60s Show Rods - Homemade Roadster Pickup Bodies

Some of you may remember the '34 Plymouth(actually '33-'34 car doors and an early '35 truck cowl) I started a couple years ago.

The bed and chassis got modified for the Ugly Truck, which is not a very traditional build but a good learning experience so far.
Next year, I want to do the Plymouth as a very traditional 60s show rod, heavy flake paint, fancy interior. Planning to put some type of roadster windsheild stancions on there. I have some '32 front frame rails, a dropped and drilled A axle with a spring over, not suicide like above. Maybe mount it with hairpins. Finned Buick drums, SBC(everyone used them back then) with early heads and finned covers, with 6x2 intake, Flamethrower distributor, and some other vintage parts. A different motor(Caddy, Rocket, or Nailhead) if finances allow. Possibly a bed made from quarterpanels from some other car.

My question is, how common were homemade cut down RPUs back then, late 50s early 60s? They are very common now, probably because it's easier to find a bare cowl(it was for me)than a complete body.

History and tradition are important to me, and I want to start research.

Any early show photos or magazine photos would be nice.

 

B T T

 

I'll stick my neck out and say that there probably not too many back then. The few that I remember seeing were originals, not home made. Nor were they radically lowered. Of course in the 60's there were the glass T buckets with a stubby box on the back, but around here I never saw any. Part of it was at the time fenders were required, and there were still originals that were sound enough and cheap enough to bother with. Also roadsters did not survive in great quantities, except for the ocasional barn stored originals.But now finding a body is a lot tougher, and expensive. But a lot of cowls survived because farmer's and woodchoppers made tractors with them. Likewise larger trucks seemed to hang around long after the pick ups and cars were long gone. The coupes being used up by the stock car guys. The "A" that I'm working on was what was left of several cut up home grown tractors, and part of a truck cab that had a tree fall on it. But with less glass, and less of a body it's more afordable for me.

 

I vote ditch the Ugly truck and build this

 

Was the ugly truck at the roumd up ?

 

I have to agree with Dave...

The way you have that car now is now where near a 60's style hot rod..
it's a 2007 style hahahaha

but you can definatly build a neat 60's show car out of it,,,you just
got to get the proportions right..

 

pick up this book and read it from front to back... you will gain good knowledge!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Rods-Customs-1960s-Andy-Southard/dp/0760303290

 

All I am using is the body, the bed and chassis are under a '41 Dodge truck, The Ugly Truck. I have some '32 front rails I plan to use to build a better chassis with, will do a spring over front axle, channeled just enough to cover the frame and a slight "sweep" to the front rails. Actually, it will be very similar to yours, I even have some N.O.S. 15x7chrome reverse, need some skinny fronts to match. Hoping to find some 50s V8, but may go with a 60s style small Chevy, powerpac heads and six twos.

 

Any other comments?

 

Maybe this body is wrong for a 60s period build? Not the frame, just the body.

 

if you're going for 'period correct' then yes, its the wrong body.

but if you're going for 'interpretive style' then go for it.

in the 60's the was no shortage of raw material from which to jump off. i cant remember ever seeing a cut-down in any vintage pics. they had real rpu bodies so thats what they used.

i think that body is cool. i would massage the areas behind the doors and add roadster stanchions (TikiDiablo did a cool tech on this a couple of months ago using a bunch of leftovers on a 30 cut down rpu) maybe even a fiberglass/carson top (see clark's tech on this).

will it be period correct? no. will it be cool? hell yes.

i concur with Evel. that book RULES! its got everything the 60's had to offer. i'm assuming your looking for the 60-62/3 look. things started to go a different direction by 65 and by 69 it was just plain ghastly.

it all depends on how traditional you wanna get.

 

I'd say finish one project before you start another.

 

I already planned to do that.

Maybe I should sell this one and look for an A or T. I want to do it as traditional as possible.

 

Just mentally planning for after the Ugly Truck is done.

 

I think ya should build a 60's show rod!!

 

That was the plan. You're up on that era, got any suggestions?

 

hell yeah!.I think ya got a good start if you really look at early 60s rod&customs etc. you will see alot of RPUs that were done.Many had bobed fenders,maybe 1 or 2 inch whitewalls a kool heavypadded top and anywhere from mild to really wild grille treatment.simple paint with something like panels or pinstriping.some thing like the T in the movie the Lively set is a great example of EARLY 60s stuff that also did good on the show scene.below is what I would consider a great attempt at the early 60s paint look done today....oh yeah maybe kool hubcaps or early mags...just a thought........keep up the good work

 

remember the lil coffin was built in 58 and was BIG on the early 60s scene