Hot Rods My Personal Glass Car Debate

Not about glass, which by the way I own one and I have friends that own one and we can guarantee that they are 100% rust free....but a buddy and a Ford, all Ford purist took his '39 with a built flattie to auction...one of those big name ones. He hung with the car exhibiting it prior to the big day, fielding questions. Come the actual sale and some guy came running up asking 'if it would go freeway speeds' " yes it will" "good! we came to buy a truck but the wife thinks it would be more fun to buy this because we can take our friends with us"
That guy was the one that bought the car and the first thing out of his mouth after the purchase was. 'Is that engine a 6 or an 8?' while he was looking at the exhaust....
My buddy realized that he could have gotten the same money for transplanted Chevy power...
my point being, not that many folks that you are going to meet are that sophisticated but they like old cars, hell that is why you want to drive it....
I bet if the paint shines and the body/interior work is top end, you won't even be ask the question.....put a hashmark on the steel fenders for every time you are....
Stop by on your trip so I can see what you decided

 

I have a feeling your dad would have gotten along with my mom (philosophically).
See my signature below.

 

Saw a guy at a car show years ago going around with a magnet to see if cars were glass or steel, I knew why but I still asked him what he was doing, he said he didn't want to start an awkward conversation by asking people directly whether their car was glass or steel.
So I says to him "how awkward would it be to go home to your family with two black eyes".
Cripes people, get a f#@king life!

 

When checking a car I might be interested in buying and checking for glass or mud, I always use a leather covered magnetic money clip. It does not damage paint. I only use it on a possible purchase nor just random cars.

 

The honest truth..............I would be more ashamed to drive a 30 anything with a V6 engine in it than I would be ashamed that it was fiberglass. Let me rephrase that. I wouldn't be ashamed at all to drive a fiberglass hot rod. I would be ashamed to say it was powered by a V6. It's not that you can't get some decent performance out of some of the V6s, but the engine compartment just doesn't look right.........it doesn't have any pizazzz. It certainly doesn't strike fear into the heart of anyone at a red light. I understood that during the gas shortage/embargo that people had to make choices, but gosh, that was eons ago. If I'm gonna build a hot rod I ain't gonna go through all the crap,cuts,burns,scrapes,cursing,crawling,sliding,bumping,sweating,singeing,smashing,gouging,welding flashes,spilt fluids,and agony.....................and then put a friggin V6 in it. Its like a meatless hamburger!

 

I really don't give a F about what other people think or dislike about my car. I built a 32 I could afford, to my taste and liking ! Yes it is fiberglass ! Do what suits you best, opinions are like A-holes everyone has one !

 

If I saw a guy stick a magnet to my car at a car show that would end with me in a fist fight.

 

I have a steel 29 CCPU and the Zipper in my avatar is ‘glass. I could care less since I have one of each.

 

O yes I forgot I have one of each also.

 

Boom! Perfect response to an A-hole!

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Hope someone runs a leather covered magnet down your hood....maybe there will be Some dust on it ..

 

Well, I have built many a hot rod in my day, and I am just finishing up one now ,the other day I said to the wife that if I ever build another hot rod it will be a glass car. I am tired of working on these rust buckets. I will order a chassis and body and go have fun....

 

I would have to install a V8 if it were mine. The glass body wouldn't bother me at all...

 

I understand wanting a steel body car. I have seen some fiberglass cars that look amazing. I never cared what people thought about my car. I do care about how my car makes me feel and I've found I really enjoy knowing it rolled off the assembly line 91 years ago or at least the body did. I get the same kind of feeling about the Flathead in it too. My car gets called "Rat Rod" and "Cartoon" all the time but I don't care. It makes me happy. Drive what makes you happy and never mind what others think. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Thank you! 312 out of a ‘56 Ranch Wagon. C4 auto

 

I'm building two hot rods. For my wife, 26 fiberglass T with a 350/350. For me a 30 Steel A pickup with 325 dodge hemi. Two different styles and each will appeal to different people. If I were to take your trip, I'd take my dresser and enjoy the adventure. Let someone else impress the locals.

