Ryan if this is a picture of your car for real. Leave it the fuck alone!!! I was there in those times and this is a pure late 50s early 60s style ride - Period. Maybe the tilt column and the disk brakes a not quite traditional the stance and look of the car are. Don't fuck with a good thing I swear you will regret it in the long run Fuzzy
You were wise when building the 38 and never reached "the point of no return" that some cars reach. I've hung around here long enough to know what ever emerges will be COOL. I hit a crossroads with my 37 a few years ago. It was the first car I had ever really built ground up, and I loaded it up with MII,700r4, power windows, seats, etc, not really even knowing what a street rod, hotrod or whatever, was at the time. Before the car was finished, I changed but the car couldn't, and ended up being a hybrid that didn't fit in anywhere. Too lame to be a hotrod, and not "smooth?" enough to be a streetrod. But, I had no real bond with it, and decided to sell it and concentrate on my roadster, which like your 38, IS family. The distraction of putting it together helped get me though a very tough time in my life. Then when it was nearly done, a disaster forced me start all over on it. Lots of good times in it since though and barring some desperate circumstances, i'll never sell it either.
Dreaming comes with the teritory, embrace it as a positive thing, and family is family, good, bad and ugly. Evolve the coupe a tad, fresh trim, different column, experiment with some other rims and tyres etc etc.....but, appreciate what it is, don't change everything for change sake, as like life, each element makes us who we are now, despite weather it's favourable or not, hard to go back if to that 'place' if it's just not the same.... I do believe that it needs to evolve 'with you', not just be updated (or back-dated as such). However, this may come in may forms, weather that be material, or more realistically, what role it plays in your life....After all, you're a family man now, the car was previously 'your' focus, and you've introduced your family into the equation, can you see them sharing the love of this car, and if so, what do you think they'd want it to be.... ? I know I'd love to pass on/share my rodding passion and car(s) to my wife & kids, so they can embrace them in their own way (both now and in the future), do you see them embracing the car in their lives, or creating their own memories with it....? Note: sorry if the above sounds 'trippy', but I find myself in a similar but different equation, and this is one of the questions that I consider as I dream Cheers, Drewfus
It sounds like you and your family have a lot of history in that old Ford and since you've got other cars to tinker with, I'd just leave it alone. Not every car on the planet has to conform to some predetermined build style and it sounds like you've got a well sorted reliable driver there, why mess with it just for the sake of change.
When I decide to change, rebuild or modify a car the very first thought is "USE". What the hell am I wanting to do with the new creation? Race,show,cruise or family use only? Once I determine this I began the build or change. A lot has to do with past creations like your car so some of the things should be kept as is and some changes as to "USE". Its apparent it has a good well designed chassis so if it were mine it would remain because its hidden and set up can be changes without major work or taking away from the appearance or actual stance. Power plant is optional and again "USE" plays a big factor here. The ugly power brake booster is no problem at all and can be hidden, removed or down sized. I say let your mind be your guide and do what ever is necessary to satisfy your dream.
I daydream about Dr Dan's incredible 41 Lincoln. That gonna be the most beautiful street rod I have ever seen. How about an update?
My main focus is traditional styled hot rods, but I'm an outright car guy, so I also dig muscle cars, little sporty cars (Triumphs, Sunbeams, Jags etc), old Land Rovers, vintage high falutin' stuff (Duesenburgs, Pierce Arrows, Rollers, etc.), vintage super cars (Ferrarris, Aston Martins, Daytona Coupes, etc), plus all kind of other machines. I really dig tough looking '55-'57 T-Birds. Lose the fender skirts, continental kits and the "ice cream, lollypop and poodle skirt" pastel colors, throw on some tough lookin' wheels and tires and you've got yourself a machine. Right now I'm fooling around with a '55 Bird that I picked up on the relative cheap at the LA Roadster show. It's a running, driving project (drove it home to Phoenix) in gray primer with an IROC 305 ci SBC, turbo 350, stock rear axle and rebuilt stock suspension. The car runs great, scoots pretty good and handles really nice. I put on a set of 15"x6" chrome steelies with Coker radial redline tires, the thing looks really tough. My plan is to go for an early to mid '60s road race look. Plans include British Racing Green paint with double white racing stripe (1" beside 2") offset on the driver's side, white circles with race numbers on the doors, a chrome roll bar and installing a saginaw 4 speed (car was originally stick shift, still has pedals, linkage, etc). This machine doesn't really fall into the traditional hot rod or custum catagory, but it hauls ass, handles great, is a blast to drive and will have a very tough vintage look. I love it!
