New to Model A's

[MJay]

Looking to own my first Model A Tudor Sedan. Any suggestions on what to look for, what to avoid, tips on buying...etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks

[jhowes]

Take pictures of everything, under hood, inside, outside, and post them here, you will get a lot of advice. Also what are yoou planing to do with your model a?

[eagle]

The Tudor sedan has a mostly metal framed body, the Fordor sedans are mostly wood. If you end up looking at a Fordor, check out the wood really well! It is a MAJOR job replacing the wood kit in a Fordor.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Join a club, even before you buy the car, since then you can look some Tudors over and take a ride. I like Tudors and my first complete Model A was a 1929 Tudor. Does anyone near you own a Model A? Taking an experienced owner with you to check out the car could be helpful.

Listen for unusual engine noises, poor braking, poor steering and handling, and rattles. All these things can be fixed and you should pay accordingly. Pull the oil fill cap and look for blowby. Engine rebuilds aren't cheap.

[Steve Plucker]

Contact some of the folks who are in this Model A club...MAFC of Greater Baltimore...a MAFCA chapter.

Pluck

[John LaVoy]

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I concur with Pluck get connected with a local club and let them assist in your search they may know of something with in their club that is for sale reasonably too. They will also assist with getting it on the road etc.

[Rex_A_Lott]

Someone here posted a real good thread on this a while back. Maybe you will be lucky and they will repost it, if you cant find it in a search. Good Luck on finding a good car at a good price.

[1930artdeco]

Welcome MJay,

These cars are pretty basic mechanically, but they do have their own quirks. What do you want to do with the car? How big is your family? Are you going tour, Sunday drive only? Plan on tacking on extra money after the purchase for things like tubes, tires and brakes.


Mike

[Dannerr]

Hi MJay.

I'm the owner of a '30 Tudor, and 7 years in, I'm still a newbie. But as most already told you, become a member of a local model A's club. I myself are a member of Danish Ford A Club (Dansk Ford A Klub), and as late as last night, I got tipped on how to change wheel bolts. If you're settled on the A, I can recommend to buy a set of how-to books (I use Les Andrews' Model A Mechanics Handbook vol 1, it's almost worn out by now! Doesn't cover the speedo, though).

But back to your question: What to look for? Everything, but...
Wear in steering components (does the wheels turn, when your turning the steering wheel?), wear of king pins (grab the front wheels and pull outwards, it shouldn't move, then pos. 1 should be changed- mine does now! ), simmilar to the rear, corrosion in general; but especially of the frame in the battery area are said to be bad, and bring a magnet! My roof panels were changed to fiberglass! Engine shouldn't make (too much) noise, especially no clinks og clonks! Search youtube for model A engines running, the smoother, the better. Neither engine, gearbox or rear axle should leak oil, bring white paper and wipe the bottom of them off, to be sure! Make sure, the generator works- turn up the amps on it, and see, if the amp-meter in the dashboard moves.
Guess that's most of, what I look for nowadays. Hope this helps just a bit. Probably forgot alot!

Good luck, and good hunting!

[MJay]

Wow, lots of great responses. I got a very informative email with a ton of info (4 pages long) and have read it twice; I feel like I know where to start now. I have been a VW guy for years and like how simple they are to work on; the Model A’s sound similar- simple to work on but have a lot of quirks. I have a 13 year old daughter who loves the look of these cars and can’t wait for me to get one; wish the wife was that excited. I plan on driving the car as much as possible so it would have to be safe/easy to drive. I will be doing some modifications but I will not alter the look of it.

Thanks for the help
Mike

[newshirt]

Mike, are you settled on the sedan body style? Just to throw a little chaos into your decision-making... consider how the body style reflects your personality. I got sooooo lucky when I bought my Sport Coupe (see avatar) because I was a newbie and had no idea what to buy. I didn't even know if a Model T or Model A was best. Or 55 Bel Air. Clueless. I luckily landed on the best body style of all! The 1929 Sport Coupe. Okay, I'm a little opinionated. I'm still not sure how it happened because I had my eye on two other cars. Maybe it chose me rather than me choosing it.

Things to consider, IMHO:
1. 1928-29 body styles look slightly more old-timey than 1930-31
2. Coupes can appear sportier than sedans, but usually only have room for two
3. Roadsters and phaetons can be a blast with the top down, but cold in the winter
4. Rumble seats are all the rage, but trunks have their charm
5. Pickup trucks, definitely two-seaters, might be the most awesome of all

Of course all this depends on your personality and preference. Good luck hunting!

[mshmodela]

Also, if you're tall (I'm 6'4"), A sedan's front seats can be moved back (with longer seat arms)... not sure on two seat model As.

[PeteCruz2715]

I could not agree more with Tom, join a club. Once you do that volunteer and do things to help the club out. I know enough about A's to be dangerous so I volunteered to be our Clubs Technical Director. That means I constantly do research to learn more. Also I conduct seminars (meaning I schedule them and provide coffee and doughnuts). The guys come out and share their knowledge plus I often use my car as the "donor" car for the seminars. Last weekend we took the engine out of my roadster and I couldn't have been happier to have a LOT of help and expertise... now if I can only find all the parts!

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by eagle

The Tudor sedan has a mostly metal framed body, the Fordor sedans are mostly wood. If you end up looking at a Fordor, check out the wood really well! It is a MAJOR job replacing the wood kit in a Fordor.

One exception is that the slant window 4 door sedans made in 1931 are mostly metal framed.

Charlie Stephens

[insomniacshotrods]

This looks to be a good price/buy at least for around here. https://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125478
I used my car as collateral for the loan. Easy for model A s .
Very high loan values. Good luck

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by MJay

I will be doing some modifications but I will not alter the look of it.

Thanks for the help
Mike

Once you get the car drive it without any modifications. You may be surprised!

Save the money you would use for the mods and buy gas to drive it!

[Dennis/CT]

I sent a private message to you. I have what your looking for,1930 tudor for sale. Send message or call me 203-464-4398 Dennis

[Ted Duke]

JOIN A MODEL A CLUB, F I R S T. Don't ask ME how I know that! LOL

Ted