1930 Ford Model A

roadster Other

4 - Cyl.

Manual

A3424953

Clear

Gasoline

I'm not quite sure just how to begin with this description, so I'll just begin with how I happened upon this rough-cut jewell. I live in western Idaho, land of great spuds. Several years back, I learned that I had a "cousin" who lived in eastern Idaho, and that he, at one time, had owned a number of old cars. He had sold most before we met, and kept only a few of his favorites. He like Model A's, and had a couple. One of these was a pickup, for which he had no title. When I first went to his storage building, I thought that I'd stepped back in time. There was a nice "T" roadster, about a '23, a '54 Stude 2-dr wagon (coming soon) a '65 Mustang, a great old IH truck, and several newer (70's) things. We wandered around for a while, then, in a very dark corner of one of the buildings, I saw what looked like the ass end of a channeled Model A. Sure enough, that's exactly what it was. He had bought it several years earlier, to get a title for his pickup. Needless to say, I protested the logic, but was told that was the intent. I gently prodded for several years, but to no avail. Then, I told him that I'd help in getting a title for the PU, and actually give him some cash for the coupster. DONE!!!!!! The first series of pictures were taken the day we removed the old critter from the building. NOW..... let me put things in context. My cousin told me that he had bought this puppy a "few" years back. That few years turned out to be more like about 45 years back. He had it for several years before he changed the title into his name, and that happened in 1968. Near as I can tell, he bought the A from the son of the original owner. Think about it, this critter sat in my cousin's building for longer than the original owner and his family had it. The title is still in my cousins name, and is dated 1968. Apparantly, the coupster sat for a number of years, probably 10, before being bought for the title, which puts the hot rodding phase back to about 1950. This explains the bomber influence of the cut steering wheel. I can picture this old bugger blasting around the backroads of Power County in a cloud of dust, and the young pilot wearing a leather aviator hat and goggles. Doesn't get any better than that. I doubt this car ever made it out of the county. Now, let's get into some details. I figure the coupe was run as a highboy first, with the "cycle" fenders, then was channeled and the top cut off. The "channeling" brackets are actually bumber brackets, bent to work. Notice the bumper hitch. Actually two of the hitch brackets are used, welded end to end, and attached to the crossmember. The taillights appear to be some kind of mopars, cut to fit. I'm not sure where the stainless band came from, but it is was not cut, nor were the matching door accents. The cover between the seat and the rear of the cockpit is plywood, cut to fit the school bus seat. When the top was cut off, the body, as can be expected, got very weak in the middle, so plates were installed at the door tops to keep them closed. That's one solution. Headlights from an early Chevy truck were used, the type that flow into the fenders. The brackets and wiring are there, but the housings have been lost. I will provide replacements. The brakes work,and don't leak. Okay, Okay!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are the original mechanicals. Three of the tires are matching Allstates, and all four have portawalls, kinda. DIRT!!!!!!!!! I realize this 'ol critter is dirty, 'cause I just couldn't bring myself to wash it. Think about it....When I said, visualize the young airmen blasting down the country road, back in the 50's. That's the same dirt that's on this rod today. It has NOT been washed since back in the 50's. What you get is part of a genuine American farm country backroad. This summer I decided to see ifthe old bugger would still run. The distributor had shorted, so I bought a new one, and walahhhhhh, runs like a top. Tranny is smooth, steering is tight, and the only issue is wiring. It needs a bit of attention in the electrical department. OKAY!!!!!!!! I've saved the best for last. Not everyone knows that the VIN on Model A's was stamped on the frame and on the engine block. Well, this Model A is a true numbers matching numbers Hot Rod. Not "date correct" or part numbers correct, but numbers matching. I doubt that the driveline has ever been out of the frame on this critter. This piece of Americana is a tad on the crude side, but what the heck, it made the transition from Dad's grocery getter to hot rod, right out there behind the barn, where all good things happen. This old hot rod has no rust !!!!! Please feel free to call me if you have questions (208) 453-8606 Bruce