track roadster market?

as im sure many of you know. i am working on a track type roadster right now
this car started life as a 28 sport coupe and i changed alot of the proportions around on it to make it look ok. then i made a nose to try to emulate the period of the mid 30's indy/board track cars
i havent been working on this car much lately due to space issues but i will get back to it soon
this car has a flathead V8 3 speed ****** banjo rear etc.
i am going to list it for sale when its done in the spring


but while working on this car it has me thinking. theres not really anyone building traditional track roadsters from the 40's/early 50's
i know there are the few who build them for themselves and are happy with them. but you dont see alot of interest in people putting in the effort to build them.
it seems ALOT of people really like the look though
is this because of the cost of having someone else make alot of the necissary body parts?
im talking about cars such as the eddie dye car, the niekamp car etc.

i know steve moal builds track looking cars but they're rather high tech and out of the budget of even the average "gold chainer"

I'm considering doing my next car to sell as a full blown track roadster ..a "real" roadster but use a 302 ford motor and a 5 speed transmission..8/9 inch rear
have the car look all old on the outside and have the design ideas of the days gone by but have a more available motor/******/rear
so any joe schmoe can hop in, bang gears and have fun
something that actually could have been built in that time period but then updated to the new motor

obviously this is for the resale standpoint with the motor and stuff
if i were building it for myself i would still be sticking with the old motor and whatnot

i should add....i am trying to let this turn into a business where i can build a car "for" someone but for now i have to work it backwards and guess what someone will want and then try to sell it to them.all in all in the end i want to stick to what i like looks wise and keep my reputation for old traditional cars

well i just wanted to see what anyones thoughts were on this as im going to try to market the car to more then just my little group who would like pretty much the same thing i would

thanks for any input
Zach

 

I love your car, I'm borrowing heavily from it for mine.

I'd also like to add narrowed single seat racers, there was an article about some model t cars in one of the hop up annuals, and I think a couple of them were narrowed. I like how they look, not very practical, but very much purpose built. I don't see many of them being built ethier.

 

thank you nate
see that frame on the trailer in the background?
its a 32 pontiac...i have 36 chevy running gear with 17" artillery looking wheels and alot of odds and ends....and guess what its gona be???
single seat narrowed 3 spring 23 T modified with a race type grill

 

Zach, you have a good eye. Trust your gut and keep doing what you're doing. The "market" will find you.

 

I'm thinking that if you put together a quality product, and have a market either by yourself or through traditional marketing, you're gonna be able to sell it. We're living in a world of m*** production right now, and a LOT of people are hungry for some hand-wrought craftsmanship. Whether or not those same people have the checkbook to feed their yen is another story. Looks like it's well done, though, and that goes a long way.....did you see the story on here about the guy who bought the red Ford? Word of mouth and reputation are an important commodity in this business.

 

I too think it would be a fun job building cars all day long. But building them to someone else's tastes would take most of the fun out of it.

I don't remember who said it, but a "big-time" car builder has the phlosophy that he builds a car for himself. Then if it sells when he's done with it, all the better. I think he never has to worry about them selling.

Based on the above car, I would bet you'd never have to worry about them selling either.

 

kevin,
do you think people would pay the correct value for something such as that when a fibergl*** copy could be had for pennies on the dollar?

i figured people willing to pay what it would cost to do a nose would be just as willing if not rather have the entire car built.
it seems im going to have to search for more of the "thick wallet" crowd due to the time involved in making the noses
Zach

 

You're a machine with a very good eye! I look foward to seeing that.

 

thanks for the compliments guys

 

Zach, your cars are KILLER! You have a great eye for detail. With that, I don't think you'd have any problem selling a car built YOUR way....

From looking at your posts, you are one of the FEW guys building 'correct' cars and I really like that.....I'm sure others do as well.

 

If you build it "they" will come.. But build it your way. You have an eye for sure..

 

hmmm,
i see what you mean kevin
that gives me a good perspective
i guess i just thought people would be creative and do a nose like you made....i really thought that was an amazing idea
kinda one of those....wish i woulda thought of that!!!
just hammering it out is the easy way...all you have to find is a metal supplier and hammer away

anyways, thanks!
Zach

 

The track nose idea is cool but I think if people are willing to commit to a track nose enough to justify the expense of haveing one made or buying a metal one, they are going to want something unique not something 'm***' produced...

The beauty of the track nose is that everyone from the oldendays is a little different than the others. They add individuality and personality to the cars they are on.

I would really like to run a track nose but would not run one that was even part of a run of 10 unless there was some way to personalize it.

I like the completed car idea...

That way you build it how you like and sell it for what you think it's worth...

