Hot Rods Buying or building a utilitarian hot rod instead of buying new

I have toyed with the idea of having an old parts chaser too. For me, it would be a 1960 or 61 Ranchero. That would be an ideal size vehicle to run around town with and give decent gas mileage. I could put cheaper collector car insurance on it also since it wouldn't be a go to work type of car since I am retired.

 

Then I'm your man as I've spent a ton and a half on mine.
It still needs $$$ spent to finish.
List of mods done to this point with photos, just ask.
A couple more examples.

I tell people "real Suburbans have tailgates"!

 

I've been thinking the same thing, I need 4WD because where I cut wood is pretty rough, I need more room and never really thought about a suburban. You could build a 383 sbc, beefed up 700R and with the WB it would tow great. The wife would need A/C, now you got me thinking.

 

Rear doors on the 60-66 models are a must, in my opinion...the clamshell setup is HEAVY. I swapped mine over.

If you do all the weatherstripping, fix the hinges and latches, etc they are pretty good trucks. The ride is great, with stock suspension. I don't know what happens when you lower it, though.

Seats...all I can say, is spend some time and effort to get something in there that's comfortable. The stock ones are usually wore out, and even when they're all fixed up, they are not very good.

 

Not Hamb friendly by the year but what is supposed to be my daily driver and was for several years is my 71 GMC 3/4 ton pickup that has a 500 Cad and turbo 400 plus a 3.54 posi. It is a great tow rig that rides good and drives good but the same thing could be done with a 63/65 3/4 ton pickup or burb. If I found a somewhat decent 4 wheel drive burb in those years I'd be all over it though.
The main thing on having an older rig for a daily is simple systems that are reliable and easily repaired if they need repair. I've got a 20 year old ride out in the yard that is still a great looking car and hell for comfortable for four people on a road trip but it takes a 3000 buck engine to make a 1500 to 2000 buck car out of it right now. If that kid who wants it for parts shows up he is getting the deal of a lifetime.

 

This one has s roll up rear door

 

I was thinking I would just leave it basically stock. Not looking for another project car. I really don't want a frame up. I have done too many of those. Ready for the tweaking stage of life. ( not tweaking like a meth head). I would look into later model seats out of a new Sub.

 

Mine was mostly stock, I dropped a big block in it, th400, and swapped in 3.07 rear gears. I got the factory AC working, but it's just not very good compared to what modern cars come with. The thing is it's still a 50+ year old utility vehicle, and you can really tell near the end of a long trip.

 

One car that I really like is the 65 Chevy Bel Air wagon. They had the option for a big block. Ride is awesome.

 

73-79 F250 crewcab 4x4 although they seem to be getting extremely hard to find and expensive to buy, cheap to fix though and plenty of room in the cab. 460/C6 is a serious hauling machine too.

 

Gotta go with squirrel on this...if you are looking for a safe tow vehicle to go on long trips with your wife or entire family buy a newer model. I have two pick up trucks. One is my daily and tow vehicle. 2016 Siverado Z71. Safe and comfortable and will keep up with traffic on the intersate. The other pick up is my weekend truck. A 1980 4x4 Silverado. It has all the options available in 80 and doesn't come anywhere near the comfort of my daily. I mean everything is better from gas mileage to braking to towing capacity.

It's neat to have a hamb friendly toe vehicle but you are going to tire of it quickly if you go on long road trips with your family.

A lot has to do with ones age though....guys like me nearing 70 get awful tired of flogging a 60's truck around on a long road trip.

 

I would like to see you do an old truck, and put a hunnerd thousand miles on it. Just letting you know that you might get tired of it, and trying to point out some things to fix first, that you might or might not have considered.

Driving an old Suburban cross country several times, I saw at most only a handful of other old vehicles out there doing the same thing. It's tough to be the only guy fighting the battle.

 

Nice thing about a suburban, at least in CA is that there are no weight fees on the 'burb as opposed to a p/u. Had a '63 4x4 Chevy carryall when I was in the Army. Drove the piss out of it. Had a 230 with 3 on the tree but it ended up with a small block and a truck 4 speed. Agree about the tail gate. Cheanged over to the barn doors, much better IMO.

 

Hate to say it, but with the expectations you have with this vehicle, I believe you need a modern hauler.
You can probably make something old sort of work, but I doubt its something you can buy without having to upgrade it to suit your purposes. Then you have to consider what happens when your 1,000 miles from home, pulling a trailer with the family on board, and the old ride breaks down. Finding someone that can, or will work on it is only 1/2 the problem, you will still be waiting for a couple days for parts.
Buy a newer used family hauler that has what you want, and use it to drag your HAMB friendly rides to where your going. Gene

 

I was going to say a Panel truck......but you want seats rows for other people. My '64 panel rode like a Cadillac even with the 2" lowering springs and just a front swaybar (never put the rear one on). Go with a 63-66 for the regular front suspension, 64-66 for no wrap around windshield, cool side trim of the "custom cab". Maybe some air shocks in the rear as my panel would squat a little with an engine in the back. Your butt hurts from flat old seats, just means you need to get out and stretch your legs more often........new stuff SUCKS .

