OK, I might as well stick my foot in it NOW....... Kit Cars

Your opinion? and lets see if I can change it. I know I'm gonna get my head chewed off but,My skin is thick and I can hack it. Prior Warning this is going to be a photo intensive string. First off There Is NO SUCH THING as a Kit Car.
Most folks think you can buy one of these things and bolt it together, you couldn't be more wrong. 90% of these things even in a stage III unit are Fabrication. YES you can buy ALL the bolt on parts, the only problem is they DON'T......lol With the numerous companys which you will deal (AND even if you deal with only one company. Their parts don't fit their cars either..lol)
Anyway I got alot of "Cool Car" in my introduction string Here's how it got that way.

 

Now I don't do any welding ( a thing I have with Fire) but Thanks to Roland Tarlton (Ancient Iron Cycles) and Tom Buckley (Another NTBA Member) I got it done.

 

This is my 5th T, I've learned what I need (room for hauling) from each on so this one will be a T ruck

 

I went trough 5 bodys all steel and beyond my NON welding capabilities so While at the NTBA Nationals in Grapevine Texas I bought This.

 

It took alot of work including laminating with smooth luan all new trim and poly protection. Then I desided I wanted 1/4 eliptic front end and Knee action shocks

 

I don't have these pics online so I have to load one at a time sorry. Where was I oh yeah POWER had to have a SBC but funds being what they were i had to settle for a FREE 305 that ok I got some stuff to make it spiffy

 

That radiator is from an International Tractor looked good but I needed a grill shell to fit I had a model A shell but no luck Fitzee up in Newfoundland Can. made me this one

 

All kit car companies are not created equal. I used to do some work for RU Car-crafters, The Cobra reps they build are incredible. The panels are fantastic, the fit, finish and consistency. The chasis on them are even better, crumple zones and side impact bars, ladder backbone and weight jacks. Quantum leaps over the original cars. Hell we figured out how to put in air conditioning and even made the vents structural.

 

I had a problem with my camber so we attempted to fix it
DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDDIES!

 

Ouch

 

Well I think you get the Idea IT AIN'T NO KIT...lol The only difference between my ride and the so called Fad T-Buckets you see is the fiberglass bodywhich for those of you that don't know comes as a shell no floor no wooding no nothing all that is done by the Rodder himself and if you've EVER worked with glass you KNOW it ain't easy nor fun.
I've torn apart my Truck now as I'm building a Gow Job and need the parts (it's Glass Body BUT I'm hunting a steel one that I can afford and repair myself I don't know if such a critter exists but I'm looking.

 

Er...gosh.

 

i think you had the instruction sheet upside down for the front suspension. the leaf spring is upside down, and your shackles are the wrong way. but maybe that's just your mockup? it looks higher in the later pics. and you probably doubled the effective forces on the axle by moving the spring mounts inboard from where they were(increased leverage), looks like that's why the axle bent?

good luck and have fun with you c-cab.

 

Yeah That pic was just the Mock up I figured that was the hight it would be at after correctly mounting them with the weight of the motor in it. I later changed it to a 55 chevy axle with 74 camaro disc brakes on a buggy spring.

 

I think its cool. I'll really open a "kit car can of worms" here has anyone in the past produced a decent GT40 "kit car"? The tall T's remind me of the wild matchbox cars and models I used to play with...

 

Yes I know. I built a "kit",'29 a rodster,and 98% had to be re-fabbed. The wood "reinforcment" in most glass cars seems to be lacking. I had to replace most with steel tubing. Next time , I'll just start from scratch. You have done real well so far,looks good! Sparky

 

So, Where's the "Kit Cars"?
All I've seen so far is garage built HOT RODS!
The only really bad "Kit Cars" I know of are the "Street Beasts"

Historically, I think most of the kit cars have been built by dreamers, similar to us, who had what at least they thought was a grand design idea and wanted to share it with a few others, at least enough people to recoup the cost of their molds.
Without kit Cars" we might not have had the Jaguar, (Started as Swallow Sidecar company which was a you-bolt-iton side car "kit" for Harleys built just after WW I) or the several Lotus models that were sold in the 50's thru today as a rolling chassis ready for owner's engines or choice of engine to be installed.

Manx dune buggies?
Still a following and a rebirth lately too.

Clenet and Griffin are among my favorites.
They look sort of like classic "French" sports cars.
(Last time I mentioned them here the company owner E-mailed me to inquire if I was ready to buy one!)
And don't forget Devin!

Isn't a FORD Model A just a "Kit" traditional hotrod on wheels, just waiting for some kid to add the "required" hotrod parts from a donor '39- 48 Ford 4 door sedan?

It really boils down to taste.
Good taste.
That's a Quality, and I don't exactly know how to define Quality, but I know it when I see it.

 

This was My ORIGINAL Dash!

 

And how does this relate to Traditional Rods and Customs?

 

Other than their just as much work? I try to make mine sorta traditional. "home built/scratch built" IS the Tradition ain't it?

 

Well, one thing does interest me, and that is:
What went wrong with that front Axle?
Did something in the Design cause that, or was there something wrong with the Axle itself?
Is there a Safety lesson here that we can benifit from?
Please explain in detail what happened...

 

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And how does this relate to Traditional Rods and Customs?

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What part of find it yourself, piece it together and build it yourself, drive it yourself ain't traditional?

 

Safty Lesson? YOUBETCHA! We notched the axle bent it til the camber was correct and WELDED it back together. I will NEVER do this again. It lasted several months at sometimes extreme speeds! I had just stopped to cross the railroad tracks AT THE END OF MY ROAD tracks I crossed everyday sometimes 10-15 times a day. The reason I stopped is just infront of the car is a stop sign so I see no need for a railroad jolt if ya know what I mean. As soon as I crossed at maybe 2 mph. the axle SNAPPED at the weld. I had a show the next day and luckly had another A Axle at the house cause I was planning to replace it anyway. Got Towed home replaced the axle and was back on the road in 3 hrs.

 

I'm with Metalshapes. What the heck caused your axle to die like that?

 

I don't think all glass cars are kit cars, but we all know a kit car when we see one...

What that T needs is a crazy paintjob with lots of airbrush, mag wheels, and white letter tires, '70s all the way! Now that would be different. You might have a hard time finding a leisure suit with wide lapels to wear when you drive it.

As for the axle, you shoulda known better than to try to weld it back together. You can't fool around with that shit. My buddy broke his driveshaft in his deuce 3 times, just keeps welding it back together. Some people don't get it.

 

here's a c-cab kit i built for a customer about 20 years ago. all mahogony on a vw pan. cheap but fun
i've also built an auburn kit, a gazzelle kit, a bugatti kit and a vw trike kit. i've also worked on several "turnkey" kits like cobras, excaliburs and various "neo-classics".
i agree NONE of those cars was just bolt it and go. they all required as much or more work to build as a "traditional" hot rod. the only real difference is the body style. they all took beucoup hours of head scratching, inventing, adapting and fabricating. just guessing here but i'd feel safe to bet that LESS than 5% of the people here have a "genuine traditional" hot rod. That is a car that is frozen in time before say 1955 with NO modern or aftermarket parts on it. a person building a hot rod can learn a ton from "kit cars".

my .02

 

Fancy Paint = Polish & Shinning, two things I'm far to lazy to be doing and take up drive time. and 70's didn't quite get the job done

 

Erm, I'm speechless.

 

[ QUOTE ]
We notched the axle bent it til the camber was correct and WELDED it back together.

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy shit! Even I'm not that stupid.

Is this for real? Either way, it doesn't matter, please make it all go away.

JH