For the nostalgic, collectors, and the curious: a '32 Model A Ford

G

GrayHawk

New member
While discussing detailing with a new acquaintance, I was asked if I would be interested in bringing an old '32 Ford back to life, and of course I was.



This Model A has been sitting top down & uncovered in the corner of an airplane hangar, apparently for years, gathering dust and whatever else settled upon it. It took the better part of an hour just to clear a path to move the car out of the corner.



And this is what I started with:



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After blowing the worst of the dust/debris off and out of the car, the first job was the wheels and tires--all six of them, inside and out. Washed the white sidewalls and tires with Westley's Bleach White; Armor All X2 on the black (hard) rubber; AIO on the wheels and spokes; washed the spare tire covers with Woolite. Elapsed time: about 3 hours.



Next, the engine (flathead four) compartment required some extra care due to the exposed, water sensitive electricals there. Degreased and dressed.



Armor All on the undercarriage.



The interior needed only a good vacuuming and leather cleaning. Ditto for the rumble seat and compartment.



After scrubbing the ragtop and boot with Woolite, I gave the car a thorough wash and discovered that the finish was not in bad shape in spite of its neglect, just some light swirls and a bit of oxidation. I polished with Optimum Polish on a Meguiar's polishing pad on the PC, then hand-applied 2 coats of Natty's using AquaWax as a spritz/lubricant. ClearKote Metal Polish cleaned up the chrome.



Here are the results:



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tn_Right_side_wheel_turned_top_down.jpg




tn_Left_front_wheel_turned.jpg




I was happy with the results, and the owner was quite pleased.



Hope you enjoy the pix!
 
awahl63 said:
That thing looks amazing now...Does it run?
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Yeah, that was my question, did you push it or drive it? Amazing how someone would leave it with the top down, not even throwing a tarp or something over it.
 
That looks like really good job! What did chrage, if you dont mind me asking? Thats an old car and a few things could go wrong so theres a certain risk involved..... just wondering what that risk was worth?
 
That looks like really good job! What did chrage, if you dont mind me asking? Thats an old car and a few things could go wrong so theres a certain risk involved..... just wondering what that risk was worth?
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cj99si: I charged $265 for about 8 hours of work, something less than usual, but the owner has two luxury cars/SUV's and two grown sons with their own luxury cars, all of which will need detailing, right? Anyway, the owner gave me a generous tip, so I was actually paid about what the job was worth to me.



As to the risks: I surveyed the car about 2 weeks before detailing it and didn't note anything too scary. The engine was relatively clean so I didn't worry about pouring too much water on it and fouling electrical connections, the starter, the distributor, etc., (all of which I covered with plastic and duct tape before degreasing). Also, the leather seats and canvas top were relatively new, so the chance of tearing them seemed to be no greater than for a newer car. I also inquired of the owner if there were any particular problems I should be aware of, and there were none. In short, given the age of the restored parts, as opposed to the age of the car, I felt the risks were minimal for this car.
 
GrayHawk said:
cj99si: I charged $265 for about 8 hours of work, something less than usual, but the owner has two luxury cars/SUV's and two grown sons with their own luxury cars, all of which will need detailing, right? Anyway, the owner gave me a generous tip, so I was actually paid about what the job was worth to me.



As to the risks: I surveyed the car about 2 weeks before detailing it and didn't note anything too scary. The engine was relatively clean so I didn't worry about pouring too much water on it and fouling electrical connections, the starter, the distributor, etc., (all of which I covered with plastic and duct tape before degreasing). Also, the leather seats and canvas top were relatively new, so the chance of tearing them seemed to be no greater than for a newer car. I also inquired of the owner if there were any particular problems I should be aware of, and there were none. In short, given the age of the restored parts, as opposed to the age of the car, I felt the risks were minimal for this car.
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Nice work. Thanks for the reply!
 
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