Period car...how far does one go?

Or Buick drums on an otherwise obvious "40's" period car......

There is a BIG difference between a "traditional" car and a "period" car........

 

In the days gone by, and I only go back to the 60's car-wise, it really did change, when you could buy ever more complex conversion hardware... in building ch***is and the like. I've always been fond of clever home-built cars. The Boyd stuff didn't exist. It seems designing a car that in the end will serve for the driving or racing you intend, and in the style that feels right, is the way to go.
Some of the guys are able to work w/bias ply tires. More credit to them, but I won't ignore or overlook a car that makes concessions(?) to safety or better performance. It's your choice, as owner. It makes a nostalgic time-honoring statement to put the hours in that rodding requires. The tradition had more than a little innovation going for it.

 

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Hey Mikey,
As you know, my '46 is fairly 50's correct, but my '39 will definitely be 50's correct (except for the new old Firestones and the re-popped Edmunds aircleaners). One thing that is not be period correct is the front brakes, both cars have discs.
Coming back from the Hoedown in Philly in Sept I'm cruising on Rt 202 at 55-60 mph in the left lane. All of a sudden a woman in front of me locks up the brakes in her rice burner and decides to make a left turn at a light. No warning, just brake lites, then a turn signal all happening at the same time. I slam on the brakes and see a big SUV ( I think and Explorer bearing down on me and my life is p***ing in front of my eyes in a fraction of a second. She makes this illegal turn as I hear screeching tires behind me. I downshift and step on the gas and go around her. I pull over into the right lane behind TeddyP and we keep on going. Apparently, the car behind the SUV couldn't stop in time and rearended the SUV.
Say what you want, but those disc brakes saved me from what could have been a pretty serious collision. There is no way I could have stopped that fast with drum brakes. There are too many drivers like this woman on the roads today. When I'm in one of my rods, i'm in defensive driving mode. Like Rodney Dangerfield said, "it's a jungle out there".
'Lookin forward to seeing your ride when it's finished, I'm sure it will be sweet.

Dave
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I 'd like to know which Drum brakes you guys are using, that perform so badly..

'39 non ernergising Ford Drums?
I've never tried those, but I can see how they wouldn't be as good as Bendex type ones.

As far as a Drum setup thats dialed in correctly, I dont see why they would be so bad.

And I have been on Road Race Tracks with them, competing against identical ( O/T ) cars with Discs, that could not out brake me ( couldnt out brake them either...)

The only difference was, I warped my drums in a couple of sessions from the heat.
( I dont think you'll be able to do that on the street without losing your licence... )

 

zach NAILED it.....

 

i love how any one says all the parts where able to be bought in **** year so there car is correct to be built in that year.

when you think about it by the time you get a part that came out in **** year it is atleast 1-2 years later.

 

Not really...in my neighborhood new parts were available within weeks of their introduction at the midnight auto supply. I remember several hot rods running 396s in 1965. It wasn't hard to figure out where they came from. I understand the same thing happened in 55 with the new 265 engine. Of course none of us would buy a hot motor...they all came from totals that had no insurance.

 

I would have to agree.

When I first got my fordor sedan that has become my tub I thought that I would like to build a hot rod that my grandpa could have had when he was younger. I had no idea about about "traditional" or "period".

 

I'm pretty serious about it with my A but being that I am "fingers crossed" banging on 90 mph plus soon I am gonna ditch the 75 year old wires and ancient tire technology for some steelies and radials. I'm a Dad ya know.

 

I'll show you Creative Anachronism.


Before mentioned exhaust system.

This what I did the other day.

Needed some blocks, what ever, for a mock up of the pipes.
Look around shop.
- Yeah the old tool boox off of eBay some years ago.
- 2 old bee-honey boxes. (really old ones). Found them when cleaning out grandpa's garage after he died 15 years ago. ( Used to play with them when I was a small kid in the 70's. Ancient even then). Got several, all filled with nuts and bolts from the 40's and 50's. Make them heavy and lying still. (Good source also.)
Got lucky as they together with the box made the perfect height.

Remember to only use period correct blocks and aids.

Did you guys know that if you use the rods AND the bearings off a flathead V8, you get a press fit hanger for a 2" pipe. SNUG FIT. " The priceless box of old **** under the work bench"


.....klazurfer is the photografer......yeah and we had a good laugh.

Hey, Ryan blogged about old tool wrapping. This is the mock up side of it.




Paul
Member of SfCAg
Society for Creative Anachronism geeks

 

<TABLE id=searchresults cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD><!--rie--></TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD><!--ris-->The Society for Creative Anachronism and the Saga of Cloak Boy

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KLAZ

BTW... : Period perfect : Period parts used & modified as they did back in your choosen period .
Bad part of building a period-perfect hot rod or custom is that it leaves not much room for beeing creative. ( when it comes to looks or stance ) The creative part has to be done in a way that it will not ruin your goal : Period perfect !! Hambrs` Nealinca & B*** are guys who for sure knows how to build period perfect cars without compromizing their creativity .

 

OK My friend....Cofee all over.....
I get a vision of Cloak Boy with his new "chopped by sword Deuce" coming up here?? Better wear some safety equipment around the garage. Period correct of course.


Guess your ?? is now answered **welder**. Far it is. Beyond the end actually.


TGIF
Thank God It's Friday

.............I need a drink

 

Say no more

 

A couple simple thoughts...

Things that look old are incredibly cool, but I have to vote that safety comes first with hot rods and custom cars.

I say this because I drive aggressively. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I need good steering, good tires, and excellent brakes.

Also- the other cars and drivers on the road may have bone-stock new cars, but they perform quite well. If the 16-year old cellphone-talking, makeup-applying cheerleader in front of me slams on the brakes in her 4-wheel disc-equipped, ABS-having, flyweight Honda Civic at 75 mph, what am I to do as the guy behind her in the decades-old rod or custom?

I'll need to either stop at least as well as she can, or be able to manuever confidently into the next lane to avoid her. If the car I'm driving has 1950-era (or older) equipment beneath it, things don't look good for me. If I wreck, who am I to blame?

The car builder. And, that's me!

So, for my cars, and the way I drive them, and the people I share the roads with, expect to see good steering, good tires, and excellent brakes. If that doesn't 'look' right to you, I apologize, but I could not care less.

Someone's signature on here is "I like things that LOOK old" - and I'll agree with that. Cl***ic style, modern performance.

As far as the tools you're using to modify your car having to be old...well, you're just being romantic. I can appreciate that fully, but I doubt I'd ever do so myself.

~Scotch~

 

I agree that Zach nailed it.

I would add that, IMO, if you are building a "period car", then it must be period correct as to all parts (my personal preference is all original parts, but repros are OK). Build technique must be period correct, too. You may or may not have to use period tools to achieve that result. If you do not do the build entirely to period specs, then your car will miss the mark as a "period car". Where you miss the mark will stand out like a sore thumb.

On the other hand, if your goal is a "traditional style car", then more leeway is allowed as to parts and build technique. A traditional style car is much easier (but still difficult) to acheive than a period car.

 

Period-correct vehicles are great in period-correct situations. Roads were not as heavily travelled back "in the day". I like the disc brakes and power booster on my 60 caddie when some hi-speed zipper car cuts in front of me, only to slam on his brakes...much as I would love to push him into the next county. Back in the old days, the other guy's brakes were **** too!