Lone Star Model A Ford Club

How Did You Acquire Your Model A Ford?

Calling for stories! Send me a short (like those below) e-mail describing how you came to own your Model A Ford and I will post it. Include year and body style, when you acquired it, the link to its image on the Web, and whether or not you want me to include your real name and/or e-mail address. If you don't specify, you may be incognito!

In 1962 after what seemed like years of reading car mags and books I started begging my father, I was getting nowhere with my mother, to let me get an old car to work on. He said the next year when I turned 12 he would help find me a car that needed work.

Well after many late 40's cars we found that really didn't do it for me I happened to hear about a high school neighbor that had a 30 Model A 2 door sedan that was just sitting in his garage. Turns out he had "bought" the car from an old guy across town but could never get the title after waiting several months. He told me he was towing the car back to the old guy and getting his money back and that I could try to buy it from said guy if I wanted, but good luck getting the title.

Well my father took me over to see the car, which was in kind of rough shape but all there, and it was just what I wanted. My father told the guy as soon as he got the title we would buy the car. I think the guy was the second owner of the car and had driven it when he was in college. So after he got the title we made another trip back with a tow bar and $50 and home it went. Got it running and drove it in the back yard until I was of legal age to get on the street. I did a complete body off "shade tree" job along the way (always looked forward to the new J C Whitney catalog in the mail) that taught me a lot. That Model A kept me busy and broke until I was 19 and fell in love with a 65 vette. Wish I had them both now! Trent (February 19, 2005)

1963, I was fourteen. My grandfather owned the Buick dealership in LaGrange TX and one night at the dinner table, he offered me any of the cars he had stored in his warehouse. My Mother passed out. I looked over all the Buicks, a Cadillac, and a 1931 Dusenburg, that was wrecked, but now I know was restorable, and selected a Ford 1929 Business Coupe . . .I will never forget the oval window. Anyway, my grandfather thought the Biz coupe was in rough shape - another car that today I know would be restorable and desirable. The awful story is that when he retired, all those cars went to scrap. He found a (deluxe) Tudor, black with red wheels, which ran. I paid $75 and trailered it to McAllen TX. My plan was to turn it into a hot rod with a V8 engine until I met Ed Timlin and his 28 Station Wagon. I paid for my restoration by helping Ed with a few of his many restorations and learned a lot. Needles to say, I was hooked, and by the time I was seventeen, the car was restored as well as it could be for South Texas and Warshawski parts (patents had not been released and the body shops in Mexico were inexpensive, but rough). In the spring of 1965, my best friend, Wally Guilford and I drove the car to school. The students waiting for school out in the parking lot nearly went crazy. The guys with the deuce coupes, chopped top Mercs, dropped T buckets, Nomads and Impalas drooled. But, the greatest fun was with Judy . . .she really thought going to the Drive in Picture Show was more fun than ever. I drove the car till I graduated from TAMU, then drove it back to LaGrange for storage. I left for graduate school in Virginia in 1972, and told Mom "sell the car and send the money." She sent me a check for $5000, which paid for grad school at University of Virginia. In 1995, while my son James and I were attending a class reunion, she pulled those keys that I will always recognize out of her desk and handed them to me saying, "wouldn't you like to show James his (father's) first car". Though I had heard rumors to the contrary from my sisters, I had believed she sold the car. We went to the storage shed, and pulled Tilley out of her thirty year canvas tomb and started her up. She was suffering from barn rash, however, and we weren't happy. So James and I rented a garage and over the next four years, tore the car to the floor, restored each part carefully, and reassembled it. In July of 2000, we drove down to Texas to pick her up, and bring her to Virginia (If you every want to get to know your 13 year old son, spend 54 hours of windshield time with him). This time we did it the way she was originally built in every detail . . . and I doubt Aunt Tilley will ever leave our family now. James will for sure be driving it to high school in two years . . . Ain't Moms great? (June 12, 2001)

