Ok, here's the skinny- I just figured out a way to build a rod under my father's nose, mebbe without him knowing! (build it at work) My idea is to rivet a hot rod together, or at least the body. Mebbe a model a or '32. Paint could be, well, what does it matter. I have a couple of questions for alla you in HAMB land, here goes- Would it be possible to rivet a body together (not the frame), and does anybody have any reasonable bodies for sale or give-away to a poor kid? I am in the Denver area, so Denver Hambers, help a brotha out! -Crew
Yeah...ummm....well. Rogue used a certain type of rivet on his RPU...although I'm not sure of the specifics. You could possibly ask him. BUT! I do, however think that your post is odd. Do you have a Model A or a Deuce?? If not, i'm sure plenty of people here would be more than willing to give you a deuce body.
I suppose damn near anything is possible. So I don't know why you couldn't rivet a body together. And you never know, sometimes limitations like that yield the most creative stuff -- real breakthrough **** every once in a while. In my mind, the key to turning limitations into breakthroughs is to let the material and the methods dictate the aesthetic. If you try to force such an unusual contruction method to look like some other method -- such as traditional welded construction -- odds are it'll look bad. I guess what I'm saying in all this philosophizing is, rivet it together, and let the rivets stay obvious. Don't try to hide them, or disguise them. Make that kind of a theme for the car. (Note the words "kind of a theme" Go to far with any theme and it quickly gets silly, like the "cheesegrater" car that's in Street Rodder -- every single panel has louvers on it. I think even the frame is louvered. Dumb.) Good luck! Dave
If you want to build one by riveting stuff together, why not build something like an "A" or "T" speedster? You can slam the ch***is down instead of leaving it up in the air like most of the flivver pilots, but I think a simple speedster-style body with cut down sides instead of opening doors would really work for the riveted construction method. If you used aluminum for the skin, you could even add some fighter-plane look to it as well. http://www.rootlieb.com has some good diagrams that should give you ideas on their speedster pages. I like some of the old br***-era "T" bodystyles they have on there too, but you could do something like those by just nailing a thin steel skin over a wooden framework.
An old boat tail roaster in ali with aircraft rivets would be the ****.Design the thing yaself ,look through lots of old car books and it could be awesome.........Marq
There was a post on here a while back. Someone bought a bunch of school locker bolts. Rivet head on threaded shank.
Well, if i ***emble it at work, who's gonna know? Kinda like "if a tree falls in the forest" deal. You dig? With the odd post- -Crew
Ah, the age old question- here's the scoop. My father, who is a dyed in the wool hot rodder, has a couple of odd notions about cars and building them that in my naieve (sp?) mind are not good reasons not to build a hot rod. 1.- he thinks that building a rod costs 30,000. Even though I cant do all the work on my own, I know that i can keep costs down with a little help from my friends. 2. He thinks (knows?) that cars simply devalue. I'm looking at trends that may be incorrect, but seem to suggest otherwise, i.e. that 'cuda that sold for $1M. So that's why I will try and build it at work. Okay- as far as the speedster idea- neat, but not quite along the lines of my idea fer the rivet-rod. I want to use a body from "the golden age of flight" (the 30's). so a 32 or model a (which looks similar) would be the obvious choice. My plan is to leave the rivets showing, and give 'er a coat of aircraft interior green, with some bomber-style "nose art" on the cowl, a tribute to my gramps (a gunner on a B-17 during the second world war. Up front, a hemi or supercharged flattie would handle the light work, and really any grille+shell combination would look good. I want to keep the rivets to a minimum, just so I don't overdo it (so no rivets on the grill shell, or in other non-essential places, much like on an aircraft). So there's my tentative plan, since that Barracuda is no longer an option. -Crew
Im not trying to be nosey but if your dad is such a dyed in the wool rodder why wouldnt he help you out , or you two build acar together. Nothing brings a father and son together like working on something together.
