Heres a topic anyone with a project car will relate to... I was adding up the cost of stuff I've bought for my roadster project that doesn't fit or is somehow not needed. So far Ive bought * an engine tube - wall too thin * swap meet spindles - wrong type * FI drum brakes - must use discs by law * steering box - wont fit * set of F1 rims - no safety bead All up i've spent several $100's on stuff - rod building has a steep learning curve. I can offload some of these items I guess but generally no-one else wants em either. Let's see what other guys have spent... Steve
Been there, done that. My projects take longer than my memory is. I bought a new pressure plate and clutch to only remember that I already had one with some other stuff. Rust panels, same story. Made some then found the ones I bought. Brake drum bought on e-bay, wrong size. Wrong ring gear and pinion also bought on e-bay. Repopped fenders that did not fit. List goes on.
I usually convince myself that the wrong parts I buy for the current project are the right ones for that "next" project. Oh yeah, I also tell myself it's just like money in the bank...uh-huh.
hey steve, ill buy the F1 brakes and rims if you want to unload them, I dont give a **** about street rod guidelines!!heading south anytime soon? pm me.
Hey Steve, I know what you mean. I keep track of all my vehicle expenses and found it's best not to add them up. I've just started using E-Gay to get rid of some of the wrong parts, and recoop some of my money. So far, so good. Also consider dragging the stuff to a local swap meet. There is always another ****er..er I mean customer that needs that stuff-MIKE
LOL, that is an integral, time-honored part of building a car!! I have bought about six thousand bucks worth of parts that I have later decided to not use for one reason or another. Thank goodness I didn't spend quite that much, I got some super deals. As I slowly sell the excess off, I... ... buy MORE stuff that doesn't fit the bill like I thought it would , but at least I get closer all the time. For instance, I had bought out a couple big collections of 394 Olds parts, and as I progress, I look back and realize I am only actually going to use a half-dozen items total!! But I have gotten some badly-needed and extremely difficult to replace parts from the deals. Some of the rest was sold for more than I paid which covered a lot of the rest. I had TEN blower manifolds for the 394. Still have a few but sold more than half already since a year ago. I discovered that for some strange reason the Weiand manifolds don't seem to fit like a glove and that I'd need some very thin spacer plates (no the intakes weren't for 371's either). I figured if I had to make spacer plates I would check into adapting a better blower manifold to the Olds. Lo and behold, with some research I found that SBC large-port compe***ion blower manifolds were pretty close and fairly adaptable, and 440 Mopar ones will be extremely easy to adapt (by the way it looks anyhow). I just bought a new BDS 440 intake off eBay for a great savings over the new price ($375 shipped0, and of course by selling off more than two thousand buck's worth of the 394 blower manifolds I rounded up over the years (6 came from one collection alone), you can see where I am going with this... It's not all bad. Frustrating at times, but not always a bad thing. Best of all, you get to learn and to compare parts that are in your hands and become an expert on certain parts. That info gets p***ed on to others as long as you are there to share it.
So you guys need disc brakes and safety beads on the wheels to get registration?? What about restorers then?
I often catch myself fabbing parts for days and weeks that are supposed to be not availible. Later on I usually find them at jegs or speedway...the same items, just better looking and cheaper Chris
Gaz, Restorers don't fall under the street rod regestration system we have here. so they can still use that stuff. Steve who sold you a engine tube made from thin walled tube. If it was somebody local I would be taking it back and asking for my money back. If you can't use it then nobody else in Australia can use it either......... Have you thought about getting the rims changed to a beaded style rim, It can be done.
We must have a tube or crossmember under the engine in case the engine mounts fail. Most guys use a bent up round tube 3mm thick with mounts welded to it
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