I purchased a 1930 Model A 2door sedan in 1964 for $250.00. It ran but needed a complete restoration. Not having the money to restore it, I sold it within a year thinking that I would buy a coupe some day. That day hasn't arrived yet but a friend told me about a 1930 model A pickup that he knew about but he didn't think it was for sale. I contacted the owner who was an 86 year old man who stated that he was too old to crawl under the old truck anymore and I replied that I thought I still could. We struck up a friendship after he discovered that I once owned a Model A Ford and possessed some knowledge of them. He wanted the truck to have a good home and so now I own this restored black beauty. It's not a coupe but it'll do. My wife and grandchildren love to go for rides in it. I did pay a little more than $ 250.00 for it. Jerry, Brookville, Pennsylvania (February 6, 2001)

I have a 1931 Ford which I discovered 10 years ago while gleaning old-car ads in a west-central Florida newspaper. A deluxe coupe, it was sitting on aging tires in an Orlando warehouse, part of an estate of a man who'd recently died. I wrote a check for the old thing, and it was a sobering moment; I'd never bought a car that didn't run. I trailered it home, where a friend and I got the car running about a week later. Soon, the A was a commonplace sight along the streets of south Tampa, spitting and backfiring and drawing admiring glances. When I changed jobs and moved to Philadelphia, I stored the car in my dad's barn in North Carolina. It remained there until October 1999, when I rolled it out again and placed the car in the care of a professional restorer. Now, more than a year later (January 2001), the car is nearly done. It is dark green with spoke wheels the color of creamed corn, and Lord, is it lovely! I'll soon be bringing it to my current home in Atlanta, where my wife and I will outfit our fine old car with an infant seat. (January 18, 2001)

I bought my first Model A in 1958 at Ben's Auto Wrecking, It cost $100.00, it had a rebuilt motor in it that why it cost so much. My mother made me some seat covers which are still in the car there worn now but still ok. I drove the car to high school and dated my wife in it. It's a 30 coupe with a 29 motor. I still have the car, and my wife. I just pulled the head of for the first time, it looks pretty good, studs are rusted but it's ok, has a rod rattling a little is why I'm redoing it. Anyway Iv had it for 42 years now and have gathered 5 other Model A's over the years as well, A 30 pick up closed cab, a 28 roadster pick up, a 28 Tudor, another coupe, and a 30 roadster. A 25 C-Cab Model T found it's way in there to. Not all of them are running but that's ok I really enjoy going out to the shop, there is always plenty to do. And for me a big part of it is tinkering. So have fun out there in "A" land. A little rust is good for the soul. (December 30, 2000)

Was looking for an old Chevrolet when I spotted a model A pickup. Found my 1931 Ford on the Internet. Drove from San Diego area to West Virginia to get it and you could not pry this little beauty from Me. I have done several things to it to keep it in great condition and I honestly have not seen one any better! Dick (August 8, 2000)

I have had a interest in Model A's since I was a young boy. By the time I was 15, I was looking everywhere in my home area, and along the roads and highways. We had a friend in church who knew of a Model A being sold near our home. We bought it for $1000.00 and drove it home with 4 year old plates on it. It was a 1928 Tudor. As I started to work on the car I noticed several parts were different. I was to find out that this car was an early AR Tudor; the engine number was 489!

So started the serious restoration of this car. After 7 years of looking for all original parts for the car, the restoration was completed including a professional restoration of the interior to the exact original as "Henry Made It." The car was restored to show the car just as it rolled off the Assembly Line. The car was not over restored as many are. Later the car was sold to a Ford Dealer in London England in 1984. I felt as if I had lost an arm selling the car, I still miss it. I still have an album of pictures following the cars restoration, and the many parades, and car shows it was in. D. (June 11, 2000)

"How "Sweet Thang" Got Her Name (May 18, 2000)

While taking my son to a golf tourney last summer, I ran across my 1930 3 window Fordor. There it sat on the side of the road with a for sale sign hung on it. There was no telephone number on the sign, so I set out trying to find the owner. Well fortunately my son played well enough to return the next day. Luckily an older gent in the local coffee shop knew who the car belonged to. I found the owner and we negotiated a price. Two weeks later I trailered it home. I worked on it last fall and I plan to bring it home from storage next week. It looks like a Model A summer around our house. Tom, Illinois (April 16, 2000)

