When I was starting getting into Model Ts I didn't have much more than $1000 I could scrape up. A more experienced person shared the Coffee Can Principle . Namely, set aside money until you have enough to buy a well cared for Model T, rather than get something "cheap" and spend 4x as much. I agree with the idea that buying a nice well cared for Model T is a great way to start, but I think there are advantages to building your first Model T with parts. First and foremost when I did build my own car I understood how it operated and was not afraid to work on my car. (My first Model T was a 1926 Touring. I purchased the rolling chassis and engine for $600 and got the rusted out body from a farmer donated... Other parts set me back a few hundred. This challenge is inspired by that.)
Personal Contest Rules
- Cost- Spend as little as possible. Ideally start with less than $1000 for all major parts of car including: engine, frame, body. Other parts can be added over time as desired/needed. ("Consumables" not included in the cost can include tires, coils, upholstery, elbow grease, etc.)
- Added Restrictions- Buy at market value. I want to limit most of my purchases to online to keep things at "market value." Because this is a personal challenge and the fact that I have friends with piles of parts that may just give me deals because i'm a nice guy (or not) and or trades. Also I want people new to the hobby to see that getting started in the hobby is really accessible.
- Start with a engine. A qualifying car needs a running engine. So this is a great place to start. Time can be spent here working on the engine until it is ready to be used. Of course this requires getting a good set of coils...
- Model year correct? As much as possible keep it period correct- ideally with parts from the same year especially body and engine. But it is okay to have variations with the thought you could always swap out the front/rear axle in the future.
- Horse trading? Some parts may be purchased in a lot and parts out of the lot may be sold to keep the overall price down. But for this challenge it should be keep to a minimum.
- Additional Challenges? Perhaps that the car is a brass era car?
- Elbow grease is free.
Matt
Update:
$100 Engine purchased (8/31/20)
$500 (plus $100 for delivery) Express body purchased (12/5/20)
$300 left to spend