Projects Building hot rods from garbage ( non-survivor club)

The car was found in a field in Eastern Oregon a couple years ago. At some point in its life it was pushed by a dozer into a fire line (folded up like a Taco). It was purchased for $350. Day dreaming about what to do with it, Charlie had the idea of resurrecting it by using it as a class project at the high school where he teaches shop. Sooooo it was hauled to the school and used for a few cut/weld/fab lessons during Charlies summer shop program at the HS.

Then things got a bit ludicrous!! Early in the school year Charlie announced to the class that the “Taco Coupe” would race at the Dec 2022 TROG in Riverside Ca. YIKES!!! To say the car had a long way to go and a short time to get there is a drastic understatement!!

The kids and there teacher got to work. Keep in mind this HS shop only has the most basic of tools, welder, couple of grinders, drill press, torch, ect.. with hot rod history as the focus, skills are taught and fab work is done just as our hot rod forefathers did in the early days. After countless hours…..class time…after school…weekends….the kids and there crazy leader reached the goal. In all 10 kids from the shop program were able to make the trip to TROG as the Taco Coupe Pit Crew.

A lot of negativity is said about the younger generation and the lack of interest in hot rods. I can personally tell you that it is alive an well in Dayton Oregon, all due to a shop teacher with very little resources and a whole lot of passion for the golden age of hot rodding.

 

First run at Trog vs Tom in The Omaha Coupe, The Taco stumbled off the line breaking a number of teeth off first gear. But “sheeza goer” made up some ground quick for the win. Check out the photo finish at the you tube link.

Not to be deterred the kids quickly went to work in the pits, drained the trans, fished out the broken shards and went hunting for any takers on 2nd gear rolling start races!

 

So cool.

 

Whoa... So impressive!!!

 

Looks good from what I can see - carry on !

 

This tops everything. I've 'tacoed' steel wheels before (70 MPH curbed) but this body is living proof that high school kids could be doctors. Or anything else they wanted to be.
Color me...astounded.

 

Just found this thread. Here is what I found in Nov 1996. Not quite garbage but rough and rusty. The entire bottom 6 inches were like lace. Frame was so bad that I cut it up and went to scrap yard.Put it together on a '38 frame found also on Maui.Finished it in 2005.Sold it to a fellow in AZ in 2011 . Before and after pics.

 

Wow! wouldn't know where to begin on that body folded in on itself, what was the story on that horrendous, disastrous deed? looks as if a super-sized porta power or inflatable of some kind is required & hopefully go from whatever that might reveal.

 

I'm the one that Charlie bought that wreck of a coupe from, it sat for many years in a scrap heap out in eastern Oregon with some other misc. car parts. I'm not sure what the story was, it probably got torched off the frame half a century ago, and then at some point all the scrap on the farm was pushed into a big pile with a bulldozer. I bought if out of the pile from a farmer for yard art just because it was a 34 Coupe, and I genuinely thought the only good parts were the dash and cowl vent !!!! It really was as bad as it looks! It's amazing how good it turned out. I think the hobby is in good hands.

 

i knew it would buff out...thats some serious restoration/ custom work there...

 

Highly trained and skilled craftsmen using specialized auto body equipment, coupled with many seconds of planning were involved in initially un-tacoing the Taco Coupe.

 

Tough to get an old Ford down, not even the destructive horsepower of a dozer can do it in when this determined group of young blooded true rodders & a competent teacher meet the challenge, A well done supersized taco effort for sure !

 

You are a lucky-lucky boy !! Holy cow she has a beautiful smile !!

 

Don't suppose you've got more vids of the "more technical" aspects of building/saving like this one. I like it, gets me thinking... Someone here *knows* what n where to apply force. &/or doesn't care... . Others learned skills well. Good on them.
Marcus...

 

Dad and I got this '37 Dodge in 2010. When the seller dropped it off I thought "oh fuck, now what?" It has come a log way since then.

 

This is one of the best threads for ages. The skills possessed and employed here are on a different level. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, this is inspirational to me and has pushed me to acquire more skills than I have at present.

 

^may 26th '15 to Oct. '23

managed to turn this pile of coupe and roadster scraps into a genuine all steel roadster body in what 8-9 years? LOL...no after shots yet ....but man that Taco coupe really takes the cake!