Hot Rods Finally get to buy stuff for my first hotrod!

Hey guys, made a few threads here and there and due to circumstances of my deployment in bahrain could never follow through with the great advice given here. But in two months, my third and final deployment is over,I'm separating and beginning college on my g.i. bill. I've put aside roughly 4 grand to start a dream hot rod project of a model A pickup or RPU. I need to have 3 pedals, and I'd like to be motivated by a sbc with a nice lumpy cam and lake pipes. My only problem is I can't weld for shit. So if anyone out there has a frame that's set up with brackets and mounts that's ready to go, I'd like to support a local hamber or hot rod shop. I don't need crazy anything. Buggy rear end, regular old front end vega steering etc I'd just like to be able to bolt and go. I'll be flying to denver and picking up my f350 and driving back to WA if there's anyone in between. I really liked the sound of riley auto frames but after reading a few threads on here it made me a bit hesitant after it seems he burned quite a few people. As always, looking forward to some kick ass advice. And if anyone has a lead on a good RPU or A truck body let me know! Thanks guys!

 

Welcome Home squid

 

Just a little advice from someone who's been there. I got out of the Navy in 1968 and started college and also worked on my '57 Chevy. I also had just got married. I kept the juggling act up for a year and the pressures were more than I wanted to deal with so I quit college and took a full time job that lasted for the next 40 years. I still play with Hot Rods and I never regretted leaving college. I also learned to weld and with practice you get pretty good at it.

 

Thanks for your service,glad you're getting back safe.You will get get plenty help on the west coast.

 

Welcome Back....and Thank You! Good luck settling back into civilian life and college. I'm sure you know $4,000 won't buy ya the hot rod, but will get ya a start. Are you good with engines? Maybe find a nice 350 to re build and deck out, then a trans, rear end etc...once ya got a drive line start the search for a body and bed, etc....you get the idea. Don't give up on your goals..and keep focus of what's important

 

Thanks for your service.

 

Hi Guy and welcome back safe, you don't have to worry that much about your welding skills, get a welder that you can tack parts together with then get a pro to do the welding

That way you know your car will be safe with expert welds !!

 

Thanks for the overwhelming support guys! I found a great deal with a pre done frame so I'm definitely going to go that route. Bit by bit I'll add some here and there and hopefully with in a year or two I'll have something driving. Im pretty hand with a wrench and keeping something running. My first car was a clapped out chevy c10 I somehow kept alive and destroyed my dad's garage on a constant basis haha. Plan is to find a 350 in a junkyard and clean it up, add some bearings and rings if it needs it, dress it up and throw it together with a nice lumpy cam and cleaned up heads and back it by a muncie, unless there's an easier or better transmission to run. Again, I can't thank you guys enough for the support, I look forward to getting this thing started!

 

Thankfully I am pretty handy with those. Carb tuning is going to be a steep re learning curve but I've got everything else! My whole plan of attack is start with frame, get that rolling and get a junkyard or craigslist 350 or 327 running with a mild build, cleaned up stock heads and a healthy thumping cam. Back it up with a 4 speed and piece by piece put it together. I have even seen a few Tudors that strike my fancy so if I find the right deal on one I may snatch it up and run with that when it is all said and done!

 

How much are the Speedway chassis now
Is that an option

 

The speedway was 2200 and they only offered it with mounts for a th350

 

Those mounts will work with the four speed.

 

Well good news. Spoke with Eric at riley automotive and I'm going with a swept frame from him fully tabbed and ready to go. We talked about transmissions and a few other things, and it's going to be set up with ansen style pedals, split wishbones, vega steering and rather then a 4 speed it's going to be a t5 and sbc for the fitment and ease of finding one etc. All for a sweet price of 1900! I'm definitely happy. Now I gotta start pinching a few pennies for suspension and front and rear ends. I can hear junkyards calling my name already.
Tyler

 

Nice...keep us updated on your progress. Sounds like a solid plan

 

Will do man! I'm shooting to have it done by july, budget permitting but no more then a year and hopefully I can scrape by under 15 grand.

 

Welcome back. Take some of your reserve cash and get a welder, your GI bill will pay for a welding course. The welder will be a lifetime investment that you'll use for many builds.

Get stateside and go parts hunting, find a place close to campus that has a garage to work in, not an easy task.

 

Thanks man! I took a year long course in welding, just never could do sheet metal. Maybe it's different with a decent welder, and i really should get one. I am definitely looking at taking welding as an elective since I need one any way. I'll probably end up working at auto parts or something part time to fill in my time and make some cash. The new g.i. bill is a pretty sweet gig, as long as I attend college full time I get a monthly living stipend which is 1800 a month in my area so I really any extra goes straight to the rod and down payment to get a house since my trucks paid off. Hoping to get my degree with in 2 years. I may end up just heading to an electricians apprenticeship or boeing. I had plans to get a house right away, but my grandparent asked if I'd mind staying around for a year or so till when they get a smaller house and I don't need to pay rent, just keep the 283 in the boat running good and a keep an acre of land in good shape so they can go boating to all the islands in the puget sound. Pretty easy trade off even if I'll be 23 at home for a year. Gives me a full garage and 50+ years of tools to work with.

