so ive been collecting parts here and there for the past few year gearing up for my big 30 model a coupe build... now i know what kind of chop and stance im looking for color etc but one big question remians ... im not sure if i should go the way of the modern or vintage hot rod, i have both set ups as we speak waiting for my decision. on one hand i have the full drive train and suspension out of a 46 ford from front to back ... but i also have a 69 corvette 350 .30 over with ported fuelie heads/valves/ and double wound springs and an older stock car franklin quick change rear... so what do i do, go the way of the vintage classic look but get my doors blow off by every beehive reving honda that passes , or do i flex some detroit muscle but sacrifice the authenticity ... ugh let me know what you guys think -dan
Vintage Hot Rod, who gives a rats arse what joe bloggs is doing in his POS shop bought Honda that 25,000 other people have as well. Doc.
...why would you give a fuck what anybody else thinks you should build?? Man-up dude, go your own way and build whatever flicks-your-bic.
Do you have to ask. This is a traditional hot rod board. As far as the honda , fuck him seems like they are always trying to prove something , he will probably blow more than your doors off.
You'e asking this question on a Traditional Hot Rod forum? No matter what you build, some one will always be faster. If you are building this car for yourself, build whatever you like. If you are building it for members of this forum, You have to build over 100,000 units. Eadh of us have a different opinion!
buil it traditional ,All the other styles come and go and comeback and leave again ,Traditional is always in ,Yes you can run the 350 in a 2000 lb car you will fly ...
Go with the flattie. You'll never be faster than a tuner Honda, but I assure you - you'll ALWAYS be cooler. Nobody gives a "thumbs up" to those silly rice rockets, but you'll get a long look and a double take no matter where you're cruising. That's worth way more than being able to brag (to whom, I wonder) that you kicked some Accord's ass over on West 98th. just my input - it's your responsibility to build what you like. dj
It's your car. Your money, blood sweat and tears, build it how you want it, only you have to be happy with it in the end, to hell with what anybody else thinks. That being said, build the damn thing traditional and donate the 350 to some poor soul in need . I don't know, maybe some poor cash strapped guy trying to build an old chevy truck on a shoestring could use it
I say both. Dress up the Corvette engine to look like it was a '58. I would not care about outrunning the Honda's, but I also would not want it to be slow. I myself would not be happy with a slow hotrod, kind of an oxymoron to me. If you are worried about the look, run a hood.
I agree that if you go with the SBC, dress it out to look vintage. Maybe 3x2's vintage valve covers, exhaust, etc. Hey you're 23; your Hot Rod will get more chicks than all the Hondas around no matter what drivetrain you choose to run!
What? You can't do both? My ride: Totally stock body, Smeding 391, TCI frame, C6 Tranny, 9 inch rearend. Looks fairly traditional (I guess) but goes like hell. I have to agree with previous posts, build what you want and F everyone else....
You have to make this decision yourself. With 113,000 members ya gonna get all kinds of responses and still not have an answer. All/none of the responses are right for you.
make a set of those flatty valve covers for the chevy, lol.... JUST KIDDING. Since your asking other's opinion: make it early sbc vintage (late 50's vibe) but since you ARE concerned that you are gonna get smoked (valid concern, as performance is a hotrod core value), then i say get good heads, intake, cam profile and keep them hidden to look 50's. Add cheeter rubber, smart gearbox decision. Keeping vintage skinny rear tires means you'll have to be a driver at the stop light, but you're going up against mostly front driver cars with turbo lag, so that's a toss up- once you're rolling, the skinny rears wont hurt you so much and only the bigger turbo cars will pull you. lots here will say you have to have a stock internaled flatty, 327,283- or a 30-30 Duntov to be traditional-that's THEIR definition. I say that if hotrodders would have access to alloy heads and good cam profiles back then, they would have used them. Remember the SBC came out in the Fifties... Just stay away from the billet.... -rick
If I was 23 and I had the 350 in it I would drive it like an idiot and probably wreck it and hurt myself or worse! If you put the flattie in it, you have nothing to prove and the "cool" factor is way up there! That being said, I am putting a hot 327 in my '29 but I am 59 (and a daddy) and have slowed my driving down considerably.
I agree with this guy, and I own a Kustom! If you're going to build a boss looking streetcar, it should at least be able to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. And I'm not talking about Street racing anything, just making people think "wow, did you see that sucker go?" It don't have to be the fastest thing on the road, but I wouldn't Wanna be overtaken by a bus on the freeway, know what I mean? Best of luck with whatever you decide Paul
This has been beat to death, but were you wanting a hotrod....ie: a fast car? Just because you use an SBC, doesn't mean it's not traditional, it just means it's not a 40's era specific build....I sold my flathead and put a blown SBC and powerglide in my A coupe. I wanted a HOTrod.
Why not keep all the parts and build it one way for now and if you get tired of it in a few years build it again with the other parts.......
Theres a twin turbo SBC powered HONDA over the Hudson River not far from you, runs mid 7 seconds, yes 1/4 mile and street legal. Ive seen it race. A couple of years ago, that was NHRA Pro Stock times. My point, forget anything about racing the dip shitz in thier tuner cars, { unless of course your building a race car }, build your self a traditional Hot Rod and be done with it, enjoy life. BDM
How are you going to be using the car? Street mainly...well, you shouldn't be street racing, so build a traditional hot-rod. It does have a cool factor that's hard to beat. Street/Strip....If the car will see a drag strip, then build it to get the better times and use the stronger engine and beef up the frame & brakes to handle it. Screw the ricer crowd...or anyone else who seriously blips the throttle to try to take you at the light. That guy is probably a douche anyway. Think about it...you're 23 and a cop catches you burning away from a light. In some states, they can take your car away from you for that. Wouldn't it suck to see your hard work in the impound lot?
funny ricer story. seen a kid in a black Honda fart canning around town with numbers on his car from the drags. 13's or so, and written beside it "all motor!"... as in no Nitrous. saw it a week later on a rollbak all wrecked to shit. still had the times in the window. Model A with a flathead sounds good to me. but I'm an old fart and got most of my need for speed out of my system long ago.
Hmmm, well you did ask.........and ahhhhhh........ As my mommy used to say "it's your dingus, and your soap take as much time as you feel you need" .... she also said "find something you are good at and become great at it" ....I can now fart the (Canadian) National Anthem (as long as I'm not wearing white undies) ........ Oh, I also remember hearing her say "if at first you don't succeed, lower your standards" ...... my head hurts, sorry, what was the question again? ..... (of all the things I've ever lost, I miss my mind the most)... Oh right, you're still young ... build it with some balls. If you scatter a flathead you might be in a bit of a bind finding a good (uncracked) replacement. If you grenade a SBC you can find a replacement virtually anywhere (267, 305, 350 etc). I run a SBC because I drive my car a lot and I want to be able to stop in at any parts store and not be told "we can't get that part till next month". SBC's can certainly be made to look "oldtimey". Stick in a nice little T5 and you can run a steep rear gear and still be comfortable on the highway.
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