32 stuff out of hand-what in Tarnation is going ON?

It's NOT just 32 Fords and 32 Ford parts that have gone crazy..... it's everything that is...old... cool.. no longer made.. rare, etc.

I have 3 project cars and I'm constantly scrounging for parts.

Try pricing Willys sheet metal.

Start watching what vintage magnesium wheels bring.

Anything period correct for a gasser.

There will alway be people that want "real" original stuff, and they will pay the price. You cant order "traditional parts" from a catalog. The repop stuff doesn't fool anyone and it's a compromise.

 

...And Tri fives aren't overated? I just wish everybody hated '32's, so there'd be more for me!

 

"The repop stuff doesn't fool anyone and it's a compromise."

Maybe it's just me, but when I see a car, I'm not inspecting it for repop stuff. I think the repops are filling a need for guys who don't have infinitely deep pockets and want to get into the hobby. If I'm looking for a 32 grille, no way am I gonna afford a $1400 "find" like above. Repops make this hobby affordable IMHO.

 

...yes, the NOS sets of Guide headlights were mine. I bought the pointy set 2 years ago for $380.00. The guy sellin' them on ebay had 'em listed wrong and they were buried in 'Antique Lighting', or something like that. I would have got them for $75 if another hot rodder bidder hadn't spotted them also. Turns out he's a buddy of mine that restores Guides, so I told him to back off 'cause he already had an NOS set. The other NOS set was on ebay for about 2 minutes when I saw them and hit 'Buy it now' for $500.00. Everyone I know said I was an idiot for payin' $900.00 for 2 pairs of headlights...yessir...I'm an idiot... The good news is that now the Ramrods have enough $$$ to pay for the 3 new Stromberg 97s we just ordered for our Hambster($1200) and we'll have some $$$ left over to pay for trip expenses...Goodguys Indy, here we come...

 

In response to post #33 "Try pricing Willys sheet metal".

I've got a complete 49 Willys in a garage here, just up the street. It was put away running in 1982. Think its worth sumpin?

 

I don't know, but if it's anything like the 40 Willys prices, you got something.

I'm half disenchanted about the rodding thing. I wanted to start building a Model A four years ago-without a loan. Between house payments and montly expenses, I figured I could be into an AV8 for 10-12K. Now, try to locate a "real" Model A body in good shape, and it's half of my budget. Owch.

Not saying it can't be done. It can, and I've seen it. Maybe I'm not in an area where those bodies are plentiful. Or I have to save up more pennies. Or drain the 401k.

 

You complain about the price of '32 parts then admit you can't build a clean little A/V-8 for 10-12K?

There may be no hope of you building anything.

JH

 

Jim ... that was cruel ... TRUE ... but cruel

Sadly, all the cool stuff does cost more.
Model A's to Willys ...

Gassers to Kustoms

I just sold a 1969 Chevrolet Big Block 396/375 Horsepower engine ( complete ) for more money that I paid for the entire 1969 car .. new ..that it came out off ...
He was glad to get it.

When I bought my 32 steel roadster body in the 70's ... everyone said I was crazy ( including me ... ) but now ... it was a bargain ...

INFLATION ...

 

Some history...I got into '32's about 1962 as a teenager with no clue and no money...but I was locked on the moment I bought the third rod magazine of my life, the first BIG R&C--someone post that cover!!
I bought incomplete junk because that was my only choice. Good '32 roadster rods were then floating around the cost of a new car. Parts were impossible to find (harder than now--no network of fleamarkets and computers!) and costly in comparison to anything else ols.
Looking further back, the late '40's--early fifties magazines are full of want ads from people who couldn't find the deuce they wanted, and prices were already probably more than the cars sold for new.
When I got on board, early cars were at low ebb, as the rodding world shifted into superstocks and muscle cars...but scarcity and prices remained up. I've watched for 45 years as My income went from $1 per week to slightly more than that, and the price curve has always been upward and moving faster than my income, with big bulges at the time the early V8 club was hot and when streetrodding was reinvented about '72.
If you look at Hershey, Model A prices are flat and rather low for complete older restos, Model T prices are DEAD. Deuce prices go up--meaning that the car has remained a holy grail for new generations as the model T people die off. There it is...I've never seen a flicker in the price curve, and many people much younger than me are fighting over those ridiculous Ebay parts.

