Hot Rods Ever build a project based on one single part?

Kind of like that Kohler commerical where the lady ask the Architect to design a house around a plumbing ficture. Did you ever base a build off a single part and what was that part?

 

You mean like a Hemi? Didn't even know what I was gonna build until after I got the engine...

 

Almost one Part...

I bought a set of Wheels at the HAMB Drags 2 years ago.
Bought the Car a couple of weeks later.




I had done that once before.

A buddy of mine bought this set of Minilite's.



I asked him to tell me first, if he'd ever sell them.
He asked " Why? They wont fit your car..."
I told him "No.. But they'll fit a Mallock."
( that was a couple of years before I found my Mallock.... )

 

Engine, set a wheels, windshield, intake.

I know a guy who built his whole car around a La Salle ******.

 

I bought a set of Barker Hi-Lift rocker arms for a '52-'53 215 Ford I6. I didn't have the engine or anything, but I used to have one years ago... fast forward a week on craigslist, and I picked up a '52 215 with factory 4 speed out of an F1 junk truck for 50 bucks... another week and I had a cotton buggy stripped down for the model A frame it was built on... etc etc...

So I guess I started this whole build over a set of rocker arms.

 

A 57 corvette steering wheel, so now I'm trying to use corvette pieces through the rest of the car.

 

Bought a 47 Olds grille, then built this around it.

 

I was going to build a 34 roadster but had this dash with the 32 Lincoln oval so I'm building another 32.

 

My '32 fordor is being built around the only part I had left from a '66 El Camino that was stolen and never recovered.

The chrome knee-knocker tach.

Just about every other part (except for the body) is coming from JimA and SoCal.

 

My 31 on 32 rails roadster was built around a new Magnum Axle Camaro disc brake kit a pal gave me.

We were discussing me building a dry lakes roadster and he tossed the kit at me and said, "Here's a start."

Y'all know where that went....

 

My entire 34 is built from whatever came around, pure luck really, and damn good friends.
My next bike will be built entirely around a gas tank I found on ebay.

 

im in the planning point of this, an intake for a flatty with 4 97's!

 

I built my bucket around a NOVO grill shell I found in the attic of my garage.

 

found an old Porsche 356 hubcap, and ended up building a (real, not a kit) speedster. Never used the hubcap though. Wrong size....

 

I built a 31 A roadster around an Iron Duke. Great combo, shoulda kept it.

 

Yeah,,,I started with a set of these,,HRP

 

does a "wallet" qualify as a "part"?

 

I bought a right hand drive glovebox door in '85 and decided to make my '56 bug rhd 'cause my friends said there was no way I could... I did build it, still own it today... anything is possible if you want it .

 

Super Bell dropped axle turned into a '28 roadster

 

Couldn't afford a 1937 Harley project 15 years ago, but I convinced myself a an original rear fender was a good buy. Bit by bit I collected every correct part for that bike, along with many one year only parts. Sold it last month, new owner will debut at the Detroit Autorama.

 

I'm building my 26 Tudor from a body only does that count!

 

...got a buddy who built a 48 Ford panel truck cuz he had the fender skirts!..and they were universal skirts!...turned out great.

 

Used to be a saying about making a project from a single part:
"Hey, look - I found a horse-shoe"
"Great - now all you need is 3 more shoes, and a horse, and you're in the cavalry"

How long ago?

Civil War.

 

Yep. Found a cool Mack truck speedometer in a junkyard. Built a 48 Willys station wagon (2WD) with a SBC, cast iron powerglide and early Camaro rear around it. Drove the snot out of that car for fifteen plus years; even p***ed it around to other family members. It finally rusted away.

 

I bought this
and built a car under it.

 

I started out with this .And then received my coupe from my friends father

 

An Eelco oil pressure gauge turned into my '29 PU.

 

my "buddy" had a set of FE fenderwell headers. He bought a 58 Ford 300 Custom Tudor Sedan. It didnt' get far and the SOB sold it to me. And for an extra $200 I bought this damn set of headers. Well, six months, lots of bucks and too many headaches later, the 58 is done. 390 FE, toploader, g***er look. But the freakin' fenderwells wouldn't work due to the steering geometry. So I hate the car, put it up for sale on the HAMB, try egay, advertise locally, take it to swap meets, no luck. A year later, I need a BIG hemi to put in my Willys. Yup, "buddy" has one. So we trade. And I give him a ton of cash to boot. Basically he got the car for nothing. But I kept the headers! Now he is trying to sell it. It even got in at HCPU.

So now I have this expensive Hemi and a set of fenderwell headers for a Ford FE motor. Anybody need a set? I probably have a good $5000 in them!

 

I've got 3 things I was going to use. Maybe jsut one now, not sure...

Baghdad Intl Airport, 2003. I "found" a taillight on a ZSU-23-2 Soviet/Iraqi AAA piece that we captured. It looked like a 32. Right then and there, the hot rod gears began to turn. I got it home (no, it's NOT a war trophy-haha), and looked it up. Sure enough, it's a 32 Ford piece. Crazy. It had some tan camo over spray on it. Still does. Think I might mount it on my roadsters (now non-existent) quick change as a 3rd brake light.

Since I was a SOF helo gunner (now I'm on the things in my avatar), I found a few parts in the s**** bin. I have a couple .50 cal flash suppressors that I was trying to figure out what to do with. I almost put them on my old shovelhead and made forward controls out of them. I still am kicking around doing something on my roadster. Then again, it might trash it up a bit (aka rat rod), and they are large. About 7 inches long, and,um, almost too large to wrap my hands around to make a shifter. (go ahead, say it)!

And finally, I still have the aluminum 125cc piston from the first dirt bike I ever restored. Was thinking of using it for a shifter knob, might look nice all polished up.

 

First marrage,but turned out the computor was defective and could not be replaced.