Technical Anyone get cool parts from a street rodder updating his car?

I work in a hot rod/street rod shop and have scavenged a few parts from a build when the car gets up dated. There is a 55 Ford convertible that is getting a drivetrain update to fuel injection and a 302/auto trans combo along with other things. I hope to be able to procure the Y-block and overdrive trans from this car for a future project of mine. Has anyone one done this? lets hear your stories.
Thanks Jim Ford

 

My Mor-Drop axle, and spindles.

Came out of a vintage hot rod, the guy replaced it with a Pinto front end.

 

Back in the early 70's, when Total Performance, here in Connecticut was updating hot rods / street rods, as well as building "T" buckets, I and a partner had "The Ford Store" in Manchester, Connecticut. we bought just about every part that" Total " removed in a re-build. We sold a lot of original, as well as repro parts, plus lots of good used hot rod parts

 

Working on it, guy I know has a 40 ford truck and has his heart set on a prostreet truck. I've tried to steer him another direction but he says he's had the truck for years and wants to build it his way.

I stop by and help him out sometimes, and asked if I can have or buy the stock parts he takes off.

Hmm so what to do with a 40 ford truck front end and possibly frame?

 

A buddy picked up a columbia off a rat rodder who was cannibalizing a vintage hot rodded model a pickup......for $300. My buddy couldnt leave fast enough because this guy was showing him all his "great" work.

 

I recently purchased a complete 49 F1 front/rear axle with all new brakes/drums/WCs for a future Model A conversion. guy went mustang/9inch.

 

I have bought several 39/40 Ford front and rear suspensions and at least 5 sets of drums and backing plates over the years when guys just gotta have disc brakes.HRP

 

Never really had that luck, but i've scored a lot of bike parts from guys who just have to have the newest fancy (expensive) catalog goodies.

Tony

 

One man's foolishness is another man's treasure. LOL!

 

I've also bought a 39 Ford column with a banjo wheel and a couple of 40 Ford steering columns and wheels when the street rodder just had to have a new billet steering columns. HRP

 

Anyone that follows me around is bound to get some good deals if I like them. I tend to give things or trade things to friends rather than hassle with selling them to a stranger that will try to beat me down on the price.

 

Helped a friend build a 47 Ford sedan, he gave me the tranny, steering column, linkage and the tires pictured in my avatar.

 

Have bought complete 40 front ends with dropped axles and orig columns from guys putting street rod stuff in their cars. Also a mint 40 grill and boards from a guy putting a weird grill and smooth boards on a 40 coupe.

 

A hot rod we built and sold over 10 yrs ago got resold again . The new owner is not re painting the body but removed all the vintage running gear. Super bell 4" axle , 39 merc motor and 3 speed , 36 rear with 3.54 gears , all the radius rods etc, 46 hydraulics all around along with dual master cylinder , hidden alternator., 15" merc rims and whites, F100 steering box. All this was rebuilt , motor trans steering box etc back then and the truck had not done many miles. So we got first dibs on the old vintage stuff he didn't want. Sweet as we knew the history of it all.

 

How about a free 468 BBC with 510hp & TCI Turbo 400/converter....from my wife's ex's brother!! yep, my wife's ex gave a 65 Buick to his Nephew and his brother decided it was too fast for his son, so they had the engine/trans pulled and a small block installed instead. then after the engine/trans sat on a pallet for a year in the corner of the garage, they called my wife and asked if I still play with cars....she said yes and they said come get it!!! The free '67 Firebird From my wife's ex, will be a story for another time.....

 

Should probably mention the Chevy BBC was a transplant in the Buick before people tell me I don't know what I got!!! lol

 

Pretty much all the parts of my builds in the last 20 years. Lots of day two stuff for muscle cars getting restored, carbs, manifolds, distributors, engines, trannies. I was a hell of a scrounger for a time. Guys I worked with had tunnel vision when it came to parts, especially for early stuff.

 

Dressed up dual quad 394 Olds that came out of a running and driving old school 56 F100. Owner is going with Corvette suspension on both ends with late model fuel injected Ford drivetrain.

 

I started building in '68. All my cars were pretty much built from everyone else's cast offs. So my cars were "dated" but some of them old fellas had some pretty neat stuff. LOL

I guess that since I buy a lot of my parts used I am still building with everyone else's cast offs.

 

Going by that rational, I guess I've bought other people's cast offs as well. The only real question is how many guys have cast off that very part before you got around to getting it.

 

LOL I got an old carb in the basement that I keep to give me a chuckle, I'll bet it has been kicked around more then a soccer ball. It looks like it may have been beat with a ball peen at least once or twice.

I scabbed a '46 Ford coupe together in about '76 or '77. I needed transportation so I could work while my bike was down for an overhaul. I found it at a street rodders house in San Mateo. he had two garages, one on the side of his house and one out back. The coupe was out back. He had started to tear it down for an update, there was a 331 with trips and a 4 speed laying in the floor, the old heap was a veritable time capsule.

Long story short he was selling it to fund his cutting edge '70s style deuce roaster that was in the front garage. I had cash in hand and told him I would buy it if I could put the engine and tranny back in it and drive it away. he said yes, made a call some of my buddies showed up and we stuffed the motor in it and I drove it away.

I guess that must count as someone's cast off car. LOL

 

By definition, a used car is some one's cast off.... I think we are all in that camp.

 

The brakes that are going on the front of my A are off of an Avanti that I worked on. The guy wanted 4 wheel modern discs on it and bought a kit to do everything. so I installed the new brakes on it, offered to sell the old brakes for him and he said, "No just toss 'em." So I did, I tossed 'em in the back of my truck for future use. LOL

 

Most stuff I buy from swap meets have been cast off for updates. I've picked up dropped axles, 40 brakes, split wishbones (back when everyone said they were dangerous), etc.

 

I have an EARLY year, 56 Chevrolet, dual quad setup; I actually have two, but one has been port matched, and the carburetors are clones. The original one has been tucked away for almost 40 years now. The carbs have been rebuilt, all new fuel lines and throttle linkage (repro). It does't have the original oil fill tube however. Wrapped up and boxed in Saran/bubble wrap, just waiting for "it's time"; I can't bring myself to sell it. It was a gift from a friend I knew from high school who was a Junior Stock racer with a 56 Sedan Delivery; he had several dual quad setups at the time. He did't survive Vietnam, and the car burned up years later in his father's garage (arson). I tried for years and years to get the car from his Dad, and have gone through three 56 Sedan Deliveries and one 57 in my quest. Other than that dual quad setup, I have't scored anything worth mentioning. I have given away a bunch of stuff, and some of it I regret (like my Hydros and parts).
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

The old chromed 34 dropped axle that's in my coupe, which included chromed backing plates and drums came out of a 34 that was being "upgraded" to a Mustang II front end.

 

That is just wrong on so many levels.

Not you getting the axle, that was so right.