1934 4dr turned 5w Problem/Don Smart

Like some of you are, and have been, I'm a younger (30 years old) hot rodder. I've always wanted a 34 5w Bonneville styled coupe. So a few months back I started collecting the parts to build one. Since a coupe body was way beyond my means I was able to find a real decent 4dr for what I could afford. I did my research and I figure in the name of hot rodding I should be able to pull off a real badass looking coupe out of it.

I dug deep and scrounged up just enough coupe parts to hopefully do the job. All that’s left is one belt line piece for each side of the car to complete the puzzle.

I heard Don Smart was the authority on 33/34 patch panels. Last night I contacted him to ask If he would be able to help me with a piece of beltline on the quarter panels I needed.

Don asked what I was doing and why I needed that part of the belt line. I told him I was planning to build a 34 4dr into a 5w. Much to my surprise he broke out into a lecture on how he could not sell me anything or help me in any way because what I was doing is wrong. He told me I had to buy complete quarter panels and rear roof from him otherwise I would be misrepresenting the car and that I would be trying to pass off a pieced together piece of junk to someone that comes to buy it.


I replied to him I'm sorry you feel that way good bye.


I felt rather deflated after that and thought to myself.
All I wanted to know is if you could make a piece of belt line for me!


I never said I was selling the car. He doesn't know me from a hot rock certainly doesn't know what I'm capable of building.


Do you think I want to piece together my car out of a 4dr sedan you moron. I'd rather just build a cool coupe out of a nice coupe body like almost everyone else. Furthermore if I could afford to buy nice new quarter panels and a roof from you maybe I would have. Don't you think I would rather build the car that way? Besides he doesn't even make complete quarters or complete rear roofs anyway. Give your head a shake Don. He then proceeded to tell me that he could sell me parts if I bought everything from him because that way he knew it would be done write and that there would be no misrepresentation. What about your stuff Don? It would be wrong of me to piece together a piece of "junk" out of modified henry ford parts? But it's ok to piece it together with your home made sheet metal? Don Smart you Are definitely one of the biggest CLOWNS I've spoken to in this business. You need to change your last name It’s gone to your head, you’re not so Smart


Maybe this should be a set up to a Build Thread


Brad

 

I do not have a Dog in the fight but am looking forward to the answers. Consider making your own. There is a wealth of information here on forming parts. I am anti kit big time and much prefer to make as much as I can. Good Luck, by the time you are done you will have polished your skills to a high level.

 

That sucks. I've been collecting parts for the last couple of years to do the same. I had a machinist friend of mine make a die for my bead roller so I could make the quarters...and then I found a set of original quarters (of course!) I figured I could screw up a lot of metal learning to make them than shell out what they want for new quarters!

 

Don't let the man put you down. It has be done a lot. There is a thread out showing a guy make 4dr in to 5wd in Sweden. Don Smart is great fabricator. I understand he is hard to work with. That is all I am going to say about that. Keep the faith. You can do it. Just doing your research. Peace.

 

If nothing else I would think the discussion you had with him would actually be the motivation to prove him wrong.Get at it and get er done.

 

Your absolutly write man! I'm more motivated than ever to get going on it.
Thanks

 

Start putting the car together and in a month or two get a friend to phone him, order the pieces and say they need them because...those sections on the pristine body they just bought were cut out by some idiot converting a 4 door!
Simple!!! LoL

 

This started as a 4dr sedan built by our own thunderbirdesq Check the thread :

HERE

 

subscribed!!! I want to see what your more-door looks like and cant wait to see the during & after pics!

 

Beautiful Coupe ... Be careful not to "misrepresent" this work of art as just another Five window !

 

Don's a great guy ! you must of said something to piss him off

 

Yes Don got piss off because the guy was breathing. It don't take much to piss Don off. Everybody I know that knows Don says the same thing. What shame because the man is a great fabricator.

