Model A Coupe

Here is what I traded the Buick for. It's a 30 or a 31 Model A Coupe. It's been chopped back in the day and they didn't go a great job. They also hacked up some other stuff they tried to fix. I'm guessing it was chopped at least in the 70s or 80s since the welds are rusted just as much as the car is. The guy I got it from said he's known about the car for 13 years and even back then it was an old chop.

It's actually super solid for it's age. The decklid has some rusting from the inside out. A few pinholes here and there. The firewall has very few pin holes. The doors are super solid, the cowl is pretty solid only needed a very small patch on the pass side and a small patch on the drivers side. The rear 1/4s are pretty good but it looks like someone cut out the inner rear wheel wells. I don't think they could have rusted that evenly on both sides. The frame is stock and unmodifed (that I can tell anyway) and is not rotted at all. The doors open well and the drivers side handle and latch works inside and out. The passenger side is missing

I've already cut out the rust in the cowl and the decklid. I didn't have any 18 gauge and Tractor Supply has everything but 18 gauge so I couldn't weld anything back in yet but I'm anxious to start. I've never done patch panels before.


The bad...
The gas tank hole in the cowl had a piece of galvanized steel tacked underneath and then a crap load of bondo over the hole to fill it. The rear valance panel under the decklid has been modified and they must have eye balled it (maybe even drunk eye balled it) and the valance is about 1" too wide so the decklid lines up OK at the top but there is a huge gap on the left side on the bottom. The top was chopped and rewelded but the welds aren't great and never ground down. It's not lined up perfectly and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that it's not perfectly lined up so I don't know why the hell they welded it anyway. They also lost the B pillars and door tops in the process. The roof has been filled and they actually did a pretty good job on that. The guy I got it from didn't even notice that it had been modified.



Can anyone narrow down the year? It's a 30 or 31 but not sure which

The motor in it is a 440 that he threw in on the deal.

I'll definitely miss my Buick but I'm super excited about this car. Probably the most excited I've been about any car except my Buick and my Star Chief.

The plan is to patch the decklid and then the cowl and any other spots I find. Then find some Ford 14" steelies so I can mock up my OLD 1960s cheater slicks and some BFG radials I have laying around so I can move it in and out easier. Then I'm going to pull the body off and brace it up and get it squared up before I work on fixing the pillars and doors. Then probably channel it over the stock frame to see how much I want to lower it. Then build my own frame Zing the front as back from what I estimated on the mock up on the stock frame.

The motor will be my 60 389 tri power with a Super T10 4 speed and a Pontiac/ Olds rear end. I already have the motor, intake, carbs, bell housing, flywheel, T10, pedals, and 3.23 locker center section. I'm going to go to the junkyard and see what they want for the rear end out of the 61 Star Chief. Hopefully like $100. I'm hoping to find a set of 61-64 GM buckets to use. I want re do them in either red/black oxblood leather or a cloth houndstooth black and white or dark blue and white. Something cool and old school that you never see in rods. I want to do the body dark blue more flat than semi gloss but more gloss than flat. Again, something old school but you don't see often

that is way too cool!! I told the wife i would only sell my 59 for something like that or a truck from the same year. I would also have to channel and section, chop, and whatever else it took to do a nice low lying hot rod. Your ideas for the car are perfect and it will stand out in the crowd with the pontiac engine, and not the chevy!!

I'm pretty excited about it. I've been trying to find a good hot rod project for years now. My first choice is a 32ish-35ish Dodge pick up with suicide doors but those are impossible to find, my second choice was a Dodge coupe same years, REALLY impossible to find, 30/31 Model A coupe would be my next choice so I'm happy.

I want to build it with all old school parts as much as I can. I'm excited to start on it

i sooo wish i was closer to give you a hand and learn a bunch of shit at the same time. All old school parts will be great, except for maybe useing elec. ignition. Just disguise it though. Cant wait to see the progress. Thats what sucks up here, its too cold to do stuff in the winter and my garage isnt heated, so im getting really annoyed not being able to work on her already, and were just a month into the winter!!LOL

I think I'm going to run an MSD box and dizzy again because it's so easy and I'll have a rev limiter and a tach drive on it. I'll hide it on this one though

It's been in the 30s here for about a week or 2 now but I'm always hot so it doesn't bother me too much.

You're welcome to come down here anytime

thats why i cant wait to get to mexico, always warm and i can work and drive the car all year!!! I have my front end lowered but its been too cold to get out there and get the ass end done!!

when will it start to warm back up?

I hope it's not as cold as here - it's snowing like hell outside right now - i wonder if i can get to work tomorrow ...

not till march!!! AAHHHHHH!!! Its not too bad so far, its been really mild and not really any snow yet, just cold enough that i cant work on the beast. Im going to try a little heater out in the garage and see how that goes, just have to turn the car around to work on the ass end because my garage is too small, or my car is too big!! LOL!

haha do what you got to do but damn 5 months of not being able to work on a car??? Fuck that, no wonder you're moving to Mexico

congrats dude you got the Ford! so you sold the Buick then?

Traded the Buick for the Model A. I'm pretty excited

i go to mexico in march to check it all out. Not sure if i will get back on the plane!! Ill get my sis to drive my car down for me.

I wouldn't let my sister driver my car around the block, let alone across the whole damn country!

you have a good point there, but she actually used to do a bit of drag racing when she was younger, around 17 or 18!!! I dident know her then (sounds weird, but we have the same father, different mothers) and we just met 3 yrs ago and shes really into old cars!

Maybe she can stop by for a drag race on her way down then haha

And then maybe we can talk you out of that 283 and I'll load up a 389 in the trunk for you haha

that would be a short talk!! I would love more power but i think nowadays im not really looking to go faster, been there, done that, and maybe its cause im gettin old!LOL! I also think the 59 is more of a low and slow, loud exhaust kind of car, not built for speed. That 283 can pick up and go pretty good considering these 59s are freakin boats!!

Yeah but it's still not a Pontiac mill! haha I'm just fucking with you. I think it's pretty cool to have a factory SBC powered Pontiac.

I finished the patch on the decklid ( still needs a few more small ones on the deck lid) I patched the worst spot on the cowl but it needs some more ginding, i welded up a split on the grill and started hammering out the dents.

I also kind of mocked up a channel job, I won't channel it that much but it gave me an idea. The rocker on the passenger side was split so I welded that back together and it made it a little sturdier. I also tacked the doors so I can get it all squared up.

I'm going to sand the whole thing down and rattle can prime it for now.

im so jealous!! i would love somethin like that! I keep thinking that when its time to move south i will have a look at a couple of cars for sale and see if i really want to get rid of the 59 or not. I will have to check out texas rides for sure, seems to be alot of what i like there.

You can't get rid of the '59!

Actually just recently there was a 30 Ford coupe chopped about the same as mine on Craigslist. Dropped the price from like $2500 to 1000. I called him and he said it was already sold. I thought I was about to have 2 coupes for a minute haha

starchief_59 wrote:

Yeah but it's still not a Pontiac mill! haha I'm just fucking with you. I think it's pretty cool to have a factory SBC powered Pontiac.

I want a factory 409 or 427 Powered Pontiac.

Coupe looks good but is going to need a lot of work. You've got your hands full!

I'm not scared