Customs Never built a car....

"Your plan is logical, but it might get you discouraged. If you are not familiar with how it goes together, building from the ground up may be pretty difficult. I'd start with a mostly complete non-runner, and go from there. That way you know where everything goes".

Well said!

My philosophy is, take your best estimate of what it's gonna take in time & money. Then at least double the cost and triple the time.........that's more accurate!

 

hey man,
I know I am going to get beat up for this but. look you have about 4000 and no skills or knowledge right. you can get a rolling chassis from Spiritcars or one of those kit places for about 3200 you can get a bucket 27-T or so for like 500 all this stuff comes in and you put it together with instructions now you have the knowledge of hoe to put a chassis together and if you are mechanically inclined at all you will see stuff you may want to change down the road. of course you will have to get a motor tranny steering column an other parts that you can get as you go little by little but you won't have to do much fab and you can get some skills. Just an idea.

 

From a Guy in the same spot as you...You have to find what fits for you. I did the Muscle car thing. Working on somebody else rusty crap is no fun any more. I want a clean build I can do in my head, on paper, then screw it up in the garage.

We are in for a long journey. A buck at a time.

All I have is an A frame that has a lot of different ways to build it. I can change as I go If I want. Truck, Roadster or Coupe. It doesn't have to be perfect when it's done just as long as I'm doing it I'm happy. We are going to make a lot of mistakes and learn alot along the way. It will cost us money, more than we planned on, but it will be worth every dime.

See ya on the road in a couple of years.

 

If you are flexible on what you will build, consider a 48-54 chev/gmc p/u. They can be found "REAL" cheap and parts are easy to find. After you finish building the truck you could either sell it to finance the next project or keep it and use it as a parts hauler. It's way more fun to use an old truck as a parts chaser!

 

Here ya go check these out.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381021&highlight=model

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=339631&highlight=spacers

 

I agree with Krooser... Find something driveable you like, even it it isn't the "dream car" Get your feet wet, meet some car guys and learn. Swap, trade, repair. work up to what you want. I'm still working towards my dream, but enjoying every step of the way.
your $4000 budget should get you something without too much problem. I have a 54 Ford Victoria I bought in that neighborhood and have been driving it since the day I bought it. And that included a 1200 mile trip home

 

The thread starts off NEVER BUILT A CAR,,I guess we all assumed he doesn't have the skills,,oops!

And I quote,,Any tips/advice would be appreciated....



May not be what you or T Crawford want to hear but we offered our advice,,,doesn't cost a thing to listen. HRP

 

I've found out that a lot of the self styled experts on here count on buying everything new and tend to spend or count the spending of a lot of money that doesn't need to be spent.

1. Plan the whole car out so that you are not changing you mind in the middle project and spending money two or three times on the same pieces. I've got a shed full of pieces that I bought for my 48 over the past 35 years and didn't use.

2. find a cheap and running doner car to get the engine, trans and rear end from in a matched package. Drive it home, sort out the engine and trans and make sure that the rear end works right before pulling it apart. Don't get caught up in the "I have to have this cool 50's engine", thing. The Olds rocket, Nailhead, Flathead or Hemi can come in a later build if you so desire. Stick to the easy to setup and inexpensive to work on drive trains now, Small block Chevy, Ford or Mopar. You still should be able to buy a V8 mid 70's rear wheel drive mid size car of any of the three and drive it home for under 500 bucks and have the leftovers to sell for parts or scrap when you are done.
3. Shop for other guys leftovers. Keep your ear open for bargains that show up. The dropped axle that that "street rodder" is pulling out of his 30 something coupe or roadster to install the tricky slicky independent may be just the ticket for your car at a lot lower price than buying new. Don't buy something just because it is available if it doesn't fit in the plan.
4. don't get caught up in making exotic modifications to the engine, trans or rear end. Some guys on here figure that they can't drive a car unless it has a $10,000 custom built engine backed by a $3000 custom built transmission.
5. don't get caught up in buying dress up goodies for the engine while you are building the car. Get it running and driving and then worry about the dress up goodies. You don't need a $200 aluminum intake, $ 250 polished carb and $100 pair of valve covers to drive the car on it's first outing. Once it is running and driving and sorted out then you can add the shiny and trick stuff. That doesn't mean that the engine has to look like crud, super clean and nicely painted will work fine to start.

































