Lowest Cost Traditional Rod??

I am just starting into a new project, as with some of us my projects always go way over the planned budget and well past the scheduled finish date.

So I was wondering, from the pros, what is the cheapest a person could build a tradition hot rod? (no fair using free parts! )

((I had an old friend tell me the cheapest way to build a hot rod is to buy some other person's work, once they need to get rid of it! - but that doesn't sound fun!))

 

traditional isn't cheap from what i have been finding out and most of us collect parts for many years to build something that is period correct and truly traditional

 

Hot rod and low cost. There is no such thing. If you think $ you better double that. It cost to have fun.

 

If your building a traditional hot rod over a short period of time, it's not going to be cheap! The best advice I can give you from experience is to not start buying expensive parts you want, but try buying the parts that are to good of a deal to p*** up, then work with the parts you have. Also don't be scared to tackle a job that is beyond your capability.

 

I agree.

Actually I can't wait to build a cool little T someday.

Royalshifters comes to mind...

 

Buy a Model A Frame...start s****ing and cleaning and painting. Hang on to the HAMB cl***ifieds like a leech whenever you have a few bucks, jump on good deals as you can...

 

What ever talents you possess will determine where you can do the most with the least.

 

There you go, thats the way to build a car.

 

I would add something like a modified or t bucket would have less body parts and less gl***, so it may be cheaper depending on what you can get to work with.

 

Where are you located at in Texas? It's a big state.

I've found that having skills and having a large network helps out alot. The more friends you have, the easier it is to find those rare parts. Having a certain skill set helps because you can trade work.

That being said, it is never cheap.

 

Its possible to Build on A budget, real Possible don't get scared from what you hear.
Where i live i bearlly pay for any of my parts. they'er either off abaonded cars, friends and friends of friends, and junkyards. and you can make things too.
but deffinatly do the collect parts as you see them method.

 

I am with Ryan on this one. My 26-27 rpu is now at about 80% and I am only out about 8 grand but I have been gathering parts for a long time (but that part has been a lot of fun for me) The HAMB has helped a LOT!

 

you have to balance your time, money, and talent. The less money you have, the more time you spend...and creative you are. You have to be objective and patient. If you feel like your lacking in talent, make a budget and allocate less than required to the project. When you run into a problem, become creative, ask allot of questions to other people like you just did. How can I do this if I only have a 2k budget? You can do it without going over, but thats part of the puzzling experience. If ya get mad, go for a walk to think it out, but take a trash bag with you to gather pop cans too.

 

It's true that the best deals tend to be incomplete projects that someone has spent bucks on but lost interest or fell on hard times, but good luck finding what you want.

 

Get out and visit every junkyard you can, internet is ok too find cool stuff but getting out and hunting is the real fun....plus alot of these out of the way yards are owned by guys who dont use the internet so you can get stuff on the cheap....I scored a whole cluster of SW guages for $15 bucks at a old junk yard!! This stuff is out there!! I also like to find out where junk yards used to be....found a '32 Chevy grill shell in the dirt on the grounds of a closed down and cleaned up junkyard... FREE! Network too, alot of guys collect **** for years....the more people that know your into hot rods the better, parts sometimes find you! Good luck! ~E

 

Good ideas by Ryan and Swimeasy. My '27 T roadster on a Model A frame was an abandoned and poorly done project...but it was also a great opportunity to get a neat, real roadster for cheap. It is very traditional, with exception of the too-new engine, but it looks fine. And the engine came with the car...not to mention the rebuilt C-4 transmission was $80 in local cl***ifieds.

My car won't get the total original hot rod awards, but it is very traditional in appearance and reality. Yes, it will get called a rat rod, I'm sure. But I know it's not a rat, it's just a little buggy from an earlier time.

And yes, the '26 and '27 Ford roadsters are definitely at the top of the chart concerning real, traditional hot rod/dry lakes/circle track cars that are also affordable. I see great promise in getting REAL '27 roadster bodies for cheap prices compared to the other hallowed cars like Model A and B roadsters, etc. Plus, I see Model A frames and even complete ch***is going for not-too-bad prices.

My little '27 is a far cry from the stuff many build here, but it is almost done, has been on many "test drives" around the block, and it looks cute and traditional (to me, anyway). And I have approximately $5,500 total into it so far. And woohoo, I'm about 90% done with wiring the little beetle bug as of now! The hot rod thing IS possible, if you love it enough...

 

YES indeed...

 

All I can add to all this is to hit the swap meets and know what you're looking at. I bought a '56 Chevy rear end from a model A hot rod with homemade but well made brackets to mount it to a stock A spring, with some nicely made radius arms, for $100 at a local swap meet. The guy threw in a few worthless (he thought) pieces on the deal, and after I sold them for $55, I had one more piece of the puzzle for a $45 investment.

 

Buy a nice T for a few thousand, strip it of the "unnecessaries", sell those parts you won't be using, and you might almost brake even...

 

you should not sound apolegetic. you built a cool hotrod........excuses ****.

 

Craigslist = Awesome!

 

Thanks Tman!

 

What type of car do you consider a rod? If it's an open wheeled type deal I see a lot of interesting stuff being built around cowls and truck cabs.

But if you just want to build an old car, 50's cars are dirt cheap, you can buy running (but not necessarily roadable) ones for under a grand if you're looking. I'd think that's probably the cheapest way into the hobby. Buy something you can drive and spend a few years collecting parts for your rod project.

The best and cheapest projects start years before the first wrench is turned.

 

T roadster.
don't let anyone crack your nuts over a gl*** body.
if you are a hustler and dont mind a bit of groundwork you can put one together on the cheap with a dollars to thrill ratio that will blow anything out of the water.

it doesnt have to be fancy. it doesnt have to be fast. it just has to be fun.

the most important thing is having cash money when you need it, knowing what you're buying, what its worth, what a good deal looks like and the ability to strike. it takes a while to get the knack but its a VERY valuable thing.

i've had more fun over the last 5 years buying and selling than building. and as a result, i've wound up with enough stuff to put together a neat little T roadster with a net cost in the 'very low' range. still have a long way to go, but if i go in for 5G it will be too much.

all that said...the most direct route is an abandoned project. divorces and income taxes will make projects very readily available on the cheap.

 

thats a slick lil ****er, and 5 g's makes it even slicker, i'd wheel it around looks fun ! !

 

what I would think of doing is getting an old Chevy s10, Mighty max, or ranger, and junking the body. Now you have the complete running gear. Clean it up, and then scrounge for body parts.

You could probably narrow the frame and put a lakester body on it without much trouble , just work. You could take the PU body chop it, and shorten the bed and frame, to make something like a chopped pickup with short bed.

Original parts are too hard to find and cost to much.
Do it the hot rod way, take a modern car, modify it, and be proud you did it yourself.

And that is probably the cheapest way to get an original authentic hotrod.

LOL

traderjack

 

For this I would point to the Roach Rod, but Sam is high on the "talent" portion of the scale so it may be unfair.

I have one of those $200.00 roadster bodies collecting spider webs in the rafters and someday soon I will start on the "Son of the Roach", it's trade marked *****es, so don't even try. Evel, Mad Fab 7 build???? Ha Ha Ha.

But yeah, a lightweight roadster with a cheap or donated drive train seems to be the cheapest way into the game. Traditional, that would cost you.But fun can be had kinda maybe on the cheaper side. Good luck with it.

 

Yeah, but not much "traditional" there...

And that is NOT meant as a knock on you. He just asked about traditional cars for cheap..

 

It all depends on how much you can do your self. If the parts can be bought in poorer condition and fixed by you a cheap car is possible, if not there is NO CHEAP