Hot Rods OT: Ratrod reckoning

[nailhead29A]

Originally Posted by Clevername

And that's why almost no one can afford to build a rod in Australia, because Mommy government has to look over your shoulder every step of the way.

Honestly, how many people have been killed due to poorly made hobby cars?

Where did you get your facts an figures from?? you obviously know alot about the state of rod building in Oz And NZ which has a similar system but is far less stringent.
Keen to know where you got your info from as I wasn't aware there were very few cars being built over this way,because they were so damn expensive. Guess you learn somthing new every day.
In short, if you don't know what your talking about its best to keep your loud mouth SHUT!!

[Muttley]

Originally Posted by Muttley

Any idea how much the owner paid to get the original version built?

Originally Posted by patrick66

I'm sure he wants to avoid the embarrassment of divulging that info. It's really no one's business.

He should be embarrassed, he paid someone to build that pile of crap.

[milwscruffy]

Originally Posted by Tman

Bob, some day you will come up with a true, witty response to something I post.

Hey he's only had 26,500 tries at it so far.....

[bonez]

I just wasted all moring at work studying all the new tech feats of your frame/suspension set up.
The rear bag on arm set up is pretty much genius. The pivoting lower mount could make for a scary dangerous ride, but the "brake arm" is gonna turn a bad situation into an awesome feat.
Ive seen a picture of a bag that was on a 60s t-bird, and was mounted on the stock pivoting bracket. The outcome was an airspring torn at the base!!!

Anyways, i only own O/T rides, but i come here to look at the kool kustoms and tech threads like this one. So much we can learn by just watchin these pictures. Thanx ELP!

EDIT: not gonna ask who built this orignally as if yoy wanted to say it you would have already, but i want to know if it was a real shop or some guy's backyard barn in which he does work. I have a hard time believing that crap came out of a supposedly proper shop.

[pwschuh]

Epic build. Epic thread. Looking forward to seeing how this looks rolling out the door. You should leave one conrod on it somewhere just so Mr. Funk NEVER forgets the lesson that he learned here.

[negativeMatt]

Hmmmm......I think I need to call you about re-doing mine!!

[theHIGHLANDER]

Originally Posted by bonez

I have a hard time believing that crap came out of a supposedly proper shop.

I don't. Last year there was a guy with a (buick?) that a "proper shop" was working on with some of the suspension supported by the trans tunnel

Every once in a while I get a ride in someone's car. 9 outta 10 rides, they're pretty bad. Shaky suspension, wandering, engines that run like shit, sheet metal rattling, interior parts loose, and the owners many times just don't know any better. "It's an old car, they're all like that."

No, they're not. Not long ago I spent a few hours under the hood of an old Packard sedan. The people thought I had "hopped it up" and were curious as to what I'd done. "I simply adjusted everything to spec."

The "go for a ride" fever is almost incurable. Sadly, that slapped together rush ends up permanent in many cases. Just the other day I'm seeing an early Mopar pull into a cruise night. The front suspension was so outta whack I couldn't believe it. Well, I could, but I felt bad for the guy, but not bad enough to ask him about it. That in itself, even with the best intentions, can be taken as an insult. Sad...

[bonez]

Oh yeah i remember that Buick!
And, my interior parts are loose, there are rattles, front wheels aint aligned properly, and at times it has no wheels on it.....of course its a project. hahah, bet i had ya for a second there

[ChuckleHead_Al]

Great job on fixing and making this car roadworthy. Keep the progress coming.

[Clevername]

Originally Posted by nailhead29A

Where did you get your facts an figures from?? you obviously know alot about the state of rod building in Oz And NZ which has a similar system but is far less stringent.
Keen to know where you got your info from as I wasn't aware there were very few cars being built over this way,because they were so damn expensive. Guess you learn somthing new every day.
In short, if you don't know what your talking about its best to keep your loud mouth SHUT!!

Fair enough, my point was poorly made. Let me try again.

Maybe they need a tech inspection down under to prevent this type of thing:



But here in the USA, I shudder to think about scheduling a tech inspection, no less 3 of them. I have heard plenty of horror stories about city and county inspectors for home construction or remodeling. If you own a business or a shop, I hear dealing with government inspections and regulations is a pain in the ass. I think this type of thing is better policed within the Hot Rod community. If there was a widespread problem with people being hurt or killed because of poorly built rods, then maybe I would feel different.

[mosimpson]

Steve -
I felt compelled to write and say "thanks" for taking the time to make this post. OT or not these are the types of threads I constantly scan the HAMB for. I am a novice builder. I always appreciate seeing precision and craftsmanship on display. Threads such as this inspire me to dream of what can be done, and inevitabally I learn something along the way.

Keep up the amazing work and thanks again for taking the time to put it on display.

Marc

[theHIGHLANDER]

Originally Posted by bonez

Oh yeah i remember that Buick!
And, my interior parts are loose, there are rattles, front wheels aint aligned properly, and at times it has no wheels on it.....of course its a project. hahah, bet i had ya for a second there

Yes, you did

I really appreciate what's being done here by our buddy elP. Not even the car in the topic, but the care to show that there's a way. To show that right and proper design are not things to fear, or things our cars don't deserve. A sincere thanks is indeed in order here so, "Thanks elP" for sharing this gig with us.

[Ole_Red]

Originally Posted by alchemy

I couldn't believe the owner would have you fix the front half of the frame and leave that barf of a back half. So glad I peeked at the link to more pics. Major save you are performing there.

