so since this is a 'traditional' hot rod forum, the hot rods should be built the 'traditional' way they did back in the day right? i bet there wasnt alot of model a bodies laying around to just find and assemble over time, but instead running, driving stockers, right? so in theory, even though a running, driving stocker most likely will be found as restored to original condition, why not buy one and build a hot rod the 'traditional' way? i havent completly decided to do it or not, but im sure the before and after pics would raise hell with the other guys. here is a pic of what i want to start out with, or something similiar. it'd be cool as hell as a sleeper too. lmk what yall think. oh yeah, this isnt my car. just found a pic off an auction.
Problem is you won't use 90 percent of what's there. Most of the time the body is all you'll use. Now a 32 and up car you're plan makes lots of sence. I did buy a Model A sport coupe that was restored most of the way. Everthing was done except putting it together. Chassis all done and car was painted...just needed put together. Paid $4500 for it. Sold off the running chassis and fenders for $3000. Now I have $1500 in a panted ready for a chassis body. Not a bad deal. Clark
I think it pays to start with a nicer car. I don't know if a fully restored car is the answer either though. You'll use the chassis, body, possibly fenders/hood, but most of the interior and drivetrain you'll probably swap unless your building a hot banger. The wire wheels you could flip, and you'd probably want it lowered and the stock axle isn't worth anything. Plus a juice brake upgrade. You could probably even leave the paint if it was a half decent color. Hell, I'd do it. Just don't have it look like a crappy rat rod, or like a crappy 70's resto rod, and you'll be in good shape.
I was thinking about this kind of tear up a pristine stocker scenario while reading the Harvey's/Johnie's Broiler thread. It's just an old Diner/Model A. There's lots more of them around... Why not just tear it apart and build something else with 10% of it and toss off the rest? You'll need a '39 Ford and 48 Merc too for the "hotrod" parts. Just scrap out a couple of those while you're at it...
One day I will follow your plan. I want to do a 1936 sedan. restored stocker,add brakes,later flathead and trans. Dropped axle,reversed eye springs. Then I will start buying milk by the quarts so I can drive to the dairy three times a day!
i made a thread about this a couple years ago,,,i was thinking the same thing as at the time it seemed cheaper to buy a grandpa restored stocker than a rusted out body in the classifieds... ,,my plan though was to just add juice brakes,dropped axle and springs and an OHV V8....
Hey Dooce -- Pick up the new issue of HOP UP and check out the Model A two-door built out of a nice stocker.
I always had the idea to build a car from "junk"---meaning not cut up an original car. I think there is enough cars still out there that can be built, but I can apreciate a nice ,original car---I don't think I want one,but like a restorer told me once, "Stock cars are dinosaurs--once the're gone,the're gone!" But---all I want is HOT RODS!
Yeah there are a lot of advantages to buying a somewhat restored stocker, but consider the pitfalls of how they repaired the orginal body. honestly, you can only inspect it so much. at least when you buy a body you can see what a rotted piece of shit it is, for the most part.
That sedan is for sale $18,500 and yes it is cool I was there during the build. Any questions PM Porkshop.
i built mine from parts. i always thought tearing up a complete car thats lasted 70 years was in bad taste.
it's easy to take a nice car and build another nice car with it. takes a real man to take a piece of crap that is only good for parts and put it back together. ....at least that's what I keep telling myself when my friends come over and look at my 57 chevy project and shake thier heads wondering what the hell I was thinking when I started this mess.
Same here, that's my philosophy on projects anyways. 'Tis far better to rescue the neglected than destroy the preserved.
That is a tough one. My local hot rod shop had a guy come in with a nice ModelA pick up truck. He likes the way it looks but doesnt care for the way it drives. They are putting a new chassis under it for him so he has the look he wants but can drive and enjoy a safe reliable ride. Oh ya and a V8 flathead. I have always found start with more end up with more. Just my opinion. Hey build what you want. You are the only one who has to drive it.
