is firerglass bad??

is it wrong to build a vintage hot rod with a fiber gl*** body shell.? what if you cannot find the body you want nor afford a good one of that style? i want a 33-34 three window thats chopped and put it on original rails with an orignal grill and a flathead on steel wheels. like a lakes car.. need some opinions

 

I don't hink so. I'd rather have real steel but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do...

 

i agree, i love steel with old paint and leave it that way.. not too fancy.. but im just out of options.. im gonna go visit scott at scottrods.. he makes a car body called the hankster..
http://www.scottrodscustom.com/33Hankster.html
put it on my original ch***is with all my old parts and a flathead. i think it would be nice

 

There's some tell tail signs the car is gl*** and that makes it funky.
There's some threads here where guys have corrected those problems and the results are quite impressive.

If those details bother you , they can be corrected.

 

Well they use gl*** on the lakes these days and actually have since the '60s that I know of. So I guess a lakes themed car built from gl*** is not necessarily a bad thing.

Tell you what would be a real bummer though, is if you had your gl*** bodied car almost done and found an affordable steel one.

 

My opinion....I like old cars. I'm not too keen on new cars that look like old cars. But that's just me. You can do whatever floats your boat.

 

First fibregl*** Model T bodyshell appeared in 1957 and maybe earlier.

 

Affordable 33/34 steel coupe body may not happen these days though. Unless 20K for a body on a pallet that still needs 10K worth of work to be usable is affordable.

Lets see= build a gl*** bodied car that you can afford and go out and have kick *** fun in it or let the completed ch***is sit in the garage for another five or more years until you find that "steel" body just so others won't look down their Genuine Henry or else Blue noses at you. I'd go for it. It doesn't look like you are out to win trophies but out to put a car together that you can have fun with and drive the wheels off.

 

I bought a gl*** "T Tub" body from a guy in Missouri for $600 so I can get along with my project. I am in the process of reinforcing it with wood and steel. I expect one day I will find a real steel body in decent shape, and will sell the gl*** body to fund the steel one. I realize that a lot more money is involved in a '34 coupe, but you get the idea.

Who's more of a hotrodder? A guy with a gl***-bodied car or one with an "oral" car (all he can do is talk about what he's gonna build someday).

 

Hummm........

Interesting statement.

How many people talked, sketched, researched and collected info & parts prior to owning a car?

I currently am in that group and even though I do own and have owned many cars I guess according to you I currently have an "oral" car by your standards.

I guess you just woke up one morning and one was in your driveway.

 

I've built several gl*** cars in the past and when someone ask if it's steel or gl*** I figure they are just trying to make conversation or if they have been around for a while and they can't tell,,,you did a really good job!

I don't have the problem with gl*** cars like so many guys here do and at this point in time I don't have one but that's not to say I won't own one in the future.

I say build what you want and can afford,,you won't be the first guy to build a traditional looking gl*** car.

Good Luck,,HRP

 

I've had several of each,, Had fun with all..

 

I prefer steel like most do but if you can't get what you want in steel gl*** is good. Build what you want and don't worry about everyone else. They aren't paying for it,you are.

 

thanks alot! i cant afford a 30k$ body for something that is gonna get the wheels drove off it.. i figured the same thing, maybe ill even have it painted with some wear or patina..... make it look good. i just wanna have fun in it and finally get to join the vintage rodders instead of watching with my camera :/

 

Just stay away from StreetBeasts.

Try Kilbourne Rod Shop. They made the 32 3W body we used, maybe they make a 33-34 as well?

 

i have no problem with gl*** cars....for someone else , not me

if you want a gl*** car go ahead , build it and enjoy it

 

Well I like oral, but I am more into recieving than giving.

Sometimes you make good plans and have all the right stuff collected only to have to give it away (sell?) and you end up making a compromise just to stay on the road.

Life goes on and the world continues to spin. Funny how that works.

 

ugh...

 

I'd rather have a steel car, but this build by Hot Turkey came out nice

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324514&highlight=turkey+32

 

I have no problems with gl*** cars at all. I sat next to JustplainJ's three window at LARS for over an hour this year before I realized it was the gl*** car from the thread. It just depends on what you do with the gl*** body that ultimately counts the most.

 

I like steel.....so I bought a model A.....you know..... something affordable....

 

I just came back from the Frog Follies saturday......a few gl*** bodies mixed in with thousands of the best pre 49 rods on the planet..... several gl*** Tee's with a few steel ones too.......I fit in all the talked about catagories here--oral car, gl*** cars, old Henry steel..............sum day........ Point is -- My gal and I took her 66 Cobra(gl*** replica) thats "too new" to be in the show-----had a BLAST.......and now I'm sittin here lookin at my original Model A's(not wanting to molest 82yr old running artifacts) oralizing about my 36 Tudor with a buddy.............Bout time to go for a spin in my gl*** T bucket.......Build it==drive it!!!! Life is too short not to ENJOY

 

REAL hotrods are made out of whatever goes the fastest!

I have several car magazines from the early '50's and what almost all of them have in common is an article on how to use this new wonder material, fibergl***, when constructing your hotrod.

Only parking lot braggers give a **** what the body is or is made of.
REAL hotrodders only care about is it's the fastest, quickest, or handles the best.

 

I own a steel '34 and am building a steel '32 right now. I also own a 'gl*** 32 roadster. Sure, I prefer steel, who doesn't. It just has a certain soul, a history that you can wonder about and almost feel each and every time you drive it.

That said, is my 'gl*** roadster any less fun? HELL NO!

My feeling is if you can afford steel, go for it. If you can't, do not let the cost of steel stand in your way of building a car and having fun. Go gl***.

As mentioned earlier, If you build a 'gl*** car and then find a steel body later you can always swap bodies. Don't miss out on the fun waiting around to save up for a real body.


.

 

Some iconic cars, including ALL the Ed Roth cars, were made of fibergl***.

 

I had a real all steel 41 willys coupe back in high school but sold it after my third child was born. Sure I'd love to have a steel willys these days but will settle for a gl*** one after I finish my steel 39 olds coupe and my steel 31 A coupe. We can't all afford the "real"deal sometimes, so must do whatever it takes to have fun driving down the road.

 

Squirrel speaks for me.

 

I dont have a hate for gl*** cars. Hell I would build a gl*** bodied t-bucket in a heartbeat. But a gl*** bodied car with fake patina??? Sounds about as tasty as faux crab meat with **** sauce.

 

"IF IT AIN'T STEEL , IT AIN'T REAL" ...do what you can afford & enjoy it .There are ways to improve gl*** cars & make em look good.
Good luck on your adventure .
B.B.