Customs Never built a car....

...I really want to build a car, and Im on a tight budget. (under $4000) Any advice? I know I probably cant finish it, but I can probably get a decent start on one with that, right? I wanna build a 1928-1930 Model A sedan. Pretty low, chopped, loud, fast, you know, the works. Any tips/advice would be appreciated....


Cheer

-T. Crawford


Something like this.....

 

That car still needs $4000 (worth of parts & labor) dropped into it to get it on the road!

If you already have a Model A you might be able to pull it off.
Good luck!

 

find one half done. busted projects are always a good way to go. if you can weld, you have quite a bit of the battle won, if you can't, you better have a good friend who does.

 

Haha, well It looks like I dont have*****....

 

If you can't weld...take that $4000.00 and find the best body you can, for the price, take whats left, if anything, and start gathering the right parts...you'll need friends, lots of them, and if they don't know anything about cars, find ones that do...here is a good place to start!
Don't even worry about finishing it, just get the parts pile going, and seeing how things will potentially fit together.
Buy some books on the subject, READ a LOT!
Eventually, it will become something
If you are not too welder-wise, get HELP!
And, as I said before, buy the nicest body you can afford to start with, and try to maybe find one that already has some of the mods you would like to have done already...its better to get the most for your money, even if it means patience, while passing on something.
The only problem with buying something that already has some work done is: HOW WELL was it done?

 

Everybody starts somewhere. The best way to learn is to grab the best starting point you can and go from there. It may take you a while to get it running, but as they say it's the journey, not the destination. As long as you can provide beer, I bet you can get some help when you get stuck. I still have great friends that I met when I needed car help years ago.

I can tell you that I knew very little about wrenching until I built my first project car some 6 years back. I'm a total newbie when it comes to hamb friendly rigs, but I've found great help and support on this board. As long as you have specific questions, you'll get useful answers. Even if you ask dumb new guy questions like I do

 

You already have the want, and that is what most of us started with, and it doesn't cost a dime. The rest of the advise you are getting is dead on and free also. $4000.00 is a low figure for a finished car, but enough to get your appetite wet about finishing a car (once your hooked). Good luck with the dream... John

 

Yeah, I think I was gonna start on the chassis first, get it rolling, get the engine and transmission in it, get all the suspension and stuff in it, then put the body and other things in it it. That seemed the most logical thing to do, because I wouldnt have a body layin' around taking up valuable garage space....

 

Your plan is logical, but it might get you discouraged. If you are not familiar with how it goes together, building from the ground up may be pretty difficult. I'd start with a mostly complete non-runner, and go from there. That way you know where everything goes.

 

Yeah, but the hard part is finding a half done project in my price range....

 

theres a 31 tudor sedan here in lubbock i can get you for a decent price i know guy who has the body for one but on the denver craigslist theres a 30 sedan with rolling frame for 600 bucks

 

Wrong budget for that car. Start simpler and your chance of success is much higher.

The car you describe as a first time builder....put a 1 in front of your current budget. That's the price to take a maiden voyage.

good luck

 

Let me get this right...no money, no talent, no experience.....how are you going to build an old car?
Sorry to seem harsh, but you need to either get lots of money, or lots of time and experience to do what you want (and a place to do it!). This stuff AIN'T easy!
If I were you, I'd look around to find someone you can apprentice with, first. If that doesn't work out, go to tech school, learn mechanics, welding, and body and paint work. Then practice on something easier than a real old car.
Then go onto building what you want.
This plan may take 5 years or so, but at least you'll know what you're doing, and won't build an ugly, dangerous**************.
I am in the process of teaching my GF's grandson how to build a custom car, and it is a real struggle, I find he, and most younger guys, don't have the patience, drive, enthusiasm, to learn the basics, and work out all the problems you run into working on old cars. I guess it's that "immediate satisfaction" mentality of today, but it's a rare case that today's youngsters have the personality/attitude to succeed in our hobby. It's not impossible, you can find some VERY talented young builders here on the HAMB, but if you check their history, they've usually had some great help in getting to where they are today, like Cole Foster, and his extremely talented father teaching him the ropes..same with Foose, or like Jimmy Shine, working at Socal, or Bob Bleed, who comes from a family of hotrodders.

 

with a good body and maybe a frame you will have 4G into it before you even turn a wrench..
or weld on a bracket.
you might want to go buy a project some one doesnt have the time or money to go further with it..but you will probably have a 4 to 6 G start..and have to invest 4 or 5 G more to drive it..or more like a total cost of between 12 and 15 grand
just my view on things..but i am speaking from what i have sitting in my shop to build, so thats my take on it

the picture you put up there..in my quick****esment he has probably 10 G in that roller, not including his time, but if you build one like that for under 4 grand..I want to see it, and learn from you

good luck with that

 

Not to be a***** but Im sure everyone on here would love to do the same. As everyone has said if you have the skills to weld and do ALOT of work yourself then you may be able to pull it off but otherwise you will only aquire more***** in your garage. You may want to look into getting an old truck or old 4 door car to start with and have some in that first till you save some money. Also you may learn how to weld and do this work so int he future you can do this yorurself. Trsut me thats what Im in the midst of doing myself. I have been reading up and asking alot of questions about welding and even took classesat one time so that one day I wil start my own project. Im on here more than***** trying to learn thing even when it has nothing to do with anything I have. I have a Holley carb but if someone asks about a Edlebrock I still read through it in case I get my hands on one. I keep telling myself...one day...one day...chopped mild custom Ford Shoebox is what I dream about.mmmmmmmm

 

Although you want a Model A, I would advise you to either: 1)consider other makes from the same era. Often these can be had for a lot less money than a Ford. 2) Buy the best Model A body you can find for your budget, save up some up more money, completing it in steps as you go.
Either way, do it right. Resist the temptation to hurry the project along, winding up with some piece of***** that's worth nothing when you're done or worse yet, gets you or someone else hurt or killed. Ask the guys that have been there and can give you [objective] input. If you catch an attitude, move on to the next guy, but don't get discouraged.

