Hot Rods Building mistakes you won't repeat

I would think a lot of guys like myself have been building hot rods for many years and have followed trends in the hobby and later on realize that was a mistake.

Fortunately I never got caught up in the splash graphics, the billet laden cars or the tweed couch upholstery interiors but I did make a faux pas that I thought was cool at the time.

I did get caught up in the mono chrome fad and painted some nice stainless pieces & remove trim, I also removed the exterior door handles which I thought was cool.

Power windows was another mistake I made, with no door handles and power windows a dead battery was the kiss of death.

Since that time my cars got lost in a sea of flashy street rods, my cars always looked more like original cars.

All in all I have always liked the simple styles, I called it resto rod at the time and when I found the Hamb I found the kind of guys that I could relate to in their building techniques. HRP

 

When I first started loving T Buckets, the "Fad T's" were the rage. Luckily, I later found that look stupid and pointless. I never liked the mono color or flashy graphics that became the "in thing" to do to Hot Rods. In fact, for a while, I stopped looking at Hot Rods all together. Those were dark days indeed.

 

I work so slow trends pass me by.

 

Put a 430 MEL in my 55 Ford, instead of a 390. 390 would have been easier and more speed parts available, also geared it too high and had too small 4 barrel carb. But I was just 15 and it was 1965. Have not made a mistake since........


Bones

 

Welding to fast on sheet metal , warped the piss on a fender....easier to replace it.....spot weld timer is a friend indeed...

 

I followed that tweed interior fad and will never do that again.

 

Reminds me of making a bed cover for my old model A pickup and trying my had a gas welding, I warped that piece up badly. HRP

 

Plumbing hard brakeline directly to suspension, no flexible line.

 

building mistakes?
Have the right tools to build first.

Have a decent starter car to practice and cruise. Its no fun to not have a car to cruise, just a lot project crap in the yard.

Hopefully this one hits a lot of readers, save up and buy the most complete car and get a running project. Even if you have to wait for the right one to show up, the longer you wait and save, the easier (less work) and more money you will have saved to get it.

last gripe, you don't need a whole lot of projects that you are not ever going to finish. You just need one nice car to be content with. maaaybe two.

 

Mistakes oh yeh I’ve had my share.

 

I built my 36 Chevy truck using the original axle, I reamed the king pin boss's to accept the pins and spindles/ drums from a 69 Chevy van. After messing with it countless times over many many years trying to get it to steer and handle, I secumbed to what all the other "COOL KIDS" were doing and installed a FATMAN front suspension,,,,,,undeniably the WORST, WORST, WORST thing I've done to that truck since I got it sooo many years ago. It's been in and working so so for at least 20 years now so I can't see changing it, just wish I would have known then what I know now !!! Mitch.

 

Using through-frame fittings with large internal bores in a brake system, made brake bleeding very difficult


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Bought a new Millermatic 200 amp wire welder mistakingly thinking I was a weldor.

You got that right, I was smart to get that option, works neat for plug welding.

 

(1)I call a mistake a prototype, (2) putting a sbc in my coupe

 

Not asking advice from someone who had BTDT when I should have.

 

Lots of mistakes.On my first fuel bike I didnt have a strong enough front brake anchor.THAT was exciting!

 

Put the rear cross member in the frame too high, making the car sit too low. Luckily it was just tac welded in. Cut it loose and re-installed it properly. It's still a little too low.

 

Building the motor before the car is ready for it.

 

wasting my money building a flathead.....best flathead I ever had.....but still not worth the money

 

Whoa! I thought my 3" mini-drum was exciting.

 

Once got talked into putting air bags in a buddys street rod ...weak moment? Never again , did this several years ago at the beginning of that stupid craze...worst riding POS ever.

 

Torquing flexplate bolts... Don’t forget the Loctite

 

I've done lots of dumb shit, still do, but I still cringe when I think back when I was 19, and I figured that drilling giant holes in the top of my pristine 56 belair's dash to install a chrome tach was a great idea...

 

I keep saying, "next time I'm going to start with something decent". Still hasn't happened.

gary

 

Trading a good ot pickup and some other stuff on a badly chopped and channeled 36 Dodge pickup on an ot Toyota pickup frame. Just had to have it, gave way too much for it, got it and started reworking the screwups on it. Finally realized it was too far over my skill level to make it presentable. Kept the wheels and tires off it and sold the rest. At a loss, too.

 

Joined the Chevy crowd back in the 70's......

 

Bought this for $500 plus another $500 to have it shipped from Michigan. Let it sit beside my house behind a privacy fence for 10 years while it rusted....sold it for $250.

 

google:

squirrel hamb btdt

for a small list...

 

Didn't believe everybody when they said I had to use a high zinc oil in my flat tappet sbc. Now the engine sits in my shop all in pieces ready for assembly with a $1700 bill.

 

On the first Model A I built in the 80's: Shaved door handles, smooth painted runningboards, 3 piece hood. Cool at the time but a real pain now.