I've been a Model A nut since I was 9, bought a "30 Tudor against my father's wishes when I was 15 and sold it 12 years later for the down payment on a house. After 20 years of regret, a friend sold my a '30 roadster pickup that had been sitting in a Rhode Island field for over 20 years. Dug it out of the mud and trailered it back home to Maine. I got it running in three days! Tell me I ain't in love! Rich, Brownsville, Texas (March 9, 2000)

My girl friend and I graduated from high school in 1960. She told me her uncle had given her a model A Ford for her graduation. It was a 1931 coupe and needed a lot of restoration. She wanted me to fix it up and the only way I would is to have the title in both our names, so we did this. Then one day I got my draft notice after I had done a lot to work on the car. I went into the army for a few weeks and she gave me a dear John. When I came home on military leave I asked her to sell me the model A and we agreed on 50 dollars. I still have this car today and runs great. John, Green River, Wyoming (February 15, 2000)

My dad missed a golden opportunity to buy a Model A for $50 when I was a boy (someone beat him to it by a couple of hours). For years he talked about wanting to have an old car to tinker with. Nine years after his retirement, it finally dawned on me that, as a child of the Great Depression, Dad was never going to spend that kind of money on himself. After scouring the Internet, I found a 1929 Model A Ford Tudor Sedan, for quite a bit more than $50. I surprised him with it this past Christmas. To my own surprise, it was the same year and body style that he learned to drive in. It was the first time my father and I cried together, and I wouldn't trade the moment for anything. Dirk (January 11, 2000)

The year was 1955 our paper boy told me about a beautiful 1931 roadster in one of his customers garages, I immediately went the old man and said I wanted his roadster, answer no, I continued to bug him finally 1 year later he agreed to the sale but I had to pay $250 for both of his model A's (a 31 coupe and the 31 deluxe roadster) I still have the roadster with the original backseat leather cushion but someone has stolen the seat cushion . some day I hope to find an original leather seat cushion let me know if you have one !!!!!!! Ron (September 20, 1999)

Well I got mine just by chance. I was selling some goods to a contact in Argentina and after a while we started to talk about our hobbies and things, and it came about that we had the same general interest in vintage cars. When I said that I would love to have a vintage car at some time, he told me of a friend of his that was selling one or two, so I took his details. When I made contact with him I found out that the one or two that I was told he was selling was in fact sixteen, Three restored Phaetons and thirteen unrestored A's or different body types. I purchased the three restored cars from him and I am at the moment trying to decide what to do with all the others. The is also a shed load of spares as well. Toby, Bexley in Kent, England (September 10, 1999)

Model A people have been friends of mine for my whole life. They will do anything for you if you need hand or a part. There are 3 A's at this house. '28 2-door, '29 closed cab pickup,'30 coupe and a late '31 coupe. Dad and Mom drove Model A's to high school so we got a chance to get one in 1962 and disassembled it. Then in 1966 I bought my '31 coupe, which I still have and drive. We collected enough parts and decided to build one from the ground up, thus the pickup. My son got his '28 from a tree row on a farm. It's a good thing we have a few around here because I go into withdrawals whenever I don't have one to drive. Russ, El Dorado, Kansas (May 11, 1999)

In 1958 my father gave me a 1930 Model A pick-up. On the farm in Montana we all drove at age 6 yrs so this was my car. My brother already had a 1930 coupe to drive. We used the truck for all sorts of stuff on the farm. When I went in the Navy in 1971 my father sold the truck for $25 to a friend. I offered him $100 on the spot but he said his son wanted to restore it. Well 17 years of making offers and he finally sold it back to me at considerably more that $25. I have a running chassis and working on the body. It has been laid up for years but I am ready to get it running. (April 28, 1999)

