Technical Is a low budget hot rod even possible?

I would love to do it however it just can't be done IMHO, even when you undertake the majority of the work, parts cost even if you don't factor in your labour. Even if you traded it will still cost you eventually. Nothing comes free especially down here where things aren't as readily available as over there and freighting things here costs $$$

 

I'm in NZ and I'm sure American parts are more difficult to find than in Aus, but parts do surface at the right price if you're prepared to wait for them.

 

Word...

Fair warning, this can become it's own addiction.

 

this owes me $8000.00 so far and that is including the interior less headlining and carpet...
a cheap build is possible if you have a good stash of parts and can do most of the work yourself....
presently doing the paint (metalflake) again doing it all myself so will add price of paint to total.....
oh...the wheels and tyres alone set me back almost $2000 bucks...so everything is relevant

 

this is the interior....included in the $8000.00

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/took-the-first-drive-today.990883/

 

How does one accumulate a good stash of parts?

Oh I know very well how my stash of parts was accumulated and it wasn't at Zero cost to me and it currently does not have A value of zero either. The cost of acquiring those parts or their current market value would need to be added into the build cost to get a accurate total that reflects reality.

 

keep in mind that a light hot rod does not need a lot of power, and it is easy to find a 305 drivetrain cheap.
I bought a 305 for $50anf bought the 700r4 with it for an additional 50. Not as cool as runr even a 350 but running
and useable, with enough power to get me where I needed to be. 318 mopars, 302 fords etc offer similar opportunities.

 

Here's another suggestion. Get to know some street rodders in your area -- the ones who actually build cars for themselves. They often remove decent running gear parts from their cars to replace them with modern upgrades, such as IFS and disc brakes. The old stuff is just junk to them, and you might find some good deals on those parts. I asked a god friend who builds street rods about some Flattie parts recently. He said he got tired of all that junk sitting around in his way, so he sold it for scrap price 5 years ago. The parts are out there if you know where (and when) to look.

 

Build a T. Cheaper than model As and just as cool. That or build something other than a ford. Should be cheaper and it will set the car apart. That could shave thousands off the build right away.

 

I WISH I knew builders in my area.....I dont even know anybody into old cars let alone pre 1960's stuff.

Matter of fact I never rode in a 30's car or hotrod before........anybody in the charlotte NC area want to trade one ride in their hot rod for one ride in my cadillac? Haha

 

Ive been mulling it over all day.....Id definitely like to build one from scratch......only issue in NC is Id have to title it as a new car meaning higher taxes, and a need to pass safety inspection.....which I guess wouldnt be much issue.......it is an additional yearly expense that the old cars dont have to pass

 

It depends how honest an accountant you are. If you count every 4 or 5th dollar you spend then you might do it otherwise no.

 

By the way, from reading on the forum here, I gather the earlier stuff (Model T and A up to 1928ish?) is a smaller body, and then they start getting a little larger. I'm 6'1" 215 pounds or so, so I imagine if I got an original body, new one or built one, that I'd want to aim at the specs of a later one like 30-34ish? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, I wanted to post some pics of my favorite roadsters I've saved. Many if not all are likely from members here on the HAMB. I dont know what years some are. That first and third picture (same car) is just perfect. Is that a 32?

 

The first 3 are 32's the 4-5is a28-29, and the last 2 are 32'. All the 32's are ca-ching!!!!! A new brookville 32 will cost you around 10,000 and a 28-29 is about 7500, so there goes the budget.

 

Leave it to me to like what costs the most. Haha. Thanks

 

For shits and giggles heres the 50 caddy washed up yesterday

 

I love the looks of the pre war hot rods, but I'd never want to own one. Too small for me. I've always been a "big car" guy. And I'm 5-11, 165 lbs. LOL

I'd stuff a 500 cube Caddy in one of yours & call it done. That '50 is cool.

*edit* Actually, sell the '50 for your 6K, & put that into your '56. Why wait to drive your dream?

 

Its been a hard decision just from my attachment to the 50. My first old car, a lot of hours in it, was in my wedding etc. I just worry it could be one of those things where I go "I never shouldve sold that thing."

Plus it runs and drives and I enjoy taking it around town.

On the other hand, selling it would afford me much needed garage space and funding to get the 56 really underway. Im slow to make decisions with cars I love.

 

In my experience and observation, you need about a $20,000 pile of parts to build a $6000 hot rod with

Once you've got that, you're golden!

 

This is the thing I see. A basic roadster is like riding a chopper. Find someone to take you for a ride in a roadster BEFORE you get all wound up. Sounds like you need to network locally a ton before you go any farther. Rocky built this one a few years ago for under 10K, but he is the best scrounger/horse trader I know.

