You heard that right, I own a 1929 Ford Model A . First question I always get, this is yours? Second question, this thing can still drive on the road? The answer to that is also a YES! 55 MPH in fact with relative ease. From there its usually all oooo and ahhhhs but you get the picture, and I think its about time for a photo.
So how did a 28 year old get into Antique Automobiles? Well that question isnt as hard to answer as you might think. I grew up in the Motor City, a nickname for Detroit, Michigan in the USA. This is the birthplace of the mass produced automobile and the home of Ford Motor, General Motors, and Chrysler. I grew up around cars my whole life and have been going to antique car shows for far longer. I love the history of these antiques and the fact that they can still drive down the road and create combustion in something that is now going on 89 years running.
89 years running? Well now that isnt exactly true. My "A', as those that own similar vehicles so lovingly refer to them, has a unique story to find it place in my garage. Each antique vehicle usually does.
My vehicle was produced sometime in December of 1928 to very early January of 1929. The first owner, owned the A until the mid 1950's to the owner I ultimately purchased the vehicle from. The first owner took remarkable care of this vehicle, perhaps evident by the fact that it is still here today, but more on this later.
The second owner enjoyed the vehicle until the early 1970's until the point he decided to go about his version of a restoration. He painted the car black, redid the interior, and began to go through the car mechanically. Not a bad job all considered, and the car was kept as original as possible although the engine was having some troubles. Unfortunately in the mid to late 1970's the second owner fell ill and the car was garaged. The second owner's garage is where it sat until I found it in March of 2016. Around 40 years this vehicle sat in a garage waiting for its chance to run again.
In March of 2016 through a series of friends in the car community here in Detroit I heard about a widow looking to sell the "A" as she moved onto the next stages of her life. I learned of its history and took the car home determined for it to drive again. When I purchased the vehicle, it had not drove for 40+ years and it looked it. Rat nets filled its interior. Rust and dust filled the gas tank. The radiator was corroded and unusable and worse yet there was something diffidently wrong with the engine.
A restoration proceeded but more will come on all that I have done - and continue to do in later posts.
One more thing I did want to mention though, if you have been following along this entire time.
Remember when I mentioned that the car was in amazing shape?
Check out this!
Now I know this might not get your heart pumping like it does mine, but let me explain. This is the front floorboard to my "A". They are original. These are the original wood floorboards of a 1929 vehicle that was driven in theory all times of the year, in snow, mud, dirt, rain, shine, all year round.
That to me is just incredible.
I think that does it for the first of many from the coming posts about my 1929 Model A!
Thanks for reading!