Whaddya mean? That thing has all the "right parts" : 21 stud flathead, '40 Ford wheels, '32 shell, etc, etc., etc. From the apparent age of the "owner" and the smile on his face, it was probably better that most when built. Plus not a skull, chain, or piece of barbed wire in sight! I don't know about the lightening holes in the frame though.
Think of the probable time period. Teenagers and young adults typically had very little money, and stuff we have like fairly cheap welders and cutting tools did not exist. This guy was probably about like me in high school...he could pick up his entire tool set in one hand, knew a neighbor who would lend a crappy 1/4" drill with worn-out bits, and if lucky another neighbor with a chain hoist. He was a bottom feeder even at the junkyard, lucky to have $5 to blow. He created a pretty good outline of a hotrod out of nearly nothing, and it probably had a LOT of clever adaptations to avoid things like heavy cutting and welding beyond practical possibility. This guy also achieve decent overall lines and managed to get the thing low without the cost of dropped axle or heavy fabrication. He might not yet have figured out how to attach the rear end...angles look odd back there...but he'll find some way to get it in. Then he'll get drafted and his parents will pay the junkyard $5 to clear the garage...
It's evident that he was aware of the 'right profile', just went about it in a 'chassis sacrificial manner'! I recall seeing a few drag machines with 'holey chassis rails' in early '50s HRM, before the NHRA got a firm hold on Tech restrictions... There was a 'T' bucket with 'all those holes' in a chromed frame, can't remember whose it was, but it WAS street driven... Some of those early tricks were frightening. (but "Real George"!)
Looks like a cool start at top of thread,dosen't look done yet by anything I see,but mocked up pretty well so far. It's kind of close too what I did myself in the late 50s. For just a few rides around the block early 1959 before I cleaned up ,smooth an painted my own. I had to try it,so looked bad with tempEX etc. . I'll post my mock up an the as finished. I still have an drive it.
was told by a old customizer that back in High School when they had next to nothing to spend on their cars, even lowering, they would cut the seat base stand off so that at least they could sit low even if their car wasn't - innocence of youth!
When I did the #12 post here up the page,I should of also said; I do often find those that look at any old photo,tend to make up there own idea of what they see. The amount of info they have to work with all ready in your brain dose help a lot to get most of it right or not. Some younger kids today think they see a finished car,even though it's not. Others see it as being close to done or even finished {nether are likely. We can't really know with out builders in put. I did 2 of my own photos with my note above,to show how that cool photo that started this off can be miss read. Kind of like a young guy now looking at a old hot rod ,or custom mag, seeing that all the cars in side are flat black. Then primer his the way he thinks it was done {when he was looking at black an white no color mag an all his new mag.s are in full color=to him they were mostly flat paint in his idea of the old days. My be uneeded note,but from a few I read here,seemed good to add fillin. Big thing is to have fun thinking about some stuff in more ways then your first thought about it.
I lived that era & you built Cars from what was availible at the Time.! I was Crusing in the 50's at the Sock hops and hung out at Harvey's drive-in on northern Blvd. NY across the Blvd. was Treasure Island, when they chased you away from Harvey's we went across the Blvd. to Treasure Island, & when the Cops Broke your Back I used to put the Car away & take out the Bike I had 2 Bikes one was a Matchless & the other was a Vincent Black Shadow modified. I had a Good Job back in the Day Just my 3.5 cents
And it's a damn shame to! Before all the whining starts about safety, HAMB correctness and blablabla... I was raised that hot rods come from junkyards. Yes, I have been known to order from Jegs, but only after I've gone to a few yards and or, failed at making my own. I love the car or truck that shows up and the pointing, snickering and guessing "what did that come off of" starts. I'll never be rich enough to own a "high dollar car" but I'm not complaining.
We were all young and crazy way back when. This is what I drove the wheels off, of 40 years ago. I payed a $100 for the body, and could not wait to get it running. After three sbc' s and two, 389 Pontiac's I'm still driving it. lol Ron...
I built my first 'roadster' in 1955, actually a '30 Cabriolet with 'fixed windshield, channeled it over a gennie '32 frame, sectioned '32 shell, kicked up front rails 3", tubular member with perch 'suicide' front, '37 tube axle, '32 rear, '46 brakes, '39 pedals. 21 stud '38 flattie, .030 over, alum 3 ring pistons, Weber F2 cam, 'Canadian' alum heads, Eddie Meyer 2 jugger, 97s, '41 Pickup box. Belond headers, (used) 1.75" headpipes, 24" steel pak mufflers, flat oval tips out the back. Frame and most running gear Nitro gloss black, some red, sparse chrome. '48 Merc wheel centers, Buick reversed outers, gloss black; Whitewalls, 8.20 X 15 rear, 5.90 X 15 front. '46 Ford caps, script detailed in black. Body was red oxide primer, car always had 'near finished' look. I have a pic, (old snapshot) but don't know how to insert it. The other guys that were building never seemed to get the body in shape before they drove, I couldn't handle that...primer was cheap and I painted my 'roadster' with a HOOVER! Always looked 'sharp'...
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