I thought this may be interesting to see what everyone would do. If you were handed 3,000 dollars, given 120 days, and told to build something bad ass within that budget, and that time....what would you build? This includes EVERYTHING, no sway on the budget or time, so keep that in mind. I personally would be looking for a mid 30's truck cab and some steel tubing. 4 link the rear on whatever the cheapest coilovers i could find, drop axle front end, nailhead or flat head motor, seals gone through, make sure no leaks, and atleast bottle hone the cylinders. rebel harness or similar, and cowl steer. Whatever wheels are available, and whatever brakes as well. Just a bash around the street type rod with no worries of anything but making it home. Care to share?
chromolly tube frame, aluminum bodied 27 track nosed roadster flathead, 3 speed, banjo rear etc. with change left over for gas! something like this with a flathead and all aluminum body i built this for about $2500 but took a bit longer then 120 days due to me being lazy are you actually looking to challenge yourself? or are you just on a budget and want a car quick?
also, any pics to show a resemblance would be cool as well. i really started this thread for ideas haha. Trying to do this soon after the new year.
I'd spend $1000 on a Chevy II sedan, $30 on some lowering blocks, & $1970 on wheels & tires.... & I'd be done is under a week. JH
In a slightly different vein... maybe a little further up the arm... Start with an inexpensive shoebox style body. Maybe a 53-56 Ford or late 40's-early 50's Mopar. These still don't bring over $500 around here w/o engine and trans. Buy a V8 donor car for the drivetrain. Pickup straight axle, Radiused wheelwells, Splurge a bit on the rolling stock and would have a gasser styed streeter with accepable power.
can i spend it on a paint job for my finished car? it will probably take me 120 days to get it ready for paint at the rate im moving..
I would buy a 32 Ford original grille shell and a 25 vent hood ... and then I would have spent all the money and been finished in less than a week. No finished car but I would have a cool start ... on one
$3000 is no issue, but is that 120 full days or 120 part-time, evenings, weekends, and whenever days with a full-time job and a family days? the fastest way to build a car in 120 days is to pick up a near complete project. Bad ass for $3000? 87-93 Mustang 5.0 with a 150 shot.....
$3000 - 4 months - clapped out shitbox: not a problem. $3000 - 4 months - assembling stuff you've already got into a reasonable car: maybe. Sourcing all the bits you need to do the job right from an empty garage, on budget and on schedule: hero status. I wired a car from scratch; used a '74 Dart fusebox I had around, scored about 30' of #6 and 8 cable from dumpster diving behind the stereo install shop, did all the work myself... still cost damn near $200 just in wire, solder, shrink tube, bulb sockets, etc. That was ten years ago, and the car was a stone stock '49 Plymouth - not a lot of stuff to wire in. If I was smarter about buying stuff, I might have got out cheaper, but it's still a sizeable chunk out of $3000. What about brake hydraulics? I might buy a visual inspection on a part like a disc/drum/shoe/pad... but I'm pretty easy to convince to replace a master cyl. Crap, just the antifreeze, brake fluid, tranny, diff, and engine oils, oil filter, air filter, plugs... not to mention gaskets and rings for the flathead or nailhead (gonna' need 'em if you hone...); little stuff adds up big, huh? Don't want to be a naysayer, but if you're starting from scratch, you'd be a HERO. And if you already had a whole bunch of the small stuff... you'd still be busting a pimp move to pull it all off. -bill
I mean starting new years and be done by the beginning of May. Having the parts, or not having the parts. Not building a shitty car, but one you can take on a road trip if you so desired. I realize it's not feasible.....but it would be a hell of a time if you had 4 guys busting ass on it at night.
I think it would make more sense if you took a year to gather parts (maybe while you were building something else) there are lots of cheap parts out there but it takes time to find them.
thats my plan I believe. I am going to build my 72 until I have enough parts to make a rolling chassis and then get a body and build to it.
For that small amount of money i think id build a trail of empties on the way outta town That aint much to work with. Dave
ya, i figured it may be short, but i know i can make that this winter, hopefully i can make more than that, it would be great if I could. I could atleast get a lot of the chassis/rolling parts done and find a body to start cutting. the details would more or less be remaining from how I am thinking. Anyone else got any ideas as for what they would build?
