http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Model-T-Two-Door-One-of-a-Kind-1922-Center-Door-Mod el-T-Rod-Meticulous-Build-Amazing-Car-/161166555178?forcerrptr=true&hash=item258 646782a&item=161166555178&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
Besides being butt ugly, I decided to scroll through the pictures. It may make a purists' blood boil when you see what this car was before the transformation.
Too bad.
The only amazing thing about that car is that somebody was stupid enough to destroy it.
Stephen
That's terrible... It looked like it was such a good car with lots of potential before they ruined it...
I have no problems with T buckets, as long as they don't modify and destroy good original parts. Nowadays, fiberglass bodies, fenders, etc., are so inexpensive that I can't believe that someone would go through the effort to destroy a nice, correct car just for the body.
Three letters says it all. "OMG!!!" What a tragic loss of history to future generations...
Gee... Someone turned a prince into a toad!
What can be said that you have not already said. I think it takes a lot nerve to state that they consider this a restoration. What it is, is a travesty to a piece of living history.
Unfortunately, I feel that this could happen any time in the future given the lack of interest in these cars with the younger generation. This should be a wake up call to all of us to work harder to cultivate a younger generation that will respect the originality of these history making automobiles.
It looked great until I saw what they destroyed.
Some people will do anything for a few dollars
if you guys think that's bad, check out what they did to this poor Rolls Royce:
http://imgur.com/8U05EQA,2Gp4mvc,3A2shcl#0
Why anyone would buy a car out of a museum and then do that to it is , well I can't say what I am thinking.
if your going to spend a hundred grand on a street rod you can have any thing you want. you can pick your favorite body, 33 roadster for me, buy it new and pay some one to build it. so why a center door? t's have never been the car of choice for those guys, except the T bucket things and 26 roadsters, but luckly they stay away from most others. scared of wood maybe. i dont hate hot rods, but i feel if you start with a piece of junk then do what ever you want, but leave the nice originals alone. some though, dont get it.
I showed this to my wife and she said it all in two words; "That's DISGUSTING!"
Should we use the "ask a question" to tell them what we think of this travesty?
Why would you ruin a good one? Pretty sure anyone with some ability to shape sheetmetal could make a body like that out of garbage and then there would be 2 cars instead of one yuck one.
It cost them plenty to do that to the Center Door. I hope they loose their butt trying to sell it.
UGH. Times like this makes me wish money was no object so I could buy the car just for the sole purpose of being able to go pick it up personally so I could slap the stupid out of whoever it was that did this to that center door. What a shame!
Down under we use those Chev engines in boats as they make extremely good anchors. I have always wanted a centre door now my US friends know what a boofhead is. Surely one of your states would consider that effort a capital offence?
Boyd Coddington would be proud. He was another one who routinely desecrated history for the almighty buck. My Hell would be his Heaven. Spending eternity in a garage full of classic, museum quality vintage cars as one by one, they were converted into ugly hot rods and rat rods. Jim Patrick
Tasteless desecration.
And to top it off they put in a "Chevy drivetrain" I once read a hot rod build book in which the author said "It's your car, don't listen to anyone make what you want!" I think I'm gonna be sick.
This is typical of the so called "street rodders", they have to butcher good stuff, not use repop fiberglass and custom frames. What they do today is obsolete next year cause the style and paint will have changed. They put garbage truck (chev) engines in everything and seldom build the handling capability in to manage the HP. Back in the old days of real hot rods, cars were made to run, handle and outdo the fuzz or ATF agents and were seldom butchered like the junk today.
Wouldn't it be great to *restore* this mess to the original....and stick it in the face of the rodders. It can go both ways. Looks like the body is salvageable... junk/sell the rest. Would be nice to have the money to do this.
I agree with Stepehen and Royce. Took the words right out of my mouth. Sinful. Just plain sinful.
And it's ugly!
The technical term is "General Mess Of Crap"
Ya want a rod; build it out of glass and offend
no one. Fact is how many people have brought back
a total hopeless far gone > back to life? A Lot.
Either he is the Dr. Death (remember him) or he
never glued plastic models, and now killed again.
I think DR Death is still in prison. We otta have
a automotive prison.
There is no other way to say it. That is the UGLIEST hot rod I have ever seen!
A nice original nice T was totally ruined. If I had that kind of money to RUIN a original car why wasn't it a 57 Chev, 67 Dodge or some type of practical car to do it on !!
IT sure would have a better chance to be used and enjoyed.
What a waste!