 

I think you're gonna have problems with your budget. Like was said just a decent project is gonna probably cost more and still have that much more to go.

 

My advice for what it's worth,,

Look around and find a good starter car,,someting that runs and cut your teeth on that and learn as ya go,,

I wanted a 32 Ford when I started out with hot rods too many years ago,,had I got one at that time it would have never seen the road under my ownership,,,I didn't have a clue!

Wanting a car is easy,,the actual cash outlay and time involved and the beauty of a hot rod can be gone as quickly as the money,,and then all you have is a pile of parts and crushed dreams,,,it happens a lot.

I, like a lot of other guys here worked my way up over the years building and trading to get what my ultimate idea of a hot rod was for me,,The Deuce.

You can still find good deals on mid 50's fords,chevys,dodges,ect.

Driving is part of the experience and building can be a long process.

As someone said earlier,,you need to take a few classes if you are going to build a model A ,,welding is a must.

Whatever you decide,,good luck. HRP

 

Bob37 makes a great point. "Don't get Discouraged". You'll run into all kinds of people along the way, but if you believe in yourself, your talents will follow. At age 35, I've been working on cars like this for 20 years now...20 Years!!! Man that just sounds wierd to say...but after 20 years, I'm STILL in the learning stages. Cars and car builders are everywhere and no matter how much you or your buddies know, there's always someone that knows more, and that's a GOOD thing!

So pick a project that you WANT to work on. If you pick something that's possibly "easier", but you're not interested in, you're not going to put forth the effort that's going to give you the satisfaction of "a job well done"...and it'll sit there, untouched, for years. Don't pick a car that you can get just because it's cheap either, pick one (if it's not "THE" one), that at least appeals to you in some way. Just my humble opinion...

Be true to yourself, and be realistic about your abilities, and like others have said, read everything you can, do lots and lots of research (that's part of the fun in my eyes), and ask every question you can think of. Anybody who has a true passion for this stuff, like the people on this board, will be more than happy to help you out.

Good luck! ...and remember, "This is supposed to be FUN"!!!

 

Take your $4000 budget and just throw it out the window. For an old car, sometimes its better not to set yourself a budget unless you want to be disappointed when you go over. I'm not sayin go buy unnecessary stuff or top-of-the-line everything, but theres no tellin what you may get into and what might work for you and what may not. First thing you need to do before you start thinking about building a car, especially ground up, is a garage and tools. If you don't have a place to work on it then theres no point in gathering parts yet. If you already have a place and tools, then a body and frame would be a good place to start. Like what has been said earlier, it might not be a bad idea to find a prject somebodys already started on and lost interest or whatever. One of the biggest things you will also need is patience. If and/or when you get the car, take it a step at a time. If you run out of money or time, just let it sit; it'll be there when you're ready to work on it later. Don't set yourself a budget or a time frame and just do the best you can with what you got. Good luck

 

DON'T buy the best body you can, if you're going to chop the snot out of it and channel it. Use a junker for that. Too many nices A's have fallen to the Skateboard look, that were actually nice bodies. You can get a rough, but builable A sedan for under a grand, and cut that up, if you mess it up, better than messing up a $4000 A body. Just my opinion!!!

 

Buy a running, driving old car with that $4000.00. Find an early 50's Chev, Ford, Mopar, etc. Something that's pretty common and ez to find parts for.

Drive it, enjoy it and get into your local hot rod scene. Don't worry that it's not your DREAM car... you'll have a ball, you will learn about this hot rod deal as you go along. And you'll make friends and you'll aquire skills by helping others with their projects.

Sooner or later you'll have the resources for that "A".

Be patient...

 

Don't forget a dedicated garage spot for 4 years and $6k worth of tools

 

4k is a good start, but probably not gonna get you what you want. You could pick up a decent body for that, but don't expect much more. Maybe a T,but even those are spendy. I suggest getting a hold of a local car club (the real kind that has a shop/garage) in your town. Real rodders are usually willing to help a brother out with the learning curve. You will have to pay your dues, cleaning and grunt work, but it's well worth it. Plus, a guy may know where a half finished project is that you could get cheap, or at least keep you from getting ripped off.

 

Take Krooser's advice and take it one step forward.
Buy the car...make it right and cool.
LEARN ALONG THE WAY.
Then swap it for a project/car you really want.

 

You will be better off buying a running or close to running project for 2000-2500 and budgeting the rest on making it reliable, safe and cool.
Hang out here and locally to see what makes you happy and what's available in that range. If you aren't 'into' something, it will not provide the drive needed to see it through during the hard times.

 

Unless you have lots of experience, contacts, and parts laying around, $4k for a hotrod of custom is super low.

I would buy something like an early 50's chevy for cheap and start working on that. Get one with a good body, that is a running, driving car and upgrade and modify it as you go. That way you can enjoy the car instead of having yard art for a year or two! These cars are all over the place, and there is tons of parts available for them.

 

Ill sum it up for you.

YEA what every one else said

 

$4,000 grand isn't a lot for an entire budget when you're talking about hot rods. I do remember hearing a couple stories of guys that had running and driving T-Buckets that were built for under $4k, but that's a way different animal than what you're trying to build.