Hi guys I am possibly taking on building a 1927 dodge with a model a sedan body and not sure if it is something I wanna take on. I have little to no experience building a TRUE hotrod and this hasn't been done before and not sure if I should take on. I also have a 1970 mopar 383 and might bore It out to a 440 for the project. keep in mind I am only 15 and the other guy helping me is 16 and I am the main mechanic. I have wanted to build a hotrod for a while an traditional now that is and I have the chance now but not sure what to do. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Think it over, once you start its time and money...you might consider saving some money and get something a little more along the way..bailing out on a project that you don't finish sucks...
I'd start with something maybe from the 50's or 60's. They are good starting for inexperienced mechanics, cheap and easy to work on, and still leave room for modifications in both looks and performance.
I have said this to others, and will say it to you. My best advice to those don't know a lot about Traditional Hot Rods is to read about them. Books and magazines can be better for giving you the skinny than just about anything except having A.J Foyt as your next door neighbor. One book in particular, that is considered as close to a bible by folks on here, is the one by Vern Tardel. It deals with building a traditional Hot Rod using Ford parts. What could be better than that? It will be the best money you can spend if you intend to become one of the gang of hoodlums on here. I know others will chime in with other ideas, and other books, but knowing your roots gives you a sense of why certain things work and are acceptable and others are not.
And search out clubs and shows and cruise's in your area.Not sure how that A body will fit on that dodge frame. And nice to see guys your age getting into this fun sickness,good luck!
A Model A frame is $100-$1000 depending on how complete it is, maybe more if it's super nice and runs. Why mess around with the Dodge frame when you can get one the body bolts right onto? I don't think you can bore a 383 all the way to a 440, .060 over would take it to around 400, unless they did like Pontiacs and used smaller journals to stroke the crank to create the additional displacement.
I am probably going to just save the frame for later use and maybe buy another 47-53 chevy truck sinse I am already building one and know how to work on em
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