I'm under $1000 right now on my GMC shop truck. building mostly with free parts that other shops have in the scrap piles. looking to hold a $2500 max finished. looking back I have many more contacts in the high end rodding than most home do it your selfers. and they throw away some nice stuff like a brand new set of radial tires free! but I feel anyone can build a decent driver for under $3000 if they are willing to build with good used parts. I started with a $340 trade out for my labor.
i'll take anything free, or cheap if its safe and useable....i just don't know people around here into older cars past like...mid 60's for the muscle cars and crap.
for 3 grand I would try to grab a 48-51 chevy or ford truck off ebay and go from there. Anyone could do it with tons of free parts laying around, but if you have to buy every piece it would be HARD not to exceed 3 grand, unless your talking some 4 door hooptie that you pick up for 100 bucks. You can rule out a 30's car, and a solid 30s truck cab with good doors is 1000 bucks and up now. Down here anything that old has returned to the elements long ago, and if not they think its made of platinum. You might get something very rough and drivable, but to make it safe, reliable and even a little presentable, you're gonna need more money. Remember its the little things that eat you alive. brakes,lines, hoses, electrical, radiator, etc. The $$$ added up so fast on my roadster it made my head swim. Not saying its impossible, but it would take some lucky breaks on parts
Let me think... Titled '27 Ford Coupe - $175 '36 Ford Radiator - $20 '40 Ford front axle - free '48 Ford rear axle - free '8BA flathead (running) - free 2x3 rectangular tubing - free '53 F100 steering box - free '53 F100 brakes - free I might be able to get it together in 120 days but it has taken me almost a year to scrounge the parts I have on hand. I still need a trans adapter for the late flathead to the early transmission and a good transmission. Nah, I couldn't make the 120 day window but I wish I could get that many days in a row to work on it.
I know what you mean about the little things. I hated buying brake parts, lines, and all that. I also know what you mean about the older stuff returning to the earth. Seems like it's nowhere to be found. I have looked a LOT here locally and have come across nothing, and I can't be driving 2 hours just to START searching haha.
Well, I'm doing it......if you don't hold me to the 120 day part ---(I'm shooting for Detroit Autorama 08 ) Not a hot rod, but a 60's style custom---chopped 61 Ford Fairlane "roadster"(speedster??....I still gotta cut the roof off, so whatever) Traded a rigid BSA frame/springer(leftovers from I bike I'm building) for the car. Spent 200 bucks on some T-Bird sheetmetal, 200 more on an intake and carb(both new), 275 for a set of redline tires. Then I traded some labor for 4 T-Bird bucket seats. 40 bucks for a bag of crushed glass(hey, it's the NEW metalflake ) The engine was stuck, so I scored a good 223-I6 off ebay for 150 . What's that put me at? 865 bucks?The car already had some cool wheels, a Fenton rocker cover, shifter, and new rear brakes Gotta do the front brakes, so Scarebird and the parts store will get another 300(?) I think I might get er done for HALF that 3 grand I just hope it doesn't LOOK like what I've got in it I vote YES----it CAN be done.......IF you start with the right car and think thru it at the beginning.
I have a 34 Ford truck cab, all the suspension and engine/trans out of a 33 ford fordor sedan. All I need is a frame to start hanging the stuff on. I guess $3,000 would get me to my finished product easily. hoping to end up with something like this: photo courtesy rod and custom magazine
Hemi Barstool racer, and s sweet set of aviation goggles and a sweet scarf to blow in the wind. that is right before i flip it.
So, you know where to get the killer chassis', Engines,Transmissions,rear ends, and even some very cool steering parts. at the end of the day, Muscle cars are goldmines of parts for your rod or Kustom. And seeing as most kustoms are in need of floors anyhow, That v-8 4 door 70 chevelle behind Uncle Bubba's Barn might not only work for legs, but you can heist good parts off it and sell them to the highest bidding Hessian (usually me) to help fund the project.-Muscle cars are your friends!
i love 60s shit my current project is a 68 chevelle malibu, now i know that doesnt appeal to most people on here but im building it with my dad so i dont care. now this part my appeal to someone. its a big block 468, forged crank, forged h beams, forged pistons, 12.1:1 compression, L34 427 open chamber, 110cc oval port heads with 1.7 roller rockers from the high output 427 corvettes. L88 covette cam .99exh/.95int total lift. edlebrock air gap with a 850 holley, long tube headers, yada yada yada. long story short it goes fast when the front stays down and it doesnt vaporize the tires.