My buddy has this shell he picked up. He wants to throw it on a stock car chassis and make a "five grand car" out of it... well yeah, I said to myself, another five grand car no one will buy. I had a better idea... find a rod chassis and build a rat rod with it. Of course it would call for a lot of fabbing some sort of inner structure for the doors, and I thought maybe the best thing would be to cut the top right off it and throw that crap away since it looks like swiss cheese. It's a '33-4 Terraplane, they look just like a '34 Ford up front so the grille is no big deal. What do you guys think? Apparently this has kicked around for a long time, someone had it on a frame at Norwich a few years ago and wanted like a grand for it then. I can't imagine what's left here being worth $50 on it's best day, but thats what passes for cheap tin up here.
Lots of people have started with way less, including me. Just have a clear vision of what you want before you start and it will save you alot of headaches.
Here's why I thought the top should be thrown away, unless I could find another one to cut pieces out of - Either way it's good for something, but with a stock car the top part is the most important bit and this one is rotted pretty bad over the B-post. Theres lots of BB-size holes in the tin behind that, too. If it was a Ford or Chevy (or even a Mopar) you'd have a prayer of finding another one to patch it up. But a Hudson? The top of the door for this side is pretty bad, too. Now I just need to come up with a frame. I'd use an S10 if they didn't kick out at the cowl... have to see what I can scrape up I suppose. Lots of early stuff around if you know where to look -
An S-10 chassis? I've seen these things given the '34 Ford treatment, and they're killer! While you're playing with the top (might as well chop it while you're at it), you can be shopping for a model 40 frame, or fab something up, but please keep an axle under it. Or sell it to me...
That's just it. He put an $850 asking price on it (yeah, really!), and doesn't care too much because he can put it on a modified tube chassis and make it a complete car (he has a roller chassis now it could go on). He owes me a car though, so I might have a shot of weaseling it out of him. I do have to admit though I am curious what people think it's worth - might help me get it out of him. Like I said, $50, maybe $100 if someone was hard up but I'd be shocked if it's worth much more than that. About the only really good parts are the dash and quarters. I see it done as a roadster, cut the top off at the belt and leave the windshield frame for some character. Use the wheel and column out of my '58 Imperial parts car, maybe get this '55 New Yorker parts car and put the 331 hemi heads on the '58 354 block I already have (because the hemi's sat out with no hood for a zillion years and the block is probably really shitty inside). Or just throw somehting in that runs now and worry about something cool later. Have to look around and see what's out there - will probably have to buy and sell some stuff to raise cash to dump on this.
hey, not to change the subject, but what's up with that '54 Buick? For sale or someones project? just curious
The '54 Buick? His too. Special 2dr sedan, I think with a manual trans. Looks like with a detail, tires and a seatcover it would be nice, it was on the road a few years ago. Wants like $4000 to part with it, of course. I think he has someone he's going to swap it to for a batch of cars, though. Has a cool Isky decal in one of the windows, I'd be tempted to swap out the glass to save that for myself. I aught to just throw up a batch of pictures and have a field day, he has everything from T and A pieces to a '33 Ford truck that is supposed to run, to '50s and '60's stuff. All overpriced, of course. Anybody need a '50 Ford woodie that needs everything you could possibly do to it? (pans, rockers, wood, front clip, door bottoms, new glass... but does have door panels, third seat, dash, tailgate, etc all there)... I'm sick of looking at that one.
That looks alot better than some of the junk you've tried to sell in the past. I say put a $5,000 price tag on it and tell everyone how cheap and rare it is. Frank
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