Hot Rods What's the most low buck car that was the most fun?

1954 Chevy Bel Air hardtop from my pops insurance agent for 50 bucks in 1963. He said it wouldn't start so he went and bought a new 63 Impala. Went over with a battery and a gallon of gas and backed it outta the drive way 10 minutes later. It was outta gas. It was a perfect car but I spun a bearing in the ole 235 after about 6 months.Sold it for $400 not running and thought I'd made a killing, enuf to buy a 40 Ford coupe with a 53 Merc in it. That's my story and I'm stickin 2 it.

 

My '29 standard coupe. Cost me $450 in August 1969. I'd worked three jobs all summer to get my first car and also have enough money to pay two semesters of college come the fall. The Model A didn't have glass, roof, or wiring beyond the ignition; five bad tires; painted red primer; no upholstery; engine crack leaked coolant; and three of the four brake rods either broke or lost a clevis pin on the way home from the seller in rush hour traffic. Scary ride! In six months I had rebuilt the engine, transmission, brakes, installed glass, wiring and a roof, bought tires as needed from Monkey Wards and it got me everywhere. Painted it Rustoleum green with a brush. I loved that car!

 

I would like to say my first '32 Ford purchased for 75 bucks but I wasn't old enough to drive and it only was in mu possession for s few hours, my dad went ballistic.

With that said my first '54 Ford that had a perfect body & interior was a very fun cars and had been owned by a elderly gentleman that had purchased it new, he babied that car an it was clean.

But 16 years old with a size 12 right foot was more than the engine could take and I spun a main bearing, my grandfathers next door neighbor helped me replace it in my grandparents front yard but that didn't last more than a week.

Darris, the neighbor was a hot rodder and he convinced me to replace the engine with a 390 and that was my introduction to hot rodding, man would that car fly but with all the speed it lacked adequate brakes, I ended up rolling the car in the middle of main street after trying to keep from hitting a old lady that pulled out in front of me, my evasion was successful as I didn't hit her but I did manage to hit the guide wire holding the telephone pole and subsequently did a couple of Joey Chittwood style barrel rolls.

The end of that car. HRP

 

2 for me, #1, my first car, 57 Chevy 210 2 dr sedan, I installed a junkyard 348 tri carb, 3 speed manual w/ hurst shifter, sun tach, cheater slicks, always 4:11 finally with posi. 1964, Fairly quick, put me on the map as a car guy/street racer in our neighborhood/city, good memories/stories. #2 first racer I drove, my Dad's Midget 1970-74, (I was active through 91)not a high buck state of art deal, but I had fun learning and my Dad was the best car owner I ever drove for, went on to bigger better deals, had some successes but it/I got too serious and that sucked all the fun out racing hobby until one day it dawned on me, I'm Not going anywhere, at best I'm just another local racer, Roger Penske is not calling me, so with that attitude adjustment the racing hobby became fun again. Coming back to car hobby, I've never been that serious, just have drivers, enjoy the shows, cruises and the people.

 

guess you win the "young & stupid award" as a badge of honor - my 1st was '53 Merc a cousin drove out to California from Minnesota - lower rear fenders gone due to rust - had blown head gasket & broken timing gear on flathed V8 - Dad helped me get it running but, Mom wanted gone since I did not have a drivers license - sold to a buddy for $35, he had a license - had overdrive 3 speed but, could not do a burn out going forward - but, did great burn outs in reverse - did a lot of driving around in reverse

 

Everything seems so high these days....

 

I'm starting to like the idea of a early sixties anything even a 4 door for a cool cruise around in ride. Some can still be had on the cheap .

 

Yep a loaf of bread ain't 25 cents either.

