Projects Hot Rod Dreams

I want to pull an old carc*** out of a pile somewhere and turn it into a hot rod. The a bucket low boy or a 30's coupe with a flathead eight, stripped, simple is my dream. Don't even know where to get started past the fact that I am close to buying a house with a barn...life long love of cars, minimal tinkering, more on motorcycles, grandfather had a garage full of em when i was growing up. Any advice?

 

Yes. Spend a few more months reading and learning here before you post again. Answers usually require more specific questions. How much money have you saved up?

 

There are many A's still left, here in New England. You will find all you need to build a car if you follow all leads and are not in a big rush. I just hauled a nice 28/9 A roadster out of a "cl***ic" big New England barn just today, to get it running for it's owner.

 

I would love to go digging its anyways been a hobby of mine. Any good places to check out, boneyards, piles, hoarders, etch?

 

Research. Research. Research. Don't watch any of the TV shows, where they build one in 6 weeks. It's all lies.

 

Sounds like you just like the idea.

Start by trying to track down a body...good to start a build with a ***le already in your name too...not always easy.

the rest is easily attainable. you'll need to teach yourself how to do the work.

 

Desire,dreams and execution come with knowledge.

I suggest as others have pointed out spend some time wading through the threads that appeal to you and start saving photos of the types of cars or trucks that you feel would work for you.

Since you are new here & new to hot rods I would advise to start out with something simple and try not get in over your head with a complicated build and end up with a project that never gets completed. HRP

 

Go buy a few 1/24th scale kitset hot rod models, and build em. May sound dumb, but a lot of the top hot rod builders started out this way. It teaches you how to identify parts, how to get the right look, and if you dont like what you create, you can cut it up, and start again.

 

I agree with HOTRODPRIMER. I would get a car that runs and drives and requires minimal work and get a 'feel' for the car hobby. Too easy to have a pile of rusty parts spread across the garage and never get anything put together. Its too easy to take apart a car and get overwhelmed and discouraged. Good Luck and welcome to the HAMB

 

You've got the right background experience, mentioned in the first post.
Unless you are a Taurus , or for some as yet unknown reason, stupidly stubborn, you'll test the patience, yours, partner's, and any kiddo's, unless it can be fun to have 'them' at least peripherally involved.
A few folks here recommend Vern Tardel's book on how to build...and certainly attend any runs or cruise nights, to get a closer view of stuff.
Hang in there, the desire does not diminish. And either learn a bit on welding, or find a buddy who can help with it.

 

Patience...any build is going to require lots of time and frustration, some stuff will work, some things take four or five tries before you find a solution. Pay for stuff in cash...don't go into debt for an old car. Paying interest on lost money is almost as bad as taxes. Try buying someone else's stalled project if this is you first build. Doing one from the ground up may not be the best thing for a first build. The money you spend in someone's abandoned project may pay off, let somebody else lose money only to give up when the wiring or bodywork or something else kills their desire. We who have built them can tell you a hundred ways to **** up a build. In fact, we've done it, that's how we know. Keep the HAMB in mind, it's an abundance of info and help/

 

The biggest advice I can give you from a guy doing his first ground up frame off build. Before you spend any money on a car if you do not already know how to weld, learn to weld. Buy a quality 220 welder take a cl***, practice practice practice. You can not build a hot rod with super glue. It's one thing if you buy a running car and are just going to bolt on some parts. But if you want to build a car you must learn to weld. John


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App! Using iPhone 6

 

Ac***ulate big piles of cash.

 

Yes welding seems like an essential skill. I'll go for that once I get my house deal situated and set up the barn shop. I'm interested in an A or a 50's car I think. Will scroll through cl***ifieds and take the advice that a ***led runner is a good jumping off point. Open to any and all additional comments. I live in MA, looking to hit up any remaining shows rides runs etch if anyone knows of any. Thanks!

 

It doesn't get much simpler than an A if you can find a good candidate to start with.
Parts are still around, just not quite as easy to find, or as affordable as they were a few years ago. What you cant find (e.g. wood, brackets, etc) is readily available in the aftermarket thanks to the restoration demand.

X2 on the welding.

 

Read and search the hamb here as much as you can before you get to work

 

I just flat out jumped in. Purchased a decent stock 1930 5w coupe. Been studying the HAMB and attending shows figuring out what I like and don't like. I'll also be attending welding cl***es.
You could do the same.