Hello everyone, im pretty new here and am in serious need of all the help you can give. You see i have always wanted a a 31 or 34 coupe and after about 5 years of searching i found my car, a 29 ford roadster. I am currently putting myself through university so neeedless to say but my budget is next to nothing. I bought the car(little more than the body) for $300, and a couple of A frames for $50. The body is rotten beyond belief as you can see in the pictures. So what i need is help with the chasie now, i want an I beam front end but have no clue where to start with the suspension and steering????
without spending alot of money ya best bet is to use what ya already have start with the A frame and go from there ...do a search on here and look for frame builds you will find what ya looking for or get great ideas from others...good luck
Look in the tech archive,there is so much good info on there,it'll give you a real good idea on the direction you will need to go in.Congrats on the buy!!
Be patient! Search the HAMB for threads on your build, and don't be afraid to ask questions! There is a lot of experience and knowledge here! Yes, you will run into the occasional turd that thinks he knows everything, but don't let it get you down!! Get a plan first, and go from there! Good Luck on your Roadster!
Buy Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel's book. How to build a traditional Ford hot rod. Best money you'll ever spend.
Oh HELL YEAH! If you don't have a lot of money, I would build yourself a bitchin' little banger car using mostly stock parts. Build up the MOdel A frame with later V8 running gear, trans, and find a good running MOdel A banger and drive the hell out of it. Check out a guy that goes by "Chris", here on the HAMB or "SUHR" and you will see some bitchin' little roadsters. Chris just finished one and has I think 8 thread on the build from start to driving it. You have the hardest part to find, a roadster body. The rest will be a blast to put together. So why all the enthusiasm for a banger, you ask?? Go ride in some modified banger cars and you'll see why. They're super cool and can be built for little to nothing if you have your parts connections in order. Here's one of SUHR's, I believe... Or have a look at this little roadster!!!! http://www.hotironclub.com/cullenphotographiccollection Congratualations and welcome to that HAMB! Can't wait to see what you do with it!
Remember not to get discouraged.It may take a long time to build with limited funds.Just don't get rid of it,you will regret it unless its to get a better one.You have the rest of your life to build it.
that car looks like a good start. needs work but you can start on the body work while saving funds and researching your chassis components
dont know what you budget or timeframe is, but id figure out the style your going for, then get a speedway cataloge.
Here is the link to my brother's build, "Chris". It's pretty cool. Click on the links at the top of the page to see the whole build. You could do something like it for little cash. Good luck! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370046
As a fellow first time builder i Have found The most important thing to do is work out EXACTLY what style of build you want, don't spend another cent until you do, as any changes of mind will cost ya. Only Once you know exactly what is your building start buying stuff. Your choice of motor and whether you want to channel the the thing are the most important choices, as they will determine the dimensions of your chassis and its kick up and host of small changes.
Cool start to a cooler project. Take your time, plan your build and stick to the plan. The more times your change your mind thru the project, the more it will cost ya. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. Oh, and don't add up what you spend on it, you might get sick in the end... Welcome from NJ
Thats a killer start, and a great price. just remember with patience and time there is nothing that can't be fixed. It doesn't always have to be mega bucks.
Everyone has hit it on the head. Search the HAMB for builds and get the Bishop/Tardel book (and also the Hot Rod Chassis book in that series) then patiently plan. 1 month ago I was in the same boat, but after searching the HAMB and reading the book(s), I can move forward in my planning. I'd also suggest finding every local Hot Rod guy/girl. Stopping in and talking for a few minutes can give you a wealth of knowledge and, if you're lucky, some really good parts and access to tools you might not have. Good luck and welcome!
Well you're in way over your head. But the Raven and I have the wife's pickup for the night and we were supposed to go to Branson but, rather than see you fail misserably and spend countless hours in consuling and living on the streets (subways?) in new York we'll drive up and haul that junk off for ya. I'm not going to say that you have a good starting place because that would be an out and out lie, but you have a starting place and you've have landed in a hot bed of information. It is doable just don't expect it to happen over night and you'll do just fine. Luck on the build and welcome to the HAMB.
$300 Canadian no less. Spend some time and research and learn. Model A's are amazingly simple little cars when you boil them down to the nuts and bolts. There's tons of repop stuff out there, too, and if you go a little at a time you should be able to come up with something drivable on a budget. I would concentrate on getting the body on a frame and stable and cleaning it up for the time being. Once you know how you want to go and what you need, you can scrounge around for the parts to get it together.
You got a good deal, now do the right thing and... SELL IT! Take the profit and wait until a '31 or '34 coupe comes around like you've always wanted. It will cost you just as much time and money to build a '29 roadster as a coupe, but if you have REALLY been dreaming of a '31/'34 coupe, your not going to be happy in the end if indeed you can keep the motivation to finish it. Your young and have lots of time to find the right car to start with. Sell this to someone who has always wanted a '29 roadster and has been searching for it for 5 years. You and the new owner will both be happy down the road. Terry
hello, thanks everyone for the advice, i already had the book how to build a traditional ford hot rod but found a little vague in a couple areas that i need some help with like the steering and the body to frame mount after the old mounts are cut out in the frame stepping process? Im sory if it came across that i was ungratefull or that i didnt want the car i found, i previously wanted a coupe because i wanted it to be my daily driver, but i would rather have the roadster for a crusier. I have been pretty busy looking for parts and have obtained another (much improved) trunk lid, a 40 steering box and column as well as a solid gas tank. After much debate and my fathers old hot rod engin being striped to nothing, i have decided to go vintage hi boy, i bought a 53 mec pick up engine, that i will pick up in a couple weekends.
Keep it and fix it. Ford roadster's of any flavor are money in the bank. Get your chassis worked out how you want it, then start on the body. One piece at a time 'till it comes around. Pick a path and stick with it. The advice you get on the Hamb is worth its weight in Gold! You did good. Kevin Ooltewah Speed Shop
Wow Jaden , nice looking 29 roadster body , i’ll give you a little encouragement I have a 26 Roadster body that I dug out of the side of a riverbank. There were actually two bodies nose to nose, buried each side in the bank one side, sticking out, I dug them out of the mud in the dirt, and was able to salvage enough skin and enough pieces to make one good body, everything had to be sandblasted. I took it clear down and even replace rivets. I got a good frame and one good complete roadster body that has a early 26 pick up bed on it. I put a model a front axle under it so I could put 39 Ford hydraulic brakes on it , and a 89 ford Ranger rear end . I currently have a 1964Chevy 2 four-cylinder engine with a powerglide transmission in it. I have 34 wire wheels. You can build it however you want. You as I didn’t have or don’t have enough original parts to make it original car without spending your grandpa’s fortune so build it like you want !
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