chevy or ford

[KennyBnash]

I know i'm about to start a real argument here, but i do have a serious question for you guys. I'm about to jump headfirst back into this hobby and have a couple of diffrent cars i'm interested in. Which car is easier to keep maintained as far as mechanics an early 30's ford or chevy?

[FomocoService]

Ford hands down.....

31 Ford has mechanical brakes, gravity feed fuel, manual spark advance and just overall designed so the average person could repair one.IE- one bolt holds the carb together and no way you can put the jets in wrong.

31 Chevy has hydraulic brakes, vacuum spark advance, valve lifters that need to be adjusted,etc...

[D Binger]

31 Ford

31 Chevys do not have hudraulic brakes and there is a manual spark advance on the dash. There are other fetures that Chevy has that the Ford doesn't have like 6 cylinder engine with more HP, better styling and others. Remember that 1931 was the year Cheverolet became #1 over Ford.

[FomocoService]

Very true D Binger... I was thinking '31 Plymouth as I was working on one today and I got the 2 confused...

Even tho Model A Ford had less horsepower- they would out run Chevrolets of the period.

and we all know Flathead Fords Vs. StoveBolt 6's are no comparison!

Now the styling is up for debate.. but everyone has their own taste in styling.

But my original post of Fords being easier to work than a Chevrolet still stands.

[MCHinson]

I think that you will find that Model A Fords have an advantage in availability of parts and literature over similar year Chevrolets. As far as Model B Ford vs Chevrolet, I really don't know. But you are right, you are probably about to start a real argument here....

[FomocoService]

I drove a '31 Chevrolet Coupe I worked on(king pins, new clutch). great low end power & torque but 45 mph is about it due to the gearing in the rear end.

Model A's have good torque all the way around and with the 3.78 rear it's not uncommon to get 60-65 out of one. 3.54's offer a bit more.

One other thing- Chevrolets had ALOT more body wood than Fords did. Especially the Coupes & Tudor Sedans.

Not trying to start a Ford vs Chevy war.. just stating my observations...hehe

[Guest antiquepa]

seems to me there are a lot more 31 fords out there ready to buy, don;t see too many 31 chevys, but regardless they would both be fun to drive. i got a 31 ford roaster, and am loving it everyday.

[Steve Braverman]

Asking this question is like asking who is right, the republicans or the democrats. There are going to be strong supporters for both sides. The only right way to answer to this question is to ask yourself which car do YOU like best? Any "Big Three" car is going to be easy to source parts for, and they were all great cars. They also all have different strong points.

For my two cents, I love my '31 Plymouth. It is mechanically more sophisticated than Chevys or Fords of its day, it drives well, and parts are easy to get.

Everyone seems to try to point out why their car is best. They're all good. If we all like the same thing, this club would be very boring.

[Guest rbl2]

My 26 Chevy is in the wrong year group for this topic but I thought it would be worth saying parts and literature are not at all hard to find. It cruises at 40-45 mph easily enough with a top end speed of 57. It's my understanding, not my experience, that Fords and their parts are far more costly then Chevys and most other models except for the rare and the luxury cars. It shouldn't take much searching to confirm that one way or the other.

I would add that in the end what a person chooses to have would probably be a personal choice more than anything else.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Kenny, may I suggest a different approach, especially since this is an entry (or re-entry) vehicle. I would pick an era of interest (mine happens to be 1925-1948) and look for your car based on condition and how the buy presents itself. Then consider the make and bodystyle. Buy the best car you can afford and you will enjoy it and most likely do fine in the end.

My wife wanted a 60s convertible a few years ago, we looked at a lot of the standard fair - Chevelle, Mustang, etc. I eventually found a '68 Cutlass convertible with 42,000 miles on it in excellent driver condition. Since she was open on make we paid less than a driver quality restoration on a basic Mustang and got a lot more car. Turns out to be just a little different, although hardly a rare 60s car, and I know we could easily profit except she doesn't want to sell. A hard core Mustang or Chevelle guy, for example probably would not have even called on the car.

One more quick thought - be prepared to act and don't rely on only one source - papers, online, etc. In the case above thank God it was a rainy Saturday and I was the first one there - this car actually showed up in our local paper, and I knew within a couple minutes I would have to make a deal or the next guy certainly would have. There is money out there for the good deals. Got this one but missed out on others..

If you are willing to do that you would be surprised at what may be out there. Many non-Fords of the era lag in value although that has changed over time. Of course if you can't find a fair deal on a Model "A" you must not be looking too hard. You can get most of the mechanical parts for all the "majors" and even the more unique cars if you are willing to work at it - of course if you buy condition, you will need less of those parts.

GOOD LUCK!