Features A Chassis Question

I think the Easy part would be to smooth out the roughness and make it safe. When that frame etc. is all set, the hard part would be to find the appropriate body to continue the illusion( you know, nothing fancy but just right)!

 

@Robert J. Palmer
You nailed it right here!
So many people overdo it when it comes to restoring or redoing cars. Just make it safe and leave the soul of the build as is!
I am researching my 50s chopped and channeled 32 five window and with talking to some late 80 years olds and 90 year old hot rodders about my car and what they did back then is inspiring to try to make it like it was, not like builds are now. I want to bring the soul back to it.
A few of the old guys were saying exactly what you were saying, that my car was built partly at a granpas service station, then bodywork in the driveway and painted in a parents cinder block one car garage.
I have a friend on So Cal who builds and restores period hit rods of world class caliber, most people on the HAMB know him and know his car as its quite famous, the chassis under it is ancient a few things are definately not up to par with todays standards let alone standards from decades ago, he could put one of his killer chassis under it but as he says, the car would lose its soul and all the stories it still has to tell.

So with this frame in this thread, clean it up a little, make sure its safe, find a suitable body for it and go have fun.

-Shiny

 

Hello,

For all of the chassis and suspensions on old hot rods/drag race cars we have seen, this one is questionable. The twisted front shock mount does not look right. Yet, they both are twisted in the same way. “Wonky shock mounts” is a great description.

It seems like the previous owner took them off of a chassis that had a front end smashed in and yet, it still worked and mounted a tube shock. It just does not look right. So, if I were to see this in a yard and wanted the rest of it, I certainly would check out the complete frame and change the whole front end. Including those wonky shock mounts. No Houdaille Shocks or mounts, but a nice strong tube shock(s) that fit.


Jnaki

It is good that there are folks that like those unusual items, but the whole idea of a Desoto Motor and transmission set up might be better used in a different chassis already set up for an open roadster for daily driving. YRMV

Having spent the better part of 5 months trying to fix an old hot rod front end, (327 powered 40 Ford sedan delivery) was worth it for the experience. But in the end, my friend who had been the “go to” guy for all of our family of cars’s suspension work, changed or replaced anything that was suspicious and not functioning as it should.

The 40 Ford Sedan Delivery now drove like any new car and stopped well for all of our safety needs. So, good that it was hard to keep my 20 something wife from taking it out for her daily drives by herself or would say, as we walked to the sedan delivery, “I will drive, today…”

 

If I owned that, I would leave it, if I start "fixing it" my OCD kicks in and I've ruined the History. It's a Hell of a way to live....

 

Has anyone actually built a bunch of hot rods where the last one was as crude as the first one? Hopefully, “things”are learned and better tools are purchased along the way.

 

You have never heard of living history?
The real deal hot rods and racecars were built by individuals who had their own ideas and problem solving methods which made every car different and unique.

The "modern standard" is to replicate a hand full of cars from by gone era or a modern car and copy everyone else's ideas, the current traditional hot rod scene reminds me so much of what the 1980s/1990s fairgrounds were. Other than color every car looks the same!

There are still underground pockets period correct hot rod movement where people are building cars in the true hot rod spirit and it's mostly in the vintage racing world!


Mike Letendre's (This Old Hot Rod) roadster




My Model A for vintage oval track racing.







Yes, we both worked some modern parts in to our cars, but we did it in respect to the past. I worked some square tube in while the rear bumper on my car in aluminum in mimics the steel channel bumpers of the past.



I have always said "It's more than just a car."
I can tell you where every part in my racecar came from, most were handmade by myself and my dad but there are many vintage parts that came from the real deal racers and hot rodders of yesterday!
My rocker N.O.S arms/rocker arms came out of the collection of Amos "Mac" Maccreery founder of the Kington Igniters.
The steering box came from Russ Betz owner builder of the 59 Every-Ready modified, he changed from manual to power steering when Maynard Forett drove for him, which means my car has a direct connection to Maynard.
I two of the hubs and one of my Q.C. sideplates came from Rich Ricci. Yes, that is a Boss 429 in his car!
A few pieces came from Frank Blanchard.
I see these people when I look at my car, I also remember the roadtrips to chase down parts.
Like the trip with my dad to the old sawmill to pull the 261 Chevy of an old bunk truck and seeing him come shooting out from under it when the snake crawled out of the bell housing that was the hardest, I have ever laughed.