 

53 Ford wagon. Old flathead with 3-on-the-tree. Learned to drive a standard shift in that 'puppy'! Lived in a very hilly section of SC so Dad made me practice cranking/starting on the steepest hill in our neighborhood.
Loved to wind-it-out in low gear until it just quit pulling....then I held it in second until it just stopped pulling.
It was the bird dog haul'in....snow covered roads driver....back into the drive in movie space date car...noticed my girlfriends dandruff condition 'love mobile'.... haul my buddies looking for somebody to sell us illegal liquor fun/stupid mobile.
Ran it hot soooo many times but kept coming back for more. Discovered IF you disconnect the exhaust crossover pipe it really sounds sweeeet until your Dad catches you/or the 'man'!
6sally6

 

the most fun I ever had in any car was my $300.00 Ram Air III 4-speed 3.90 posi GTO Judge I had in high school. more fun than an 18 year old should ever have. lucky I did not kill anyone.

 

In high school (1975) I had a 64 impala covert that I paid 86$ for, the guy wanted 100$ but only I had 86$. Inline 6 3 on the tree ( odd for a impala) rusty, beat up, smoking and only front brakes due rusty brake lines. Drove it all summer with the top down. Junked it in the fall before winter.

 

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Build this 52 back in th early 60’s


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I had a lineup of potential 'hot rods' since age 13! Then a serious build at 16, my '32 Five window. Unlimited help from older buds, and my Mom was 'dating' the guy that owned the chrome shop.
What's that term now..."Entitled?" LOL
But seriously, married at 18...had to sell everything worth anything, Mom died, infant daughter after that, wife was 'impossible'. I needed a car, was 'in between'...got a job at Westinghouse, (temporary, while in L.A. my garage was broken onto, all my tools/rollaway and all, stolen. Blown Chrysler stolen out of my '46. Car was beaten up, windows broken, I parted it out.
So...No tools, no more '46. No job!
Kid that worked for the Texaco agent had to sell his car, a '48 Merc convert. V8 smoked, terrible. He said it was just overhauled, had a receipt from Automotive Engineering, a large corporation that employed 10-15 mechanics, full time.
I gave him $50 cash, took it to Grandma's house and put it partway in the garage, mixed up some Bon-Ami and fed it thru the carb, at 2,000 RPM, 2 or 3 minutes...the smoking stopped, engine had 'pep'!
Good thing, cause I didn't have wrench one to tear it apart!
Top was ragged, paint looked 'O.K.'...I talked my insolent wife into helping me rub it out...DuPont #7, rough stuff...then went over it with my bud's cousin's 'Kleener', then some of her wax. Wow.
Merc had chrome outer rims, reversed on unpainted 'rusty '48 centers', I polished the outers and painted the centers black. Looked GOOD!
But I was 'crippled' by the loss of my beautiful Midnight Blue '46, until I drove the Merc out to Sunnyvale to the new Westinghouse job.
Lots of compliments, (I hid the ragged top beneath the 'boot'...never did put a top on that car! Flattened the front spring, shackled the rear...low rake...had a set of dual pipes put on, bud Tony did it after hours.)
More I drove the Merc, (even in the rain) more I liked it.
Wife wanted to learn to drive...my Merc hit the big tree in front of Grandma's.
I was buying tools again, so I bought Billy Mendoza's '36 Five window. Beauty of a car...got back into the Trade, went to work fixing Porsches. (for $$$!)
Took everything out of the Merc and put it in my 'new' channeled Model A Coupe.
Eventually, missed that Merc.

 

That's a real tossup as I have only owned 7 vehicles in my life that I made payments on all the rest of the 50 + were bought for cash and most for pocket money.
These three stand out as favorites and which one was actually my most favorite is a toss up.
The 55 Buick I bought for 75.00 in 1966 in Seattle and ended up blowing the engine up in a spectacular explosion. If pieces of rod and piston in the lifter galley are spectacular that is. Bought a 55 Super sedan for 65 and pulled the engine and put it in the special. Panted the wheels with spray can silver and bought some beauty rings at B&B auto parts in Renton to give it a chrome wheel look that faked a few out. Total investment under 200 1966 dollars and it was an absolute road burner. The gals loved it because it was comfortable and my buddies always picked it as the car we double dated in.