Screw that... you have a hot rod, and it needs to do nothing more than give you wood when you smash the gas pedal to the carpet. Oh, and look cool sitting there. Understandably you're into traditional hot rods... you know, you run the biggest organization of "traditional hot rodding"... so naturally if a car isn't that style, you're going to not be too into it. But step back for a moment at take a look at what's really happening. As cool as traditional hot rodding is... I see it more and more as a form of restoration, not hot rodding. Over the years the bar has been raised with these traditional hot rods to the point where a guy feels like he has to make excuses for parts on his car that aren't "period" or don't have some sort of feel of hot roddings past. In the process, we've lost our edge... that "edge up" on having something that out performs, out comforts and out styles the next guy. The saving grace is that we CAN have our cake and eat it too. There are plenty of things you can do to that car to up date it WITHOUT traditionalificating it or COPYING Doane Spencer. Why can't you come up with your own style? Halibrands... bigs and littles, tasteful chrome, freshen up that bad ass motor, Fat Luckyize the interior, shit... put a/c in it and a nice stereo if it doesn't already have it. Make it your own. (but for the love of God, ditch the air bags) I think if you chrome, engine turn, get the stance right... rubber rake it and maybe throw some finned shit under the hood it'll turn your crank again. Any of you artist types care to do a concept drawing? Jeem? Sam
The ammount of time I've spent daydreaming or lying in bed at night thinking of current project ideas or the pipe dreams of future projects is border line insane. Ryan, I would keep your ride just as it is. You may regret changing it down the road. Yeah, it may not be totally period correct, but you have the Deluxe and the Coupe for that...which are dead on period perfect. I know it must be really eating at you when it's to the point you are not even driving the car. Just keep it put away for awhile and work on that '29 A or race car idea. I think when you're 50ish you'll be happy you did. Just keep watching that burnout video for motivation.. Man, that's good old fashion fun....
Haha! That story is the first thing I thought about while reading this. Thanks McPhail for showing Ryan the way!
Hey now... It has always had mohair... And my dad is still pissed you made me take the third brake light out.
hey, good cars is good cars and they didn't just come in the early ford variety either....i'm a dreamer myself and while i love my old fords, i also have a deep lust for bmw e30 m3's...and 3.0 csi coupes from the mid '70's.....then there's my strange desire for mgb gt's.....(thanks for your bad influence furbiscuit....)...oh, and then there's the idea in my head of a studebaker coupe with magnesium wheels just like the one's pictured above on the thunderbird...nice taste by the way.... we can all dream can't we? and why not? we chase our dreams and sometimes we catch 'em. I kinda think as we evolve, grow up, etc. our tastes shift....never forgetting our family, ie. the old tin that started it all for us, but begin to see that there's other neat shit on 4 wheels out there that some fellow put alot of style and thought into....i'm loving it all. well not all of it....but some of it. And then there's posts like the one a while back 'bout the offy motor molds....etc. that feed other dreams.....
there is nothing wrong is taking something you love and re doing it, its the sole you are looking to find again, that car is a hotrod regardless of whats under it. you have to be true to yourself (not what others think that car should be) regardless of what ends up being, if not you will not want to drive it.
