Trying to track down Grandpa's Model A

[HawkeyeScott]

In the early 1980s, my grandpa rebuilt an old Model A. He did it perfectly. But he and my grandma needed a new everyday driver, so he had to trade it in. We know the name of the man he traded it to - a dealer - and beyond that, it's a mystery where it ended up. Now, my dad has asked me to try and track it down. If we can find it, he would like to try buying it.

Have any of you ever tracked down a specific car? Would it be best to start at the county courthouse and see if we could find a VIN? If we can locate a VIN, what would be the next step?

This was a great car and really would mean a lot to all of us to have back in the family. If you have any advice or insight, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks,

-Scott

 

[mrsilv04]

You do have the VIN of the "A", correct?

I'd start with the Model A clubs in your part of the country... I'm sure you're not the first one who has done this.

Is the dealer who took it on trade willing to work with you? Do they still have the paperwork on the transaction?

There may also be firms that will research a VIN for a fee.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

No, at this point we do not have a VIN. (That is assuming there were VIN #s back then...)

And the dealer has long been out of business. He has moved to another state.

 

[mrsilv04]

There should have been two places where there was a VIN.

One, on the engine. This is the most common VIN that is used. However, it is less reliable as the possibility that the engine has been swapped somewhere along the line is common.

There is a frame VIN... definitely more reliable, but it is located under the body, and the body has to be lifted to see it.

Not having any sort of a VIN is going to make it a lot more difficult... You're going to have to find the right person with some knowledge of when the car was at that dealership to start piecing it together.

First, I'd think you need to figure out the month and year that Grandpa traded it in, and try to find a salesman that worked at the dealership at that time.

Once you have a month and year of when it was traded, you might want to contact the state DMV and see if they'll offer to be of any help on a title search. However, with privacy laws as they are today, they may decline.

Of course, this may lead to a dead end, as the dealership may have kept it as a "display" on the showroom floor, or kept it in a corner of the shop to use in parades, for months or years...

 

[HawkeyeScott]

This was a small town dealer who turned it around pretty quickly I believe. Very small, rural area in the Midwest. I have a feeling a visit to the courthouse would be the best way to start. There's a decent chance the person in charge of those records knew my grandpa.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: HawkeyeScott
This was a small town dealer who turned it around pretty quickly I believe. Very small, rural area in the Midwest. I have a feeling a visit to the courthouse would be the best way to start. There's a decent chance the person in charge of those records knew my grandpa.


Looks like your first stop is going to be the County Treasurer's office.

 

[Papa Bear]

Where in the heck is Cackalacky anyway ?....

 

[Cutehumor]

after you do all that tracking, the guy might not even sell the vehicle back to you. There is sentimental value in the Model A car. So be prepared to overpay for it.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

My gut says my father would make it worth the current owner's time. Grandpa died a few years ago and we've been inching towards trying to find the care ever since.

For some reason, Cackalacky is slang for Carolina. In my case, it's North Cackalacky.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Is this a 1903-4 Model A? Pretty rare car if it is. Put a color add in Hemmings and the owner or someone who knows him will turn up soon enough.

There were under 2,000 model A's ever built, I cant imagine there are that many left, and those guys all seem to know each other and where those cars are tucked away.

Of course, if it a later A Model, the one from the late 20's then all bets are off. There were millions of those built. But even then Hemmings could be worth a shot. A good description, a couple of pics and the proper time frame placed in a few ads and you might get lucky

 

[HawkeyeScott]

It was a 1929 I believe. Hopefully it didn't get too far away.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: HawkeyeScott
Cackalacky is slang for Carolina. In my case, it's North Cackalacky.


Ooops. Since you mentioned the midwest in one of your posts, and since you go by "Hawkeye" as part of your screen name, I assumed that you were in Iowa...