Would it keep him out of trouble? Priceless.
Model T value?
- Thread starter Chris142
- Start date
“So much torque.. The chassis twisted coming off the line. Barely kept her on the track.”
As is - a couple hundred. Honestly. IF it was complete and not running, then a couple thousand. But it’s incomplete.
Have you seen a model T up close?
You couldn’t fit a modern Corolla engine under that hood in place of the 4 cylinder flathead. And that Corolla engine would twist the frame rails.
If you’re going to swap it, a good yard tractor engine is closer to the power, and size, of the model T engine.
Briggs and stratton swapped model t would be an interesting thing to do
Harbor Freight predator!
bout tree fiddy
A lot of people overestimate the values of older cars that are basket cases.
One of my dad's friends decades ago had just the body of a 1920s Dodge sedan—no interior, glass, frame, drivetrain, hood, or anything else, just the body shell—and it had been kept outdoors and was very rusty. It might have been good as a template for fabricating a new body, not much else. But the friend was convinced he was going to get $6,000 for that rusty shell.
One of the auto magazines in the '00s had an account of an elderly lady selling an early '60s Studebaker convertible for over $10,000. It had been her late husband's old car from decades ago. Turned out the car had sat in a garage, the top and interior were in tatters, and the engine and transmission had not been run in over 30 years and were probably seized. The woman was told that at best the car was good only for parts and was worth only a few hundred dollars.
This Model T is in the same category. Add to that the old-car hobby has been vanishing for years and no one wants these older basket cases because parts have largely dried up. If this hadn't been a T with so many parts available, but say a real orphan such as a Maxwell or Oakland, there would be nothing available to restore it or return it to running order. If you don't believe me, wander the swap meets such as Hershey and see for yourself just how little is out there for vehicles from the 1930s or older that aren't Model Ts, As, early Ford V-8s, or some late–1930s Chevrolets.
Financial advisors are telling elderly people to ask their potential heirs and family members whether anyone even wants their collections, keepsakes, old vehicles, etc., because often nobody does want them. For example, no one wants grandma's old upright piano. This should be a warning to any of you who might have something like this incomplete Model T buried in a garage. The odds are none of your kids, grandkids, et al., want to deal with it. The scrap dealer will get it instead.
One of my dad's friends decades ago had just the body of a 1920s Dodge sedan—no interior, glass, frame, drivetrain, hood, or anything else, just the body shell—and it had been kept outdoors and was very rusty. It might have been good as a template for fabricating a new body, not much else. But the friend was convinced he was going to get $6,000 for that rusty shell.
One of the auto magazines in the '00s had an account of an elderly lady selling an early '60s Studebaker convertible for over $10,000. It had been her late husband's old car from decades ago. Turned out the car had sat in a garage, the top and interior were in tatters, and the engine and transmission had not been run in over 30 years and were probably seized. The woman was told that at best the car was good only for parts and was worth only a few hundred dollars.
This Model T is in the same category. Add to that the old-car hobby has been vanishing for years and no one wants these older basket cases because parts have largely dried up. If this hadn't been a T with so many parts available, but say a real orphan such as a Maxwell or Oakland, there would be nothing available to restore it or return it to running order. If you don't believe me, wander the swap meets such as Hershey and see for yourself just how little is out there for vehicles from the 1930s or older that aren't Model Ts, As, early Ford V-8s, or some late–1930s Chevrolets.
Financial advisors are telling elderly people to ask their potential heirs and family members whether anyone even wants their collections, keepsakes, old vehicles, etc., because often nobody does want them. For example, no one wants grandma's old upright piano. This should be a warning to any of you who might have something like this incomplete Model T buried in a garage. The odds are none of your kids, grandkids, et al., want to deal with it. The scrap dealer will get it instead.
A's are somewhat popular, not so much T's as they don't have modern GAS Clutch Brake layout and are really a dirty back farm road only appliance.
Someone could want that body hot for rodding using real Henry Ford Steel.
Or put a Ford Lima 2.3 4 banger and trans pulled from a rusted ranger.
Might be a challenge with the rear driveshaft and 3rd member setup on these. You can't just swap in a pinto rear axle.
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Someone could want that body hot for rodding using real Henry Ford Steel.
Or put a Ford Lima 2.3 4 banger and trans pulled from a rusted ranger.
Might be a challenge with the rear driveshaft and 3rd member setup on these. You can't just swap in a pinto rear axle.
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Very good example. To make it easy for young people I would give an example on how it works:
Your car is like a set of complete collection of baseball cards or Pokimon cards. It is worth a heck of a lot if the set is complete, in good condition, popular, and has low supply. Not meeting all these requirements means they are not worth much.
If it is incomplete, you will need to price individual cards independently instead of every card worth $50 if the set of 20 is worth $1000. That $1000 set will likely have a couple $400 cards and a few $50 card, then a bunch of $1 or 10c cards.
What this model T is, is a couple of the $1 and 10c cards and it is not worth much because it is not going to turn into a $1000 set of cards without those hard to get $400 cards. You cannot just use a color printer to print a $400 card and then offer a $400 discount from a $1000 set because "it would have worth this much if you can find that missing piece". There are 200 of these "it would have worth full price if you find this missing piece" incomplete set out there.
This may not apply in the used appliance world but it absolutely apply in the collectible world.
I am starting to get rid of my incomplete project early, at the age of mid 40s, instead of waiting till I get dementia.
Suggest they do their "Old Ford Owner's Club" research.
Remind them to call people and text pictures.
They might get lucky with the right car show or swap fest near them this year.
At least a couple of older, incomplete cars on trailers and flatbeds show up at these gatherings.
If it rolls and delivery can be streamlined, a 'priced to move' project car might sell.
If promising money ain't there, it ain't there.
Frankly, use as a prop in a diorama in a car museum might be where that Model T's value lies.
"This is a Barn Find....", is how the display's blurb would begin.
A display of a "real derelict Model T" might be a campy inclusion to a nice display like the Lane in Nashville or the Simeone in Phillie.
A year ago, a 1918 Buick emerged from a barn in Keene, NH the week after a friend's son moved there.
Remind them to call people and text pictures.
They might get lucky with the right car show or swap fest near them this year.
At least a couple of older, incomplete cars on trailers and flatbeds show up at these gatherings.
If it rolls and delivery can be streamlined, a 'priced to move' project car might sell.
If promising money ain't there, it ain't there.
Frankly, use as a prop in a diorama in a car museum might be where that Model T's value lies.
"This is a Barn Find....", is how the display's blurb would begin.
A display of a "real derelict Model T" might be a campy inclusion to a nice display like the Lane in Nashville or the Simeone in Phillie.
A year ago, a 1918 Buick emerged from a barn in Keene, NH the week after a friend's son moved there.
They did these in the 1970s as "tribute" cars when the kit car fad was at its peak. They did a lot of curved dash Oldsmobile style buggies. They were fast enough for parades. They usually have garish lantern lights and other junk that makes an Excalibur look like a rental Buick.
Many T buckets was the fate of ancient Fords and even those with modern drive trains are barely roadable. Also the three pedal control is difficult for some to master.
Rode in a 2024 Model T Huckster at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI today.
