32 Deuce Coupe- $100 Chopped Roof- $190 Glass Work- $60 Rolled & pleated naughahyde interior- $350 "Bobbed" fenders (four)- $100 Handmade firewall- $80 Slicks (pair)- $100 Chromed reversed rims (four)- $150 Shaving handles & countersinking hinges- $150 Body channel and frame alterations- $700 Cand apple red paint job- $400 Handmade headers- $200 Suspension modifications- $200 Nerf bars (pair)- $80 Reworking grille shell- $45 Late modle V-8 engine & installation- $450 Blower & engine modifications- $850 Total- $4155 Sports Illustrated -- April 24, 1961 "The Amazing Hot Rod Cult" Pretty amazing huh? Ah, the good ol' days.
That $4155 would buy almost 2 new full sized cars in 1961........about the same amount ( 2 new full size cars) will build the same 32 now....
I was selling Oldsmobiles in '67 A fully loaded, with NOTHING else left to spend more money on, new Olds Cutlass 442 was $4800 and a bit of change. A cheapie no options at all 250" six powered F85 we advertized as a loss-leader for $1888. On the other hand, my rent was $65 a month and my parent's mortgage was still the same $62 a month it had been since 1953. They've always been out of reach of anyone who didnt have "Fun Money" above and beyond just scraping by. By the way I was a lousy salesman when I was 18 so I got a job as a clerk with the County and made a whoppin $416 a month salary, $4992 a year, and two of us lived on it while also going to ight school. We bought a $200 60 Valiant to replace the $200 60 MGA when it cracked a head. The Valiant was cheaper than parts for an engine job for the MG. "Average Joes" building hotrods, ever, is just a myth. Guys have alwas had to have better than average income, (or neglect what they should be spending money on like their kids) to be able to have and build a car that isn't just the family car.
I remember buying a brand new in the box Holley 650 double pumper in 1970 for 50 bucks. 70 series goodyear polyglass GTs were about 100 bucks for the rear pair. Hurst competition plus shifter was 35 bucks on sale. I remember the cost on these 3 items because they cost more than the car I put them on! In 67 my old man bought a Datsun pickup and a 510 wagon for $3500 bucks. Both brand new.
I wish I had my scanner working... I have an original reciept that my Dad gave me for a car he bought brand new in Santa Barbara on March 7th, 1959... 1959 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe Red Paint, Red Interior, V8 230 engine, dual exhaust, Deluxe heater, push button radio, rear antenna, padded dash, white tires, wheel covers 2 speed wipers and washer, oil filter, rear speaker, outside mirror. sub-total... $2782.07 taxes..... ... $111.28 license......... $41.00 total......... $2934.35 one of these days I would love to get an identical car and give it to my Dad... not anytime soon unfortunately... Those were the days huh..?? not to mention a person working at a gas station or a restaurant could afford to buy a house..!!!
SamIyam posted a similar subject a while back. There were some interesting statistics... It's November 1963...
In 1958 I bought a complete tri-power for my 50 Ford. Complete, every part..$135.00....I had to make payments as I was only maken $1.00 per hour.=3 1/2 weeks gross pay..........OLDBEET
In 1962 a journeyman steamfitter was making 4.70 an hour...2.35 an hour for a first year apprentice...big money right out of high school. What's the minimum wage today?
When I started working in the 80s, minumum wage was $3.35 per hour. Employers did not have to pay even THAT much if you were in a position to recieve tips, or under 18. I believe it's $5.65 per hour now.