10,000
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Can you build a hot rod on $4000, yep but it may not be exactly what you want. Buddy and I built his fiberglass body, '23 T-bucket for less then $4000 out of pocket BUT a major difference then what you seem to have is, I had a spare running engine, tranny, wheels, tires and a full garage of welding and fab equipment. We also had the experience of building other cars and trucks over the last 25 years.

When done, it wasn't a painted, show worthy rod but it was a heck of a lot of fun to drive. It was the first car we built basically from scratch and fab a lot of parts and brackets to keep the cost down. We hit the auto swap meets and picked up a number of the "hard" parts really cheap. He actually picked up the body and a basic frame for $400. Body needed some repair work but it was a good start.

Now if you have the talent, time, tools and resources you can do it. If you're missing any or most of those things, most likely it will be hard to do.

Good luck.

 

well if he gets it and starts taking tech classes he can do a bit at a time, it's not going together overnight, but i don't think thats what he wants anyway. you have to start somewhere. If he's really into it, he will understand that and not get discouraged. at least do one thing per day, doesn't matter if you tighten a bolt, eventually you'll get it done. plenty of people have spent decades putting really cool cars together

 

why not start collecting parts, then sign up for a tech school class and learn welding? i can fabricate stuff all day in stock and sheet metal and engineer,but can't weld worth a crap, I'll be doing this too, right now i have friends who are aircraft welders, so they do my welding, but i plan to learn it myself. That would be the best thing you can do for this project, plus start collecting parts while you are in school.

 

Its the journey, not the destination.
( OK... its the destination too...)

You have got to have a passion, a need to do this.

If you do, the rest will probably fall into place.

There will be setbacks, but you'll fix them and work around them.


And yeah, learn how to weld.
( think about a O/A setup instead of a Mig, its more versitile, and you are not in a hurry...)

 

I hope you can weld .Don't buy a frame ,2x4 square tubing is cheap. Start there and buy a front cross member .For about 500.00 You can build your own frame. Even if you have to send it out.I have a book with all frame dimensions .tHE ONLY PROBLEM i CAN FORSEE IS HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO KICK the rear up.and also you cant weld the front cross member in till you acheive ride height .When front end is installed you need about 7 degree's on king pin angle. and on radius rods For about a 1200.00 You could build a rolling frame.First thing I would do is research books on how to build your own frame.My first frame I built is gonna be used under my 29 which is the pic of my avatar. I had to reshape and box an original frame.I had some guidance from my dad. I did it myself and after that i would do it again in a heartbeat with tubing .Way easier.There's alot of guy's here who would gladly help you acheive your goal.Any questions feel free to contact me.And start researching a book.All you need to start with is just the body .Try to find a descent one to start with .

 

You can do it man. I don't know about the $4000 budget though. Cars take time and patience. I have been collecting parts and the tools I need like a welder and such for over two years now. I am just about at the point to start building my chassis. Take the time to learn some of the skills your gonna need to do your build by talking to guys on here and ask for advice or ask to hang with some of the local guys to absorb some knowledge. You can do it, Just don't rush it or you will get discouraged.

 

What is the name of that book man? Sounds pretty cool.

 

We all have to start somewhere The negative comments You'll get them once in a while.My avatar is my first built scratch car. Built from parts of various cars. The guys here don't like glass But I sold a 406 small block and had a crazy idea about building a roadster . Picked up body at Hershey for 1500.00 Bought original grille shell with insert off craigslist 200.00 That was a score.Frame sides and 48 ford spindles'rear I had. Frame metal less than 500.00 All in all have about 3,000.00 dollars in it .Just google how to build A hotrod frame. You should be able to find a book on that search.

 

Find a project car some one got tired of and get some kind of support group for help, learn some , learn some, trade it, learn some, trade it till you work up to were you what to be.
Don't be afraid the only things you can do wrong is mess up a low buck car that needs work any way

 

Read all of Kevin's threads.

Learn all you can.

Go through how Mart built Ol' Rusty.



Point is, you have to WANT it.

And if you WANT it bad enough, you will attain it.