The 48 I bought for 75.00 as a running and driving beater in early 1973. As there was no way my T bucket was going to be ready to go to Tulsa (I lived in McGregor Tx then) for the 73 Natonals I started a 3 month redo of the 48 that included changing running boards, rear fenders, endless hours of primer and sand before a friend painted it. Bobby Russel of Waco did the seat in roll and pleat and a coworker sold me a set of 67/69 Z28 Rally wheels with rings and 3 caps for 25.00. I swapped the trans and rear just a night or two before leaving for Tulsa. Total investment was under 500 in 1973 $$ As shown in the photo with my now 40 year old daughter peeking out the window at Ogden I probably had 1000 tied up in it when that photo was taken at the 1982 Chevy-GMC Truckiin Nationals that Seth Dalton put on in Ogden. Got a first in class simply because the Dream truck has never been shown in competition. The truck has been a big part of our adventures ever since 1973 and I probably have more money tied up in finned aluminum for the 292 than I had in it in 1982 as seen in the photo.

The 51 Merc, I bought as a mild custom from the crafts Shop teacher in 1963 at Toppenish High school. I paid 175 for it in 1963 and drove it until I blew the flathead and sold it and then bought it back a couple of years later for 10.00 It sat behind the barn here at this place while I was gone in the Army and the 8 years I was in Texas. After we moved back someone gave me a 350 Buick and Turbo 350 that I stuck in it. I drove it that way for a year or so until the Buick crapped out. My buddy (Jim Rosen) gave me a 60 something square GMC pickup with a 350 Olds in it that rattled when It idled. My son and I played with it a bit, then I put it in gear and under a load and no rattle. I tightened up the torque converter bolts and off we went on a test ride. Came back grinned a bit an proceeded to pull the engine and then put it in the Merc where it stayed for several years and a lot of miles including a road trip to Texas and Bonneville in 57 . The engine took one timing chain in all those years and a few tune ups. I doubt I ever had 1000 bucks in it total. The 57 Cad caps were bought one at a time paying 25 for the last one at a swap meet after getting the others for between ten and fifteen.

 

1940 Nash Ambassador .... straight eight with twin ignition (16) spark plugs.
Sat in a garage for (14) years.
Bought it back in 1958 when I was fourteen years old. Paid one dollar for it.
Loved it...

 

Early 60’s M38A1, military version of the CJ5. It had been redone a bit, had a 231 Buick V6, new top and newly covered seats. Had 10:00 x 31 tires on deep black steel wheels. Drove that little Jeep for two years, took the top off in spring and it didn’t go back on until winter. Was good on road and off, would go places my buddy’s 4x4 pickup wouldn’t. Speedo didn’t work so no idea of how fast it would run, but it seemed like you were flying. I even used it to pull a 4x9’ trailer in the woods getting firewood, it would haul a good cord or cord and a half of green hardwood and never strain. When I got my first over the road truck driving job, I was out 3 weeks before I got home, my wife needed money for bills and sold it. Haven’t seen it since.

 

I did a partnership with a buddy Dave in 1958 on a not running sad ruff 40 Ford sedan,we each had $35 in it. I got it running and Dave payed for the tag. The thing had no trunk lid,so we found in the trash a metal beer sign that very close to the size of the trunk hole,screwed two door hinges to the top of it and had a trunk lid kind of !We beat around town with it for about 6 months. Nether of our Dad's would let junky looking thing be around the house. So we played park it here and there,every few days . Dave moved away and took it with him,still has not sent me my $35 back! LOL

 

Mine was my first car, a 56 Chevy 4-door with a 235 I bought in 1963 for $15.00 when I was 16. It had bald tires, which I replaced with 4 used tires from a junk yard and my brother & I had to do a complete brake job on it. It was "painted " flat black. Drove it for two years and sold it for $25.00. Some great memories in that car.....wish I had kept it.

