Hey everyone. I'm looking for some real advice, and maybe some constructive criticism. I started this roadster project about a year ago and I had every intention of finishing it. Problem is, now I've got a Model A 2 door sedan body I could be using and I want to know if the roadster is worth putting any effort into. Basically it's a mystery cowl mated up to an MG midget body, with quarters made out of '68 Chevy truck front fender openings and an extended tailpan. The chassis is a '69 Chevy truck and the motor is a GMC 305 V6. It all seemed like a good idea when I started but maybe I should use my good parts on the A and scrap the roadster idea? It would be really unique, but it would also be foreign and 70's vintage. If I keep on it, plans are to use a '42 Ford I beam on the front set way farther forward than the gay truck IFS on it now and make some kind of 4 link for the rear, finish welding the body together and probably paint it with green base coat, 16" Ford wire wheels, blah, blah, blah, any opinions here? Is this a cool, original idea or am I wasting a good grille shell/radiator/wheels/parts/effort on something that ain't worth it? Please be honest, and if you like the car, I'm open to suggestions on how to improve/finish it.
well dude i like it & think its greqt but i am a freak but its so org looking if you want to swap or sell it off it off or parts of it like body let me know i have some A stiff good cowl & doors & the back of a A 4 door was going to weld up a freak but yours is so much kooler also got a 40 chevy coupe & am in your state way north in superior
Not ta be hard on ya-But sometime we ourselves see little more than we want to see in a project.... Ive been guilty as many many more have, too. Id say use the parts on the sedan and have somthing more mainstream and valuable.......Just my opinion tho.
Unless you want to build a show car called "Train Wreck", stop the build. (meant in a nice way...) Mutt
Glad to get some responses, I guess I should phrase my question better. Thanks Tikifreak, glad you like it. For the rest of you, thanks for your opinions, they're appreciated, especially because they're honest and not just polite BS. I guess, if you don't like it, is it because it's ugly, or because it's a foreign 70's car? I would think it'd look a lot more proportional once the axles are in the right place and the column is in the body. I'm pretty sure I can make it look like a hot rod, but I don't want to be the guy with the fenderless Beetle who thinks he is as cool as the original paint '30 coupe across the street. All opinions welcome.
the body could be some thing cool but the height and location of the frame make it look bad . scrap the truck frame and build a 2x3 box frame with kick up front and rear and you would have some thing decent.
I wrote my post because the car looks like it is going in too many directions. The frame is too big for a fenderless car, the front is hot rod, and the rear is sports car. Possibly you could pull it all together - I don't know your capabilities. I wouldn't use my time to build that car if I had a model A body waiting. Mutt
I afraid I'm going to have to agree with the masses. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, problem is, if the beholder wants to sell it, then what? I'm not saying that it can't be done, but is it worth the time and effort? I'd say use what you can, sell what you can and build something that will have appeal to you and a potential buyer. Just my 2 cents.
Is that worth building? As it sits right now, I'd have to say NO also. But...... sitting on a fabricated 2X3 frame w/ the "right" proportions & stance along w/ running a chopped down windscreen, then I'd have to say yes. Maybe narrowing the body up behind the cowl would help too. I'd be interested in the body too, but as far down in Texas as I am, the shipping would prolly break the deal.
I hate to say this but I actually kinda like it, Its kinda sports car inspired...which is kinda traditional if you look at some of the sporty east coast rods. It would need some serious work to look really cool, channeling it would make it look pretty sick. A more traditional motor would help too maybe a banger or even a newer four. Should stick it on a model A frame too, that chevy frame is not doin it any favors. I'm all for some crazy inspired body styles especially blended with a sports cars. Its gettin harder and harder to stand out at car shows and that thing would scream different! Just my 2 cents. Johnny
I have a thing for those kind of homemade hoopties. If I were you, I'd leave it EXACTLY like it is. It sorta documents something...I don't know what....but...something I'm sure. Build yourself a nice looking hot rod out of something else (to prove you're not NUTS)....and then bust out the "freak" every once in a while and have a blast. That car is perfect the way it is...(cause its so bad its good). Its kinda like an Ed Wood movie. Don't change a thing on it.
NOW I'm getting the kind of responses I was looking for! So the consensus is that the frame is hurting it. I have an extra Model A frame laying around, would that work, or am I better off making one from scratch? No saving the Chevy frame, even with an I-beam up front to replace the horiffic IFS? I was thinking that, but I didn't want to admit it. So no one is going to bag on me because it's a foreign body? I guess British tin isn't so bad. Anyone else like the idea of running the GMC 6? I've never seen one in a hot rod and I'd love to be the first to do ANYTHING in the world of hot rodding. I don't suppose anyone could make a photoshop picture of the car channel'd over a made from scratch frame running the 6 and wire wheels? That would be a lot of work to do that, but would it look right? The body can't be that bad, I've already had a couple of offers to buy/trade it, and I might just do that if it goes to someone who'll actually do something with it. Please, more replies like the last few, if you don't like it, tell me what I could do to make it right, or tell me WHY it can't be made cool. I've built lots of customs before, but this is my first attempt at an early hotrod, so maybe this one would be good practice so I don't ruin the A?