[ QUOTE ] Nothing brings a father and son together like working on something together. [/ QUOTE ] Very true, but there will be points where one of the two will have different visions for the end result and some people dont like having to compromise. The father-son thing is just not fer everyone. But I'd think you could still build with his knowledge, he wouldnt be taking credit for it anyway right? (wish i had a model a or duece to give ya but I am lookin fer one myself) rjb
You must have a very forgiving job. I go to take a leak and get funny looks...you can build a Hot Rod! Your on the wrong path to gain trust...from ANYONE close to you.
Wha?! Okay hacker, I don't get it... Uhm, my dad is a very old-school father. Finances first, fun after you die. He has no plans to build one, Ive tried to get him to build one with me, and he won't do it. Quite frankly, he gives me the what-for for suggesting it and we nearly kill each other over it (literally!) I shouldn't have even said anything about my dad. Bottom line, I'm gonna build this thing...dammit! -Crew (BTW) I work at an automotive restorer+museum. They have a shop with lotsa open space. That's how I can work on it there.
How old are you crew? If you are over 18 and have to keep that much of a secret from Pops, maybe it's time to move out. If you're under 18, maybe you should be patient, save some dough, and build a car when you move out later. What's the rush?
crew.. rivets.. possible.. however by building such a car you may just prove your father right.. i mean how much would this "RIVET special" cost you? secondly when its finished and you want to off it.. who's going to buy the it? you could quickly end up wayy$$$$ into a "simple" project and MAY never be able to resell it. I'm sending you a pm
Hey...I'm not givin' ya a hard time, I just see you causing yourself more and more trouble! I forget how old you are...wasn't it 17 or...? Your no different than most of us were at that age. Your dad thinks your a ****y know it all...just like our dads saw us! Prove yourself to be reliable, helpful, trustworthy etc first and then build a rod. Your profile says your a HELLRAISER...that what your dad sees in you? If so, theres your biggest problem. If your serious about cars, make a commitment that puts them into your daily life. Get a good education, learn your *** off about welding, basic mechanics, basic bodywork etc (If your saying that isn't FUN then your in the wrong end of the hobby!) and ABSOLUTELY put your finances to the forefront! Your talking about your MONEY man!!! It's GOTTA be first!!! The romance of being a "Starving Artist" fades quickly once you've had your 27th straight meal of sticky Kraft dinner. My dad gave me NO help with cars. I picked up an old 68 Mustang to drive and built it into a head turner with no $, hard work and loads of sweat. Didn't look back since then. Prove yourself on your driver(s) and gain some education and experience before you go head to head with your dad...you might find that the fight goes outta both of you. OK...so now you can tell me how I don't "get it"... Humph....teenagers... BTW...I REALLY hope everything works out for you and you get a Hot Rod for yourself. Just do it the right way is all I'm saying! No fun looking over your shoulder all the time.
Thanks for the kind words. My padre an me do NOT see eye to eye, and that can lead to some real altercations... Bottom line, my rivet special will come to fruition, provided I can get the material and help. I have money saved- BY ME, that I can spend. About .25 cents, I think. Any technical advice would be appreciated. -Crew
Just a thought, but maybe at this point it would be better to buy a project car for cheap, and finish it, or put it together, rather than try to put it together from nothing. I always thought that a little more up front will save you in the long run. Plus, you can tell your dad that you bought it at the already devalued price, and it can only go up with your improvements!
jesus christ all this went on w/o me seeing it Wow man if ya ever get started on this gimme a hollar oh yeah sorry bout not makin it to the museum yesterday had to go to my bros for some family ****.
I think this post is conclusive proof that Barry R. Burg's theory about pirates was dead-on. http://www.chiprowe.com/bookrev/******.html
Clearly a scholarly source. Anyone up to hijack this thread? Oh, as far as rivets go, are there aircraft grade aluminum ones? Or are they all steel? I wanna try and use a rivet gun for this job. On the interior, I wanna carry the aircraft theme over by using those drilled out beams that are used up to strengthen and structure wings, fuselages, etc. Mine will run from about the center of the door (cut at the jamb) around the front of the cab. -Crew
Ya, I have some technical advice for ya. Refer to Hackerbill's last post. If that's not clear enough for ya than there's no help for ya.