1928 Ford Model A for Sale

Body styles and production

• Closed cars: the two-door Tudor and four-door Fordor sedans and the coupes, the bodies most buyers chose then and the ones most often for sale now.
• Open cars: the roadster and the four-door phaeton.
• Pickup: the open-cab pickup, usually listed today as a 1928 Model A roadster pickup.

Production started slowly while Ford retooled from the Model T, and the millionth Model A was not built until February 4, 1929. Published totals for 1928 alone differ with how they are counted, so we do not quote one here.

Engine and drivetrain

Every Model A uses the same L-head inline four: 201 cubic inches and 40 hp, with a three-speed sliding-gear manual transmission and four-wheel mechanical drum brakes. The fuel tank sits in the cowl and feeds the carburetor by gravity. The 1928 and 1929 cars ride on 21 inch wheels with 4.50 tires.

Early 1928 cars and the AR name

Collectors call the earliest 1928 cars "AR" Model As. Ford never sold a Model AR: the name comes from the AR suffix on part numbers used only on the early cars. There is no single cutoff date, because the changes came at different times, but the usual signs are:

• A squeeze-grip hand brake lever on the driver's left, working the same brakes as the pedal. Ford later redesigned the brakes, added a separate parking brake in the rear drums and moved the lever to the center, so early drums and wheels do not interchange with later ones.
• A multiple disc clutch, used until about November 1928.
• Smooth clutch and brake pedals without ribs on the first cars, and a red steering wheel, which most 1928 cars had.

One feature proves little, since owners have swapped parts for decades. A car sold as an AR should show several early features that agree with its engine number.

Is it a real 1928?

On a Model A the engine number was the car's serial number, used for the title. It is hand-stamped on the left side of the block above the water inlet, between two star symbols, with an A prefix on a car engine. Many frames also carry the same number on top of the left frame rail near the first body bolt, but many were never stamped.

Engine swaps are common, so an engine number that does not match the title is not unusual in itself, but ask about it. A number struck through with rows of X stamps means the engine was renumbered. Engine numbers ran in sequence, so the number also helps date the car within the year.

What to inspect before you buy

• Body wood: closed bodies are framed in wood, which rots where water gets in. Check door fit and sag, and look under the upholstery if you can.
• Engine: the crankshaft runs in poured babbitt bearings. Listen for knocks and ask when the engine was last rebuilt.
• Brakes: mechanical brakes work well only when the rods and shoes are adjusted. Test them before you drive the car anywhere.
• Metal: fenders, running boards, splash aprons and the lower body.
• Modified cars: the Model A has long been a hot rod platform. Judge a modified car on the quality of the work, not on originality.

Related listings

• 1929 Ford Model A, 1930 Ford Model A and 1931 Ford Model A for sale, or every Ford Model A.
• Its predecessor: Ford Model T for sale. The truck of the same era: Ford Model AA.
• Background: the Model T that came before it, sourcing parts for pre-war cars and the Model A as a hot rod platform.