That's kinda what Rudy Rodruigez does by the way...

 

There must be a market for track nosed T's or Mickey wouldn't have tooled up a kit for them:

http://www.tperformance.com/street_rods/King_T.cfm

 

I am glad I found this thread. I am starting a car along this line but I am doing it the hard way believe it or not. I am building an all Chevy rod lol!

I love what you got going man!

 

thanks,
if i can help you out at all let me know
on here or e-mail
hotrodav8@aol.com
good luck with it
Zach

 

Brian Stinger of Stinger's Hot Rod Shop is producing a complete 1927 Track T Roadster. He is producing a "Indy" style nose un-like anything else out on the market. I bought the very first Track T Indy nose from him and still have not seen anything that comes close to the style. The body lines and shape are eye-catching and correct. Most After-market noses are too out of proportions to make them look like anything. Attached is the car I am currently building. It is a
Stingers Hot Rod Shop body/nose. The hood and side panels are custom built out of Aluminum. The grill is being made out of Stainless and will follow the shape of the Track Nose.

Most people who looked at this before thought it wasn't correct in some aspects but I wasn't going to argue about it since they were referencing Dirt track cars and this is more styled to the Indy influenced style of the late 40's or early 50's.

 

I'm wondering how much money you'd have to charge for the parts you make in aluminum...and how much money you'd figure you'd have to pay yourself to make it profitable, pay the tax man, and keep the wolf from the door, the electricity on, etc.

After a trip thru the venders at the NSRA Street Rod National's North in Kazoo, I'm noticing a lot of "offshore" parts...(Even the Edelbrock Air Cleaners are imports)....I know that these people on the other side of the world are working for a handfull of rice, but the markup must be pretty good for what these parts sell for. If you want to go big, that might be the place to go...the Orient....

I think that if I had this talent/ability/ambition, I'd make up an aluminum car body and offer it for sale, either to an enthusist here on the HAMB or perhaps on EBay. Make them one-off, or to a standard design that would fit, let's say, a Model T or A ch***is...and go from there. Save the profit money and put it towards a better method of manufacturing to make it easier on yourself.

I'm thinking that you could probably make three bodies and have the third one be 100% profit...It sort of figured out that way when we were building T Buckets in the early 70's....

 

i think of the same thing too,
been making enough $ to get by too.

however,

would you want to build 4 cars for $14-20k
or 2 cars for $30-40k+
TP
(just approximations)

 

I'm in the imagineering process of building a Torpedo Roadster based on a narrowed 46 Ford Ch***is. Unsure if it will be a single or twin seat yet. I'm going to use a 46 Cowl, narrowed and stretched. The body will be narrowed 46 Coupe body sides from the rear door post back.
I'll use the stock front end and rear ends underslung to lower the center of gravity. Engine will be something Long and Lean. Thinking of the "Tractor Front" sheet metal.
This should put it somewhere between the T Speedsters and the 30's Couchbuilt specials.

I've also been thinking about the Market for such an animal. It wouldn't be that difficult to m*** produce (20/20) a year using modern drive train components.
Then again I don't really care for "Cookie Cutters" for the GC bunch.

From looking at your work I think you would have to One Off's for you to be happy. The entire car is personality.

 

I purchased the second Zipper Lakester Darrel built as a roller with a number of one-off features. I provided the axles, banger motor and drive train. Out the door in 1998, I paid a bit over $10,000. Considering the workmanship, innovation and quality of materials, I considered it a bargain. I finished the car with some help from friends.

There is a market out there for quality rollers as well as finished cars.

 

thanks guys
dennis,
can you post or e-mail me a picture of that car?
i'd like to see what someone gets for 10,000
just trying to get a picture on value
thanks
Zach hotrodav8@aol.com

 

You have the eye for this style so just keep doing what you have been doing and people will buy your builds. Over the last ten years there has been quite a few track roadsters built with modern running gear & traditional running gear, so either way you are on a winner.

The aluminium you used to make your belly pan and radiator shell, what thickness was it?
Cheers

 

thanks
the aluminum on the belly pan is straight .050 3003 half hard (h-14) most of the parts without shape are made from that.
the nose is 1100 SO on top and non annealed 3003 h-14 on the sides tig welded with 1100 rod... thats .062thick
Zach

 

I like what you are doing and you have the right eye, Zack.

I think there may a market for "m***produced" track noses in metal, since there are gl*** versions to be found.
The trend of wanting a steel/metal cars is growing. I guess you could do both some standard products and build one offs on the side.

Wish you the best of luck.

Paul

 

Thanks for the info Zach, it will come in handy when forming a belly pan for my roadster