Hot Rods Too much of a good thing? Owning multiples of the same car

No duplicates here. Too many cars I'd like to build and too little time. I'm at the point I will probably never buy another car that someone else built. I enjoy the build and I get it like I want it. I hate fixing other people's crap.

 

Could be guilty as well - take your pic - Studebakers or 1956 Mopars or my little 1964 Valiant convertible - segway into my 1965 Formula S as those flow a little into each other.....always buying another "parts" car/truck as I find them that can bloody well be on the street with a little help. Last parts car I bought was a little sweet mor door Valiant which by golly still was wearing all the factory full wheel hubcaps - and get this - all the tires were holding air from being parked a little over 20 years - but they were new about that time ! Bought it because I thought it had a little better hood in the factory color as my convert......and it was priced right !

 

seems they just come to you.. Them that's got, get more....

 

when i think about what was out there 20 yrs. ago.......10 yrs. ago ......and now...better get them and hold em . cause another 10 and there wont be any parts cars left . plus now people are reviving more doors that were cln. parts cars in the past !! and prices are completely insane!............and its just nice to need something , and go out back and get it. seems when your not looking . they do pop up . but if you need it . good luck !

 

Every car has its own personality

 

You got that right!

 

The "orphan" cars seem to be hoarded in large numbers. Edsel, Corvair, etc. fanatics salt them away by the dozens. They are intent on 'saving' every one they can get their hands on.
Back in the 70's I remember seeing huge spreads of specific make cars including tri-five Chevy's, but stuff was relatively cheap then. People would practically give away a beat up Edsel or Corvair. Even 55-57's were really plentiful and affordable then.

 

I have three, all coups but different year Fords. A 31 a 32 three window
and a 40. When I had a 56 Ford f-100 I also had two more for parts.
After I obtained a 354 Hemi three more came my way just from word
of guys knowing I had one. Sold two and still have two left.

 

A couple of years ago I had four Studebakers, a 53, 58, 59 and 61, thankfully now I am down to a 53 and a 58 body and boxes of parts, hopefully I'll be down to a 53 soon so the wife will only have one Studebaker when I go to room temperature

 

I have 63 marauder, convertible, 2d sedan and colony park.
I have owned and sold 2d breezway ht and 4d sedan.
Only 4d ht left to buy.
Then i have owned full line of full size mercurys of 1963.
Why? I dont know

 

My buddy Scott sent me this one day

 

I rebuilt my '58 F-100 before any reproduction parts were available except for a few, poor fitting, patch panels. That truck is built from whatever N.O.S. I could acquire and a collection of 4 other trucks. One truck (1960 F-250) later came back to life as my daily driver, another 1958 F-100 (arguably in better shape than my truck) went to my painter. The other two ultimately met the crusher after they were liberated of any useful parts.

Lou Manglass

 

super nice collection, but this looks scary to me...those wood blocks need something on top to stop from rolling off

 

Just don't take it out of gear and/or release the emergency brake! When I took that pic I had just taken it off the jack stands (see other pic) after I put the wheels and tires on and put it on the blocks to see the stance and what it looked like. Today I'm going to screw some vertical 2 X 6's on each end to prevent that. This isn't my first rodeo!

 

^^^ very good to know,...just want everyone to be safe. carry on...

 

Al, 39 Chevys sure look good without headlights, and that one looks great !

 

HAMB type cars, I currently three Utes: 37 Chevy, 37 Ford, and a 52 Chevy. Plus my 52 GMC pickup.
Previously owned at same time two COEs: 49 Ford and a 51 GMC. Also had two El Caminos at same time: 59 and 60.

 

as my old friend Andy used to say ..Sauseach his own....me...you can never have too many.....

 

Hello,

If the span of owning the same car is years apart, an upgrade was involved and it satisfies the necessities of owning a hot rod, then, yes, it is not too much of a good thing. The enjoyment of the improvements was wonderful as there was nowhere we could not go that limited our access due to lack of power.

In the 1960 teenage year, I bought my first hot rod. The way it was sighted and heard was how I wanted it to be my first car. But, the cost was too high and we kept bargaining until a satisfactory result happened. Luckily, despite the 348 Chevy motor rumbling while it idled across the drive-in restaurant parking lot, no one wanted to buy it right then. They did not know sedan deliveries and if so, it was as named, a delivery truck that brought milk bottles to the house or delivered packages from the stores.

I wanted the 348 motor and the sedan delivery for my new surf adventures. But, as the sale went through, what I bought was a Flathead powered sedan delivery, not the 348 version. The new purchase made life wonderful. There were limited travel areas to explore and to have my own car to go get a new charbroiled cheeseburger just down the street was great, when the teenage stomach called for one. The lack of 200 extra horsepower was a little daunting, but for everyday driving to school and down the coastline for surfing adventures, the flathead never faltered and got me where it wanted to go.