 

We built a car for a buddy of mine who's dream car was a steel 32 roadster. We started with a $600.00 gennie 32 frame that my Dad and I done a shit ton of repair on and he used a Glass body. (because that was all he could afford at the time) He drove and enjoyed the car for 8 years before finally saving up enough money to buy the brookville steel body he now has on it. He is still enjoying the car and has logged many miles with it. Enjoy what you can and if it bothers you that your car is glass when people ask if it is plastic just tell them "Yes for now" Really doesn't matter as long as it makes you smile when you get behind the wheel. Just my 2 cents

 

https://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/you-never-want-to-crash-a-t-bucket/

 

Sometimes that's all there is and you got to have it.

 

I;m supposed to get smarter as I get older....... Not like these dip shit's!

 

Kinda funny, this thread is a year old......
Did ya ever take your trip in the 34 Hot Rod Coupe?
28 yrs ago I took a Cross Country Ride doing the inaugural “Rod & Custom Americruise” with 2 of the most famous steel 34 3W Coupes and a Glass 33 3 W Highboy coupe. The 1st being the infamous “California Kid”, 2nd being Jake’s 34 both driven by their builders, the 3rd driven by Peggy & Tina Slover of Pete & Jake’s in their then new “Viper Coupe”. Lastly me in my Pete & Jake’s, Super Bell, Deuce Factory equipped 34 3W coupe originally having a steel 3W coupe body, but on the ride having a bitchen killer steel reinforced “Paul’s Fiberglass body” out of Valmeyer IL. Built in the early 80’s and advertised in SRM during that period.
Point of this reply is to relay my personal experience of having/driven/owning a glass bodied 34 3W Coupe.
Mine was on an original 34 Ford Chassis that I updated with P&J engine/trans mounts, it came to me with a Deuce Factory 4 bar (raw materials sourced from P&J’s later to be modified by Jake himself.
With a @Hollywood Spring & Axle” complete set of springs one transverse and the rear set semi-elliptical on a 9” rear end. This ride was at times a white knuckle experience, but just because of the speeds travelled on off of the interstate 2 lanes. Most times when we pulled into a town, locals would see our CA. Plates and would really give our Hot Rods the once over. We didn’t see any “Milner” types but we did meet some very nice people, so much so that in one town as we rolled in for dinner, the local restaurant was closing their kitchen, when they saw these hungry Hot Rodders, they reopened their kitchens. That’s the kind of people we met and not one person inquired as to what our Hot Rods were constructed from material wise.
Now being behind the Bell 3 Spoke Wheel on my in shop fabricated 34 style black & white 2” pleat tuck & roll seat was plenty comfortable for my gal pal Lisa and I. never once did I regret not having a steel bodied Chopped 3W coupe not of “Murray Body Co. MFG”.
Now I did say that I had before this body a steel “Murray Produced 3W Coupe”, I also have a “Wescott’s Automotive Restyle” fiberglass roadster body that was built in 1986 & is body #4. Later 3 other steel Murray Produced 34 3W’s all on OEM chassis’s. Not at anytime have I regretted having steel, wood or glass bodied FoMoCo Styled Hot Rods.
They’re Hot Rods no matter what they’re made of, they’re a personal statement for some and a way of life for many. I also have a steel bodied 32, parts of it were new more than a decade ago others 89 years old now...... it doesn’t matter as I say as long as you’re the one out there driving the wheels off of it.
I threw a bunch of pix of different 34’s I have and my 32 roadster for fun effect. Happy Hot Rodding. .