Is the "builder" of this car the same guy who did the Chrysler sedan that you fixed?

My search skills are broken this morning.... anyone got a link to the Chrysler thread?

[AZAV8]

Originally Posted by need louvers ?

Dude! That thing has earned every bit of it's ugly over the last nineteen years of life. It's been a DAILY (as in the ony running car I have owned) for at least seventeen of those years. And not just to the grocery store and back kinda daily, like wake up and drive to Yuma at 4:00 AM and back by 9:00pm and repeat tomorrow kinda daily! On top of being tank indestructable, it handles better than some of the topline exotic cars I have driven over the years, and can out run most of them, too (at least up to 140 when the aerodynamics go all wiffle-ball). Other than three rounds of urathane bushings and as many sets of ball joint ball joints, in all those years and miles I have had no problems like some with the Mustang II. That's well over 200,000 miles, possibly 250,000. Now, Granada rotors... Well that's just different! Somethings gotta give coming down from the speeds that thing has routinely gone! Snark away!!! Oh, and you pressed the right button with the mention of Bill Neikamp. one of my heros for sure!

Chip,
But that is what building a car is all about. Having a reliable, daily driver that is unique and doesn't look like every other car on the road. You know, all those a**hole cars the factories produce that all look alike. A car that handles, performs, and brakes better than when it left the factory and preserves our idea of a classic/traditional car. Your car is a perfect example of a HAMB car, one that is owner-built (albeit with a little help) and driven "like a teenager on a skate board". Catchy little phrase.

I commented about the Mustang II suspensions because Steve is always fixing someone else's mistakes on the installation. A Mustang II IFS has its place. Ford made it work on the Mustang II and now a lot of people have made it work on numerous other cars. Some correctly and some incorrectly. Yours is a correct installation, because Steve understands the ins and outs of suspension systems and he installed it RIGHT. That's the key, knowledge and experience and skill. That's why I chose Industrial Chassis to do the frame and chassis work on my F1 pickup. His Dakota IFS is the right suspension for a truck.

We would all do better to study and emulate more of those old-timers who started this hobby/profession of ours. They worked hard to self-build QUALITY cars on a meager budget that others would admire and say "great car".

[charleyw]

Thanks for posting. I always learn something from your threads. I especially appreciate the 3d images and the the interactive pdf. As a 15 year self-taught 2d Autocad user I'm struggling with 3d. Seeing these make me want to work a little harder at it.
Thanks

[ELpolacko]

Originally Posted by One Finger John

What a perfect thread. Love, hate - Laughter, crying - Controversy, agreement - Superiority, inferiority - Life at its best!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The price of this evolving hot rod is probably known by a few individuals. But I will give my OPINION on what the totals MIGHT be.

1. Total out the door price of original car $17,000.00
2. Price of front clip before total frame rebuild $4500.00
3. Price of total frame construction $8500.00
4. Total price of both constructions $30,000 to $35,000

Am I in the ball park? Will legal action ensue with original builder?

Tune in tomorrow!

Your prices are not very far off from reality. Lawsuit has been encouraged by other local shop owners that have seen the original car first hand.

Originally Posted by Tman

Sure, drag my ass into this! Nice chat as always man.

Of course I need to drag you in,

Originally Posted by Kona Cruisers

Steve, you my friend are like my mother inlaw. [snip]
Not sure if that makes any since or not.
In other words your work is awesome!

I do get it, thank you Sir!

Originally Posted by bobbleed

Total hero. Dude you are like Superman or something.... I bet you cut out all that stuff with your eyes!

T-man is like lois lane.... haha

Seriously amazing work!

Respect brotha

Originally Posted by bonez

The pivoting lower mount could make for a scary dangerous ride, but the "brake arm" is gonna turn a bad situation into an awesome feat.

Thanx ELP!

EDIT: I have a hard time believing that crap came out of a supposedly proper shop.

We were just playing with the the chassis a few minutes ago, works flawless. I am going to get a few ball valves and Tees to mock things up, maybe a short video to show how things move about. I have messed about with different ways to mount the air springs, this is probably my simplest and best functioning rear.

And yes, this was done by a shop here in the Phoenix Metro area. Worse yet the owner of the shop is/was an instructor at UTI

Originally Posted by negativeMatt

Hmmmm......I think I need to call you about re-doing mine!!

You have a killer head start on a Studebaker

Originally Posted by Ole_Red

My search skills are broken this morning.... anyone got a link to the Chrysler thread?

It was a blog on my own website: Rat Rod Repair

[Jobe]

Amazing work, always enjoy going through your threads.

I do have to ask, roughly how many days have you been working on this? It seems you get more done in a day than most mortal men.

[ELpolacko]

I took the car in on March 31. Finished a few other projects and did the LSRU in the mean time.

In all, actual hours on this, adds up to about four weeks worth of work.

[need louvers ?]

Originally Posted by Jobe

Amazing work, always enjoy going through your threads.

I do have to ask, roughly how many days have you been working on this? It seems you get more done in a day than most mortal men.

What makes you think he is mortal?!

[Mr48chev]

4 weeks to me is 160 hours and I can pretty well see 160 hours in what you have done on it.
I wonder how much time you would have had in it if he had just brought you the body two years ago and asked you to build a chassis that would get the body as low as it will go and drive good while looking a bit scruffy on top. There has to be at least 30 hours of scab removal on that thing just to get it cleaned up enough to work on.