 

My old T touring was painted and done w/o interior for way lesss than 10K, pretty sure Grimlock modified in the picture was as well. I spent 2 solid years working most nights and weekends when I re-started the T project. When I say 2 years I mean 6pm to 10pm many nights. I did everything except the shortblock on the W Motor. The frame was built after hours in the shop I worked at, the car was assembled at a good friends place since I had no garage and it was painted at my folks place. I paid for a small amount of powder coating, some chrome and nickle plating. Did LOTS of trading. Initial body was bought for $100, engine for $300 with a broken main cap. All the small items like gaskets, fittings, fuel pump etc added up to a large chunk of the cost, 2-3K.

 

T's ARE smaller, BUT you can widen an open car cowl. If they're around, they're usually a lot cheaper than A's or later for sure.

I'm 5'8" about 220#, so I'm built like a heavy cellar door; I do fit in my T but I've made some modifications. I took a touring car and removed the rear doors to give me a huge bucket so I can set my seats back anywhere I need to, which gives me a little more elbow and leg room.

Another consideration with a T is the number of pedals you use. 3 will fit, but 2 is way easier. If you widen the car this isn't a factor though.

Craigslist can be your friend. If you check daily, you'll catch the deals and the good bodies. There is a T coupe on there right now, but it's a little high for not having doors. There's a guy with a big lot of parts as well. Buying lots is a good way to get parts cheap but you gotta be prepared to handle/store/redistribute the tons of stuff you don't need/use.

 

I have a buddy that was in your situation...He bought a running, licensed rat rod RPU, then tore it apart and changed what he needed to make a decent hot rod...it came out very well, which he later sold for a huge profit and is in the process of doing another....nice thing about this is it was a running, licensed car, so everything was there, just needed cleaned up to lose the rat look

 

^^ I've always thought there would come a day when rr's would be cleaned up/reworked and sold again as a little more "tame" hot rods.

 

Well this heap is low budget. Built or being built I should say with my collection of stuff which I have been collecting for the last 20 years, give or take. Actually I have owned the crank and rods in the motor we are using since the '70s but never built an engine around them until the '90s.



None of the pieces being used were collected with this car in mind they were just bought incase I ever needed them when they were found cheap. There are two ways to build a budget rod, one is to be poor and build one anyway and the other is to use what you already own. Better yet apply both to the process.

So quick recap, I traded a car which I had about 1500-2K into and my sweat for the A. I am selling off or trading everything that I will not be using from the A. I have pretty much all the hard parts collected and I traded for the A with being able to utilize what I have in mind. I will still probably be in for about 6-10K if you figure the price of everything collected over the years. I am not considering the cost the build the motor I will be using unless I freshen it. its got about 130-150K on it and I have reclaimed the original cost to build easily already this will be about its 5th body.

 

If you want to drive a 32 like the ones shown, you will need to increase your budget by 4-5x, with you doing the work yourself. Model As are less expensive but a body worth a damn is still 5k, and you still need to make it run and drive. Yes you could drive a Chevy or a Desoto of similar year, but that's a big retrograde in cool factor IMHO. Sell that 4 door and build your 2 door hardtop. Throw a 472/500 Caddy in there and have fun.

 

Here's a 26-27 T that you'd probably like based on the pics you show above. They are not as big, and if space is your concern, channeling is out, as is a trans that will require a huge tunnel. But if you set one up right it can still be comfortable for a normal 2016 sized human.

You can find workable T roadster bodies in the 2-3K range quite often, sometimes cheaper if you're willing to piece it together more. And they fit nice on a Model A chassis which can be had for $200 although the one pictured appears to be on a '32 frame.

 

I haven't finished it, and I I'm not keeping good financial records, but here's what I'm up to... I'd wanted a '35-'36 Coupe for a long time. They are expensive and I wasn't willing to sell one of my Impalas. I'm really low budget, family and real life come first. About 4 years ago I bought a really bad Tudor Sedan for $100 and I got started scrounging. I get every piece of low hanging hot rod fruit I can afford. I buy complete assemblies for parts. When I spend more than maybe $200, I try to make sure I can sell some components and at least come out even. A guy I've know for a long time is more focused on updating his old cars, I helped him clean his garage. Another older local rod guy I know can't carry big stuff anymore. I help him when he needs it. I drive down alleys and dirt roads and look at fields and river banks. I bug the hunters I know to keep an eye on the rusty gold the deer are near and bug people to take pictures of what's behind their Grandma's barn. I've shown my self to be straight forward and reliable with the people who own the local early ford hoard so now I can do lay away... I should have my 37-40 steering box in the next month. I spend at least $40 a month on hotrod. This adds up, even if I'm not in the garage for a month. $40 is nothing to some of you, but at times it's the difference between left-overs and buying lunch to me.

Long story short, at this point I have most of the big parts and tools I need to build a '35 3-window.

 

Amen buddy. Do a build thread or post pics here. Good job