Thinking about the future of repop steel bodies...

I have been really getting into the Willys thing and my buddies and I keep comming back to the repop discussion and how I am betting that someday the 40-42 Willys will be done in steel at some point and one guy says no way.

As it stands right now we have new steel for the following:

32 roadster
32 3 window

33 roadster
33 3 window

57 chevy

67-68 Mustang

69 Camaro

Am I missing one?

I am betting before it is over with the following will be made:

55 chevy

32 5 window
32 Sedan

64-66 Mustang

40-42 Willys

and the Cuda's everybody pays so much for (70?)

You guys think I am off base on this?

Am I missing a new steel body I am not thinking of?

Anything you think might happen not listed?

One guy suggested 64 Impala's but I doubt that.

I would think the early stangs and the willys would be no brainers.

Most Willys are glass and one done right would sell...the stang is just obvious to me.

What do you guys think?

 

you can get early 50's Chevy cabs as well.

other then that, I think you got it nailed. What about 28/29 and 30/31 Fords?

 

Another possibility for one in the future is a 49-51 Merc (chopped).

Love'm, but I'm more of a hot rod guy.

 

Brookville already has em

 

well there ya go, shows how much I pay attention!

 

There are also the 33-34 phaeton, 33-34 Ute, 55 chevy convertible, 67 Mustang fastback, the ugly 27 roadster from Shadow rods and the 32 RPU. I remember seeing advertisement for a handbuild 36 steel roadster, am I right? Some other foreign cars do exist too but not in the US.

 

I was thinking about them as well this morning... but I was thinking with the price of steel (yes... it's going up in case you haven't heard about it here on the HAMB recently) that Brookville and anyone that pops out car bodies or panels these days is going to have to jack up the prices very soon. Here at work our copper/brass radiator cores have gone through the roof, aluminum is getting up there and battery manufacturers are starting to charge for cores due to sky high lead prices. This doesn't bode well for folks wanting repopped bodies and/or sheetmetal parts or the ones selling them. I'm betting the guys that sell fiberglass bodies are laughing their asses of right now. What kind of sound does a fiberglass 34 Ford make when it's getting crushed?

I'm glad I'm only a few pieces shy of all the original tin for my '29 right now. Anyone looking to give away a decklid that's just taking up room in their garage, barn or shop?

 

Model T's were hot once upon a time & then the men who could remember them started dying off.....

I'm 35 years old & I wonder if anyone younger than me will ever care enough about an early Ford to pay big bucks for a repop body. Will my kids ever want one? I dunno. I was born in '73 & like cars that are 30-40 years older than I am.

Generally, the only guys who can afford this new steel are old guys. Who will be buying it when they die off? ... & if they are replaced by more "new" old guys will they be wanting early Ford bodies? I think some of these companies (especially the "phantom" body makers) should be selling all they can, while they can.

50 years from now "street rodding" is going to look very different than it does now. I think the numbers will decline.

JH

 

Maybe also the 67 GTO/ Chevelle as well - the 60s are the new 50s which were the new 30s, after all.

 

Don't forget the British repops. MGB, Triumph TR6, Austin Healey Bugeye, and the original Mini are available in steel reproduction.

I wouldn't be surprised to someday see a Datsun 240Z recreation. The thing that seems to lead full bodies is a strong market for repair panels. Once you reach a critical number of those panels it only makes sense to put them all together into a complete car.

 

Fibreglass is getting more expensive every time the price of oil goes up as resin is a petroleum based product so they are probably not laughing that much.

 

32-34 ford pickups SHOULD be next or atleast the doors.

im waiting for the edsels

 

You aren't kidding... I have several friends that make high end carbon fiber and kevlar canoes, paddles, helmets, etc... and that stuff is nearly impossible to get right now. Resin and epoxy... also sky high.

<refrains from political comments>

 

im sure alot of stuff will be made into steel repops but im kinda doubting on the mopar sheet metal seeing as its damn near imposible to find even a new fender, that would seem like itd make it a no brainer for a repop but if thre keeping that much of a lock down on even repoped quarters ect i doubt there going to do a whole car.

the 64 ish stangs, i dont know why youd re pop them when theres 8 billion of them around. im from a town of like 3 thousand at most and theres probably a good 2 dozen plus 64-6 mustangs in town

and the early 50 chevy pickups? why bother there fucking all over, id say i know were at least 20 of them could be hand with in an hour or two radius.

there just doesnt seem to be a point to repop something thats all over and easly had already?

 

my money is on repop Toyota Camrys. Look for thwm in the near future.

 

I've wondered why they bothered as well- seems like a waste of time.

 

You can "almost" build a complete 'Cuda, Challenger RoadRunner, Charger, etc, body from all the sheetmetal that is being released....AMD is making alot of panels, full factory quarters, roof panels, fenders....only thing needed would be some of the "skeleton", like under the roof skin. But the price to build one from all aftermarket panels would be outrageous.

 

I bet Brookville will do a '32 5 window coupe soon, it seems like it wouldn't be to hard with the 3 window already done. But, then again - what do I know. Like with anything re-popped, it's a demand/price thing....if enough people want it and are willing to pay for it, someone will make it. They already re-pop most of a '55 chevy sheetmetal now, a complete car should on the horizon, I would think. If they are getting $10,500 for a '32 roadster a '55 chevy would probably be double that. And the last time I looked, you can still find a decent project '55 chevy for less than $10k.

 

Just get a freakin' glass body and let's go racing!

 

Isn't repop steel or glass like using radial tires?
That can't be considered traditional.

 

Uh...wouldn't "brand new" bias plys fall into that category?

I think the steel body biz is good for our hobby (although out of my price range).

 

At the Detroit Autorama they had a chopped 55 chevy pickup cab and a 32 B400 (?) the cabriolet style Vicky open topped thingie. Repopped steel.

 

Hug your mother for me she did well ..........Yup fiberglass resins go up with everything else..
dave

 

Doesn't somebody make a steel 57 chev ragtop body?

 

Some guy made a BUNCH of steel '32s a while ago, but they are getting kinda hard to find now

 

Brain fart for me...I totally fogot about the A stuff in new metal...that was the first thing done by Brookville. Duh!

67 GTO could be a good guess also...rag top and hardtop.

I wonder about things like 60's bugs also.

So few Willys were made and yet so many of them (mostly pro street) are around I bet a market exists for them.

Forgot about the aluminum Cobra also.

I wonder if the 40 Ford would ever be a candidate?

 

Hey,

Whoever ventures to repop Willys bodies, will have whoever winds up
with Chrysler's interests to deal with. Now that the Krauts have offed Chrysler, it
should be very interesting to see what happens to Chrysler's repopped sheetmetal license deals. Mopar/ Chrysler has always ruled
its' repop license deals with an iron fist!

Swankey Devils C.C.

"Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"

 

So are you saying that they don't really care about glass stuff but do about steel? Just wondering since so many companies do glass ones now.

 

Hey,

I'm bettin' Chrysler has "interests" in any repopped parts, in all forms
and materials, that depict any of the vehicles they hold as corpora-
tion property. This would include Willys, Hudson, Nash, Kaiser, AMC,
Fargo, DeSoto & Plymouth. Dodge & Chrysler bagged vehicles would
be a "no-brainer".

Swankey devils c.C.

"Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"

 

I think a chopped Merc body would sell pretty well. Since it's so expensive to chop and do all the usual modifications. How about some replacement "Custom" parts? Decked hood,shaved trunk,frenched front fenders,even a louvered and rounded hood? That would be cool!!!! Might put slddnmatt out of business,LOL!!!!! And some of you other Merc guys.....