 

I talked to Don Smart a few years ago and he was a great guy to talk to. Talked for an hour or so. Sorry you had a conflict with the guy. He is the guy to make what ever you need though. Maybe call back and pretend to be someone else !? JK im sure your pissed. You could always keep scrounging around for pieces. I bought a 5w coupe body one and at the same time I scrambled around enough pieces to build another 5w coupe body. I sold the first one to my brother but now I have a 5w coupe body made from around 7 different cars. However they are are coupe piece minus the fordor floor. If you lived closer I might could of helped you out. Young guy here too. Good luck!

 

A pro like Don sometimes gets too many calls in a day to maintain a level of "civilty".......We in the auto trades and as humans sometimes get a bit short with callers, we all do it so lets don't Damn the guy for a momentary lack of graciousness....
I mean he wasn't Paula Dean and didn't use the N word so lets not get him fired!

On that note......
I think the hobby is full of guys who like to "tour" every hotrod vendor and facilty they can as a morbid pastime it seems.
True it shouldn't be a problem in most cases ,but sometimes the "touring and Bs'n" on the phone endlessly gets to be an interference in the man's workday....

 

I've had my own dealing with guys who get bent out of shape over a stupid pile of metal, that's what our cars are. We're not talking of doing at home surgery on a family member, it's just a stupid car. Some of these guys have to lighten up. They're not God, just humans.

All of my collector vehicles are made out of numerous parts from different cars so what does it matter if you do want to sell your car someday. Most of us in the hobby know that most cars are put together with all kinds of parts. Also, how could he assume you were going to misrepresent your car if you did sell it? Sounds like a egotistical knob to me no matter what anyone else says.

I have a '37 Buick that I dragged out of a guy's yard. I knew it was in rough shape but I like the design. I've always been into '48-52 Ford trucks and didn't know anything about old Buick so I searched the net for discussion boards. I found two that dealt with pre-war Buicks. I posted on these boards about my rot bucket car and what I was going to do to save an old piece of iron that most would have scrapped. Since I wasn't planning a by the number completely stock restoration the old Buicks guys went nuts, I even received some nasty emails from some of the old coots. I figure at least I was trying to save old iron but most of them just won't tolerate deviating from the norm. I've seen them attack a few other guys who posted about non-stock projects. I still go on the boards to get information pertaining to my Buick but every once in a while I'll post something just to get them upset.

I also had the displeasure of meeting a very well know Mercury truck restorer in Barry Ont. who valued the buck more than the hobby he's involved with. I saw an article about the guy a few years before and when I had the chance to be in his area I called to ask if I could see his collection and projects because I've never seen a Mercury truck in person. He asked what kind of truck I was interested in buying, I told him I wasn't in the market to buy but I was very interested in seeing his trucks. He seemed OK with that and told me to stop by when I got in his area. I called when I got into his area and again he asked what truck I was interested in buying and again I told him I just wanted to look at his trucks. He said to come on over. I stopped in front of his house in the middle of nowhere and as I walked up his drive I introduced myself and again he asked what truck I was interested in, again I told him I just wanted to look. At that point he told me to leave because he didn't have time for "Tire kickers". He should have told me this in our two previous phone conversations, before I drove 50 miles out of my way. He was a total ass.

 

Use it as energy to build what you want, then drive by his house and do a big burnout in front of his place. Also do not always look at just 33-34 stuff for small pieces like beltlines and such look at other cars that you might be able to use sections from to make what you want. I did 36 5 window into a 3 window last year. Here is the link maybe it will give you some ideas or motavation. Please do a build thead on this build please.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=300942

 

Wow. What an ass.

Reason enough for me to never buy anything from the guy.

JH

 

"I've had my own dealing with guys who get bent out of shape over a stupid pile of metal, that's what our cars are. We're not talking of doing at home surgery on a family member, it's just a stupid car. Some of these guys have to lighten up. They're not God, just humans."


