so i have located one with a 30 model a frame 9 in rear housing for 1500..my question is nevr having build a traditional rod how fesible is it to build a complete truck for 4000...and does anyone have any pics of this style truck ..oyeah and is the frame worth using if its not bent or too rusty
Take whatever you think you will spend and double it. No, triple it. I just got my first car on the road, and I stopped counting after $10-$15K and the car isn't even that nice or built with desirable parts. Next time I'll be able to do better since I know a bit more, but all of the little **** like fittings and paint and steel still add up fast.
Depends on what you mean by a "complete truck" . You mean something running and driving or something to get trophies with? Or something in between. You CAN build a running driving vehicle for that much, i have done it as have others. You need to tell us what exactly you have right now and what you want the finished truck to be. BTW if you don't use that Model A frame, let me know, i need a cheap one...
Sounds like a challenge...set a very agressive budget and try to stick to it. Scour the area for free (worn out) stuff and be prepared to use a lot of "non-traditional" parts (and take **** for it).
Building a decent car on $4k is totally possible, here's how. First you fart around with cars for 2 decades or more. Learn how to discern desireable greasy junk from undesireable greasy junk. Learn cool from uncool, and develop enough strength to walk away from free but uncool. Then you start with an unbelieveable deal. They are out there. Then you throw a decade of stashed parts you scored at unbelieveable deals on top. When you acquire for long enough, those once-a-year bargains will build a car that can't be price-duplicated in a shorter timeframe. Then you shake the bushes as hard as you can for leads on cheap and free stuff, and probably drag home 3 or 4 cars to part out and pillage and offset the real build cost. Easy to make the numbers funny by a couple Gs here. You also make your buddies feel bad for all those times you helped em or sold stuff cheap and raid their stashes. Decades of working on cars means you know where good stuff is lurking. Then you string it together with your +20 years expertise leading the way. And when your own skill fails, you pull in a favor and get a professional service (like bodywork, wiring, mill/lathe work, or heavy duty welding) in exchange for cold beer. If I just described you, post some pics of the $4k ride when it's done. If not, plan for double or triple. Or quadruple. Or quintuple. There are exceptions to the rule, but not many. good luck
If you want a decent $4K car, buy something that is about 10 years old and has been taken decent care of. Making a decent really old car for $4K is not very realistic. However, with a bunch of really cheap parts and a lot of free time, anything is possible. But, it will likely end up in the realm of a rat rod and I don't encourage that by any means. If you proceed with this, the $4k will likely end up being your education on how to do it better in the future and what it really costs. And that may be worth the expense right there. Maybe just do it, set your limit and stick to it, learn what you can, have fun and then move up to the next better project in the future.
i dont want anything show worthy..i have been down that road and its not a enjoyable one worrying about paint and scratchs and all that ****..i want a bare bones rod..some call them rats im NOT into the making it look trashy thing...flat black paint..dependable mill ,safe brakes..something i can enjoy driving...as far as parts go im really good buds with a local junkyard owner soo parts from them are cheap..i can pretty much rebuild anything...i been an aircraft mechanic for 11 years now so rebuilding things is not an issue..i have been a cert. welder for 5 years now so welding parts isnt a issue either its more or less the experience of putting together the front end i havent even seen one up close yet...or how people are setting up there rear suspensions..all in all like i said not looking for a chromed out shiney car ..
I would say finding a dropped front axle with good spindles would be your starting point for a cheap build. The rest of the front suspension and steering would be dictated somewhat by that choice. You can find a 318 mopar and auto ****** for almost nothing. A flathead 6 mopar would be pretty cool, but they are monsters weight wise. The one I pulled out of my 37 Chrysler caused the brake on my overhead crane (1/2 ton) to slip. A chevy inline 6 with speed parts would be pretty interesting as well as a slant 6. I would stick with an auto ****** just to keep it simple. Simple is usually cheaper.
A '34 DB truck is about the prettiest truck you could ever own. I hope you get all the body pieces because they are fairly hard to find.
$4000.00 would be tight especially if you had to rebuild the engine. Theres a Yahoo group for that year 28-38 trucks http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/1928-38Dodgetrucks/ Its not very active but a good place to start. Nice trucks though. Any pictures Archie
thanks for the info guys...its a good start for me being currently in uae i got some time to build up a parts stock
The very best way to have a cheap driver is to find one almost done that someone has lost interest in, and buy it cheap from him. The 2nd best way to keep costs down is to buy real cheap complete cars having the parts you want then parting/junking them out. Another option is to get your buddy at the junkyard to sell you stuff at s**** value. I've been doing this for many years, getting a good relaible driver on the road for 4 gs is getting to be a big challenge. Unless the Dodge is a rolling truck with a ***le, $1500 is an expensive start for a 4g build. Might be a great starting point if you weren't on as tight of a budget. Gene
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