I bought my '31 Deluxe Coupe in 1975 while I was in Austin, Texas. A fellow military member had several and this coupe was sitting out in the Texas humidity and rusting away. We sand blasted down to bare metal and got rid of all of the rust (fortunately only surface rust). The car was a basket case, frame here, engine (frozen) over there, wheels every where and everything else in boxes scattered round about. I was a little reluctant to buy it for fear that there would be some pieces missing and I wouldn't be able to replace them but I bought it any way (much to the chagrin of my wife) for $1500. I proceeded to build it and found that not only did I have all of the pieces but a number of extra parts. I had the engine rebuilt for $445 (try that in this day and age) and took the fenders to be redone for $100 apiece. I am in the final stages of another frame-off restoration since I had to store the car for 9 years while I finished my military career. The fellow I left it with let his kids drive it around the pasture and they didn't do the car any favors. It is an indented firewall Deluxe Coupe with dual side mounts and rumble seat. Layton, Utah (February 23, 1999)

In 1994, my dad retired and decided to help a friend that owns a salvage yard. One day a widow came in trying to locate a buyer for a school bus yellow and black 1929 Tudor sedan. The widow stored the car in her barn and had no idea how get it started. My dad jumped on the chance to buy the car for next-to-nothing. Every summer, the car can be seen in the Teton National forest and it makes the six hour drive without being trailered. Since then he found three cars in a field, two 1928 Model A's (a Tudor sedan and sport coupe) and a 1938 Ford. He sold the 1938 for the price of all three vehicles and now he is working on the sport coupe restoration. Glenrock, Wyoming (January 26, 1999)

We bought our 1929 special coupe from one of my dads friends. It is rough, but complete. It cost us $650 and had been sitting in a barn for 35 years. We pulled it out of the barn with a tractor and loaded it up on a trailer. I will be restoring it all summer and hope to have it done by the time I go to college. Jill, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (December 22, 1998)

My family and I went to the Goodguys car show in Fort Worth last month to sell our 53 Ford. A fellow told us about the Arlington swap meet, so Sunday morning we headed on over. While checking things out we ran across our first 29... It was love at first sight. The little darling said 'get it' so I brought it home. The little jewel is a 2 door sedan that is complete. I've got to do some engine work then it will be ready for the road. It could use a little paint but that will have to wait... CANT WAIT TO BE ON THE ROAD (November 2, 1998)

i purchased my 1929 model a from a widow who's husband had begun restoration 15 years ago, gave up, and placed it in storage. I've had it for about a year and am working on transforming it into a hot rod. (October 21, 1998) (Webmaster's note: While we are "dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Model A Ford automobile as manufactured from 1928 through 1931," I would rather see a Model A turned into a hot rod rather than sit in storage. Then again, I would rather see one restored to its original condition than turned into a hot rod!) (September 1998)

My first Model A, a 29 Tudor Sedan, my buddy and I bought while still in high school. in the 50's for $25. When we parked it at Dave's house, we told his dad it was my car. When we parked it at my house, we told my dad it was Dave's car. Had to take our band instruments up a steep hill from the practice room to the football field. We could get all the brass instruments in the car, but had to retard the spark and pull the gas lever down, the car wouldn't make the hill with five kids in it. No compression. Sold it a year later for $25. What a deal! (August 31, 1998)

I am only 13 and we had to move when me and my dad discovered the body we thought nothing of it then up in the barn we found the rest of the car its now in about a million pieces going to rebuild her from scratch all original. (August 18, 1998)

My father recently received his 1930 Model A Ford as a gift from my mother on their 25th wedding anniversary. (A beautiful maroon on black.) She had been searching the newspapers and saving for months. Finally, at an estate auction, she found one that had been fully restored by its previous owner who passed away from cancer. My dad was so surprised! (July 15, 1998)

In 1995, my husband went to a swap meet near Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and met someone who restores cars for a living. He had an older restoration 1928 Model A Ford Tudor Sedan, but wasn't really thinking about selling it. Later, he decided that he could fund his next project by selling the car and we were the lucky people who bought it. Rajordan (June 9, 1998)

Calling for stories! Send me a short (like those above) e-mail describing how you came to own your Model A Ford and I will post it. Include year and body style, when you acquired it, the link to its image on the Web, and whether or not you want me to include your real name and/or e-mail address. If you don't specify, you may be incognito!

Created on May 09, 2008

Last updated on February 1, 2015

Custom Search