Hey y'all, I am a Ford guy dating back before I could drive. Much of this thanks to a good buddy annoying me about how good chevys are(not). I strongly disagreed and had the Ford bug ever since!
Something I always wanted is a Model T, or an A, or both!
I was thinking of building one from the ground up. I was hoping someone here could give me just a little advise on what would be the easiest year or model to find parts for, original or aftermarket. I absolutely love the older T's but realize that drive-ability won't be great for much more than a back road tour. The A might be a little more suitable for more regular driving as they go a bit faster.
Maybe my better option is to buy a complete car, or truck and restore as needed? I really prefer trucks but lets face it, all those old rigs are cool no matter car or truck!! I'm in no hurry as I am restoring a 65 f100 now to be my daily driver. But thought if I needed to start collecting parts for the "A" or "T" build I would know what to look for and can start gathering items I will need as I find them. I'm sure it will be a long process to find everything I need to build a whole car or truck.
I appreciate any advise on this. I don't know anyone who has or has had a car like this.I can read, search forums,etc and learn, but some real world advise is always handy!
Thank you!

 

I'm certainly no expert on these, as I've only had one, a '36 five window. Most everything I know about it has been gleaned from the experts on the H.A.M.B. I recommend going to the site, introducing yourself and asking questions. The Ford Barn is another source for great info on these. Good luck with your quest!

 

Buy a complete car, preferably running. You will spend way more collecting parts to build a car if you choose an A or T. Then you can spend the money sprucing it up and making it yours. The values on them are relatively low and are staying flat. If you something to putt around regularly, go A.

 

There are plenty of good T''s on ebay and Craigslist. 20's or non brass Era are not as expensive as the brass ones. TT trucks often bring less because they don't go very fast. Start with a good "barn find", join a local club and have fun. The clubs can ce a great source of help.

Check out the MTFCA and Ford-Barn, both good sources of information. I have had 6 so far, trucks, speedster and a roadster pick up. Keep us updated with your progress

 

I really appreciate all the advise! I really love the old T's, the look, the history, but my concern has been the driveability, or lack thereof. I am in an area with plenty of traffic so it may not be handy to try using a T too often. I was thinking maybe the A just for that faster driving option!

 

Depending upon where you live that may be a good idea however keep in mind that a lot of T's will run between 30 and 50 depending on gearing and the type of car. I don't want to turn you away from them altogether and yes an A may be a better and safer option in heavy traffic. Good luck

Mark

 

Neither a T or A will be fast enough to go on a HWY. My dad's got a 32 "B" 5 Window and he put an aftermarket overdrive on it to go faster.

My favorite T or A body style is the Roadster Pickup.

 

Yea I wouldn't intend to put an A or a T on the highway. Most of the roads around that I drive are 45 mph roads or just town driving. I'm thinking with and A I could drive to work without getting run over. haha, I guess depending in the T that is also possible but I may end up with a parade behind me by the time i get where I am going. What ever I get, I don't plan to make a daily driver out of, but would like to have it dependable enough to drive to work(18 miles) now and then and to run around town with as much as possible. I don't want my car to take up residence in a garage and just collect dust. I just want one of these old rigs that can be made usable and at the same time offer that great simplicity that vehicles that old offer. I love mechanical things and those 100+/- year old cars are just the coolest thing to me. I had a 1931 Model AA doodle bug for a short time. The body consisted of a cowl, nothing else. I got it from a friend who was around 85 at the time. He cut the frame off with a hacksaw and had a friend machine the driveshaft. He used it to haul wood off his property for firewood. It sat still for 30 years. I drug it home and played around with it. I threw a modern coil on it, cobbed up a battery to it and with a squirt of gas I had it running in about a half hour or less. Back then I didn't have any money to play with so I wound up selling it. I always regretted selling it.

 

With what you're wanting to use it for, the A would be a good choice. I used to have a buddy that daily drove a Model A coupe here in the Southern California area about 10 years ago. He would just drive it to work, the store, local places.

 

Sounds like what I would like to do with an old ride! Just use it casually. I would love an early T just because they are cool. Just not very usable out on the road in some places. I'd still like one just to fool with close to home and on my property. I think a '15 T would be more fun than a 4 wheeler!
But for actual use, the A seems to fit the bill. A little quicker down the road. Is there a particular year or model A that is easier to find parts for?
I'm not looking to make a collector car, but a car/truck to fit into my daily life, or weekly anyway! I'm ok with using repop parts if needed.

 

They don't need to be driven on the pavement.

 

Well said, I drive my T in local traffic and have with all of my T's. I have also had an A that had some modern things done to the brakes and engine, had it on the highway doing 55-60 although I prefer not to do that very often. Love the video.

 

I had a very similar choice to make a years back. Love the T, especially a TT and the A's. I also had experience at a restoration shop doing both A and T work and found it a difficult decision for my own needs. Fortunately the market is down and there are a lot of good older restoration for sale, as well as parts/chassis from the hot rod market. I went with the A as it suited my city/country needs better. For the money you can get an "A" faster and stopping a lot easier than a "T" and the "A" following seems to have more to offer in the way of parts dealers and options (overdrive trans, brakes, performance upgrades). On your truck question: assuming the regular chassis (not AA) mid-28-31 chassis are about the same. Early '28 AR has some carryover parts and can be a little harder for the beginner. Most guys will favor using the later 30-31 steering box but its a simple swap into an earlier frame. You may also find fewer '28-9 closed cabs over '30-31 as the earlier bodies contained a lot of support wood. You may hear a lot discussion on the brakes, don't let this worry you, most people who complain never drove a properly restored mechanical system or used new cast drums. Whatever your choice, enjoy it! We managed 42k in 6 years on our restored chassis 1940's painted truck!

 

That video is pretty cool!! Back when the T was new, it had to be an off road vehicle, and sometimes a tractor. So I figured it didn't need pavement! It would be great to take a T like the one in the video and drive it through a beginner trail at some off road park. Might make some of the city slickers rethink their Jeeps, lol.

I love that truck Roadsidedesign!!

 

Model As have about twice the horsepower of a T although gravity feed and manual spark were carried over. A stock Model A has a complete crash box 3 speed transmission. Later 30s trucks go faster and have fuel tank at the rear and vacuum advance. Yea you can get it to go faster, but will it stop ? Model Ts came with brakes on the rear only and a Model A embraces Henry's philosophy of metal from the pedal to the rear with 4 wheel mechanical brakes.