Model A cross members and Boxed frames.... Is this to easy?

Maiden voyage is about 4 weeks away. My honey do list is growing in relation to the final project needing completion to get it on the road. I'm down to the final wiring, headers, rad, T350 plumbing, brake lines and alignment. Then the inspection gods need to bless it.

My pile of parts is starting to grow for next winters project. I've borrowed a picture and taken it into the photochop shop to show my wife why I dont want to go away this winter. This one is a little too pretty for me but got me the blessing I needed to keep adding to the parts pile.

 

Been sidelined for a while with other projects but finally got the rad in. I'll plumb the tranny this week. Now just sitting on my hands waiting for the headers.

Had the Spyder out for a burn and pulled it up for a photo op.... crap the A is smaller than the spyder!

 

Everyone! Please! No more 350/350!!! GAG! Its hardly traditional and BORING. Whew, headrush. Whoa, I better take a pill. I'm ok, don't you worry about me. Damn I feel better now.

 

Glad you feel better there nine inch (I take it your handle comes from a ford rear end not the length of your dipstick).

Hardly traditional and boring... hmmmm well maybe.
It may be a newer powerplant than a flatty or a nailhead true, but it is from a 69 'vette and kicks out some pretty nice power. And in the tradition of Rodders before me who used easily accessible - and affordable- power for their rods, I did find a period motor combination for my ride. I didn't find the 53 flatty I wanted so I went with an alternative.

I'm just wondering here, what are you running in your 57 Belair? A flatty, maybe a nailhead or did you go fully cool and get rid of your Chev drive train and go hemi? I mean anything less than a fuelie would be lame, redundant and just another pretty faced 5-6-7. Did you need someone to hold your hand and help you off your soapbox?

Now that you've stepped off your soap box, I'll step up on mine. This does remind me of everything I loved about attending corvette meets and rod meets and inspired me to sell my Bloomington gold 1965 corvette.

​

In a crowd of people, there's always those who have a passion for cars. People who just enjoy them for what they are. Most of those folk just have the passion, not the attitude and a lot of them pass through the crowd, enjoying the moment and say very little. They're in their element just being with cars they like seeing and being around. They keep the dream alive in their own way.

Then there's the "Pick a parts". They're the ones who pull up to a show in a similar car if they are so lucky ( if not, they cruise up in Mom's lumina) and bring along some dump ass friend who doesn't know a thing about cars. This allows buddy to lead him by the balls to show him the flaws in all the cars there. These folk seem to need the warm fuzzy feeling of picking apart other peoples rides to give them self worth or value in their lives. The good thing about a car show is it gets them out of Mom's basement for the day.

Personally, I really got sick of providing therapy to those kind of folk and to be honest, I lost interest in 'vette and car meets because of it. I have a passion for cars, not for people with small man syndrome.

Then there's the ones I call "dust collectors". I met a few of them too. They seem to be the ones who walk up to the deepest shine on a car with the goal of finding a minor flaw, chip, or speck of dust. Talk about fixated or what. I mean get a grip.

You see my vette had original paint and less than 38,000 miles but it was s-h-i-t to "dust collectors" because it had original factory dust embedded in the cowl. It should have been scrapped years before because of it I know, but I loved the car so I was willing to gamble and restored it. It never got a repaint, original was good enough for Bloomington gold but not for some sh-it for brains.

I find the more vocal a "dust collector" or a "pick a part" is, the more insecure they are and are very prone to comb overs ( usually pulled from the back of their necks and glued into an Elvis style muck tail held in place with laquer and staples). They often smell of body odor, mold or urine and lack basic social skills like not touching other peoples cars. Their pants are often elevated above their ankles to allow clear viewing of their stained white socks. They are prone to adjusting their pants north of the belly button and slightly bellow the breastbone. I believe this is the proper fashion statement for the average mouthy FNG's as well.

​

When it comes to cars that folks like to do a fine tooth comb on, those are the only kind I've ever owned and they've filled their perfection fetish needs. I felt the same kind of car passion about my 58 356 Porsche I did for my 65. I mean, it no longer had the stock motor. The original owner (who I bought it from) had switched out the carb and intake for dual webbers. But it did stop and start just fine. For the perfectionist, true distain because of the carbs.

My old pick up wasn't a show car by any means, hell it waved at you when I drove down the road but it was a rare 5 window built in Canada with a factory caddy tranny. Sometimes it's just about the ride itself.

​

And when it comes to duplication, oh God how many silver porsche converts are there on the road, I dont mean repicas, I mean the originals? Using an aftermarket bumper rather than an original? Insanity I tell you!

I look around and there's almost as many repilcar porsches as there are black 57 Belairs. I mean I've seen so many of them that I have no interest in owning one again but I do still look. They're both as cookie cutter as Britney Spears look alikes. I wouldn't bother sleeping with one but I do give them a passing glance. It reminds me how much I love my real and original wife.

​

I guess over the years I' ve learned that you have to love what you do and build for yourself. 30 years ago when I went through my 5-6-7 period, I had just enough cash to keep my cars on the road with wire muffler hangers and ready rod shift parts. I dreamed of owning a show quality car like the big boys but it wasn't going to happen on a $3.20 an hour income as a restaurant manager.

​

There is a unique quality in imperfect cars and those that dont fit exactly into catagories developed at the hand of no brainers. They can be driven in the rain, gather dust and road grime.

Pull them up in a show and they gather the interest of passing people as much as the $50,000 show car (maybe more). Better yet, they capture the attention of those who love cars because they remind them, its still possible to enjoy something without selling a kidney to own it.