 

Ah yes...a better? car....well maybe stock. But were buildin' hotrods here.
This ain't no restoration site. HAHAHAHAHAHA!
I hear what your saying though....I just like getting you Deuce guys all worked up!HAHAHA

Josh

 

You guys are all right....

It's ridiculous. It's good lookin' stuff. And it's really pricey across the board.

Some of you know that I am heavy into the 1959 Chevrolet Impalas. Have you guys looked at THIS stuff lately?

Few months ago an NOS grille guard went for $1200. (yes... One thousand two hundred dollars to put tits on your car)

8 pieces of side trim (the spears on the fenders, the two pieces on the doors, and the 4 pieces (2 long strips on each side) on the quarter panels went for $1300.

Sheet metal is getting pricey... convertible stuff is ridiculous. I won't even discuss the Impala steering wheels and dash pieces.

Think your flatheads are expensive? go buy a 348 with 3x2's. Even better, go price a dual-quad 409. And if you want to get into your mythical engines, go price a '63 427 W engine. Heads alone are $7,000 to $10,000 a pair.

I almost think if I went back to 1992 when I got my first '59, I'd have to reconsider getting into these things.

Good on you, Larry, to make a buck on your NOS stuff. I did the same (but not NOS). I did it with a $100 Parkwood that I bought... sold it 8 months later with no drivetrain for $2500.... and a 55 Chevy 1/2 ton SWB I bought for $500 and sold for $2600... and so on and so forth. It fuels all the other crap I have to put money into.

Travis

 

Harrison-
Thanks for the encouragement. I didn't know rodding was about entry to the "high dollar club".

 

Keep your eyes open you will find something.

Look at the plymouth the 1933 is pretty cool and affordable!

 

I've been in the old car hobby since the early 70's. any 32 Fords were always seemingly twice the cost of a Model A, and the parts were always twice the price. And Ford did have a limited model year in 32, and Chevy did outsell Ford that year. (Ford also lost $50 on each 32 they produced in 32)

The Model Y, designed in the USA for the English market (and built in opther plants in Europe) was the design used for the next Ford V8, the Model 40, produced in 33 and 34. The Y was a lot sleeker and the 32 was viewed as a redesigned Model A Ford and Ford felt it was time for a style change. BTW, Henry took two 30 Model A's to Florida, one was equiped with a banger, the other car had a V8 mill, to try out the new engine.

The only 32 Ford story I have for you is when I was sent to Saginaw MI in the summer of 73. I worked for a tool and die shop and had experience driving my uncle's Dodge Farm truck, so they got me licensed as a chauffeur to legally drive for hire. I was sent to Saginaw Steeering GEar with a load of dies and prototype parts. I missed the turn and went another block to turn around and saw what I thought was a Model A in a guy's back yard. Short story is that he was an engineer at Saginaw Steer Gear and the Model A was a 32 Five Window, painted purple, his old college car when he went to Michigan Tech in the UP. He wanted to know if I was interested, ($600) as he was putting an ad in Hemmings the next week. Missing the full house flathead and the transmission, it had a set of 16" bent spoke Kelseys and a set of juice brakes. The only thing wrong was that the gas tank pickup was rusted off halfway, so you had to keep over a half tank full of gas in it.

As I already had an old car, (I bought my first 30 Model A coupe for $25), I didn't need another one, and going back to school that fall $600 was better spent on college tuition.

Today $600 for the grille shell alone would be considered a deal.....

I couldn't afford it then, and can't afford it now. Hell, I can't afford the stuff that I own today, (4 30-31 coupes, and a 29 tudor and a 31 Tudor, running/driving 28 Woodie)

 

I paid for mine by busting my ass - making something from nothing.

Not bitching about what others can afford.

JH

 

32 prices hmmmmmm
family - food - shelter - kids college-new couch ????

priorities is all it boils down to...
money or no money
TRAD hot rodding is still fun at any entry price..
wanna play ... pay something to do it
Too expensive???
STAY HOME AND READ YESTERDAYS NEWSPAPER!

