You are asking the wrong person my friend…you are talking to a person who has put close to 30,000 miles on a stock Model A and loved every mile of it. I am sure with the right amount of skill, patience, and money your project would happen but my opinion is if you want to drive a modern car then buy a modern car. Good luck with your project!

Thanks for the note…yes, early Fords do rule!

A lot of people would tell me stories from “back in the day” they would get 25 MPG in a Model A. Well…that never happened for me. I averaged around 16 and after I installed the Mitchell Overdrive I can now get 19-20 MPG depending on the driving conditions.

$15,000 will get you a great running and looking example of a Model A Tudor Sedan and I am thrilled to hear you want to make that your daily driver. You will surely have the most unique vehicle in your High School parking lot!

Regarding your question on road salt…there is no avoiding that and the best you can do is prepare the car and religiously wash it to slow the long term damage. I would recommend very thoroughly undercoating the car and then make it mandatory that you handwash the car (and spray the underneath) once a week regardless of weather and schedule. (Having a heated space to wash the car will help immensly…)

As far as how hard is it to learn to drive a Model A? Keep in mind that millions of people since 1928 learned to drive on Model A’s as their first vehicle so it is very doable. However, the real answer depends on how mechanically inclined you are. If you have an understanding on how non-computerized drivetrains operate and understand the basics of operating a clutch then you will be just fine. If not, you will have more of a learning curve but it is still entirely possible. Do you know anyone who owns or knows how to drive a Model A? If so, this will be a big help for you.

Thanks for your note and best of luck!

Jonathan

Thanks for the note!  I do have seatbelts and turn signals.  Although, at some point I want to integrate the turn signals into the tailights and make them more visible up front because I don’t think people see them all that well unless it is dark out.  I also have LED inserts in the tailights which are significantly brighter than the stock bulbs.  Those LED inserts are readily available through the Model A suppliers and you can get them for 6 and 12 volt systems. 

Depending on condition you can get a running and driving example starting at $8,000 all the way up to the low $20,000 range.  Of course there are examples that fall outside this range but that is a good average. 

I always hand washed it and regularly would hose off the undercarriage as well.  I would not recommend taking it through an automatic car wash as I think you would end up with just as much water on the inside as on the outside of the car!  The door and window seals are not nearly as tight as modern day cars.  You should also refrain from using high pressure water for this same reason…

I don’t run a lead additive but I have hardened exhaust valve seats in my engine. If your engine does not have hardened valve seats then it might not be a bad idea to run an additive. You can buy lead substitute at most supportive supply stores in the fuel additive section.