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Hot Rods Day Dreaming...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Oct 20, 2010.

  1. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

  2. squash
    Joined: Jan 26, 2008
    Posts: 70

    squash
    Member

    magnesium kidneys..... he would be proud!
     
  3. Malcolm
    Joined: Feb 9, 2006
    Posts: 8,032

    Malcolm
    Member
    from Nebraska

    Man, I love those two T-birds! I could see design cues (especially the wheels) carried over to your '38... I bet it'd look killer with some "Doane" styling!


    Not sure if you're considering new or old wheels, but have you checked out these?

    http://www.realrodderswheels.biz/



    Malcolm
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2010
  4. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Works for me. I'd swap out the things that are obviously totally non traditional and probably keep the chassis as if it works well. Plus keeping it comfortable enough to jump in and make the long hauls.

    And if we have all been day dreamers since we were 12 and discovered those cool car magazines that means we really didn't and don't have A.D.D. after all doesn't it.
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2010

  5. Jarzenhotrods
    Joined: Feb 20, 2007
    Posts: 820

    Jarzenhotrods
    Member
    from .......

    I read about that TBird in the recent issue of TRJ. Pretty neat if you ask me.
    You should save yourself the grief and build a Custom out of the 38!!!!!:D:D
     
  6. Yup, Doane Spencer "style" with a hint of hammer of the gods race inspiration..............I am totally with you there. And daydreaming about the Tudor here at work, the BLACK Tudor.
     
  7. sodbuster
    Joined: Oct 15, 2001
    Posts: 5,040

    sodbuster
    Member
    from Kansas

    With ALL of your resources in Austin, have you thought about a "bolt" in roll cage and spec-ing the coupe for Bonneville for a "door slammer"? I know/have seen that you have a HECK of a motor in that coupe & I bet thru friends down there in Texas you could have your self a Bonneville car for next August.

    Just a thought.........

    Chris Nelson
    Kansas

    Oh yea, a couple of "old" posts.........Hmmm.

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38679&highlight=hamb+bonneville+coupe

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3373&highlight=hamb+bonneville+coupe
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2010
  8. plan9
    Joined: Jun 3, 2003
    Posts: 4,078

    plan9
    Member

    i wouldnt sell either.... i bet you cam dangerously close. "Gee, with that money i can buy a nice roadster!". ;)

    tilt steering, contemporary suspension and airbags would bug me too. the drive line, not at all.

    sodbuster - thats a good idea.
     
  9. kisam
    Joined: Feb 28, 2005
    Posts: 1,922

    kisam
    Member

    Uh oh - 12 year olds aren't supposed to drive? I'm a bad Mom (or maybe a good one;))!
    [​IMG]
     
  10. The steering, bags, driveline, etc.... that bug you about the '38 are some of the same parts that have made it a bullet-proof driver for 15 years. Your Tudor & Coupe are nice but there's a lot to be said for being able to hop in, hit the key, & go - as far as you want, as fast as you want - without worrry.

    If it were mine I'd buy a Limeworks steering column & steering wheel. I'd keep the entire chassis & drivetrain & install a set of wheels & new black guts from Fat Lucky. I'd chrome the rollcage, column & garnish moldings.

    Dark gray magnesium Kidney Beans would be absolutely sinister....

    JH
     
  11. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    I'm definitely going to put a roll bar in it, but I don't know if I want to go down the competitive route with this car. I have... ahhh hemm... another long-term project going down that road.

    I have been thinking a lot about roadsters lately... a '29 on deuce rails... and I've been thinking about 37/38 cabriolets done up westergard style as well... I'm sick. But I can't sell this thing.

    If I'm honest with myself, the contemporary suspension and airbags do bother me, but at the same time I spent so much love on that thing and got so much help setting it up from so many special folks. The Mustang II was actually fabbed with the help of the crew chief from my race team. We bought the bags from a truck supply place as "AirRide" didn't exist yet. The 9" came from my first race car. Just so much stuff like that on the chassis...

    I'm afraid if I ditched it, that 25 years from now I would hate myself for it. So, I'm gonna keep the chassis pretty much as is... with some minor changes. And despite what I think of the aura, this chassis does perform pretty amazingly - handles, stops, and goes wonderfully.

