It seems like model A's just keep creeping out of the woodwork. Maybe it is just that we are in the hobby, so we are around a lot of them, but where are they all coming from? Consider that auto styling went through such major changes right after the model A was produced, with the rounded bodies, and streamlined looks of the '30 and '40s cars, not to speak of the major changes to styling in the '50s and '60s. Things started cooling down in styling by the '80s and '90s, until we finally settled on the jelly bean styles where you can no longer tell one model/make from another today, but in the '30s, model As began to look outdated right away. The model A became very dated very quickly, and as a young boy in the '40s, I was mortified to be seen in an old car like an A. My Parents bought a new '47 Olds, and by the time I was a teenager in the '50s, I could not believe how old fashion my parents were in that "antique" car, only 5 or 10 years later. Then I got my drivers license, and needed wheels, and that is when I started to appreciate the model A my dad would give to me, if I would rebuild the engine myself. I did, loved it, and drove it to high school. Yeah, I was THAT nerd with the old ford pickup.
We were poor dairy farmers, and didn't really have money for new cars, or anything else really. For Christmas, you got one pair of jeans. That's it. But, the pocket had a whole cut in it, so really, you got two presents, new pants and something to play with. Only kidding, but I still remember during WWII (the big one), guys would come around to the farm and buy up any old scrap metal that we could find around the place, and many model T and model A parts got loaded onto their trucks, along with sometimes still useful machinery, but it was for the war effort. They really cleaned us out of scrap metal, and old car pieces. (Later, my oldest brother took my middle brothers '34 Dodge in for scrap while he was in the service, causing a family war that lasted until one died. But that is a different story.)
The point being, model As, being by then outdated by later snazzier models, were prime fodder for the scrap metal collector's feeding frenzy. Many many got melted down to make tanks, guns, bunk beds, or whatever the military needed. Henry's great metals were highly prized, and did a good job for the country. So, the depletion of old cars, not just model As, but all older cars was enormous. Yet, here we are, with model As seemingly everywhere we look. Some of them were spared, and were kept closed up in garages, where they faired pretty well. Some were left in a field to rust, but remained mostly in tact. Many of the model As we see today are really a collection of parts from several abandoned hulks, nos parts, and reproductions. How lucky are we that so many have either survived or been resurrected! How lucky are we that parts are available, allowing us to fairly easily, make repairs, restorations, and recreations? How lucky are we that there are enough machines and enough of us interested in these machines to make it worthwhile to create things like this forum where we can share ideas, knowledge, thoughts, and our joy of owning and playing with our big boy toys.
I say we are pretty darned lucky. And it can't be said too much, Thanks Mitch for all you do for this hobby, and for this forum!
We were poor dairy farmers, and didn't really have money for new cars, or anything else really. For Christmas, you got one pair of jeans. That's it. But, the pocket had a whole cut in it, so really, you got two presents, new pants and something to play with. Only kidding, but I still remember during WWII (the big one), guys would come around to the farm and buy up any old scrap metal that we could find around the place, and many model T and model A parts got loaded onto their trucks, along with sometimes still useful machinery, but it was for the war effort. They really cleaned us out of scrap metal, and old car pieces. (Later, my oldest brother took my middle brothers '34 Dodge in for scrap while he was in the service, causing a family war that lasted until one died. But that is a different story.)
The point being, model As, being by then outdated by later snazzier models, were prime fodder for the scrap metal collector's feeding frenzy. Many many got melted down to make tanks, guns, bunk beds, or whatever the military needed. Henry's great metals were highly prized, and did a good job for the country. So, the depletion of old cars, not just model As, but all older cars was enormous. Yet, here we are, with model As seemingly everywhere we look. Some of them were spared, and were kept closed up in garages, where they faired pretty well. Some were left in a field to rust, but remained mostly in tact. Many of the model As we see today are really a collection of parts from several abandoned hulks, nos parts, and reproductions. How lucky are we that so many have either survived or been resurrected! How lucky are we that parts are available, allowing us to fairly easily, make repairs, restorations, and recreations? How lucky are we that there are enough machines and enough of us interested in these machines to make it worthwhile to create things like this forum where we can share ideas, knowledge, thoughts, and our joy of owning and playing with our big boy toys.
I say we are pretty darned lucky. And it can't be said too much, Thanks Mitch for all you do for this hobby, and for this forum!
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