[ QUOTE ] ... I believe it's $5.65 per hour now. [/ QUOTE ] I think I rememeber the minimum wage being $1.25 in '66. The calculator says it should be up to $7.14 now just to break even. We are going backwards at the bottom end. But I' doubt I'm telling anything new to peope who are there. H.Ford's $5 a day in '1925 calculates to $6.60 an hour today
'32's don't cost too much nowadays either, if you know how to shop. I currently have about $3,000 in the parts to build my steel roadster. I have all the hard to find stuff including: - original steel body, hood, frame, grill, running gear - 3-3/8 x 4" Z-block flathead with Grancor heads and intake - Cad-LaSalle tranny - Kinmont brakes for the front - smooth Halibrands all around - real Auburn dash with curved Stewart Warners I may need every patch panel ever made, ten miles of welding wire, and ten more years to put it together, but it can be done on a budget. And I've only been collecting this stuff for the past fifteen years. Just watch the swaps and do your own work, you'll get there. alchemy
[ QUOTE ] ... And I've only been collecting this stuff for the past fifteen years. Just watch the swaps and do your own work, you'll get there. alchemy [/ QUOTE ] I don't know about the rest of the country but the Long Beach swap meet is something like $8 just to walk in the gate. That's $1440 to add to the cost just to search for parts for 15 years. (That's also why I don't go every month unless I'm looking for something specific and actually have the cash to buy it that week.) Yes, in isolated cases of "barn finds" when the owner of the barn virtually "gives" someone a valuable car, or body, it's not a given that a person's going to be able to build one that cheap, even if they do search for parts for 15 years. That's like saying if you play the lottery consistently you will win. Congrats on being one of the few who got lucky by the way!
A friend of mine built up a 394 Olds(out of his 61 Starfire)in 1962.It was bored 1/8th and stroked 1/2"(for 475 c.i.)using a Mickey Thompson nodular iron crank(with center counterweights)Step-Lock aluminum rods(had to notch the hell out of the bottoms of the cylinder walls for clearance)and 12 to 1 pistons,Dempsey Wilson roller cam,2X4 Edelbrock comp manifold(no heat)with 2 E-series AFB's and a Mallory Mini-Mag. The crank assembly alone cost 645.00(plus 30.00 shipping)and before it was done he had nearly 2 grand in it. I bought the engine in a basket in 1968 for 150.00,put another 50 in it to get it back together and ran it in a 50 Olds 4-door with 4.30 rear end. It would only run on 260 Sunoco(103+ octane)and at 34 cents a gallon cost me about 5 dollars a day in gas. I couldn't even imagine what it would cost to build today or for that matter to run.
I was reading the classifieds in a old hot rod mag(1962) there a few 32s and 34 with massive chops and totaly complete for under 1000..
In 1964 I was workin as a helper in a Jaguar shop and $1.15 was the minimum wage.......And I was drivin' a 1963 Grand Prix 421,tri-power,4 speed,posi,eight lugs...... try that on minimum wage now ......! Jersy Skip
My great grandpa and I spent a good deal of time talking 2 summers ago about his life in teh 30's in the backwoods of Lousiana. He made between 8 and 10 dollars a week, when I told him thats what i make an hour he was pretty amazed. He still thinks taking a car on a leisure drive is a waste and really hurts the wallet. He led a neat life and I love talking to him about the old times.
I hate to break this news to everybody..., but the last few years of the "Inflationary Index"..., does not factor in three important things...; Know what they are...? 1. House prices 2. Automobile prices 3. Insurance costs Check it out..., these are the most inflationary items bought today and they're not even considered...!!! I used to earn $40,000 annually in the late 70's paid $52,000 for my first 3 br House when I was single and 22! Today I'll venture a guess and say that most 22 year olds make that or less and would have to pay a quarter million for that same house!!! I feel the main reason Traditional rods are popular again is because people are putting these things together on tight budgets just like the teens did in the 40's and 50's...! Cripes..., I'm amazed of the stuff that the young guys are building today..., bobbleed, tuck, lukester, and many others on the HAMB with limited budgets and a lot of creativity...! (thats a compliment guys...!) Sorry for the "RANT" but I do believe that Tough financial times are bringing out the creativity in all of us...! Kind of forces us old Hot Rodders to think (and sometimes it hurts )
Cool stuff. I got together w/ a ton of Seattle-area HAMBers this past weekend and was just amazed by what was coming together in various garages. I think I counted four A's under construction. Lots of "I found the body in an apple orchard" stories that just blew me away Really inspirational to know that guys are still doing it on the cheap. And Old Beet, if what I heard you have in your Merc. is true...that's just amazing
The inflation calc. I found says that $4155 in 1961 translates to $24,277 in 2002 money. That's close to the average price of a new car these days. If you could've bought 2 midsize cars for $4155 in 1961 that means they were a fair bit cheaper than two "midsize" cars would be now. Of course those early sixties rides were wildly less complex devices than even the cheapest rice burner poop-box is today. Building a decent early car for 24-25K now is not going to be too hard but a steel deuce anything for that dough is going to be a challenge unless a good body just falls in your lap.
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