I THINK EVERY ONE HERE HAS BEEN ON THE SHORT SIDE OF MONEY AT SOME POINT AS THEY THOUGHT RODDING MORE FUN/AFFORDABLE THAN BUYING/OWNING A NEW CAR.....
ITS A DIFFERENT GAME NOW!
THATS WHY TUNERS AND RICERS EXIST CUZ ITS CHEAPER FOR THE NEW GUYS ..

MY WHOLE 17 CAR COLLECTION IS VALUED LESS THAN MOST NEW CARS OR TRUCKS PURCHASE PRICE ... I HAVE WHAT I WANT ...OLD STUFF
DO WHAT YOU WANT WITHOUT GETTING IN OVER YOUR HEAD!
HANG IN THERE...........
PAPERDOG

 

32's, since the 50's have always brought good money. About the $1400 grill shell, when your building a $100,000 car, $1400 is nothing. I could never afford that, but it's always been like that. So...I bought an A. I like the body style over the 32 cuz I have something about visors. The 32 has never stood out as anything special in my opinion. I think it's the most popular due to folklore and hipe, and you can see what that does for prices. On the other hand, how much did you pay for your TV? I went to Best Buy the other day and $5000.00 for a big TV was mid range pricing. Now, how many of you, back in the day, would ever imagined paying $5000.00 for a TV. Incidently, I still have my 21" Toshiba I paid $200.00 for. Oh well...the beat rolls on....

 

Exactly - I VOTE for a tech week


lets see some work getting done - too much talking about the obvious lately.

 

hell yeah... i would RATHER run a 28-31 coupe, or roadster, HONESTLY..

i dont get the 32 craze.. millner wasnt THAT cool, LOL...

i love the grills, cant lie, i have one for my 29, but i dont dig the bodies much... the older lines do more for me..

 

I want to say that's the January 1962 issue, but I'm not certain. I have the issue, but all my old magazines are in storage in the basement and I'm too lazy to go look. I did look on the Inter-Net for a photo but couldn't find one. It's the issue with a car (cars?) on the beach.

No one has mentioned '32 trucks.

I am building a '32 truck because trucks are SO much less expensive AND I can haul junk around with it. Functional art. I traded design work to get my truck cab and bed and bought a second parts cab for $300, so it's definitely possible to build a truck for a "reasonable" amount.

Harrison is right, though -- it takes some money to build a hot rod. If we were really interested in inexpensive cars, we'd be driving Kias and Hyundais. Hot rods, no matter how you rationalize it, are luxury vehicles.

 

...I hear ya Don Haring about the '32 trucks...I was building a '32 highboy pickup when I found the 3W body. If you look in the pics, you can see the '27 roadster body I was gonna build and put on that '32 frame...that's when I found the pickup body, so I switched gears and started buildin' the truck...then I found the 3W.... I went from having a low-dollar project('27 T), to a medium-dollar project('32 truck), to a stupid $$$ project in about a 1 year timeframe.

 

I think the CC pickup is one of the best looking '32's. They should be advertised as the rare Budd-bodied 3W utility coupe...

 

Hey, neat photos.

I hope to be at the mock up stage soon. I need to gather all of my parts into once place so I can get started. My truck will be a late-40s fenderless highboy, so seeing your mock-up gets me all tingly.

In addition to the truck, I someday hope to build a '27 roadster on '32 rails. The Keith Tardel built Todd Walling Roadster is one of my favorite cars, ever. photo from Rex Rods website

 

Although I have a couple steel cars in the barn now to build , the car I am building for myself right now to drive has a fiberglass body, Yeah I know all the arguments but even in a recent post by Ryan there was a really cool 34 3/W with a glass body and a incredible "Traditional look".

The whole point of building a car is to drive it, I don't want to live in constant fear of my car getting ripped off or wrecked because it's steel and irreplaceable, therefor I don't drive it as much or am in such fear as I am driving it I can't totally enjoy it,...... Say what you will but when all is said and done it's not what material the car is built out of, it's the heart and sole of the guy building it that determines whether it's a traditional car.
After all unless you are rebuilding a "Historical Hot Rod" you are just building a "COPY" or "REPRODUCTION" of what was done in the day,..... a lot of the cars being built today have never been a Hot Rod before.

