So I show my wife, who is not interested in cars, a photo of a 5 window '28 Ford Model A traditional rod. To my surprise she really likes it and asks if I could build one. Pretty sure she wasn't drunk or making fun of me. How much should I be looking to save up to get a project car or even just the body that is in ok condition? I have the tools and have rebuilt trucks before, just never anything quite that old. Thanks, Bob
do alot of reading ,price comparisons,looking at message boards. decide what you want from the vehicle, what time frame you are willing to deal with, and how much you can spend. lots of time you can pick up a good project, but be sure you take some one that knows that kind of car to look with you ,and be willing to walk away from some deals.sit in the car, with your wife, at some car shows. most people will let you do that.
I bought a 5w Chevy for $5000 a couple years ago. It was on it's way towards being restored and had all the fenders, do dads, and a rebuilt/restored engine included. I then in turn sold the fenders and the motor and all the stuff that I was not going to use on the car as a Hot Rod for $5500. So now I am $500 up from my original investment which means I have $5500 to make it a hot rod. Very very doable in my mind. You are not going to have a Concours paint job or a rebuilt HEMI but a nice 327 with drop axle and a muncie might be doable. I ended up giving the car to my father in law for a 60th birthday gift and we are putting a 250 straight six in it with a 5spd behind it I think. It'll be a cool little Hot Rod when it's done for sure.... Here's the link.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431151
Buy The Tardell-Bishop book "How To Build A Traditional Ford Hotrod". It is considered the textbook for what you want to achieve.
Depends on how nice and how far you want to go. I went with an unfinished '32 Ford 3 window project. I paid $17K for it. $38K later, it was a nice show car, but back then, my wife had a good job so money was no object.
They generally take longer and cost more than you ever thought they would. But they're fun, and you only live once. Just take some time to educate yourself before taking the plunge. Do it right the first time and you only cry once. Good luck.
I think for the most part, its direction. No matter how cheap you get into a project, it will **** up time and money if your direction is not in focus. Getting things finished then changing my mind has kept me from finishing my hot rod. Another note, get what you really want..... don't get something you kinda like. You wont be in love with a car you kinda think is cool, and intrest will fall off......it takes allot of dedication and love. Damn that sounded gay.
All I know is years ago when I said that I wanted an old car to play around with, my wife told me to go get one then. I had one within 4 days before she could realize what the hell she said. Never looked back and I think now she actually enjoys it.
You could build an A for around 2k to 3k with a lot of looking and elbow grease, $300-500projects are out there. Tools can kill you though
Good question and some good answers. The best is research as much as possible. Do you plan to build one from the ground up or look for a stalled project? Get a good grip on your expectations and what you believe you can do and what you may have to farm out or buy. I only say this as I thought I well understood what I was getting into, until I got into it. Overwhelmed and overbudget can be a frustrating place.
First, find out what you want. Not what is popular with your friends or a website. If you don't have p***ion for a car, it will be easy to give up and throw in the towel. Secound, keep an eye out in the cl***ifieds (such as the HAMB) and keep your eyes and ears open. Three, find some gearheads who won't mind offering you a hand when things get complicated. Four, don't try and buy everything you may need at once. Depending on your budget, you may have to get stuff a piece at a time. Five, research and planning! I had my car built in my head before I even had a frame. And last, don't forget it's a hobby. Do it for the fun of it.
Bob I'd say an honest estimate would be between 5000 and who knows how much. Everyone's budget is different and how guys do things in their cars is different. I'd buy the Bishop-Tardell book that Tman suggested at any rate. It's a great source of info for anyone building a Model A based hot rod Traditional or not but has almost become the bible for traditional flathead powered A-V8 Model A Fords. How close you follow it is up to you. Buy the best candidate for your project that you can swing unless you are fully capable of taking stacks of rust and building a car out of them. You may not need a complete car but having a good solid body and frame from the start makes things go a lot smoother. Plan the whole thing out from the start and stick with the plan. That is a lot easier with traditional cars because you don't get up in the trick part of the week deal too often. What I mean here is build the car on paper before you start and list out what you intend to have on it. That alone saves money because you won't be inclined to stick a previously purchased part on the back shelf to collect dust because you just have to have that new tricky slicky part that is being pushed in Street Rodder this month. I have a shed full of stuff that I bought for my 48 and other projects over the years that didn't get used or got taken off and replaced with something else. Plus the parts that I bought that were not what I needed when I got home from the wrecking yard or I didn't use because I changed my mind six months later. Have fun and keep us posted when you start making progress.
