Start with restored car?

Like I said, that's the dilemma.
And we are talking about two cars here, the hotrod and a "restored"? car, not just the hotrod.
The "restorer" that the thread is suggesting the ch***is should be sold to is going to want and is en***led to that ***le.
What your Plymouth or AV8 on Deuce rails is ***led as depends on where you are. I'm pretty sure they are strict about it being the frame vintage and make in places like Australia, and just about anywhere else if original numbers are used to ID a car, if the inspector knows and cares what he's looking at.
With all the **** coming down about Boyd style tupperware cars, it might start getting tight whether a car really is what's on the ***le.

And yes, I think that Model A body on a Deuce frame should LEGALLY be ***led as a 1932 Ford because the frame is just not going to have a Model A series serial number on it. It will have a Deuce number on it, or a forged number...

(Unless it's one of the last Model A's that were actually produced in 32, then it will have a *A******X* Model A number but it will be an A frame too...)

 

I see your point DrJ....a dilemma for sure...
I guess it'd come down to where you live and your local DMV. Here, it's no big deal to swap, say a '66 Chevy 2wd PU foe example, onto a later model 4x4 ch***is and ***le it as the '66.....

 

Derpends on whether you are planning on building a nicely "finished" rod, or some kind of "rat".

I can't speak for the others, but I for one, definately appreciate a hot rod (or a restored car) that has been built from parts or a car that had been neglected terribly over the years.

I get a little annoyed when I see or read about a hot rod or custom that was built from a restored or fairly well preserved original car. Most of the projects like that end up resulting in SO MUCH of the original parts getting replaced by newer components that it just doesn't make sense to me . Especially if a lot of body modifications were done too.

I like seeing a project that has brought another old neglected car back to life and back onto the roads where everyone can enjoy it. The guys that tear apart a perfectly good car haven't added to the number of useable cars on the road...they've just removed one of one style and replaced it with one of another style. That is if they actually finish it.

It's a shame to see some good cars torn up and completely redone, requiring all the same work that it would have taken to bring an old junker to the same level. There are plenty of old cars that need lots and lots of work to make them road worthy again. Why not work on them...instead of re-working cars that are already nice?

I wouldn't be surprised if a few years down the road, the restoration of cars or the value of original and accurately restored cars far exceeds the value of even the best street rods.

There will be restorers trying to find all the parts that were removed from decent original cars so that they can turn street rods back into original restorations. Too bad I don't have a big warehouse to store driveline and suspension setups that can be had dirt cheap as street rod take-offs. Store them a few years, then sell them back to the restorers.

Eventually it will happen. As with all antiques, the highest collector values will be for original examples.

 

I personally believe that rods and kustoms should only be built from cars that are already messed up/damaged/too far gone to restore,
-BUT-
when you can buy a complete restored car for less than it costs to get the parts to build one then I'd say do exactly what you're planning: CAREFULLY pull off all the useful parts and sell them to restorers. At least that way you're p***ing along what you don't need.
NOTHING pisses me off more than when a rodder or customizer (like, say, Jesse James or Boyd Coddington) take great joy out of destroying the "useless" parts they're throwing away off of a solid old car. Don't want the original hi-po 289 in that Mustang? Don't blow it up in your parking lot for the TV cameras, SELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO IS RESTORING ONE! Aren't going to use the gl*** or interior out of that clean old Chevy or Cadillac? Don't smash it all with glee for the cameras, SELL IT TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS IT! Hell, if it means nothing to you then GIVE IT AWAY!
I dragged my '53 Chevy out of a field where it would have rotted into the ground if I hadn't saved it, and I still sold off a staggering amount of stuff (even brackets and bolts), sometimes for just a buck or two but always to someone who really wanted/needed/appreciated it. AND I got back most of the money that I'd spent initially. That's just being smart.

 

Ya beat me to it!!

 

A couple points here hit close to home for me.

1. Its easier to build-fix-patch the bodies the FIRST time than redo someone elses work. I have aways prefered the weathered and bad looking bodies. Heres an example....... My buddy bought a cool 32 5 window that someone had fixed up nice looking, painted and driving car. I started to smooth out the body for him and was stopped in my tracks by seas of bondo, deep too.. I stopped exploring and I just refilled the couple spots I dug into and gave it a quicky paint and he sold the car. My buddy would have been farther ahead to buy the worst looking body he could find than redoing someone elses mess. I worked years ago with a body man who liked to say "I'll fix er up good or make it so nobody else can". That is true today with many old car bodies that have been fixed up.