 

Been doing some more research, I think a 327 is the way I am gonna go. Costs about the same and i think it will be a bit cooler especially if I could find some old speed parts or corvette valve cover. Not sure I'm shooting for a very specific time era, other then looks good and doesn't clash. If anything 50's 60's. Is there a good book anyone recommends that may have things like torque specs for suspension pieces etc?
Tyler

 

You can find all the torque specs you need online or buy a machinists hand book it will give you general torque specs for any given bolt. We never needed them when I was young, you just learned to feel your way though it unless you were building an engine.

If you are going small block then you are pretty much stuck with '50 and '60s style build. Just make it your own and fuck everyone else and take some advice from an old fart learn to do it yourself.

My corpsman was a squid, we didn't hold it against him he dressed and lived just like us. He was a good man, better then a lot of the jarheads I knew. You are a short timer, keep your head down and don't do anything stupid. If by some freak of the imagination I can find my way to Denver in a couple of months we'll bend an elbow. Or if by some freak of the imagination you get a layover in KC I'll come find you at the airport. Keep safe and let us know when you are in God's Country again.

 

First off, Thanks for your service. It's people like you that gives everyone else the freedom to build the cars we love.
You seem to have a decent plan for your build, just keep it yours and build it how you want too.

 

Hey Squid, don't get in ssuch a hurry that you forget to enjoy campus life. I'm sure there are a few young ladies who will be happy to welcome you home.

327 sound even better. .023 wire, shielding gas, couple of youtube videos, maybe a local HAMB'r mentor and you'll be on your way with sheetmetal. You could always try your hand at gas welding and make the metal squirt gun welders look bad.

I learned heavy structural multipass mig welds thru a training program at work. Long continuous welds gave me a good feel, torch angle is critical. I still burn thru sheetmetal at times but I can get myself outta jams. Its just metal, add or subtract as needed, it's just more finish grinding.

 

Hell yea man, that would be kick ass and i appreciate the encouragement! It's been a fun ride, 3 trips to the gulf, living in another country, got to go to school to be Crew serve weapons instructor, learned the old school ways of splicing lines and fancy work and a few other fun things, and not many people can say they've sailed a truly wooden ship but the politics and bullshit finally got ahold of the wooden pirate navy (minesweeps) and it's not what it used to be. Figured it's time to go find some happiness.

 

Thanks for the support man, I really appreciate it!

 

That's what I keep hearing, hard to slow down sometimes especially right after deployment. Been going balls to the walls for the last 4 years keeping things running it drives my family and friends nuts when I get home on leave haha. I can relax for about a day before I need to find a project or something to do bahahaha. I am hoping to find some local guys in WA that would be willing to teach a new guy a few of the ropes. Bein able to patch up my own body would be kick ass, hell I'd evenbe willing to pay someone for their time to help me out.

 

I've been looking at alot of A pick ups, and I'm sort of re thinking it. It seems real cramped in there and I'm not quite sure I'll be a real comfy fit at 5' 11. I may end up doing a tudor or coupe body up instead. I've also seen many more coupes and tudor bodies for sale in my area then I have pick ups. I am not quite sure how much more work is needed for these kinds of bodies, but I have seen a few in the 3000 dollar range but kind of rough.

 

Welcome back, Squid! Thanks for your repeated 'sorties'...(old Jarheads usually thank you Navy fellas for the 'ride'.)
First thing to do is JOIN the HAMB Alliance! For $50 it gets you discounts with a countless array of vendors suited to what we're all doing. I recommend it.

Next: If you want a roadster pickup, then find one. There will be some metalwork involved, but the cool thing is that the quarter panels (right behind the doors) are about 13" (someone will correct me here, so that's fine) The quarters are riveted under the flange of the rear 'bulkhead', (rear body 'back') so the rivets can be removed, and a subtle 3" added to the quarters' lengths. At 5'11, 2" would do...
Keep the rear seat pad 'thinnish', or use a hollow frame, so the flat springs can sink back in under your weight.
My brother is 6'3, and we did the upholstery trick, plenty of room. (his R/P had a 327/Muncie M22, 9" Ford rear)

If you decide on a Model A Coupe, removal of the package tray gives you 5"...

Check out the HAMB Alliance vendors' list. Coker tires have saved some of the guys the whole $50 fee in the first discount!
Glad to have ya back.

 

I will definitely being buying a membership, and thanks for the welcome! Now that changes everything, I had no idea you could do any of that! Game on!

 

Well good news, I own a welder now. A good friend of the family heard I was doing this project and turns out he has a a smaller miller welder thay he used once and put away. It's not 220, but it uses gas and will be plenty for sheetmetal I believe

 

Is it a 130 or bigger? If so get some juice, wire, and a helmet and your good to go for sheet metal

 

I wanna say it's similar to the 141? But it's free, name brand and takes the recommended .023 wire. So hopefully it works!