So it all comes down to how bad you want to build that car you have in your mind, if you can't afford or find steel,.... than consider fiberglass,....
if you can't stomach the thought of a glass body,.... than sit on the porch and watch the other guy's Hot Rods go by (you coulden't have wanted it that bad at all ),..... after all you should be able to see from the porch if that other guy's Hot Rod is glass or steel right ?

 

I picked up a '36 Chevy truck for the same reason. I will have an ALL STEEL ride for a fraction of the cost of a '32. How cool it turns out will depend upon my efforts and skill, not the year make and model.

The prices are not limited to '32 stuff. A 2x2 Edmunds bare intake, NO CARBS for a flathead 346 Caddy just went for $2650 on ebay. I've been looking for one for a year and a half. I'm looking at other options now. I have to. $2650 is more than I have into the truck, the engine, the E&J headlights, the parts I've bought ....well the WHOLE project so far. I'm damn sure not gonna double the price for a scrpit logo buried under a couple of carbs HOWEVER cool they look.

There are other ways. There always have been. Now I gotta go find one. that's the fun part of the hobby to me.

 

This is too funny!
My 1st 32 part cost me $40.00-Firewall, 2nd 32 part was actually a BB 1&1/2 ton stake truck with brand new Denmans all the way around=cost me all of $200.00, 3rd was a commercial shell for that same tuck with glass fenders=$100.00 bucks,4th item was a $50.00 amp gauge which I later got 2 additional ones for free! 5th was a grille shell that was hanging in the peak of a garage that I got for $50.00=(On my roadster now) The 6th was a 32 chassis off of ePay that I bought for 1240.00 @ the last min.
Was I happy yup! but it was in Colorado & I live in Ca. drove there & back in 3 days & 350.00 in gas. Also came with an extra gennie rail=tattered but usable. The 7th & most expensive @ the time was a gennie cowl & doors, that had been metal finished and filled except for w/s posts & cowl vent.
Doors got sent back=2 different ones. paid $2500.00 for it Then I had to have a body made around it utilizing brookville panels. I can't tell the difference between their repo cowl & my gennie, that's how good I feel those guys are.(#8) That was another $8 grand and took a loan on a house.
#9 was another complete running all gennie take out chassis from a Brizio rebuild. that one was almost as expensive as the body deal & it took part of the sale of the house=$9 grand.
I have bought many other deuce parts as well as 34 & T & A-bone parts. I've also bought many Muscle Car parts as well as Classics. If I like the stuff I always seem to have to pay.
Hot Rods have been by far the most expensive with a very low profit margin if any.
I've bought many other cars & turned then with in a week,month or year & have doubled my money.
I am not in the car scene for selling of my cars, cuz that is where I have fun-in them. Now do I want sell some that are projects that I may never get to? yes. Are they priced for the big money?-no just what they should go for on the open market.
Speed equipment is where my job is. It does not afford me to step up up to that all steel gennie 34 roadster that I want, but my glass one has been doing me just fine for the past 13yrs.
As for a 401k= What the beep is that? I don't even have one of those
Just a quick way to show how things have gone up over the course of 15yrs=lol!
Good luck with the A project, one will eventually pop up.

 

August 1961 ...



One of my most favorite covers ... ever ... IT hooked me too ... at about the same time as Bruce Lancaster ... ( we are both OLD ... ) ...
I swore I would own one ... someday .
Been lucky and owned a few Deuce Roadsters ... " Henry issued ones "

Interesting story about the Neal East roadster is that it was stolen ... and later recovered ... and went thru a bunch of folks hands before it was restored to it's former glory.

 

Model As are cool, but they didn't make em with three windows.

(save your pics of the prototypes and sport coupes, you know what I'm talking about)

IF I had enough money to put one together.......... I would. And I'm not alone, apparently.

 

"Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore, it's too crowded."

-- Yogi Berra

 

Holy shit, something good FINALLY came from this thread. Thanks Gotgas, that car rules!