Hot Rods is there a road back from funkytown?

I just picked this car up off CL. I bought it from the son, the dad owned it since 1948 and it went through many mods over the years, the last being in the 70's. As with many old hot rods it got the full treatment, unfortunately it suffered an interior fire a few years later and has sat for quite a while.
The question then is what to do with it, how far to go back without making it impractical as far as cost. I bought it reasonably but if I start changing everything it just doesn't make sense.
I know there won't be a nostalgic look back on the street rod era, at least not in the sense that the HAMB offers. But should any of these builds be preserved, I lived through the transformation back then and got a verbal barrage when I called someone's car a hot rod, "it's a street rod you %$%^&^$# punk" or something to that effect.
As far as details on this car the first thing I see is to ditch the truspokes, it came with a new set of chrome reverse rims so that's easy. I didn't like the pieces of 67 Chevelle SS hood for the hood sides but they kind of grow on you. The frame is stout and well built but not graceful at all, I am definitely stuck with a full fendered car which is fine by me. Never been a huge fan of red so I'm thinking black. This is the first car I've owned, out at least 250, that has had a name, Lil' Red. I do occasionally call my cars names but it's never nice and only when the break down.
It has a lot of chrome underneath that's in pretty good shape. It's previous power was supplied by a 60 Corvette and a flathead before that, don't know when the frame was built, the son is looking through pics for me and hopefully I can put a better timeline together. Here's a few pics as it was and is.

 

Personaly I wold try to sell the car to a street rodder who might remember it in its heyday would cherish it and pay more for that reason then buy a brookville build the car you really want with new parts.

 

I think it's kinda cool. I would drive it


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Paint that sumbich BLACK with white everything else, then call it (Lil Colorblind Red). Yeah ,,,,Hell Yeah ...

 

I think you answered your own question. It doesnt make financial sense to try to make this into a tradtional rod, or make it into something that it is not.

I would only fix what is needed to make it a driver, then I would drive it with confidence.

Everything comes back into style sooner or later

Looks like a fun car, I would leave the hood sides.

Oh yes, the road to funkytown is closed.....

 

Not every car has to fit the HAMB. If you're low on funds, just get it running and save the mods for later.

 

The car is a beauty. I think you would get enough attention as is if you just fix it right up.
Heck I wouldn't change it.

 

Find a photo of a 28-29 Roadster from the "Early Times' car club from the 1970's, or Jakes 28 Pickup, copy that stance. Ditch the cowl lights, hood sides, and get the top to sit right, paint it black and call in done. Bob

 

would'nt a early 60's period correct rod still be a trad rod??

 

i kinda like the original look. HRP

 

I know that this is a little sick and twisted but even if you do paint it black you should still get lil red lettered on it.


I don't think it would take much to make it HAMB worthy, I may run it sans hood sides if it were me. Make the engine clean and sassy. It would not bother me on bit to have fenders but you are absolutely correct the low rider wheels have to go.

nice car by the way.

 

I think the 70s style is coming hell vans already are. Fix the interir & find some zinth wires like the 1st pick or lil & medium americans like 15/5s & 15/7s & go to town

 

I dig it as is. It's even cooler that it came from a family that has owned it since '48. That dude must've been one cool cat...

 

So its style is not perfect, maybe a little funky, but why get rid of the stuff that makes it unique - if all the parts are there, get it back to what it looked like in the first picture, Truspokes and all.

 

Dude that's awesome!! Fix it up and drive it.

 

And chop the windsheild and posts a little.

 

fo sho

 

Nice car.

Now I got that damn "Funkytown" song stuck in my head and can't get it out! Thanks!

 

Previous power a "60 Corvette and a Flathead" but say's 351 Cleveland Ford on the sign ?

 

this.

 

I'm with pretty much everyone else: don't change a thing. Take off the wire wheels if you want but don't get rid of them. In a few years you might wish you still had them.

Think of all the great rods and kustoms that were "updated" or "improved" by subsequent owners, and how we mourn the loss of the original builds. I'm not saying your car is historically important, but it is a surviving relic of another era and personally I'd treat it as such.

 

If you're hellbent on a color change, fine, but overall if it were me I would just clean it up and enjoy it with maybe just a tire/wheel change. I wouldn't reinvent the wheel on this car, it's actually pretty cool in a time capsule sort of way....

Al in TN

 

I agree. I don't think it's that bad. Especially if you use the chrome reversed instead of the wires.

 

Econ 101 says restore the interior and put it back together to resemble it's glory days. There will be enough expense just doing that.... Then drive it and have fun for now. That's what is happening on both of my projects.

 

must be a misprint---or maybe trying for the ford in a ford award---good eye

 

X2, I like the tru-spokes and pinner whites. Dont like red either, but black?? Come on, you can do better than that. Maroon, dark blue, mett. bronze, lots of things spring to mind here. Honduras Maroon would be a knockout. Chromies and WWW's are not gonna work with a 351C. Instead of trying to force it into something its not just to get "approval" from a bunch of HAMBers, why not love it for what it is?

 

Yeah man! Put it back the way it was! It was a very tasteful little rod back in the day....so its a little later than true HAMB material but at least it's not all "brass and murals".....I say preserve it. the Chrome reverse wont look out of place either if the stance is right.

 

www.BitchinStreetFreaks.com

 

I think I have photos of that car that I took at a run in the 80's.

As far as making changes, cars evolve over time and not always for the best.

Most likely the car's main historical significance is that it stayed in one family for that long. It isn't an iconic car with a shit load of historical significance that has it's name on the side of the big trophy or set a record at Bonneville in it's present condition. As far as the name, my'48's family nickname is Little Red and it hasn't been red for 20 years.

If it were mine I'd blow it apart and clean up the scabs and move the trans cooler to the inside of the frame if I even used it. Change the hood if it looks too street roddy and paint it your color of choice. I like the stance and the full fendered look on it and with a set of steelies or proper mags it would be a timeless little rod for a lot of years to come.

 

I don't really see where the problem is. different wheels, fix the stance, maybe change the hood. I must be missing something