My life with an A-400 would not have materialized if it wasn't for the downsizing of the armed forces at the end of the "Korean Police Action".  I was planning to make the Army my career, but in 1954, our President, Dwight Eisenhower, decided otherwise for me.  So I returned to the USA, decided I wanted more education, so my family moved to Santa Barbara.

      My wife always wanted a Model A, so we went to the LA area, which was a hotbed of Model A enthusiasts, and we looked around.  The best we saw was a restored 1930 Deluxe Roadster, and it's price was $350.  That was out for a veteran on the GI Bill, with a family, so we came home rather dejected.

      As we drove up State Street in Santa Barbara, we were surprised to see a "funny looking car" in a used car lot, as my wife described it.  So we stopped and had a look around.

      I knew very little about A's, so I did not know the model, neither did the car salesman.  He described it as "a one-time owner car, complete except for a muffler and front bumper.  The leather upholstery was still in it, but in sad condition.  Guess what?  It also had the two ashtrays in the back seat.

      My wife and I discussed the buying of the car, and I made a deal with the lot to put on a muffler and a front bumper, which he did.

      So, sometime during the month of May 1954, we became owners of a car I found out later to be a 1931 Model A Convertible Sedan, body number 3747 for the gosh-awful price of $125.  That was an awful lot for a young veteran with a wife and son.  But what a lifetime experience it was creating. PRICELESS!!!

      I made contact with the late Claude "Red" Grow, and we were invited to meet with him at his used car lot in San Fernando, CA.  If  I am not  mistaken, it was the same day that the Model A Chapter was being formed.  I got from Red the address of the Model A Restorer's Club, and wrote a letter to Bill Hall, the president, asking him to put a request into the national paper for owners of the A-400 to contact me.  I do not remember the exact date, but sometime in 1954, the A-400 Group was born.  The original membership was 14, I think.  (Age is draining my memory.)

      Little by little, and with the help of a couple of A-400 owners, including Ed Rossig, the club grew.

      A lot of little things took over my life, such as an activation of my reserve unit, so my active interest in the A400 Group sort of waned, and some real dedicated people kept it going strong.  Most notable was my very good friend, Phil Allin.  Not only was he the editor of the RESTORER, but he kept the A-400 Group from dying.

      Back to the A-400: Upon my completion of undergraduate work, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to go to graduate school.  I drove the car to Oakland, where my parents were going to watch it for awhile, and it took 8 quarts of oil to go the 350 miles.  So, engine rebuild #1 was in order.  Total cost $285.

      After completion of grad school, I taught high school in Marin County, north of SF, and in 1958, I moved back to Santa Barbara, where I have called home since.

      The A-400 has had 2 engine rebuilds, a paint job Bronson Yellow/Seal Brown/Orange wheels), a new top, and upholstery.  While the engine was being rebuilt, I became adventurous and installed a 1972 Pinto engine, AND hydraulic brakes, believe me, just for the adventure.  It was a blast!!  And it took us comfortably to and from the 1994 MAFCA convention in Tacoma, WA.

      But it always bothered me having non-stock equipment, so I relented and now my baby is back to original.

      The A-400, body #3747 is going strong.  It is garaged, and used on the monthly tours of the Santa Barbara Chapter.  And the A-400 Group is going strong, again.