The Flathead had limiting qualities or at least travel was altered for lack of power when the 40 sedan delivery was stacked with a couple of longboards, beach/camping stuff in the back. It was very limiting, but we adapted to the situation and it worked for 5 years of 1000s of miles along the coastline in search of camping sites and uncrowded surf spots.

Jnaki

After selling the Flathead sedan delivery to a young surfer, jump up over the college years until my wife and I moved to a beach side apartment. Then one day, we needed a good way to add some pizazz to our photography business and looked at some station wagons/Ford woody wagons. But when one fell through, a similar in color 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery presented itself to us.

At the time we were so happy that we did not notice as much, that it was a project and needed some repairs and replacement of parts. It was drivable, but not as safe as could be. It took several long months to figure out how many things needed replacement and what we could repair to make it safe for either one of us to drive daily. What I could not do, I had a professional suspension person do his magic on the whole system

It made the 100 plus miles to Long Beach for home visits and back easily, arriving in cool comfort. The red 1965 El Camino was nice, but it did not have A/C, so it was delegated to winter driving when necessary.

Finally, it became the Number 1 car to drive anywhere. Mainly due to it having a powerful A/C unit. It was our first car with A/C and the hot So Cal Summers called for coolness when arriving at our destinations. It would not have been nice to arrive a little worn out and disheveled anywhere, while taking custom photographs on assignment.

The prospect of having similar cars over a 15 year span worked out for us. We could only drive one at a time, so, our two car family always changed drivers when the destination demanded A/C. A hot 100 degree photo shoot in Anaheim, CA in the middle of summer for a wedding demanded we arrive in cool clothes and a cool attitude.

The sedan deliveries gave us the feeling of individuality and “coolness” anytime we went to different places. It was always fun for my wife to give a cool nod, as she was driving the sedan delivery, while someone rolled up to her and waved. It takes all kinds of hot rods to make up the So Cal driving scene.
We even made the newer 327 powered sedan delivery look very similar to the flathead powered sedan delivery from my high school days. Red paint, black rims, beauty trim rings and small hubcaps rounded out the classic look, without looking too gaudy.

 

Over the years......2-28-29 A sedans, 2-33 Fords, 5-53-56 F-100's 5-62 Impalas, 3-46-48 Fords, not all of the multiples at the same time, but I liked them well enough to own them again. Still have the 29 sedan, 33 Ute, and 56 big window. Probably going to let go of the 29 and 33 this year. Getting hard to maintain and justify insuring all of them these days.

 

You need a Rod and a Custom. I had 3 Cords and a Graham Hollywood at the same time. I've had 2 39 Fords tubs, 3 66 Olds Toronados and 1 53 Buick Skylark convertible and a chopped 41 Ford Pickup truck. Very fortunate life I've had. JW

 

Let's see, two '40 Ford tudors (but one was a Deluxe and the other a 'Standard'), three '63 Galaxie hardtops (part-owned '63-1/2 XL, '63 500 'boxtop' and '63 XL 4-door HT), and four '63 T-birds (one hardtop, one Sports Roadster and two HT parts cars). I still have the '40 Standard Tudor, both '63 T-birds plus one of the parts cars). Only one I haven't 'multiplied' is my '55 Victoria, but if the right '56 Victoria or '55-'56 Crown Vic came along...

Funny thing about the Sports Roadster - when we had the 'reveal' for my wife and friends, she took one look at it and all she had to say was...'you got another WHITE car?' Yep - both my T-birds are white.

Passenger rear 3/4 view by Yutan Flash posted Jul 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM

 

Not the same year, but same vintage, all TF Chevy PUs, but never more than my ‘57 and one other at a time.
I think after the first one you have, like and worked on, you then have a better idea of where to find parts, what interchanges with what, etc. Plus you probably have a pile of parts accumulated that makes completing another a bit easier. 15 or
So years ago I sold off most of my “outdoor” parts for ‘55-9 Chevys, hell, I still have several old wood high school gym? lockers with stuff I wanted to keep inside.
Thinking about it I should clear room to get all the parts out and sell them, and then the lockers. Lol.

 

I just brought these 3 corvettes home and 50 years' worth of parts. Lots of work ahead!

 

at once back in the seventies and early eighties i had a few 63 chevys... a bel air 4dsd and two impala 2dhts... all with different engines and transmissions.. one had a 327 4 barrel/powerglide, another was a 283 2 barrel/ three on the tree, and then one six/ powerglide... (shudda kept them...)

 

Empty drive ! Lookit all those bins ( trash cans) looks like a new collection Just cant help ourselves ..
Im not so bad , one model A coupe, one model A roadster a 70s land rover and a T2 VW camper .. and 3 plastic trash cans .. one green one grey and one purple .

 

Too much of a good thing....


Mark Twain

 

I think its kind of romantic lol

Tri-Five Chevy only over here, I had a '29 roadster once and it just wasn't my bag.

 

I personally think everyone should have at least a pair and a spare.

 

If I had that many deuces I'd be like Scrooge McDuck and just go to the garage and sit and admire them... and drool!