History of your car
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1979 Chevrolet Malibu 496-TH400-9" (cruiser). 1992 Chevrolet S10 355-700r4-7.625" (daily driver).
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You could try a Carfax report. I'm pretty sure registration and if you live where state inspection is required would be on that. If that's the history you're trying to find?
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49 Posts
It is. Carfax didn’t go back that far
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5,557 Posts
This^^^
Plus weren't all the prewar carfax records destroyed in The Big One?
I always found stripping the paint, reading the scars and making up an epic saga to be the most fun.
Plus weren't all the prewar carfax records destroyed in The Big One?
I always found stripping the paint, reading the scars and making up an epic saga to be the most fun.
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49 Posts
You’re probably right. This could be an after market frame but it does have a vin plate on it
1979 Chevrolet Malibu 496-TH400-9" (cruiser). 1992 Chevrolet S10 355-700r4-7.625" (daily driver).
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253 Posts
I guess I should have explained that better. It was just a place to start. The report probably has where it was registered. Take that information and do a search for the area's local car club. There's likely an online contact for information on the person or people that organize it. That group would certainly remember "the guy with the '31 Model A." Explain your quest to uncover the history of the car and they would likely give you a name or may even know some history on the car as well. Maybe they know the person the previous owner bought if from. My brother's Corvette club gets inquiries and they send group emails to the members looking for that information. It's well received. Fellow enthusiasts are glad to help where they can.
You do understand 1931 was 90 years ago ? If your car has a vin number , it was " created " by someone other than ford. . so its basically a modern contrivance . the likelyhood of the pile of parts you own being created together is somewhere between slim & none . Its more than likely a combination of parts from wrecking yards , farm fields , swap meets , aftermarket ,etc.
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One way to trace is to ask the person that you got the car from, go to that person, then back one more...etc. With each person you do contact ask about what they did and what it was like when they got it. If you are lucky one will tell you they found the body in back of farmer Brown's barn where it had been setting for xxx years. Good luck, think the odds are about 10% of getting at least half of it's history.
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Well I would start with the suspension.
I actually like the ball and cup design. I have one in the basement "art" with the linkage still attached to a I beam.
If you come across an orgional A your going to find wood somewhere in the coach. It was lightweight yet "strong". How much you find depends on what you have. There were several diffrent coach builders that the unfinished cars went to.
The interior material may lend itself to a few hints.
The glass, batteries, fuel tank, carburatior, even door strikers may provid hints to what you actually have.
At this point a few pictures 1/4(hood/fender), 3/4(trunk/rear door), front, engine bay, interior dash, seats, suspension, headliner, etc would answer several things.
I actually like the ball and cup design. I have one in the basement "art" with the linkage still attached to a I beam.
If you come across an orgional A your going to find wood somewhere in the coach. It was lightweight yet "strong". How much you find depends on what you have. There were several diffrent coach builders that the unfinished cars went to.
The interior material may lend itself to a few hints.
The glass, batteries, fuel tank, carburatior, even door strikers may provid hints to what you actually have.
At this point a few pictures 1/4(hood/fender), 3/4(trunk/rear door), front, engine bay, interior dash, seats, suspension, headliner, etc would answer several things.
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Here are a couple 30-1 A history examples:
The one whose body I recently built had new replacement fenders in the 80s but even they didn't match. Right coupe quarters are taller than lefts and there were two manufacturers for the original body parts anyway, none of which fit or match well. Story was the car was built from others in the junkyard by our customer's Dad. We put a TCI chassis under it, the rest went bye bye with apple green wheels.
My Dad last saw his skidding backwards on a brick street in light rain. Just rear brakes. Sold it to some kid who was learning. He had scored a cherry four door with a ring gear tooth broke for $45 and whacked the top off to Grandpa's dismay. Junkyard rearend. 34 wheels for out back. Downdraft Chevy carb, Kaiser distributor for vacuum advance, etc... Kept his eyes peeled and scored a cherry coupe body at the yard. Whacked that roof too and put split garden hose over the cut edge just like in magazines at the time.
There was just no regard for identification then. There were 112,000 69 Grand Prixs made, for example and that is a large number. Millions of Model As were made. Millions. A rodder once drove that into my head. Millions!
I do wish you the best of luck but man... needle in a mighty lucky haystack kinda odds on this IMHO.
The one whose body I recently built had new replacement fenders in the 80s but even they didn't match. Right coupe quarters are taller than lefts and there were two manufacturers for the original body parts anyway, none of which fit or match well. Story was the car was built from others in the junkyard by our customer's Dad. We put a TCI chassis under it, the rest went bye bye with apple green wheels.
My Dad last saw his skidding backwards on a brick street in light rain. Just rear brakes. Sold it to some kid who was learning. He had scored a cherry four door with a ring gear tooth broke for $45 and whacked the top off to Grandpa's dismay. Junkyard rearend. 34 wheels for out back. Downdraft Chevy carb, Kaiser distributor for vacuum advance, etc... Kept his eyes peeled and scored a cherry coupe body at the yard. Whacked that roof too and put split garden hose over the cut edge just like in magazines at the time.
There was just no regard for identification then. There were 112,000 69 Grand Prixs made, for example and that is a large number. Millions of Model As were made. Millions. A rodder once drove that into my head. Millions!
I do wish you the best of luck but man... needle in a mighty lucky haystack kinda odds on this IMHO.
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33 Posts
You're looking for bulletholes and maybe the slugs themselves.
Dried blood - thats a winner.
Dried blood - thats a winner.
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I skinned an A trunk lid once, had one lone .45 hole in it out toward the middle. Customer opted to keep the bullet hole in the shell.
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Model A's had Vin number hand stamped into the left upper side frame rail under the splash apron and body.
Keith
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