My first thought was of Coddington also. That P**z from Monster Garage tore up a T on his show too and it was for some totally stupid "build". These people aren't hobbyist. In fact I'll bet you couldn't buy the car from them before they start their work because it'd be a lost opportunity. Face it guys, the car is definitely worth more than the original center door and while they seem to go for less than the asking price it's sure to sell. I'd have preferred "restomod" to restoration but hey, it is what it is.
I have restored and hot rodded cars for years. I have always said it is a shame to use a good or rare car for a hot rod. Use parts or a rust bucket. The only consolation of this, is that he will probably never recoupe his money. If he has 200,000 in it like he said, In todays market it will never bring that much. Even on a "good day" in a high profile auction, it may come close to that price but, I hope it leaves nothing for his labor. To a street rodder the car is beautiful, to us restorers it is ugly. The car is very well done and I could appreciate there work if they had not destroyed a good original in the process. This has been happening for years. It is almost impossible to find an original 32 ford roadster or coupe anymore. They were all cut up and chopped for hot rods in the 40s 50s 60s and even to today. The old hot rods are starting to be collected as a piece of history today. Who knows in 50 or more years this thing may be a classic. I hope not but who knows. Our model Ts are not often chosen (except the 23-25 roadsters and 26-27 roadsters and coupes) for street rodding. The Model A folks have it worse than the T people. The street rodders are using them all up like the 32s were used up years ago.
I just sent the seller a link to this thread. Perhaps we will hear from him and you can ask him WHY?!. At the very least, he will know what is being said about his "baby"...
I like hotrods, but I don't like that one at all. This car looks to be a very high quality build, but it's very ugly in my opinion. The 350 Chevy and automatic transmission does nothing to add any appeal to the car. A flathead, nailhead, or pretty much anything other than a "belly-button" 350 Chevy would help. When you're spending $200k, what's another $3-5k to put something interesting in it?
As for cutting up a nice original... I don't like it, but I understand it. When a good complete centerdoor can be bought for ~$10k, nobody would stick $20k into labor to bring back one from the dead. The car has a list of paid professionals who built it. A guy building something in his own garage might try to save something rough, but to someone paying others to build it for him, starting with a nice complete car saves both time and money.
It is sad, but I'd rather see a car get hotrodded than see nice cars get parted out on Ebay.
Jim, I hope we hear from him. I have three Center Doors (two running and one needs restoring). If he made some real money building this car, I might want to get patterns from him.
After all, A dollar is a dollar.
I'm so sick of 350 Chevys. I like checking out the T buckets on eBay but only if they have a Ford powertrain. If I can see the 1-2-1 headers or distributor in the back in the first picture, I just skip it.
Is a 351W that much more expensive to build and tinker with than a 350? Honest question, have no idea. They certainly aren't dropping 350's in everything under the sun for any kind of shock value.
The engine is what makes a Model T. Bodies changed over the years, but the engine and transmission remained basicly the same. That car in the ad is not a Model T. It is something else with a Model T body on it.
Norm
A stock T isn't on the list of many people looking for an antique because of it's lack of driveability (read: speed, power, safety, options). Even the modern's get the treatment. Take a bone stock '65 Mustang for instance, or your choice of car from that era: No power steering, no power brakes, possibly a 6 cyl. engine. AM radio, no AC. Only the purists want a car like that. So it's punched up with a V-8 with all the "trimings". You have a car that's worth more with a wider buyer base but looks stock. If it was done to a Model T hell would be raised here but it's common as heck with other cars and it's not going to stop because it's what buyer's want.
While I'm a big believer in personal property rights, which are eroding quickly, it's hard not to shed a tear considering there were other options for the builder to achieve the same end product.
I have photos of the Center Door my family owned new and, therefore, have one on my wish list. Finding a decent one just got a little more difficult.
I dont do something like this often, but this is what I sent to the ask a question .
copied and pasted.
"I realize this is a free country.But why on earth did anyone do this to a fine restored car?
Not only is it terrible to destroy a historic car as you did,but that is the ugliest hot rod I have ever seen.It needs to be put out of it's misery."
I will let you know the response.
Also,did you note the name Foose in the describe part of the listing? That is all I had to see to know what happened.Has a foose ever built anything that even looked good?
OFF With Their HEADS!
No sense breaking the guy's chops Mack. He could just be a dealer not the actual seller and if so doesn't give a darn about a hobbyest's opinion. I'd be REAl surprised if you get any response.
I certainly agree that this is an awful waste of a good center door....but I don't think the "before" picture is actually of the car he butchered.
If you look in the background of the picture, you can see the front end of a early 60's Lincoln Limo with fender flags. This is SS-100X, the parade car that President Kennedy was shot and killed in while in Dallas November 22, 1963...currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum. That means that this photo is of a "similar" center door also on display at the Henry Ford in the same hall. I also recognize the windows. You can also see President Reagan's Lincoln Limo on the far right.