Well Said Bob J. All to often we forget that it is "We" that put these things up on some kind of pedestal above and beyond what they were ever intended to be.

 

"Too many calls in a day"? There's no such thing as too many calls in a day if he's a proprietor of a business that depends on calls for business. LoL.

That said, there are two sides to every story. So far, we've only heard one. Not saying it isn't 100% true, but I'd like to hear the other side of the story.

 

I have a similar story. I have a 39 Ford pickup that I have driven every day for 17 years and I learned some history of the truck. It was used as a drag truck in the 60s and has had many engines.
One day I had a visitor from two states away and he brought a friend who got so angry that my truck didnt have a flathead engine that he had to go sit in the car! He was so angry that I didnt even have a chance to tell him that the flathead was taken out 50 years ago and I had nothing to do with it.

 

Maybe you should have THIS to HIM.

"Do you think I want to piece together my car out of a 4dr sedan you moron. I'd rather just build a cool coupe out of a nice coupe body like almost everyone else. Furthermore if I could afford to buy nice new quarter panels and a roof from you maybe I would have. Don't you think I would rather build the car that way? Besides he doesn't even make complete quarters or complete rear roofs anyway. Give your head a shake Don. He then proceeded to tell me that he could sell me parts if I bought everything from him because that way he knew it would be done write and that there would be no misrepresentation. What about your stuff Don? It would be wrong of me to piece together a piece of "junk" out of modified henry ford parts? But it's ok to piece it together with your home made sheet metal? Don Smart you Are definitely one of the biggest CLOWNS I've spoken to in this business. You need to change your last name It’s gone to your head, you’re not so Smart."

Some guys do take this stuff too seriously, but not saying anything about it to them just keeps it going.

Post a build thread when you get started. There's probably somebody who got talk out of doing what you're doing and they'd love to learn something.

 

Totally OT, but I just made inner and outer lower quarters and fender lips for a 1980 Mazda 626 from 2 96 s-10 bedsides, some Ford Ranger, and some sheet stock. F that guy, there's more than one way to skin a cat. How bad do you want it?

 

Does SAR sell the pieces of their 33?

 

I guess that's the difference between a HOT RODDER and a purist. Funny how when I get done with some of my projects the purist's bitch at me for wrecking an original. But when they were for sale they were too rough for the purist's to restore. Don't sweat it and move on, it's your cash and your car.

 

Glad to see your getting this project going, will be great to see the ol 4 door converted to a coupe. Sorry to hear about your experience, I know you will get it together!!

 

I've talked to Donnie...He seemed like a super great guy to me. Went out of his way to give me some advice on my '34 even though I wasn't buying anything at the time. I have also seen several threads here on the HAMB concerning his parts, and I have never seen a negative post about him. Several guys on this site have used his stuff, and several refer to him as a true gentleman. No doubt his parts are the best...

Maybe he had an off day? To the best of my knowledge, he only makes quarter flanks that go to the beltline & the rear window opening, so I don't understand how he could be too adamant about buying every thing from him to make it "correct".
On a similar note, I have a rough set of 5w quarters and rear window opening out of an old jalopy that I may end up selling...interested?
Sam

 

Some people are just really super smart and know absolutely everything. It is probably painful to be so perfect, so it's tough to deal with folks who aren't. Fuck that guy, keep going. Make it into steamroller if you want, it's yours.

 

Donnie is a great guy....I have known him a long time and when it comes to hotrodding he is the real deal not a blow hole that gets on the web and talks shit about somebody....He doesnt get on here to defend himself...So i think you need to call and apoigize to him for talking shit behind his back...a ex marine sniper aint somebody you want on your bad side...and he could really help you out in the long run....and just rember you will need him long before he needs you when it come to building 33-34s....And you cant beat shit made in the usa....

 

Somebody will find a photo an post it, Find a DIVCO milk truck hood, tell me if those sides don't look like future coupe quarter panel tops. At least it would be a start. Bob