Having read through most of these post, I would like to add my two cents as an 73 yr old man who has built a few cars. Save your money or take out a loan and buy a finished car in Sweden. You will save on shipping, have a car immediately and can enjoy it instead of working countless hours maybe years just to save money. Been there done that! Pat
American cars has always been big here. Back in the days until now they was sold new. At the gasoline issue in US 73/74 the Swedes was there bought allot of cars and many muscle cars. Dragracing went big here on the 70’s. Imports has been daily in decades. To be a small country we had way more US cars than ex UK, Germany or the Nordic countrys. When I grove up on the 80’s it was big but now it’s huge. I remember the first real nice hot rods on the 80’s even if they was here at 60’s, but now its common in all citys. Friends I know ( in max 25 minutes away from me ) had many cars ( if we talk hot rods ) and one build a Boneville 5w and has a very cool 30 roadster he did build -92 with a old Hemi on a 32 chassie/grille and another has new build classic 32 roadster and a new Pacific 5w with a 348 plus a original soft Henry 3w builded back in the days plus a plastic made roadster molded not far from here on the 90’s. There are also 2 other 32 roadster’s and another has a build-up now on a Henry 5w street rod and another has a new B-bille 3w street rod ( build up now ) and a B-ville 32 roadster on it’s way here that will be Rolling Bones style. He had one before but sold it, regrett it. A other one might had 10 of 1932 street rod/hot rods new made and Henrys and example a original 3w complete car. There are others aswell ( this is just locals I know ) -So it might be ( right now ) around me maybe over 25 of just 32’s in a area of 25 min by car... 50’s, 60’s cruzing cars is popular, dragracing is big, street racing is big and young gungs has turbo cars and +1000 HP and it’s cruzing in most town all summer, rat rods is big to and historic dragracing. Me I grove up with dragracing and went devoted in Mopar NHRA stock eliminator. I had a Super Bee 68 with stick/383 ( bought it when I was 16, race ready at 22 ) but get into Hemis I bought a 70 Cuda from Modesto in 2005 and has a brand new engine with parts from Line/KB I has working on for some years now. That engine has alu heads and all new trick stuff we can use in stock today, but do I like it, hmm - I might be old school. But at 700 HP and weight at #3350 it will fly in AA/SA. But at the cowid era I has look back on hot rodding, and my style is the pre 50’s race hot rods. I’m not into rat rod but how they was builded back then but I like nice painted cars. My Hemi Cuda has not has many new made parts on chassie and I has hard time on repro stuff. I also has several Fergusson tractors from the 40’s and just OEM parts. Guess I’m a pureist and will try get as much parts as possible pre 1950. But get into a 3w coupe it shore will be hard plus I think they are overpriced ( but that’s just me )
Pat, Shore youre right. One way is the road is fun and even if expenses will be more one build it the way one like. I has not now a budget to get a car as ex 3w Larry Rollings when he sold his coupe. There are 3w here in Sweden but not that common. I know one Henry original but at 120K.. Older street rods might show up but not common. If one build on B-villes and later sell them they will be expensive and few here are into my idea of pre 50’s purist race style. Shore, if one is for sale I can sell chassie. It might be a good ’deal’ - who knows if one wait. To ’wait’ is one option. Deals from US now is not the best as exchange rate is terrible plus freight, taxes and add up sales tax at 25%. Dollar vs SEK should be 6/7 SEK on 1 USD but now its near 10 and in USA pricing is really high on this cars Plus we are one of worlds highest taxed people and we earn less than in ex US to normally ( but medical is free etc ) Now we has a huge inflation, electrics is very high and diesel is near 9 buck gallon. But people that had good works and payed off houses and are mid age can afford hobby cars.