    I am gonna put a limeworks column in it with an old bell 4-spoke that I have. I'm gonna redo much of the interior as well. As for under the hood, the big SBC might be getting a bit tired, but I am holding on to it as long as I can. That said, I am gonna change a lot of stuff under the hood. One of the things that kills me is the big ass chrome power booster I mounted on the firewall. That's gonna go... What was I thinking?

    There's a lot of little things really... I guess I grew up and left my car behind... But I still love the young, dumb, and stupid me. When finished, this car really was a pretty big accomplishment for me. I never thought I could do it... and I did... that means something.
     
  12. Don't feel bad Ryan. I have had the 54 sitting for a couple summers now. Small issue that I just have not been back to fix.
     
  13. onedge
    Joined: May 25, 2006
    Posts: 999

    onedge
    Member

    this too will pass? i hope..when ever I hear stories / ideas like this, I always say leave it build another, does it really need new tires, then you can change the wheels for the better, it's together leave it. It's a wonderful ride. But then again you can pull it off too, so good luck.
     
  14. I like this car. I like that it's not traditional underneath. It's like a fully automatic machine gun that looks like a revolver.
     
  15. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

    Actually, I always thought you nailed it with that car. I wouldn't change a thing.

    But then, Doane wasn't known for keeping a car one certain way... or letting it sit on its ass for a year. ;) :D lol
     
  16. Deadbird
    Joined: Jul 28, 2005
    Posts: 1,181

    Deadbird
    Member

    Never really thought that 38 needed anything. But I can understand where you're going here. Should be very cool.
     
  17. BISHOP
    Joined: Jul 16, 2006
    Posts: 2,571

    BISHOP
    Member

    They say our taste in things changes about every ten years, not completely, just aesthetics. Some of what we thought was cool ten years ago tends to look different. I bet its alot about the look of your car that has you wanting to change it.

    Just change the wheels and tires for now, I bet that will make ya happy.
     
  18. SUHRsc
    Joined: Sep 27, 2005
    Posts: 5,093

    SUHRsc
    Member

    Build a roadster....or a custom....

    let this one sit...think about it more.....

    To me the Doane Spencer vibe doesn't fit with a '38 Coupe... why would he have used a car like that? Doane was what we all hate to admit... a REAL hot rodder... always on to bigger and better...
    During the time that magnesium wheels were available, I'm sure a '38 coupe wasn't near the top of his totem pole of cars to build... hence a T-bird...

    Personally I'd buy a stocker chassis, swap the body and leave this chassis sit... its a big job but you can always just swap it back again someday if you wanted....

    You can leave this current chassis dissassembled in your attic or loft.. a reminder of the good times and lessons learned... but be happy driving around in what will actually make you happy...
    I think its the memories that are making you happy... the chassis is just a reminder of those memories.... its not a memory on its own and its not making any more if your always wishing it was something else... all its doing is discounting the good memories already stored away...

    I know these are 39's(close enough)...but this is more what I can see sitting beside the coupe and sedan (and roadster and cabriolet)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  19. -Brent-
    Joined: Nov 20, 2006
    Posts: 7,349

    -Brent-
    Member

    I like the honesty of this entry, Ryan. This is exactly why I shelved my A coupe.
     
  20. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    Just as you revere the Hot Rod and it has it's place in history the street rod has it's place as well. Just as there are hot rods that are done poorly and hot rods that are done well there are street rods that follow the same cues. A well done car from either of these genres is time less. You yourself know that there are advantages and disadvantages to automobiles from each of these eras. Your forum is definitely a treasure to the hotrod but at the same time you can and have appreciated the performance and virtues of a car that many would consider OT. I only have the one truck, this is because to me a car is like a mistress, they have needs, they need love, there is only so much of a guy to go around, when you say that the car is family it establishes that there is a love for the car, and it's a nice tight looking street rod, in ten years the trend may be to covet the well built sanitary street rod as well as the time less hotrod. As long as you keep a sanitary eye towards detail you will be fine, the crowd you hang with will keep you within the boundaries of good taste and timelessness if you stray, you won't. What ever you decide it will be top shelf, just have fun and follow your emotions for the car, try not to kill off the karma that jars the memories of your life with the car. You will know what not to change, pay attention to what stirs you. Most importantly, enjoy the process.
     
