Hot Rods Day Dreaming...

[junk yard kid]

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.

[JeffreyJames]

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.

[1950ChevySuburban]

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.

[jfrolka]

Do you have any pics of the chassis Ryan??

[Dan Hay]

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.

[tommy]

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.) 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.

[skiviskaves]

Originally Posted by Francisco Plumbero

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.

Well said sir!

[SinisterCustom]

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.....

[NoSurf]

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.

[Plowboy]

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....

[scottybaccus]

I'm with Aaron. My gut reaction is leave it alone, but then I don't have vision. You, on the other hand, have more vision in your little finger than me and ten friends could muster all combined...

[Bull]

I could see a set of blackwalls and mags really changing the tone of the car. Keep the steelies and whites to play a bit as the mood suits you. Change the steering column and wheel and have Fat Lucky (since you're lucky enough to have his talent in your neighborhood) whip up something tasty for the rest of the interior. A few small changes and you've got a bad ass hot rod with the comfort of a long hauler.

[kustombuilder]

My friend Paul Beck has a saying that applies perfectly to people like us in situations such as that. It goes simply:
"A mind is a terrible thing."

[HOTRODPRIMER]

Ryan,I have been there and done that,,

I had a super nice 40 Ford 2 Door sedan,,that had the original style upholstry,steering wheel,column switches and push button starter.

I had to have a sbc,automatic transmission,hooked up to the original shifter and a open drive rear axle,,to the untrained eye everything looked right,,then after driving it several years I thought independent suspension would improve the car and make it better.

Then a tilt column,nice radio to replace the original and air conditioner,,and guess what,,I fell outta love with my old friend and sold it!

Now 30 years later I miss that car,,I did nothing that could not be fixed,,,sleep on it,,a nice old dependable ride that has never let you down is hard to find. HRP

[choprodinc]

I have two lives... one I live, the other I dream of. Sometimes they coincide with each other. When I was a kid I used to dream of driving go-karts on the street, as I grew I started and never stopped dreaming about cars. My cars, your cars, all cars... when I come out of the haze, I catch myself with this Elvisish, whiplash smile on my face and it makes me laugh! I drive a 28 roadster and love it, but I dream of a 37-40 Ford coupe with original interior and a nasty flatty, std shift, and steelies... it don't get no better!!!

LOOSERS C.G. FOREVER!!!

[TRuss]

I understand where you're coming from Ryan. I do disagree with you and most others on one thing. I don't think traditional has much to do with parts. You're car as is, is traditional, built traditionally as far as I know. It may not be cohesive, and it is definitely not period correct, but it is traditional.

I would love to know more about the ahem race car too.

[36couper]

Don't touch a thing on the '38. All the components you listed is what makes the car it is; a reliable driver that has some bullets under the hood and an owner who understands the soul of the car.
Throw some blackwalls on it, leave the hood closed and call it a hot rod.
My '36 was a near perfect original car when I bought it. The thought of a gutless flattie under the hood wasn't for me. I left it virtually original on the outside but beefed up the frame and powerplant. It's not traditional but will hold its own against any so-called traditional car.

[Wildcycles]

Well... I guess that's why you're a writer. You put into words what I have been pondering on one of my own "family" for some time now. I have a Big Window 1956 Ford F-100 that I have owned since I was twelve years old. I finished it in it's current form back in 1996, but have lost alot of interest in it over the years. I even bought another one, thinking I'd have one Custom street rod and one more traditional. You may have inspired me to tear my truck down again and create the new vision I have for it... THANKS!

[rainh8r]

The eternal conflict-function vs. form.
Cars only change when we change them, sometimes for good reason, sometimes not. You've changed and the car has stayed the same, so change the specific items that you don't like (form) and continue on (function).
A friend of mine completely rebuilt his 35 convert after driving it for 20 years. New color, suspension, upholstery, etc. Everything he had always wanted. It look great, drove perfectly, and he sold it. It just wasn't "his car" any more, so be careful about big changes-you may loose the soul that makes it yours.

[Lobucrod]

I'm kinda in the same boat with my 38 Chevy Coupe. When I got it in 74 I guess you could say it was as traditional as it could get. 283, 55 chev rear end, stock front end, no heater. I drove that thing all over the country. Never had the money to do anything fancy with it, just enjoyed the shit out of it. After I got older and the kids grew up I decided to tear it down and do all the things I dreamed about with the intentions of taking on the Hot Rod Power Tour. So here comes four wheel power disc brakes, GM tilt, Mustang II, power steering, 9 inch rear, 700R4 elect windows, AC, hell I even put cruise control in it. Took it on the 2001 Power Tour a month after finishing it. Had a blast. Been on two more since. Still enjoy driving it anywhere and everywhere. Think some times if I run across a stock frame I might go more trad with it but It probably wont happen. Damn thing is to comfy and easy to drive and I'm not getting any younger.