2. I feel the restore "group" on the old fords, T's for sure and A's a close second, is going away. Not much interest and most today want to really drive their old cars, not just put around. The folks who can remember driving them when they were young are now way older. Too old to want to own and maintain one(still like to see them though). Around here the market for drivetrain and small parts from an A are very low.

So if you can do your own body work its a plus to start with the derilic body. If you hire it done it still may be cheaper to start with a bad looking body. All depends on whats under that nice looking bodies paint. Steve

 

Sister thread at:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107067

I think alot of it has to do with your experience level and how much money you have to start your project. The key is to know yourself before you start so you don’t get discouraged with a car that requires too much work, or take all the fun out of it by throwing too much money at it. If you don’t have a lot of money, get a body for a price you can afford and either know how to do the work, or are willing to learn, that’s the way to go. You may end up having more money and time in the car than it’s worth, but you can start having fun right away and pay as you go. Not really a whole lot different than taking a loan except you are paying the interest to vendors and other car guys instead of the bank. The more cash you have, the more options. Some folks enjoy the process, others want a finished car; money gives you the ability to choose what is the most fun for you!

I picked up my 29 coupe for $6500; arguably, the body, coachwork and ***le are worth that. Part of the fun for me was to buy an older restored car and decide what I want to change after getting to know the car just the way Henry made it. Of course if you don’t have the cash or can’t take a loan, this simply wouldn’t be an option. I have restored tons of Mustangs and Corvettes, from junkyard hulks to low mileage survivors, but building a hot rod is a horse of a different color. I didn’t want to get in over my head for my first custom and am doing a rather straightforward AV8. It’s a pretty traditional build, but not strictly period correct, mainly because I am not much of a machinist and am using mostly vintage Ford parts to keep fabrication to a minimum. The plan is to drive the coupe with the banger for a year or so while I build the flathead to get to know the car better and refine the build.

I do have my reservations about how far I go with rodding the car. I know for a fact that it has been restored at least 3 times, and respect that it has managed to remain a complete, stock car for 75+ years. Waxing poetic, I understand that it has already outlived several owners and as the car's current custodian feel obliged not to do anything that can't be undone by a future owner. With that said, the car is a nice 10 footer but it's no national champ. There were millions of A's produced and aside from the engine block and ***le, you can literally build one from repro parts. Bottom line, it’s my car and I can do what I want with it.

 

my friend did it with his '30 5w, well almost the body was restored, the interior and drivetrain needed work. but got the thing on the road with paint in a year and a half (after work and most weekends). my '36 i've been working on it that long and i'm still doing bodywork .

 

If you can afford it initially its the way to go, especially time wise, if you are working many hours,family, bills to pay..most of the hard time consuming work has been done..alot of the kustom cars start out that way

 

I'll chime in.

I bought a fairly nice 1953 Cadillac, and I am modifying, but I also am not going to crazy. Front and Rear drops (Springs/De-arched Leaf Springs), and a few other things. Nothing that can't be reversed. I wouldn't have done this though if the car were completely original. My car is not the original color,and the interior is not correct, so I don't feel so bad.

I'm on the fence though. I see both sides.

 

Yah, I'm in the same situation, old earl scheib paint and pitted chrome on my low mileage 54H/T, so I'm limiting myself a bit. Also, theyre thin on the ground down under. If I wanted (could afford) a rod, I'd go with an older restored car, cause it would be the most expedient way of getting a late 40's early 50's jalopy - they give me a chubby every time.

 

Start with the best body you can restored or not, because the guy a the body shop wont really care how much you cared about destroying a restored car when he hands you the bill for all the rust repair or panel replacement!!!
Good old saying: Dont get mad at your money!!

 

this quote was too funny and it made me laugh, just because it sounded so true

I never thought about this way to go about it, but the more i look into finding a good 30/31 A coupe body, the more it seems like not a bad idea!
CAB

 

Personally, I like to buy cars that are "done" and then make them my own with little changes (sometimes major changes as well). I wish I had the ability some of you guys have to start with a s****yard heap and turn it into a work of art but I don't have the skill to make it happen...or really the time it takes to do it right. Sometimes you get lucky and find a car that someome has dumped a pile of money/time into and you can pick it up for less than the restoration costs. Just my 2 cents.