 

Feels like that around here when traveling (not cross country though)......But I still like the struggle. I guess it makes a difference also if you have a schedule to keep or not.

Downside to this is when the new car breaks good luck even attempting to repair it yourself, your out more $$$ and still waiting for parts. I always carry tools and spares, don't really need to find someone to fix it.

 

I love that trailer!!!

 

I have been towing trailers and hauling car parts since the mid 60's . Everything from an El Camino with a 6 cylinder 3 speed to 36 foot motor home.
My favorite all around vehicle was a late 70's ,early to mid 80's 3/4 ton suburban with dutch doors.
I have owned 2 of them ,one with a 454 and one with a 383 stroker. Both were 2 wheel drive and turbo 400's Both needed lift bars on the enclosed trailer to set level towing. My 79 suburban and I left southeast Ga. one morning and I towed straight through to Milwaukee, Wis. To do a trade on a car I wanted. The seats were stock and I found them to be very comfortable for long hauls.
I have used a sliding door bread truck to tow our late model dirt track car. I put some car buckets in the front and a van middle seat in it . I had to raise them up so the pass. could see out. Some of the crew were getting motion sickness from riding back there with no windows.

 

I dont even know what this is, but now I want one....
Chappy

 

We just built up this 1940 Ford one ton 6.0. has heat and air conditioning. That being said a later model truck with more room in the cab ect. Would be nice.

 

Can’t drive old trucks across the country?
What if an old truck breaks down?
The old truck was cross country capable when new, why should it not be if mechanically restored?
If it breaks down, ya fix it or tow it just like when a new one breaks down.
Who needs all the wasteful comforts of new when you can have fun in the coolness of old.

 

When it was new, every parts store and dealer stocked parts for it. Not so, today.

But there's more to it than that.

 

We all carry tools with us.
I have an extra fuel pump mainly due to today’s ethanol. A jug of coolant, extra alternator, a belt some electrical items. All this takes up little space.
If anything internal breaks on an old or new truck, you’re gonna probably need a tow.
Broke down is broke down.
Parts have to be ordered for old just like new.
New trucks are towed in to the dealer every day where they wait for parts and service.
Every parts store or dealer does not stock every part you need new or old.

 

Well, of course.

I only had one situation where the old tow vehicle died, in a way that I could not fix it in time. Fortunately, what it was towing was capable of making the trip, so we just unloaded the race car and drove it to the race, and dealt with the truck later.

If you build using commonly available parts, and keep spares with you for stuff that is a bit harder to find, you'll probably be fine. No matter what you're driving, it's a crap shoot. I do know that the later models have been more reliable for me. But not everyone gets lucky and buys a decent vehicle, or maintains it as they should. The thing is, it's probably more likely the old one will fail, if you don't do it right, than a later model. Whether or not you'll be able to fix it, is also kind of up to your abilities, as well as your checkbook, your schedule, etc.

Everyone is in their own situation, and has to play to their own odds.

 

Early 40s ford

 

Thanks. Never got to see it finished before I sold it to my buddy. Hopefully he finishes it. That truck was one I wish I didn't sell but glad I have my Hot Rod now.

 

Not likely to find a well built and reliable older vehicle that rides good and is comfortable without spending some pretty decent money.
If you buy a partially done vehicle you now have another project that will take ??????? years.
I'd keep your old truck for a parts chaser and tow vehicle and think about fixing whatever it needs. Do some pro-active repairs rather than wait till it gives a problem. Then buy you a decent later model (not new) truck to use for longer trips. Something in the $15K range.

Now, that being said. You can always keep your eyes open for a nice Suburban project that you can build reliability into. But that only works if you have something to drive already.

While I'm currently "building" 3 different projects, my daily driver is a 2000 Chevy Shortbed. Clean truck with 110K miles. Bought the wife a new compact SUV cause she won't drive a big one. I use it for a lot of short errands to keep the miles off my truck. Building a 56 Chevy truck that can tow and have decent street performance with an OT engine and overdrive. when done it should be reliable. The only thing 56 is the sheetmetal and guages. Much easier that way......but still a lot of work.



Built in hidden receiver hitch


Might see if you can get lucky at an Auction...........

 

I guess it all on how ya look at things.
The 60-66 gm products share a design that went up into the late 90s.
For instance. The $200 c40 I bought shares a similar suspension that was used for decades by motorhome and fleet manufactures.
I picked up a late, low mile front and rear set up for $150 including 9 19.5 10 lug wheels.
A $350 base investment in a parts chaser that has a 14k gvw capability including the brakes.
There is still a long way to go.
We are only doing a mechanical reso/upgrades. Not a full resto.
So I guess if you want to set the cruise on 90 and crank up the AC or you want an old truck to perform just like a new truck, this may not be the route you want to go.
If ya want to have a cheap, reliable parts chaser and not blend in with the sheep, something like this could be an option.
Honestly I enjoy cruising down the interstate with the windows down in the right lane.

 

I have a 99 K2500 Suburban with the 7.4 I love it, don't like the fuel mileage though.

 

Mine is 79 Power Wagon , short Utiline , 200 series . Cummins powered with 5 speed and 205 case . Dana 60 front and rear with lockers . It will go where God did not build any roads and get 25 MPG .