

[chstitans42]

Originally Posted by Steve Plucker

What are your goals for this car?

It is a nice looking Standard Coupe. A lot of guys like the Deluxe look and will take a Standard Coupe and convert it...not to many Standard Coupes around. Leave it as is but it is your car.

Pluck

I am showing my newbie status, but what is the difference between a standard and deluxe coupe? Is it a trim level? options?

[Steve Plucker]

The addition of Cowl Lights for one.

Anymore?

Pluck

[Charlie Stephens]

Pluck,

You may have picked a bad example as cowl lights were available as an authorized accessory on the standard models. My guess would be color choices and upholstery choices. It would be a good time to start reading the judging standards.

Charlie Stephens

[Randy in ca]

1930-31 DeLuxe coupes had several features not on Standards:

1. Cowl lights
2. Dome light
3. Wood grain garnish & dash rail
4. Pinstripe on gas tank
5. Carpet floor mat
6. Mohair or bedford upholstery
7. Scroll inside door and window hardware