you know Ryan, I have been in a very similar funk for a few years. I still have my First car, a 70 Chevelle, a car that has been in the family since new. Still a very dear friend. I just grew out of it.The last fifteen years have been hard on our relationship. That is when I made a regrettable decision to put trendy wheels on it, just when I was starting a family. I hated it ever since. With a new family and a meager income ( also my true infatuation with early hotrods) I grew out of love my well used hotrod. The wheels were the deal breaker.I still cant get over the wheels. Seems selfish of me to spend the money on wheels and tires just to make it fit my vision better. Now that I have held onto it for this long, I am in a bad place, it is too worn out to be worth selling and I struggle with the determination to rebuild it into the car I want. If you have the means and time to fix the problem areas without rebuilding the whole car, do it! You will find a new place for it in your life. I know that I miss my old friend, sure you do too. Jeff
I like your '38 as it is, and it's the only car of that body style that has ever impressed me. The big rake and whitewalls say SoCal 1958. It's not a look for everybody, and I think it distinguishes your car from the great multitude. The radical motor gives it tremendous cred. If it's reliable too, don't touch it. The chassis -- I have no quibble with creature comfort. I have sold all my prewar Fords with buggy springs, and don't regret it. I like that my shoebox rides, and stops, and chills, and tunes (couldn't think of an active verb there) just as it should when I want it to. I don't fiddle with the tilt column very often, but I don't regret having it. If you back-date your car, it's a sign of conformity. Don't do it.
When I was 13, 1955, I worked for a contractor, I told him I wanted to get a 34 Ford P/U, and put a Cadillac engine in it. He told me I had Champaigne ideas on a Beer budget. When I was 15 I bought 36 5 window coupe and put a 259 Studebaker in it.
got the same problem with my chopped 54 pickup. 6 cylinder with muncie 4 speed and ford 9 inch out back. i love most things about it but i feel it needs bumpers and steel wheels for my liking today. my wife tells me to leave it alone. it was what i used to be into. today, if i did it again i would do it different but i think i will leave it alone. i still get a big smile on my face when i drive it. i have built several cars sinse this truck and all have had white walls and steel wheels. i seem to be loving the cars and trucks with pretty much original body and trim with low stance and some cool white walls.
The thing is, if you dig you can find more pictures of the car. The engine has all the finned goodies and dual quads. Car has a 4 speed. Interior is simple mohair. He runs recap slicks in back Other than the bags IFS and disks (which Ryan has always downplayed embarassingly, no reason in my mind to do so) this car is a perfect example of a 50s hotrod meets the dragstrip circa 62ish!
1967............. 10 years old............ i got my hands on r-c and went to the back pages looking and day dreaming of the vintage tin section, THERES GOLD IN THEM HILLS IN NO-CAL... IT TOLD ME, I WAS GOING TO RIDE MY BIKE.. bicycle from oshawa ontario canada to para-dice california and bring home a tall t , WHAT.. still dreaming and i am 53 now, never give up.. thanks ryan, dermott.
I was thinking that too. A neat Deco ride like that would make a great tail dragger, and there's nothing wrong with a hot engine hidden under the hood. -Dave
Ryan, I did the same thing to my F1, started building the chassis back when I was still suck in the street-rod line of thinking, it has 4wheel disc, IFS, etc. Then i found the HAMB....luckily I kept the flathead and have gone a more traditional direction in the build. I've thought of taking out the IFS.... even though it's not very visible, it just seems out of place If the '38 were mine, I might just replace the front suspension, rear end, and the tilt column. Then new wheels, different stance, and you're good to go.
seems the grass is looking better over the fence? leave it alone..it looks awesome,sounds good and runs like hell..id say you hit the nail on the head... its like the terminator..looks right on the outside and got some killer stuff under the skin...
So Ryan..................have you been taking stuff off the 38 that doesn't make sense to you, or are you like the rest of us and it's still sitting there......waiting? Just thought I'd ask since this thread came back up.
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