 

I thought all this time you were an all FoMoCo kind of guy You never go wrong with Buick power! I have a built 455 Buick that is going in my 65 Gran Sport. My buddie had one in his 66 F-100, really pissed off the Ford guys at the cruise-ins After he got an offer he couldn't refuse he always says it is his "one that got away"

 

There was a Patton boy from Nelsonville that had one in a green Nova during my first year at Tri County, a supposed-to-be Stage 1 455. It was reportedly faster than Salisbury's GTX at the time, but Rocky's dad didn't allow that for very long. Funny what things we remember, and I never forgot that. Not much heavier than a SBC, with no comparison in torque output. You could basically call me non-denominational, I reckon, especially when it comes to burning some rubber

 

My first, back in 1968 -
1956 Chevy, 210 sedan. 265, single four barrel carburetor, cast iron Powerglide. Original paint, white and plum out side, never been crashed or even dented for that matter. The only thing wrong with it, is that on the freeway (higher rpm's) the lifters would clatter like crazy and the plum paint was coming off from being polished so much in the past.

I paid the huge sum of $150 for it and drove it home. I was saving for a surf board...there went my surf board money..!

Many trips down the Irwindale drag strip, a few laps around the Speedway 605, hill climbing (off road) at the end of an old girl friends street, my first...well, um...with an old girlfriend (different than the above)..! A ticket for doing 118mph on the 60 freeway, many fix-it tickets for being too low, and a couple for being too loud. And probably a ton of stuff I've forgotten..!
Engines, transmissions, rear ends, and everything else about 13 years down the road, I sold it for $3500 minus the engine and the differential (Pontiac, 3.90 ratio gears with posi. unit).

Mike

 

I admit I am biased, you need a mopar. They are not very popular and do not have a high resale value.
The old flathead will run forever, you get up to 50mph and you will get a bit of pucker with the sloppy steering and loose brakes. Lots of smiles per miles

My current ride is a ot 90's chebbie SWB truck, 350/5spd with highway gears.
I only bring this up, it does bring a lot of smiles per mile. When you see this ol man rolling up the freeway on ramp, rowing through the gears and hitting 80+ by the time am joining the freeway ... here the speed limit is 75, so everybody is driving over 80 anyways.
Just saying, in my mind I am sitting in a model A ... when my dodge is on the road, this cheap chevy is a donor for the next project

 

What about a Speedway 23 body..........$500
Some rectangular and round tube........$300
Junkyard engine, trans and rear end ...$1000 (maybe a newer banger)
Old Ford beam front end......................$300
New Speedway spindles........................$200
Rod ends, shackles ect...........................$200
T windshield..........................................$500
Mustang radiator (skip rad shell).........$100
Headlights, tail lights, turn sig sw........$150
Steel wheels (Craigslist).........................$100
Tires (Walmart).....................................$250
Master cyl., ni/copper lines ..................$100
Paint (Valspar Tractor paint).................$100
Donated parts from friends ..................$000

Less than $5000.00 and a bunch of time!



.

 

My brother and I bought a '31 Model A Tudor from a friend of our father for 50 bucks. It was not a really nice car but it ran well. We used it for everything (I was not old enough for a license yet but drove it anyway) and I learned how to drive in it. We lived and did a lot of fishing in the Adirondacks and it was just the thing for using those old logging roads to get to our favorite fishing holes. We were going to put a V8 in it but that never got done. Never wrecked it and sold it when when I went into the Navy for 50 bucks. I always remember that we had to keep checking the right rear lug nuts for tightness.

 

That's about what I was thinking. I had pondered doing a thread where it was all captured on a spread sheet. That way you would have an exact amount for guys doing their first build. A lot of folks don't care for the T's but to me they are the only way to go for budget build.

 

I have been giving serious thought to building one also.

 

About $3500...and you could have bought it but were gracious enough to let me. Just need to build a new motor for it now since it is SHOT! I think Darrel may have done a few too many burnouts...

Maybe not the lowest buck fun one I have owned, but the most recent low buck fun one.

 

So many "T" bucket builds are "off" one way or another......but when they are right, they can be really slick and lots of fun to boot! Instead of a stupid expensive build, if need be, a "T" bucket build can be just the opposite!

 

I bought a 58 Chevy wagon from a cheerleader that I was dating in high school. I gave her a $100. for it. It was a real FUN car. But I noticed after we broke up it wasn't as fun anymore.