Imperfect, unregimented cars remain a car for the people ( not a peoples car, thats a VW) and nothing is more upsetting to an impotent show car owner with a fragile ego than to pull up an old jalopy and part it beside their pristine "investment".

The imperfect car has a little something for everyone. The dust collector will find his dust. the pick a part will find rust holes or wrong engine parts. The show car elite will have a car and owner they can snub. The passionate passer by will have a car they can just enjoy for what it is, not for what it isn't.

My 350/350 will get me to the shows where the pick-a-parts and dust collectors will have a great time trying to find one perfect item on my car. They'll cream their jeans from all the dings- dents- rust- flaws and imperfections they'll be able to spot in an instant. Boy, they'll look like they really know what they're talking about because there's no fine tooth comb needed here. They can keep their rat tailed combs in their pockets where they belong.


I built it for me and to remember a friend who gave me the bug when I was 9. This was in part to remember him. I received some great support and information from fellow hambers because I was new to Ford A's. Its about community here, exchanging ideas, love of vehicles and the passion itself.

For the wondering "pick a part", "Dust collectors" and FNG's
who s-h-i-t on a persons car for the sake of doing so,
to express a negative opinion just to be heard,
I have one long standing responce.​

It's not original but it is Traditional....​

​

...stepping off soap box now.
​

 

Quit beating around the bush and tell us what you really think!........Great rant!

You going to be at any shows in the interior this summer?

 

Every one I can get to along with some coastal ones!

 

Right on!
I love this Thread..I will soon be building my A Tudor but it follows the same lines.
thanks for all the info.
and Im with you all the way on your stance of what a "real" car is ..love to drive mine..dont have the time to worry if its put to bed right or not. and if it got wet or dusty..get out and drive the dam thing before you freakin die.
sweet build and thanks again for all your home work you just passed on to me.

 

When I grow up I want to be like Lono.

Could not have said it better.

 

Hey Lono - right on. Its funny but when I go to a show Im too busy looking at all the cool parts of each car to notice the defects... and yes, way too many negative posts on here. But then I have a black car with red rims too

Would love to see more pics of your house mate - looks awesome.

 

I've been following your build since I'm building a coupe as well. I think everyone should keep a copy of your "lesson" at hand to read from time to time...it's something we have all probably been guilty of at least once. I like the "traditional" response as well.

 

man, i love your house

 

looks good! love the stance and yea..the house too!

 

Lono, you have it figured it out. Great rant and sweet car(s)!

 

Another long delay getting my headers but at last they're here.
This weekend the brakes get juice and I pray to god I can get this stupid "pile of spagetti "wiring kit in.

*Note to the manufacturer of Gearheads wiring kit...
your product sucks shit and your comic book install instructions was good fodder for the outhouse."



the next post should be the great burn out video.​

 

I keep expecting it to pull into the driveway! Did you change your tires?

 

same tires... a coat of white wash until next year when I'll do cokers.

this wiring is pissing me off big time and I gotta find someone with a wire fetish or give it to Roko along with my bank account.

 

So the project is on hold again. I hate when reality calls.

For years my friends and I have been holding "Boy's Weekends". We all get together and cook like hell and eat like hogs , lube up with tequilla and beer.

My wife and I are what I guess you could call "foodies", (love cooking more than going out). So when the guys came up to help chop the car and get the brake lines in it was agreed that we needed to pull together a couple cooking show for men! Yes sir.. men who eat... drink.. get greasy and fart a lot.

What can be better than hot rods.. food... beer and buddies?

For what it s worth... heres a link, hope you get a chuckle.

http://www.izitreality.com/ROADKILL.htm


In the mean time, its back to developing surgical products for the next 4 weeks. I guess I'll miss the car show I was shooting for this year.

 

AT LONG FREAKING LAST!
Wiring... Done!
Brakes...Done!
Tune up...Done!
Fired up for the first time in a year...Done!
God I love the sound of the open Headers!
I just shipped it off for an alignment... then its time for a burn out video and liscencing!

 

Great project, while many were spending time being critics, you built a hot rod!

 

That was the greatest rant I've ever read. Great car by the way,

 

AT LAST!
It stops.. it goes.. it turns...Horn blows, Signals signal.. sucks gas...(it's ready to get inspected and registered)!​

Here's the video promised... ​

http://izitreality.com/roadkillhotrod.htm​

Next week its the paperwork side of things, and lean up the carbs a bit.​

This should be the end of this thread, If I do anything else or anything cool comes about I'll update it. For now its time to go out and enjoy my summer ride. Thanks for all the feed back along the way, it kept me motivated.
​

There's a winter build awaiting but Its time to play!​

 

I brought my 34 ford cab home the other day and dropped it on my 31 frame/fenders... winters closer than we want to admit.

 

Finally the snow has melted from in front of the garage and it turns my eyes back to this summer and the open road. Last year, I went through hell getting it registered and inspected but finally did and had the chance to put about 100 miles on it before the end of the season. This years starting with a bang, no more like a rattle...

My motor is making the rattle of death and I've been questing for a new replacement. I'm not dedicated to the idea of rebuilding this motor or for that matter buying a rebuilt.

I'm really hoping to find a shipper from South Carolina who can drag a sweet little 283 to me here in Vernon. B.C. for less than $500. Its a sweet little 58 Vette motor w/ 327 heads and solid lifters. Anyone out there doing a cross country trip and want some fuel money?

 

Blue Bear, now that is funny.....

 

Jeeze, I forgot about this thread.

I loved that old girl. It was a blast to own and turned heads.



the fellow who bought it shipped it to Germany and gave it her his personal touches. It's now cruising around Luxombourg!



I sure got a lot out of this build. I leaned a lot, met some incredible people and made some great friends. Its funny how a simple question on a forum can build friendships.