T or Model A

[kez]

I've been toying with idea of buying either a Ford Model T or A
Which would be easier to get parts for and repair. Any comments about either might help. Thanks

 

[Anonymous-0]

The first Model A was actually produced before the T, from 1903-1904 (1750 made), but few people are familiar with this car.

The Model T was made from 1908-1927, with over 15,000,000 made.

The second Model A was produced from 1927-1931, with 4,849,340 made.


I have not had much contact with either, but I know my dad (born in 1917) always comments on how the Model A was such an improvement over the Model T.

I know most, if not ALL, parts are readily available for the Model A. I do not know if that's true of the T. If I were to work with one it would be the model A. They were/are a very stylish, dependable car....And that's saying a lot from a diehard Chevy person.



Glenn F.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sweet! It depends a lot on what you are going to do with it. The model T is a different animal, it doesn't much like parades as it usually can't go that slow without heating up, and it is a whole new deal to operate, you run the transmission with pedals. The T is really simple once you understand it, but it is so different that it looks like a nightmare at first. And you about have to be a hardcore to drive a T very far, they are slow and often cantankerous. Now on the other hand, once you and your T have come to an understanding, they can suffer horrible abuse and still bring you home. The A is more like a car, you jump in and start it, push in the clutch, put it in gear and go. Much faster and smoother, not as finicky as a T. The A would be the easiest for the uninitiated to work on, not that the T is that bad but anything to do with the crankshaft and trans. really has to be done correctly. Parts availability is equal, anything you need is just a phone call away, and the T has significantly fewer parts. The T should be cheaper as long as you stay away from early models, the A's are more expensive as a general rule, I always figured it was because they were so much easier to operate. My first car that would actually run was a model A, but the T is my personal favorite, have a sedan and a truck.

 

[DCM]

Model A would be my choice. Parts available, more of a standard auto.T is very antiquated by comparison. Dan

 

[Goose]

I grew up with a couple of Model T's. When I was 12 years old, I resurected a Model T that had sat in a shed for at least 20 years and became the terror of the neighborhood. It had been a Touring Car that someone had cut the back seat off of and built a pickup box on.

My dad had a '27 T farm truck with a 50 bushel grain box and Ruxtel two speed rear end.

My maternal grandfather had a Model T coupe he insisted on driving long after everyone else had newer cars. He used to take me along with him frequently when the opportunity presented itself.

I gotta tell this. My father was the ultimate square when it came to driving. Not my grandfather! One summer during the wheat harvest he had to go to the grain elevator on some business, and I rode along. It was only about three miles, but there was a one lane bridge across a slough on the way. As we approached the bridge from one direction, a grain truck approached from the opposite, both about the same distance from the bridge.

Grandpa yelled over at me, "Let's see if we can beat him to the bridge", and pulled the old Model T wide open. We won. As conservative a driver as my father was, it impressed me to see my grandfather in effect play "chicken" with a grain truck for the sheer exhilaration of beating him to a bridge. In retrospect, I sometimes think Grandpa had more of an impact on my life than my father did.

My first school car was a Model A, but I've always liked those old "T Models" like they were called. Or "Jitneys".

 

[olgentdc]

Hi Kez ,,Nice Rendition ,Now if You don't mind some family FORD LORE .. Good friend has a delightful jet blue 30 model A coupe with a cream white convertible top ,As a youngster, Dad had MODEL A ,He got a model T when he was 12 to settle a summer work debt,,granpa SAID it was "nuttin but junk" .. but quickly realized with a little LOVE and Understanding the T could serve many needs.. Family LORE tells of runnin a sawmill and a small hammermill by taking off the wheel and fashioning a beltpulley , ........... more stories of another glorious MODEL T.Over 35 yrs ago . My mothers cousin who was retiring from over 50yrs carrying the mail stood up and told all of us at a Family Reunion what it was like carryin Mail in very Rural Dubois County In, during the 1920s , He started out subbing at a young age for his sickly dad on a horse.. And finished his Years with a slant 6 Dart . I still remember the Words "All in all He enjoyed the freedom of the T most of All' , ....Sure .it was cold in winter , and Cantankerous often,SUMMER OR WINTER , And occasionally the floor board had to come up ...and all the mail set up in the fence row with the cows hoping it was hay he brought them , while he changed the tranny bands so he could get thru another stretch of the muddy Dubois County rds ..But it was his 1st MACHINE as they called them in those days , And He was Young ,Had serveral possible girlfriends that he had not fully committed to in as many towns, and LIFE WAS GOOD ,And the future Looked Bright.

 

[big fred]

Go with a Model A. If you can drive a modern car with manual trans, you can probably drive a Model A with little trouble. A Model T is a whole nother animal, and you'd have a lot more mental adjustment to operate the trans, brakes, throttle, etc.

Part for either are available from a number of sources. Do a google search for "model A" parts or "model T" parts, being careful not to leave off the quotes. My favorites for Model A parts are Snyders, Mac's, Bratton and Mike's A-Fordable Parts, though there are many others. Parts that can't be found elsewhere are often available on E-bay, but it takes some searching. Took me about 6 months to find a rear quarter window trim for a '29 Tudor sedan.

 

[fixerupper]

You could Google Model A or T parts and see what comes up. I've worked of some A's and repro parts are readily available for the A. If you have a frame with an engine and axles you can just about build the rest with repro parts, including diff gears and axle shafts. Rebuilt carbs and distrubutors are readily available as are water pumps and gennies. You really have to be careful with the repro parts because some vendors sell absolute junk.

From what I understand you can get a lot of repro T parts too, but I don't know how many. Jim

 

[barn E]

Love em both and don't have neither one. But the worst thing on the model T is lack of stopping power. And you may not have electric starter on it. MOdel A, however, has electric start and emergency crank. Four wheel mechanical brakes which seems like usually converted to 48 ford hydraulic by devotees. Both a barrel of laughs. Lots of clubs for support.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You can even buy a counter balanced crankshaft for the 'T' that was not available with the original. However, you still can not buy a drivers side door for the 'T'.

 

[Icuby]

If you should by chance get one of these and you need a luugage rack,I have one.

 

[JDemaris]

I'll assume you mean the second Model A, and not the first.

Parts are easy to get for either. It's amazing how many aftermarket parts are available now, and cheap. All depends on what YOU want. I have several Ts, TTs, As and AAs. I find the T more fun to work on as an oddity, but the As are much better drivers. T is also very small and light. I've got one parked in the third floor of my barn that my wife carried in by hand (in several pieces).

If you get serious with a T, and plan on driving the thing, plan on finding yourself a Ruckstell rear and some Rocky Mountain brakes.

 

[greygoat]

Get a copy of "Hemmings Motor News" magazine,
hundreds of ads for model As, Ts, and parts ads.
scan that before you buy.

 

[Bob S.]

Howdy
The Model A was one of the best cars ever built, thats why so many are still around. In the old days that's all I drove, once bought one in running condition for $7.00, had to go $15.00 for a decent one, now you have to multiply that by 1000, but still a great toy and a good investment. Here in Wisconsin you can go to the Old Car Show in Iola, and if you wanted to, you could build a few dozen Model A's from parts at the swap meet, thousands of vendors, largest car show in the midwest.
Bob S.

 

[pat sublett]

I traded a very used model 12 winchester shotgun for one in good condition one time.