 

Start collecting parts. Early ford cars are not an overnight process (like tv shows would like to make it appear). You will end up adding to your budget, but if you are patient and buy parts as you need/afford them the investment will be spread out and not sting your wallet as much. It sounds like Kevin started out much like you, therefore it is not impossible for you to build the car you want. Don't settle, build your dream car, you won't regret it when it's done. Like you I fell prey to the tall tales of building a hot rod for pennies on the dollar. It's just not true. It took me three years to complete my car and I built it as per the same advice I am giving you. Get after at, and enjoy the build and learning process.

 

There's hundreds if not thousands of ways to do your thing, not the least of which is horse trading and buy low/sell high parts and cars. Works for me and has for over 35yrs. You do need to really be dedicated or you'll give up easy. The reality is that building a dream can be facsinating and more rewarding than scorin a date with that hot chick you been eyeballin. It's been done, perhaps not with a Model A Tudor very often, but stranger things have happened. Stick to your guns and keep us in the loop.

 

Ryan, I challenge you to kick us all in the teeth. You're admittedly mechanically deficient. So without the benefit of friend's parts stashes and advanced gearhead vehicle parting out.......build this car for $4k on pure passion and a first timer's tool set. I dare you. I've been stringing off-topic junk together on a shoestring for decades and am completely comfortable throwing that challenge down. By the way, it don't have to go cross country, but can't shit the bed on the third cruise either.

Passion, yeah it's gonna take passion by the truckload. But advising a guy to dive headfirst into a build he can only afford 1/3 of is not good advice. Because those builds crash & burn and the world loses a car guy. I'd rather offer realistic advice and help build a lifelong passion. Just my 2 cents as a brokeass. Good luck to the OP either way, there's plenty to learn along every path.

 

Taylor,

Build your car on paper first. Figure out how much each piece will cost and the labor associated with it. Do you have tools and a place it work? Post this here and have some of the experts comment on it. I think you will find that the car you want will cost a lot more than $4000. Sad but true.

Charlie Stephens

 

he says right up front he doesn't expect to finish it (with a 4k budget) but is hoping to get to rolling stage

I started my first car with a clapped out body I bought for $400 on time payments of a hunder a month, bought a torch and a stick welder and built the whole damn thing myself

when someone tells me it can't be done, what they are really saying is that they can't do it

 

The way I approached it is this, first, you dont have to have all the parts to start but it helps to have the design or final product somewhat in mind. Your budget means you are doing a lot of the work yourself so you are better served going as cookie cutter as you can. The drivetrain donor would be a starting place, along with a body of salvageable condition. Drivetrain donor look for a running car something like a mid 80's malibu, fairmont, Chrysler 5th ave etc, you should be able to pick up for $500 to $750. You can pull the motor tranny and rear end, maybe even interior seats and steering wheel. Might even be able to salvage some of the front end parts.

The rest you can part out, scrap or now you have some steel that you can practice welding and body work on. So now its time to get into a welding or body work class. I took a welding class through the local college at $150 a semester it was a great investment because I think I easy went through that much in material. A body work class may be available also. Make sure which ever you take you get a chance to work with more than one type of equipment. Many first semester classes you will end up using a stick welder all the time, others it may only be MIG. For my class we started out using stick, learned OA cutting and welding and started MIG.
For Me at least Stick and MIG were very similar, and what I have heard OA is similar to TIG, I havent TIG'ed but I am hoping to start some day soon.

Look on Craigslist you can find a OA setup cheap sometiems even with Tanks.

Good luck read listen and ask questions.

 

Sorry, I disagree...

When I was 10 years old, my dad gave me a '52 Beetle floorpan ( a stalled project from one of his buddies ), and said " Here kid, learn something..."

I worked on it (on the flat roof of his Shop), for a couple of years untill I took it home.

I had no tools, but I borrowed some to do tuneups with, and I used the money I earned to buy some.

At age 19 I parted it out, not because of the car itself but because at that time there would have been no way for me pay for the gas a souped up VW engine would use.
( the 1st energy crisis had hit by then...)

That doesnt make it a failed project.
OK... I never got to drive it.

But It shaped me.
I learned about managing time, money, space.

And I kept one of the sides of it, and I have had it in my garage ever since...
( the green thing on the wall...)

 

One beautiful word, "scrounge". I'm almost done with a 30' model a truck and still a bit under $3,000 due to my 'you gonna eat that' attitude. Sedans are still around. a friend of mine found (most of) one on BLM land while hunting this very summer. Network with folks and keep an eye in the blackberry bushes.