I got over my street rod years. Yeah I was one once. I love the body styles but I can't get into those engine compartments. They just turn me off. Sorry.
I appreciate what he is doing and more power to him. Sounds like he is enjoying it and that is great. The cars do look pretty cool too. I'm not much of the patina raving type of guy, but I do appreciate he keeps the original patina only and doesn't get into the faking it game. And he is pretty open and honest about what he is doing overall. He is doing what he likes with old cars, doing top quality work and isn''t hiding anything. I give him high regards of all of that. But for me, part of having an old car is the smell, the feeling, the sound, the taste, the pain in the ass factor, and yes, the simplicity too. It just reminds me of a more simple time I think. To me if you replace all of the underneath stuff with new, you get rid of that and it just isn't the same. That is just me and how I like it. I think the challenge is how you change as little of an old car as possible to get it to where it works for you. Not how much you can change as possible an still keep it old looking. Old car beauty is more than skin deep. But beauty is also in the eye of the behold. We both see beauty in the same thing, just slightly differently from our own personal perspectives. Nothing wrong with that at all.
1956 was the beginning of the modern car era for the "big three". These cars came equipped with every thing necessary for easy, trouble-free motoring. 12 volt electricals, hydraulic Bendix braking (upgraded in '67 to tandem master cylinder), IFS, signal lights, OHV V-8 powerplants, etc.. I "get" what Icon is explaining, but I don't have to like his concept. On the other side, many disagree with my direction in hot rodding...and they let me know! And that's OK with me.
" Its because Im a sucker for simplicity." Amen, trrying to diagnose the Check Engine Light (Idoit) on my everyday car when it has no symptoms makes me feel like one!
PO128... Coolant temp to low for conditions... Happens when I drive it in cooler weather (50-60) on the highway... I've fixed it by carrying a HF ODBC2 scanner in the glovebox... I erase it while rolling down the road.
Give the guy his due, he is making his mark on the industry through his company ICON. Little known fact, he was also a child actor in Charles in Charge. Rumor has it that he has been so successful by selling $150,000 FJ40's to celebs. 0.29 you can see him in the opening credits. <object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/km22zWPz4uY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/km22zWPz4uY&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></embed></object>
It's somewhere on the spectrum between a pure rat and a $120K custom-everything pro-touring '69 Camaro, I guess. Closer to the latter than the former given the Art Morrison frame. Late GM powertrains are wonderful stuff, and if you've got a laptop and a bit of software all those gummint-mandated redundant sensors do a pretty good job of telling you the things that the harumph-Real-Mechanics need to stick their finger between the plug wire and the plug to find out
Was noting the local PnP has a number of mid '90s Lexus GS300s in there. Nice, fairly compact IRS, far more modern design than the Jag, can think of a few places it'll fit. One's on my shopping list for the next half-price-day expedition. Mind you, first I've got to finish the MN12 'Bird IRS under the '64 wagon, and the Miata powertrain in the Cortina...
I agree with Brian in thats what I like about my old cars, the tinkering and the constant tuning or adjusting they take. I know if alternators were available in 55', they'd be the hot item to have, just like urethane suspension or efi. They built their cars to be better and faster than everyone else, and it wasn't done with the oldest parts they could find. Steve.
One of the nicer examples of said concept I've seen: http://www.beacham-jaguar.co.nz/MARQUES/BEACHAM+MK2.html Mk2s with 'patina' are quite common; I know of one that hasn't moved one inch in about as long as I've lived in the area. and that would have been...1990.
See post #25 above. That's how I feel about it, but it's all subjective, and reasonable minds may differ.
Whats the difference in what this guy is doing and Boyd did or any of the other street rodders??? Nothing.......and the only reason it gets away with it here is because he left the paint shitty, so it appeals to the traditional type guy ......WTF! I dont get this shit!.......but then again i dont get allot of things
sooo, how does this appeal to Traditional hot rodding? Looks like ratty street rod. If he painted the chevy gloss black with a different interrior, that would be a nice street rod.
Would have liked to have seen more of the whole 'laser chassis manufacturing' deal (because I'm an engineering geek). But I'm not a big patina fan (just looks like you still got some work to do)....I like shiney....but to each his own I guess.
Man this world is messed up.Its apparent this guy has never had to drive a rusty piece of crap cause it was all he could afford,so he thinks its coolwell I have had to drive $100 cars to get to work didnt realize how someone that is rich thought I was cool
Not interested at all in what he's doing. However, he is much smarter than me and is wearing a nice welding jacket.
You can pick him apart all you want but wouldn't you love that thing parked in your driveway?Thats what it's all about.He's not doing any thing new or original but he's doing it very well.
The wagon was in one of the magazines (Hot Rod I think) last summer - I have a '52 Dodge station wagon that's a similar body color (and similar patina) so people sent it to me. Not exactly my thing but it is pretty neat. I like the idea that I could let my wife drive one of those to SF and back (200 mile r/t) and I wouldn't worry at all. Even though my daily driver ('62 Savoy) is pretty well dialed i wouldn't feel good about letting her take it on a long trip alone... just never know when some 50 year old something-or-other is gonna go.
I get it to a point, but not my cup of tea. I just see the Desoto and the Chevy as rolling advertisement geared torwards deep pocket guys that can't build there own stuff and would be scared to drive anyfurther than the end of the block because they might break down. I'm sorry if your just keeping the body build a tube frame and run Balls Out down the 1/4.
Imagine a HAMBER posting a build thread on one of these....or even start a thread about them..... Oh........wait.............
Old cars with new stuff in them. An idea that's been done a few times with success. But, part of or most of the fun in owning an older car is the tinkering. Sometimes, when i'm bored, I just like to tinker with my T. It's cool to know that there is nothing that I can't fix with a nice set of tools. One day a few years ago, after driving, my boss noticed that my fuel pump was leaking. Sure enough, it was. I told him I'd go to the parts store and get another one. When I got back, I sat down and swapped it out. He couldn't believe it. He was actually in awe that my car was so easy to work on. He lived in that modern, computer, take it to the dealer world. Old cars are cool when EVERYTHING about them is old. All that computer crap in an old car kinda defeats the reason for having one. To each his own.
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