I don't like the word "cheap" ... it sounds so -- well, uh -- cheap. Inexpensive is a much better description, and can apply equally to beer, wine, whiskey as well as car parts. Bruce Lancaster is spot on when he suggests looking for shapes rather than functions. I like to call such searches "re-purposing." And since this thread began with a suggestion about re-purposing shower hoses for headlight conduit, allow me to suggest there's an even better solution -- one I'm currently running on my roadster. Go to Radio Shack and buy a couple of "microphone extensions"; they're $10 each, chrome plated, come in the right length, and have a male thread on one end and a female thread on the other. Makes it dead simple to fasten to the bottom of the headlight bucket and fit perfectly in the conduit hole on a Model A radiator shell. Good luck! And keep on re-purposing...
The rat rodders have taken this practice to the extreme. They just make no attempt to conceal the origin of their materials and thrive off the resulting shock factor.
Kind of stubbed my toe on this thread, so I'll add my 2 cents worth. I was picking up some windshield washer fluid a while back and saw the Locktite Spray Adhesive. I bought a can of it for about 1/3 the price of a can of the 3M stuff and it works just as well. Also bought some black fabric for upholstery (it looks like convertible top material).
Bruce nailed it with this statement. When we were working on the interior of the wagon we ran into a problem,we had just finished the seat covers on the rear fold down seat and in doing so we had added additional padding on the top of the seat. When we dropped the seat back the padding interfered with the pilot studs and ripped the cover..... We had to recover the seat or devise a repair..Wally World had what we needed in housewares department,2 Onida stainless steel serving spoons,,the handle was cut off and the edge was bent enough to slide under the stainless original rail across the back of the seat. When I point it out most people think it is original to the car,,it works as a guide for the pivot pin to slide into the hole and not pinch or tear the material. HRP
The handle that's Tee shaped works great on a 1955-57 Chevy wagon tailgate. I had a new looking handle but the tumbler teeth inside kept messing up. The only difference is the garage door handle does not have the raised fancy added piece on it. Also the bubble wrap insulation is way cheaper at Home Deephole and other home improvement stores. This tread went to hell quickly but members finally realized sometimes cheap is better than not being able to buy a part. The Wally World part sucks but even I go there at times. if nothing else but to look at the kool women of Wal-Mart in their engineer boots and bib overalls with a strap hangin off their boobs.
Used 3/8 all thread covered in 3/8 sink supply tubes for new radiator steady rods and HF furniture mini dollies covered in plywood with drilled and screwed down jack stands for car dollies for the '29 under construction.
If you need to do a little paint touch-up. Look into some fingernail polish. Many colors and pretty cheap. Bright orange works for gauge needles. Black works for dash touch-up. And so on.
use 2 1/2 exhaust clamp 1$ to hold my rad overflow tank which is a aluminum water bottle 1$ from dollar store
Used those for about six months before a shop I worked in bought a lift equipped with the turn plates. WD-40 sprayed inside the bags before rolling the car onto them helps even more. Delivered by a blind carrier pigeon.
My floorboards in my truck are made from old washing machine, steel is thick just added a few more beads. Rear tubs in bed from trailer fender and old bed frame for bed floor support rails.
Old thread,BUT a goodie.For a carb hat,you can use a SS mixing bowl.For a spacer for a heat shield(like between a manifold and carb),you can use the "plastic"?cutting boards available from most any store that sells kitchen goodies.They range from appx 1/8th to 1/2 inch in thickness.And they are CHEAP. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
I used Quart paint cans(new from a buddy's body shop) for 3"speakers under the dash very good acoustics's and cheap! FREE!
I had a HD in the late 70s and used the braided wire shielding they have inside some TV coax cable. Cleaned up everything real nice.
My PCV hose is a braded plumbing line, the type you use to hook up a facet in the kitchen or bathroom. I got it at Home Depot.
Old thread-still relevant though. Not at Walmart, but at the Goodwill I always look in the cooking supplies for neat castings or stamped metal grills and such-found an $4 electric wok that had a beautiful Spun aluminum domed lid- grabbed a tape measure and found it's perfect for an air cleaner lid. Then i found a black steel firewood rack ($2.99) with a nice rolled edge that just screamed Trans Tunnel/Panel..... here's a pic of a brass one.
I ve used some ribbed rubber shelf matts and covered my model A running boards worked sweet looked stock
Not Walmart but still cheap. For some trim on the dash of my T-bucket I went to Lowe's and bought a length of unfinished pine molding & some Minwax Polyshades Natural Oak Stain. I then used 3M Automotive Molding Tape to apply the finished trim pieces to the dash. I also painted the spokes of my steering wheel using a rattle can of Krylon Hammered Silver paint from Meijer. Total cost around $15.
Car guys don't steal items or paint from retailers. If you would befriend a car guy they will give you what you need. So sorry
Free on the side of the highway, pieces of recap that come off of truck tires. Cut them up to use for a rubber cushion as in body mounts, etc.
Oh man, the '35 is a monument to the resourcefulness of a broke-ass hotrodder. Needed a nylon bushing for the end of the steering column - used a cheap plastic cutting board and a hole saw. Glove box made from old license plates. Steering column drop made from cut off aluminum piston rod. Floor shifter needed a boot - used a motorcycle license plate frame and a remnant of marine vinyl from JoAnn Fabrics. Under carpet insulation - used self-stick air duct insulation from Home Depot. Same as dyna-mat, but loads cheaper. Carpet is indoor/outdoor area rug from Home Depot. Measured about 6 foot by 8 foot for $20. Even cheaper than the stuff they sell by the yard off of the big rolls. Door panels made from 1/16 inch ABS plastic sheets. $20 for a 4x8 foot sheet. Cuts with heavy scissors, and has a nice pebbled surface on one side. The possibilities are endless.
My water proof, warp free door panels...they cut easy, and glue easier......ooh and they are free. Cover with any fabric or foam you choose.
Here are a couple of ideas for you guys: The tach cup is a cut down polished stainless steel Q-tip dispenser purchased in the bath section of Target and the conical steering column transition is a cut down stainless desk lamp shade purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond. I made the gray primer bracket from a few pieces of scrap steel. Q-tip dispenser: Lamp shade:
I used the .090" vinyl shower board from Lowe's for interior panels on the '32. The stuff thats smooth on one side and the bumps on the back. It was easy to cut and shaped it with a heat gun and the upholstery guy loved it. It holds the glue really good too.
Glad this is back up. Tons of great ideas, many that I have used. I made use of my old furnaces, 50's models with curved edges, for rolled pans, the wide louvered section for guards around tranny coolers. Everything can be re-purposed.
I used a tall, narrow, 10" x 4", oval mouthed ,breakfast cereal tupper ware container as an under-the-front bumper ram air scoop. Low profile, low visibility yet fed the sbc cool, fresh air. Trimmed off the lid flange, cut a 4" diam hole in the side near the bottom and used pvc piping & rubber hose clamped joints up to the carb. Painted it semi-flat black and mounted it. Looked better than aftermarket for about $25 total.
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