You NEVER know !! You might find a good donor (truck or ? ) with motor/trans/rear steering -seats (??) who knows what else for next to nothin' ! It also depends on how skilled you are. If you can weld, cut etc. you don't have to rely on someone's prices or ability !
It all depends on how good a scrounger you are. Many guys pay top dollar by sending their money off to web sites that do all the leg work for people. You will tie up an *** load of cash with that approach. If you have to have it TODAY then it will cost you. If you plan out what you are looking for with a check list, you might be able to jump on a good deal when something pops up. Again saving some cash. Hot rodding has changed over the years. Years ago we would buy a good running low mileage 4 dr or a rust bucket as a drive train donor and sell the left over parts to bring down the initial investment. I have actually ended up with cash in my pocket plus a complete free drive train this way. Now a days it's all crate motors or complete rebuilds of the engine/trans of choice....$$$$ I bought this factory rebuilt 352 for 1100. I sold the intake, carb and Mallory ign for close to 500 bux getting a fresh engine for about 600. There is more than one way to skin a cat. It doesn't have to be a mega buck hobby if you can scrounge.
i dont really need to add to this its all been said but i would start by finding exactly what you want then spend the next couple of days looking some more i find that when you have saved what you need for one project and you follow threw by purchasing said project that a week later you find it for half that price and in better condition so just when you think you have enough and are about to buy look one last time before committing to the purchase and if you can find some one on this forum that has what you want to buy look into them a bit to cover yours , but there are a lot of trust worthy people on this site who can help you out.
ya know, give or take about $5000...... It is hard to say, but get a concept, and STICK TO IT! The biggest expense comes from making changes midway thru. and yes, go to some shows, and talk to owners of the type/style of car you are interested in building. it always hurts to find out the car you have been slaving over for years, ****s to drive when you are done. Many cars look cool in the magazines, and in photos, but it is hard to own a roadster up north where is rains and gets cold, and hard to drive a chopped car if you are tall, etc. do your homework, do the work yourself, scrounge for cheap parts, and you'll do OK.
Yeah, I'd say find a project you really want and buy it. Get a start, don't try to save up the money that you think it will cost to complete because it'll never happen that way. Unless you have unlimited extra money it will be a pay as you go thing. It's more fun that way and you tend to make better buying choices when you have to buy what you can afford as you go along. But I'd get something while the green light in her eyes is still on because there are all kinds of things that can put that light out. Such as the aforementioned kitchen redo. Good luck and the H.A.M.B. is a good place to be to help get it started.
If you told us what you wanted to end up with and how much of the work you plan on doing yourself, a much closer guess of budget could be estimated. Welcome and good luck.
Around here, it can be hard to build a hot rod for less than $15-$20 000. Prices are higher, parts are less plentiful, etc. Some people find really good deals, so if you scrounge and are patient you might be able to get in for less. Check out a couple of hot rod shops in your area and ask for advice. LG Kustoms is up there, probably others. They are in the circle, so they can help you as you think about what you want to do.
The trick is to sell parts you don't need, don't be afraid to adapt, modify and scrounge stuff from late model junkers, and so on. You don't need a 1-800-catalog to build a hot rod if you have fabricating skills.
Thanks for the advice, the book is on order. Not planning on saving up all the money for the project right now, just enough to buy a car in reasonable condition. Will do as much work as possible myself and scrounge parts over time. I really agree with starting with a solid plan, have been guilty of planning as I go in the past, really adds cost to the project.
make friends with every old farmer around. there were about a bazillion model As made... many of which are sitting behind barns... over the years i've gotten many a great deal that way, and heard many a great story. there's some really good salt of the earth people out there you'll meet scrounging for parts this way...
BobH. Get a pocket full of hundreds, what you can afford. Wait and watch. The right car, for less than you might expect will present itself.
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