Build your own frame. Use the straight axle. It does'nt really matter the origin of the sheetmetal just what it looks like completed.
its not pretty now but its got potential. i agree that it could look pretty sick with the right stance on 2x3 tubing and channeled. obviously you can work pretty good with metal. i would narrow the body a bit, weld the doors shut, chop the wind shield, and put a cooler mill in there. like a early chevy, nailhead, rocket, etc. and chop the grill a little. thats all...
I've got other engines I could use, including a couple Chevy I-6's, a '54 Desoto Hemi, and a '59 Edsel 292 Y-block, but I thought the GMC motor would be cool because it could possibly be the ONLY hotrod ever to use that motor. I like traditional style but would like to do something different. I really do appreciate all the advice though, some solid good comments so far, I'll try to take a couple more pics of the car and post them up.
First off I like the basic roadster body but I agree that frame is hurting the looks. Take and build one up outta 2x4 box and get the lines right. Beam axle and looks like you can go with a cowl steering setup. Get rid of that GMC V6 The do make quite a bit of torque but it is way down low and if it is as light as it looks you will want some RPMs. The Six is a good idea or Maybe go and find a Y block. It has a late 60s 70s demented look to it so maybe a set of Crager SSs and a set of steam roller rear tires. Neat project Now my mind is starting to work. I have a 87 Suzuki Samurai and...... No Must Not go there!!! Dawg
Dig that photoshop, looks a shitload better there. Here's a few more pics of it. Can anyone identify the cowl or the taillights? I think the car looks a lot better in this first pic, but then, a father always thinks his child is beautiful.
HA! I just looked and you are absolutely right. '48 Studebaker. Boy, and I've had those lights for over 2 years and never had a clue. Thanks for solving the mystery.
Tail lights are Studebaker, I believe. Not sure what year or model, though. Seems like I see them on eBay regularly while surfing for Stude junk I can't afford. *beat me to it, Mutt. A decent side view shot will give the photo-shop guys something better to work with. The grille looks waaaay to bulky for the car. Either find something else or chop & narrow that one you have to "more suitable" dimensions. I'd prefer the Chebby I6 over the Jimmy 6, but thats just a matter of preference. The Jimmy 6 would be something different, & would work OK as long as you aren't out for break-neck speed..... but that defeats the purpose of hot rodding, don't it? The body having Brit origins shouldn't matter. Its mostly hand fabbed, so I think 90 percent of the people out there would be impressed w/ the metal work regardless of the parts used to do it. Hell, makes me wanna find a junk MG tub & go to work. If you removed the body from that frame (yes, the frame HAS to go, IMHO), removed the windshield, then took a picture & posted the same question, I'll bet you'd have gotten more positive feedback on it. In a sea of A, T, & deuce-based rods, that car could definately stand out at the shows. If you decide to build it, keep us posted.
It is going to take HOURS to put this thing into a catagory that qualifies it as "worth building" in the public eye. But honestly, I think we all start with some pretty junky stuff. I know we(my dad, brother and I) have many times. Dad's 48 Ford was someone else's abortion. It had horrible begginers bodywork and a hack-job frame with an AMC Pacer IFS. The first time I saw it I thought we would pull off the good parts and scrap the rest. Instead dad stripped it all down and started over. He had to re-do alot of work that was already done once, but after he was done it looked bad ass. It basically comes down to visualizing what needs to be done and assessing weather or not you can do what it takes to get it done - it has nothing to do with value or potential value. Think about it. To the common pedestrian - anyone who starts with pieces of a rusted, run-down, 60 year old car is throwing money and time away in the first place - and everyone here has done just that at least once. When we drag that "project" home - regardless of what it is, it has no value. Just because you see other 29 Fords selling for 20k (or whatever) doesn't mean that when you are done building yours up - it will be worth 20k. You have to be able to MAKE it worth 20k. Bottom line is this: If you can make it worth YOUR time and effort - weather it actually has a market value or not - then build it. Not because you can make it have a certain value, but because you can see the potential and can make it a reality. Ohh and if you do try to finish this one I vote for a new mill, a wayyyy chopped windshield, a homebuilt frame w/ a heavy channel and a competely different grill/shell (that one isn't flowing at all). And for gads sakes if you are going to be doing this strip all of that nasty paint off. #1 It really makes it look bad when it looks so trashy - rust here, stripped paint there, primer here, old paint there - it's confusing to the eyes. #2 After you strip the paint off it'll really look like you have gotten somewhere (motivation). #3 When it's all one uniform color - either sans paint or all one color of primer - you'll be able to see the lines and the flow of what you are building - it'll help you visualize what to do next (more motivation). It takes balls to be different - you've at least got that going for you right now. This place is so packed with talent I doubt I could have posted that monster for fear of being rebuked and caned. Let's face it - that thing is rough right now. Good luck - however this turns out.
Great advice, Broman. Glad you looked right through the "what it's worth to a potential buyer" stuff. I'm going to have to think about this one for awhile. Maybe with a sectioned grille, a different frame, an I-beam, and some wheels, this thing could really look like it's worth playing with. we'll see. Thanks for your input, that one was easily one of the most well thought out posts I've read yet.
I think you're going about this all wrong. That frame sucks. The body could be cool, hell it is cool, just needs some love. T bucket style frame, get it low, not stupid low, cool low. Look at the pictures I'm posting, the back end looks similar. Don't put the sedan body on that frame either. Dean
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