 

My .02

 

My car is steel but the engine is fiberglass

 

I built a 36 5 window a bunch of years back in another life, I hung Wescott fenders on it - nicest fenders i have ever put on a car. I now have four 80 year old steel fenders for my PU truck that already have tons of hours of labor in them in welding up cracks, patching rust and dollying out dents. They got Rhino lined on the bottom and are about to get Polyester sprayable bondo on the outside. When I am finished with them I doubt the freaks with a magnet will get one to stick anywhere. Should have bought glass fenders and called it done but I am not that smart.

 

Thank you for your input, Kevin. The HAMB is so cool in that we get to "converse" with guys like you that have the hot rodding heritage that some of us only can dream about.

I did not make my trip for a couple reasons. Mainly because stupid COVID but also because I haven't stuck the 392 in the car yet. That would have not stopped me as I could have just run the Buick motor that's in there now. COVID on the other hand has so much shut down and I didn't want to miss going into all those small town dinners and shops and stuff. Not sure if it will be any better this summer.

Thank you for posting the very inspiring photos and your story of your trip. It must of been quite an experience to have done it with those iconic cars.

I guess it is sometimes too easy to get hung up on being a purist and thinking that a glass car isn't a "real" hot rod. Like you said, most people have no idea that glass bodies even exist and will just see the car as a cool hot rod that's rolling through their small town. I'm going to go ahead with my plans and build (or rebuild) the car the way I want and keep an eye out for a steel body. I have thought about hanging steel doors on it and trunk lid too as I'd like to have a louvered trunk lid.

I bought this steel '34 at the Street Rod Nationals in Columbus, OH in the early 90's and drove it back to NH with a couple buddies (the photos got water damaged. ). We made numerous stops along the way and I don't remember anyone asking me if it was a steel or glass car. Most just asked what was under the hood and admired the cars. I have many other hot rods and taken trips in them with the same results so I guess I'm just being overly sensitive about the whole thing.

In about a month I'm going to tear the car apart and start the 392 swap. Just trying to figure out what tranny to run now. Going to leave the factory dual quad intake on there for now and going to try to keep the hood top and sides if I can fit it in there. If I can get it all done by early fall and things open up a bit I'll hit the road. Of course, I'll document the build and trip in a new thread.

Thanks again for the inspiration!

 

Just drive the glass car. Don't tell everyone its glass because its a race car unless its a race body.

Funny I had a discussion just yesterday with a young lady, a family friend. We are talking about hot rods and my old man's TD body came up (she has been in my shop before). She asked why he raced a TD and I told her that he said it was a poor man's Bantam. Then I laughed and said, "The truth is probably closer to being that is what he had." We both found that acceptable, cause end of the day you work with what you got.

This falls under if they don't like it tell 'em to take an aeronautical intercourse at a tumbling piece of pastry.

Have a good trip, if you land close to my place you are welcome here for a minute or two.

 

Thx for your reply. Great to hear your progress on the coupe, the story of the Red one and that you’re continuing to “roll forward” on your build.
Please post your progress on the install, get her back together and let’s take a ride!!!!!! Hopefully you’ll end up coming out the LA. CALIF. I want to cruise my 34 Roadster “next ta ya” as we hit Colorado Bl. Pasadena in these two glass Hot Rods!!!! (cover over passenger compartment as it keeps the rain/dew off the seat during the winter months).

 

I drove a steel rod for over 25 years. My current 10 year ride is 'glass. I've been all over the USA and Canada with them.
I have never had a real rodder ask about the origin of either rod.
The only ones who ask have never owned a (pre-49) rod. Pretty much the same group that call anything with a primer paint job a rodent rod. They just keep showing what they don't know.

 

Interesting thread, my first car was glass, I made the mistake of selling it and have been looking for it since. Nobody knew it was glass, it was a cool hot rod, period. A glass car is no more phony than a repop bodied steel car, or an aftermarket frame, or brand name hot rod parts because a big name makes them, they aren't the real thing if you want to get right down to it. This is a hobby, these are hot rods, built with what we got available to us, enjoy the damned thing, life is short.