  21. junk yard kid
    Joined: Nov 11, 2007
    Posts: 2,718

    junk yard kid
    Member

    i got a car i built 15 years ago,56 chevy, got a tilt column, disk brakes, ceterbolt heads, and a few other things that sorta bug me. But me and my dad built this thing when i was in high school. to tell you the truth im just not that into it anymore. Sure i would drive it if the pinion seal wasnt bad. Its fast and im scared im gunna wreak it. The car is just so special to me. I cant get rid of it, i cant change it. Ill never leave it outside. I guess ill just look at it for now till i love it again like i did. But why god why did i think a street rod leather wraped aluminum banjo stearing wheel would look good in a 56 chevy? I was 15 i guess. But thats how it was when me and my dad built it.
     
  22. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    Damn it all damn it!! That's a nice coupe Zach!!!


    I'm feeling the plan Ryan. I think it'll be cool and I can totally relate to the relationship to the parts and not just the car. It's the sum of everything that makes the car special.
     
  23. 1950ChevySuburban
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 6,187

    1950ChevySuburban
    Member Emeritus
    from Tucson AZ

    There's some obvious instant changes you could pull off, like that chrome booster. Just change it little by little, so the car of your past remains intact, yet evolves some. Hell, your friends from the past evolve some, and yet remain the same. (graying hair, etc..) Let this car evolve slowly as we all do.
     
  24. jfrolka
    Joined: Oct 4, 2007
    Posts: 898

    jfrolka
    Member

    Do you have any pics of the chassis Ryan??
     
  25. I've been told a big bore non-power racing master cylinder works pretty good. Maybe return the braking system under the floor with a big bore M/C.

    On a personal note, from time to time your entries seem like they come straight outta my brain. (generally speaking). I've been entrusted with my 38 chevy, literally. Not only is it a family heirloom, but the rest of the living family all has input about what should or shouldn't be done to it.

    I love this car because it has my father's sweat and tears all rolled up in every part... but there are things he did I'd like to change.. quite the conundrum.
     
  26. tommy
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 14,757

    tommy
    Member Emeritus

    Don't be too eager to change and old friend of the family. Wheels are an easy fix and came be changed back later.

    There are a lot of guys that changed their rod to meet the current fads...wood or billet laden dashboards, huge tubs for the Micky Thompson tires etc. etc. Like it or not your car has become an icon to many. There have not been many 38 coupes that had "the look" and still kicked ass on the track.

    I could be wrong but I bet 15 years from now you will have nostalgic feelings about your old 38 ass whipper. You and your family might be glad that you didn't do anything rash back in 2010. Every time I think about my first 34 P/U I think about my son asleep in my wife's arms coming home from a rod run. (I know I was a terrible dad.:D) Things have changed since then but the memories are still real.

    I'd love to see a 38 40s era custom. Ya think that might scratch your itch? It's your deal but think about it before you jump in the deep end.
     
  27. skiviskaves
    Joined: Aug 3, 2009
    Posts: 261

    skiviskaves
    Member

    Well said sir!
     
  28. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    My 1st car (an O/T musclecar) has been off the road now for 3+ years, the longest ever not driving, as I kinda lost interest in it, even though I love it the way it is (weird right?).....now I daydream constantly for the day it's back on the road. Took to a bodyshop to see about having the rust issues repaired, as I simply do not have the time. Alot of $$$....so I may just have to keep daydreaming.....

    Cool write-up man....
    But don't go changing yer car to make it "relevant"....cause it already is, as it is, and ya'd miss the way it was if ya go changing it.....
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2010
  29. NoSurf
    Joined: Jul 26, 2002
    Posts: 4,461

    NoSurf
    Member

    Don't do it.

    The flip side to your JJ entry is that sometimes we daydream TOO MUCH about a car. We spent so much thought and time designing and building it in our heads on the front end, that after the car is "done", we continue to do so. Stop. Leave it be. It is what it is. A true milestone and definition in the growth of you as a traditional hotrodder. Remember how you were back then. That car embodies that. You can still go out to the garage and feel it.

    I think you should fix what is wrong with it, the thing that keeps you from driving it, and put in some windshield time before you do anything rash.
     
  30. Plowboy
    Joined: Nov 8, 2002
    Posts: 4,278

    Plowboy
    Member

    I think I would leave it alone, I plan on having a car for every occasion, my trusty old blue beer hauler, my '34 for Sunday drives and local stuff, My Zephyr for going out on the road (built much like your car underneath), and my '32 Vicky Winter Beater....
     

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