What was your first hot rod?

First five cars, in order, '66 Caprice 2 dr 396, '55 Chevy 210 2 dr sedan, another '55 Chevy 210 2 dr sedan, '65 Catalina 389 but first hot rod was '30 Model A coupe, photo taken in 1976

 

'55 Chevy 6 cyl that I did up for cheap ....girl in the pic was "blacked out " by the next girlfriend . Put a warmed up 265 in it ...shoulda just bought a used 327 .

Terry

 

Well seeing that you put year restrictions on this thread I'd have to say my '57 Buick Special Riviera 2 door hardtop that had only 26,000 miles on it.

But a very close second was my '48 Panhead Harley.

You see.... I read the part that said 1960 and older!

 

In 1968, was bagging groceries at the Ft. Belvoir, Va, commissary. I took a ladies groceries to her car. It was a 1955 Chevy 210 two-door with a 6-banger. I asked her if the car was for sale. She said it belonged to her husband and they had just returned from Germany with it. That night he called me and said I could have it for $125.00. Couple months later, I installed a 327, Cragers with Mickey Thompsens, and a tear drop blister on the hood.

 

Since were talking older than 1960, it would have the be the '32 I'm driving now. But that was not my first hot rod.

 

Somewhere along the line hot rods morphed into street rods. I want to say the last of the hot rods were the 1962 Corvettes.

 

WHAT???

Not!

Many other cars from GM, Ford and Chrysler fit the bill 1962 and beyond!

 

Bikes are ok? I guess it would be a 53 Ariel 500 hunter twin i chopped when i was 15.

 

Yeah! Fit the bill of ......60's Muscle Cars are "Street Rods."

 

Either an AMT, or Revell...

 

Got the fifty-six in high school ... pretty rough, put in the 327 and Americans ... got my license jerked for 90 so found the grandma '55 and yanked the heart etc out of the 56 and scraped the body. But I consider the 55 my first hot rod .... she was a beauty!

 

At the age of 14, a friend of my father's gave me his mother's 54 Ford Sunliner. My father told me I could do anything I wanted to do to the car , as long as it was in driveable conditon every morning during the week so he could drive it to work. So, the first thing I did was to remove the bumper guards and fog lights that were on it. After that I decided to nose it and deck it, dechrome the sides, and french the headlights ( well, kinda..... I just bondoed up the headlight rings to which my father asked how would replace the headlights when they burned out? ). I reversed the rear shackles, installed a Cal Custom scoop (on the 2 bbl carb) and put an 8 ball shift knob on it to finish it off. Eventually , my Dad took me to Sears and Roebuck and we bought a couple quarts of candle apple red paint that he and I painted (brushed on) on right in the driveway. School nights, when he would come pick me up at one of my friend's house, he would let me drive the 3 miles back home. Quite a thrill at 14 years old. That's me in the red shirt adjusting the carb for the new scoop.

 

Nope, mine was most definitely a hot rod, and it was built later than '62.

 

Are you keeping it a secret?

 

Got it on my 16th birthday...a 50 crestliner with cracked block for 50 bux..scored a 53 Merc engine and dad and I rebuilt it with new rings/bearings, put headers and an Offy intake with a 55 buick 4 barrel carb...ran great!

 

55 Chevy 150. Rip snorting 307 and super t10. Had it for a long time. Wish I had it back.


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OK, I'll play, it was a '55 Ford Victoria V-8, Auto, triple black beauty...$125.00 in '68.
.
.

 

That's WICKED.

 

Somewhere around '69 or '70 my older brother convinced me I should buy my cousin's 1947 Mercury coupe (I was 18 the the time).
He had bought it in Virginia when he was in the service then brought it Michigan. It was dark metallic green with a black 'hyde interior. All original drivetrain. Only problem was, when driven for a few miles it would heat up. We tried everything we could think of but could never get it to stop boiling over.
One day a guy stopped and offered me an old Harley parts bike (we were working on another old Harley at the time) and $100. for the car. I did the deal, ending up with a '42 Harley 45....that I rode home.
I'm not sure which one would be worth more today but if I could ever find that old Merc I think I'd sell my soul to get it back.

 

My 35 phaeton was my first rod. Before this I had street machines and other cars since I was 17. I restored a 66 Fairlane convertible that I sold to build the 35. Now on my second rod.

 

my first real (to me) hotrod was my 49ford coupe. damn i loved that car. flathead 8 dual exhaust.. i had some old rusty cragers that i stripped the chrome and painted gloss black and used chrome wheel nuts and found some old white letter tires(yeah i know but hell i was 19). put the 3 speed shifter in the floor and had a freind nake me a stick that would clear the seat.interior was perfect.knew the windshield was leaking some and oneday i stopped quick for a lite and the driver side glass to off for the street!! met a pretty little girl who wanted me to get a car with a heater and what do i do, traded my beloved car for a 71 lemans that had a fuckin heater and promply totaled it! now no girl and no car.

 

A 52 studebaker commander 327/350


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My first hotrod, also first car was and is (I still have it ) a '55 Chevy BelAir 2dr sedan. My dad boght it for me for my graduation present in '84.

 

Still got mine!!! 32 Roadster!!!!

 

First "hot rod" was a '54 Ford with a 390 and a 3 speed and 4.11 gears when I was 17.



A dozen cars later at 21 I built my first one, a '31 coupe with a 289.



The good old days.....

 

That's some cool stuff Smitty. My first one was a '51 Chevy 3100. Got all the cool stuff chrome plated, painted it in the backyard. When the 6 went, we dropped it a 350/th400. I lowered it, made it loud and drove the piss out of it. It's still in the family. I sold it to my brother and he gave me the '62 I have now.

 

Mine was a 49 dodge wayfare convertable a real roadster with slip in windows and no back seat. Bought it in 55 and put a carson top with 10 " window, 2 97's milled head straight clutch, lowered, decked and split exhaust. All done with lead

 

Guess its your definition of hot rod. I have had some muscle cars, vettes, etc, but my first real hot rod is the one in my avatar that I just recently bought back. First got it in 1975, sold it and just bought it back last month. It was like getting a divorce from your first wife only to find out you loved her all along and finally got back together to reminisce and enjoy life together again..

 

'56 Chevy Belair, 283 w/ 3 speed. $125 and when you stood on it from a standing start you couldn't tell tire smoke from engine smoke. Smoked so bad you had to cut it off at a stop light or die waiting for the light to change. Loads of fun with no money!