Hopefully that means this guy started with a basket case.
Nice work Clayton. Whatever he started with there's still one gone but nice work anyway.
The ad says it came out of a museum. It had to be fairly presentable.
If somebody really sunk 200 G into that car, they aren't overly concerned with money and probably even less with other people's opinions about it.
yea,I saw both limos when there,I couldnt zoom in that good on the pic.I got my picture with both limos to.
A DA with a POS is about all you can say for people that butcher and put garbage truck engines in old Fords.
Seller ended auction on Dec. 10 at 12:55 PST, a couple of hours after I sent him this thread and a few minutes after Mack Cole messaged him his displeasure. Way to go Mack. Maybe the seller was ashamed. Hopefully he got the message and will never destroy another Model T. Jim Patrick
Well, I'm in a situation some what like this right now with my still unfinished center door. The person that wants to buy it has won several of Boyd Coddington show car awards with his modified cars. In fact he took a first place the year before Boyd died. He said he wants to keep the outside the same but change the engine and rear end and add four wheel brakes. He will go with a set of period correct wire wheels. His offer has been much better than what I could get for a stock center door in the state it is in now and he has the cash. If I know I could live forever I would keep it but it's been in this unfinished state for over 20 years now. If I could get out of my foundry and machine shop business I would go back and finish it but at 70 my clock is just about run out on project like this. Bob
Oh Bob! Surely somebody on the forum wants to buy your centerdoor and just restore it! I wish I had the money to just buy it and hold on to it if for no other reason than to keep somebody from screwing it up. Please please don't sell it to that guy! If nothing else at least give folks a chance to spread the word - SOMEbody out there wants that car and wants to keep it correct.
Bob: by all means spread the word if possible then do what's best for you. You've stated your case and the car's got to go. It's up to you to do what's right for yourself and your family.
Sorry! Charlie's post made me realize mine might come off a bit presumptuous. I'm not trying to say "just keep it" or even telling you what to do or anything like that. Just saying hopefully if you can advertise it a bit - it will have a chance to go to a good home instead of getting what I consider to be "ruined" like the subject car of this thread.
Bob, if you could give folks a hint as to what the street rodder is offering you for your car, maybe someone on the forum could step up and at least match it (I can't, unfortunately).
Bob.
We will all be there one day, sooner than we think and we can't take them with us, but we can try to ensure they will be left to responsible caretakers before we go. Perhaps you can introduce your rodder friend to the forum (and particularly this thread) and convert him from the dark side and educate him on the importance of keeping these T's original for future generations, for once they are gone, that's it. They can't be brought back. Jim Patrick
Not trying to be presumptuous. The guy's obviously in a quandry. I know what I'd do and have in fact done it. While I doubt the T's I've sold were going to be butchered you really don't know. The next guy down the line could be in Bob's position and off it goes.
Bob, Why eat your seed stock? I will volunteer to build a set of moulds off your Center door. From these moulds you can make as many center door bodies as the market desires. Think of this as an investment, where you get keep the Irreplaceable original, yet can feed the hunger of the custom guys who only desire an image of the real thing anyway.
A lot of rodders don't want fiberglass, they like to brag to their buddies that their car is "real steel".
Been there done that. Back in the 80's I built a Frazer-Nash. A fiberglass kit car body that went on a VW Bug chassis. A fun build but not for profit. After 8 years I sold it for about the price of the kit and was glad to get it. Rich Rawlins of the Fast and Loud TV show recently bought a similar kit car for about what I sold mine for almost 30 years later. If you watch the show you can still see it sitting out on his parking lot. Plastic don't sell.
Mark, Lots of wood in that all steel center door.
Charlie, Vintage fiberglas Porsche replicas are still in high demand as are Ford Cobra's. I think you may have chosen the wrong car to clone.
My post was meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek to provoke thought...the point is, any rodders project has it's economic component.
If a brand new steel body were available at a price lower to or equal to a whole car, which direction would the rodder go? If new steel bodies are not available, then at some point the demand will make that happen. Until then the car builders only logical source for their quest is the treasure trove of preserved old tin owned by us.
Should we, the club, invest in this availability or should we let market forces drive the value of our desirable cars upwards?
I know if I owned a desirable center door sedan, I would make sure it's price reflected this new market!
I'm bumping this thread to hopefully help Bob sell his car to somebody besides the hot rodder.
That's terrible. hey Bob we'll put out the word that you want to sell your car to a true T er
Goes to show that the only taste some people have is in their mouth.