Hot Rods PARTS YOU USED FROM OTHER MAKES BUT NOT NECESSARILY FOR THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE

Spreader bar made from a Model A brake bar.

 

Sold the '38 Ford pickup recently but she had a '46 Ford hubcap as air cleaner top and old VW backup lights for front turn signals.

 

My 33 C400 I used a 38 Chevy coupe decklid, and hinges which I downsized and fit to my trunk opening, It hinges from the floor now. Hinges were also modified to work as needed

 

Mirrors from motorcycle (pretty common).
Tach cup made from Camaro rally wheel cap.
Air cleaner made from the base of a bar stool.
Door handles from a janitor's closet at work

Works for me!

.bjb

 

In 1981/82 when I did the suicide doors on my 48 I used Kenworth door latches bought new from the Kenworth dealer for about 8 bucks each at the time as bear claw latches on my 48. Not real dissimilar to the bearclaw latches available from the aftermarket now. My buddy was wrenching in a truck shop where he had changed a couple of them out and showed me one and I ran up to the dealer and picked up a couple. I didn't buy enough pieces and had to make some of my own but they worked pretty well. I see the going price now is about ten times what it was in 1982 though.

 

In this picture of my Model A dash (finished now) you can see the drop down panel I made for an ownership badge and heater controls. It's a late model spring loaded gas filler door from a late model van. Turned sideways and latches up out of the way unless I need to use it.

 

Rear shock towers which were supposed to go into the Morris Minor trunk floor were Nissan crank pulleys separated by grinding down one edge of the belt groove.

 

My Model T safety door latch.

 

The tach is from Speedhut.com. It took me a month to get this thing as I customized it on their site as to background, text type, needle style and a few other parameters so, it spent two weeks in the art department and two weeks in production.

 

Like mine!

 

Always thought this was a cool tail light housing.

 

Some of you are pretty crafty.

 

Simple suicide door safety latches available at any hardware store. HRP

 

They work good, I used them for hidden tail gate latches.

 

Hello,

Our dad was a die-hard Buick Sedan supporter. Because he had a 41 Buick fastback in 1946 that he could afford to buy, what followed until 1982 were 9 other Buick sedans from 4 doors down to two door versions.

In 1963, our dad was in the mode of a 4 year trade in for a new car. I had just purchased a set of Buick Skylark Wire Wheels for my 58 Impala. I had them machined and installed for a true custom look as the next step in the 58 Impala development. Buick Skylark Wire Wheels were not the everyday conversion and installation on any car other than another Buick.
Thanks, @themoose
So, my brother wanted to see what our dad’s 57 Buick Roadmaster would look like with Buick Skylark wire wheels. It was a fun roll up of my new Skylark Wire Wheels to lean it up against our dad’s 57 Roadmaster.
Jnaki

The Skylark Wire Wheels looked great on my 58 Impala, but they made the 1957 Buick really look as if it should have been a stock item from the factory. He did like it, but had reservations about running wire wheels on his daily driver Buick Roadmaster.

A copy, think all dark blue for the appropriate Dad cruiser.

Despite the great looks of the Skylark Wire Wheels, our Dad had been told that wire wheels just were not a long term set up for daily driving due to wheel balance, alignment and constant adjustments to the individual spokes and nubs. Let alone the slow air leaks that occur at various times versus a normal steel wheel. So, as nice as the wires looked against his own 57 dark blue Buick, he passed.

Then, when he rolled up in the driveway with his new 1963 Buick Riviera that just came out to the dealer’s showrooms, he gave no thought to those Buick Skylark Wire Wheels. Aaaww , What about the Skylark Wire Wheels on the Riviera? One could think… ha!

 

I couldn't find a column drop big enough. So I went to an engine builder in town and they had some junk connecting rods laying around.

 

I have a aluminum Hemi rod that that has been gatering dusty waiting for the right car, someday! HRP

 

Speaking of 'connecting rods', I just made a license plate topper, yesterday........

 

Can't find the pic, but a few years back at the northenr nats I saw a car in the parking lot using the small mill handles as nuts on the rear leaf springs.

 

A number of years ago I saw a Model A coupe with a nicely curved connecting rod column drop. From the dash it went straight down and curved to the angle of the steering column. I asked the owner how he got that perfect curve in the rod. He answered "that's just what it looked like when it came out the side of the block."

 

If I can find some gauges that fit I might turn this 64 Corvair glove box door into a gauge cluster. Pic doesn't show it too well but its got a killer texture to it.

 

Thinking Outside the Box:
I used an adult walker, with single bed slats for an elevated Trunk tray in my 35 Plymouth PJ coupe. Works and looks ‘period’….

 

I still have my '54 truck and have sold a couple of the clock housings...I'm sure some of the purists out there are
crying just about now....nice touch, and nice color dash. Bob

 

I have used a '65 Mustang coil bracket on my SBC's..easy way to mount a coil with one 5/16" bolt...

 

Sorry; but no pictures.

The under-dash Model A bracket (either choke or spark advance, I don't know which) make a great sunglasses holder. Just bolt under any dash hanging straight down. I have one in Clarence, but he is at the painter's 2 hours away. Been using one for 30 years. Just run one earpiece through the hole and let them hang down.

 

I had a random tach laying around, with no housing. It just so happened that a Budweiser "nip" can fit perfectly. I need to dig that out!

 

I used a regular house door latch on the trunk lid on my T coupe. I bought it because the locking knob on the man door of the garage was giving me trouble. The latch wasn't needed so I reporposed it.

 

This cowl light (33?) Was laying on the ground after an auction. I converted it to 12v, now it's my trunk light.