My phillosophy... all of the hot rods back in old days where built from more or less driveable original cars. Because they were cheap. Young folks could afford to get them and build them. One built hot rods long before other restored them to original specs. Sure it takes a man to day to take that rusty field car find into a shiny hot rod, but thousand of young dreaming kids back then took a shiny car and turned it to their dream hot rods. Rebelling, hell yeah? There is allways a fight between original restorer and hot rod builder, but nowadays You even can find old hot rods at those concourse events together with other rare old cars. The old dog is allowed to visit the livingroom or how You say it. My -30 coupe was an old running unrestored object in 1975 when a guy in So-cal made it into a shiny original restored runnin dream. 30 years later, found in a garden under an apple tree without its roof, with cracking matt paint and sorry tires, it made my dream come true. Ok, it wasn't cheap and i had to ship it long from the original hot rod scene to have it in my garage, but for me it's an traditional hot rod. The old way from the old place.
If Groucho hasn't yet sold his '36, check it out in the classifieds. Wouldn't take much to make it a tasty driver, and his price seems very reasonable.
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 dont 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 dont 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, thats the way to go. You may end up having more money and time in the car than its 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 title are worth that. Part of the fun for me was to do exactly as Dooce suggested, 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 dont have the cash or cant take a loan, this simply wouldnt 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 didnt want to get in over my head for my first custom and am doing a rather straightforward AV8. Its 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 title, you can literally build one from repro parts. Bottom line, its my car and I can do what I want with it.
Actually a year or so back one of the automotive publications ran an article along those lines. Not the angle of building it the old way but that restorations or partial restorations were a good deal at the time and made good hot rod fodder. I got a friend here in town that about '62 bought a '40 ford coupe out of a doctors garage. First thing he did was primer it over pristine factory paint because that's what he saw running on the local track, then went about hopping up the flatty, gutting the tranny for zepher gears etc. He still has it. its still gray primer but he finally finished up makeing the mods etc that he couldn't afford when he was a kid. Nice old car even if it does need a paint job.
around here original restorers are cheap ass, well i suppose many hotrodder wannabes around here are aswell, nothing should cost nothing, unless they sell it, and besides many "restorers" cheat alot with bondo etc... what might look like an great body is just a bucket with bondo, an car that has 70 year old paint on it can often be more truthful on their condition then restored cars.. only reason for me to buy an restored car would be for the body, the grillshell, the title, the front axle, and the frame, rest isnt worth much anyhow even to restorers, maybe i could bring in 1-2 grand on the other stockparts, and then i would have to deal with the pain selling them... taking 3-4 months to unload it... on the otherhand buying a car that needs restoration still will include parts i do not need that i can sell of, but then the condition of them wasnt really included in the price for the car mentally, to pay like 5-8 grand for an unrestored model a is mentally the price of the title, body and frame and grillshell, and maybe headlights, the other parts was just the dirt under the nails that came with it...
Hey zgears....where did ya find that pic of pissed off john travolta for your avatar? Sorry man...home with the flu...the fever is making me more retarded than usual.
I saw one several years ago, seems they changed it with MOSTLY semi-bolt-ons, including drilling some holes, but could POSSIBLY be returned fairly close to stock. For example, unbolt the front axle/wishbone and wheels, and put it aside. Roll in a dropped, juice brake, split wishbone, and whatever wheel and tire front end. Maybe you could fab some wishbone mounts that utilized existing holes. Do something similar in the back. Put in a mild drivetrain that wouldn't turn the structurally sound(for the standards of when it was built) but un-boxed frame into a pretzel. You could be creative and build mounts that didn't require butchery. Possibly remove the stock crossmembers carefully(I believe they were all riveted in), and fab new ones using existing mounting holes, designed to add strength to the stock rails. Maybe box tubing that fit inside the framerail(but not welded TO the framerail), tying the front and rear x-members. Put the fenders and hood in the attic, and mothball the old engine, tranny, and rear axle. This was the jist of the magazine article, I believe it even had some how-tos of how they did mods in the old days, like splitting the wishbone without using a kit from mail-order.
You take a nice, stock Model A and then knock the fenders off, hop the mill a bit, swap some rolling stock around and you could put together an early style rod for sure...
Stock cars are good to start with. A better body means less work but nearly all can be made into your personal rolling art driver.
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