Projects High School Hot Rod Fabrication Tin Woodie Build

Hello everyone,

I am a High School Tech Ed teacher at Onamia High School, two years ago we built a 47 Ford Pickup Hot Rod/Rat Rod to prove to the school board that we could successfully run a Hot Rod Fab program, since then we have been getting all of our ducks in a row to start a full Hot Rod Fabrication Program. With the help of Skip, and French Lake Autos we are ready to start, for the 2013-2014 year we will be building a 1951 woodie wagon, we picked it up today and the kids will get to see it on Monday! Since we are right on Mille Lacs Lake the wagon will be themed around the area and heritage of our community, fishing, the lake, watersports.

The class is a full year capstone class for Seniors, that teaches students not only advanced fabrication techniques but automotive technology and engineering, automotive history and hot rodding history.

with the help and mentoring of a local builder Dennis Goplen, our first build was a 47 for pickup, chopped and channeled, custom frame,custom box, custom fuel tank, ladder bar rear susp, transverse leaf front, y block 3 duece, custom headers, borge warner 3spd/elect ovr drive, custom grill. issue 13 of rat rod mag.

I am fairly new to the hot rod scene the 47 was the first build I have been apart of, so I am sure I will be asking for help quite a bit.

My initial ideas for the wagon, are chop and channel, maybe custom frame but most likley s-10 (or similar) frame and running gear, maybe keep the stove bolt, rat rod theme, steelies with babymoons,

 

WELCOME to the HAMB!

Good on you for getting new blood into the hobby. Tin woodies are cool.

Your first post is supposed to be an introduction. Without an intro some HAMB members really get their panties in a knot. Doesn't matter to me. Oh yea, you won't catch any love here with the S10 chassis swap.

Intro here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18
Just cut and paste your same post over there.

 

What is a "rat rod theme" with regards to a woodie.
Seems like an oxy moron or a waste of a good woodie at least.

 

Good job with the High School Tech! Keep us posted on your progress. Our local school has a class called Mechatronics and the teacher has lots of leeway on the projects the kids do - but they haven't buiilt a hotrod yet. Let me know if you need some tips on wood graining. My 16 year old and I are doing a '64 Burb now.

 

welcome. the HAMB is a tough crowd to please.... be warned lol...

cant wait to see some progress pics.

 

cool, if they had a class like this at my high school I might have actually payed attention.

one thing though please please please don't subject these children to anymore rat rod nonsense. build a real hotrod or custom.

 

Nice project- not many days left till summer! I am a shop teacher in Bloomington. I always wanted to build a woodie with the class- was thinking a Willys. I will watch your progress - good luck. Bill

 

Thanks for your work with the kids, shop classes are few and far between anymore.....auto shop is my 17 year old sons favorite class.

Take a good look around the Hamb and some of the excellent builds going on. Maybe we can convince you to forget about rat rods and embrace real hotrods and customs.
Tons of history here too......after all, many of the members were actually there making it!

 

I am not going for Rat with this car, but for a one hour a day year long high school class we just dont have the time and resources to build a show car, my goal is to get the car at least 80% done hopefully 100% in the school year.

Alot of what I try to teach is safety and safe design, without cutting corners. I am most concerned about building a car that drives and handles well with solid frame, with the body and paint being important but not top priority. If the car gets completed to the point that is is drivable and safe but not professionally painted, we were successful. If this was a longer class with an auto body prerequisite I would love to build a show level car, but like I said at this point in the program we just dont have the resources and ability... Will we get there in the future? hopefully!

I want the kids to feel like they had a part in designing the car so there is alot of art that goes into the build. we will be working with the woodshop to do wood inlays and interior accents, and the art program to do renderings and models before the build starts.

 

Every nice build starts with a good foundation and then up thru final finish.
A nice build that hasn't quite reached final finish IS NOT a rat rod. More of a work in progress.
A shoty build with piss poor work and engineering with shiny paint on a turd IS STILL a rat rod.

Teach your students the difference and kudos to you & your school

 

A nice build that hasn't quite reached final finish IS NOT a rat rod. More of a work in progress.
A shoty build with piss poor work and engineering with shiny paint on a turd IS STILL a rat rod.

Teach your students the difference and kudos to you & your school[/QUOTE]

well put, we do a few days just on the difference between genres of cars, street rod, hot rod, rat rod etc...

 

The car already fits the original chassis- major time saver. The s-10 chassis will not fit
anything, so you will spend a lot of time just making it work. Use the s-10 for parts if
you wish- engine, trans, rear axle, possibly brakes , a/c, heat, even wiring, but the
s-10 would be more work/time than you have. The 51 chevy is easy to upgrade and there
are many ways to do so without swapping frames.

 

good to know, this message board is working already!

Thanks!

 

nice to see another shop teacher. keep inspiring those younguns. I will have to say that s10 frames are not real popular here, also those cars have easily upgradeable stuff under them. Are the frames already tucked under the body? search here for info on upgrades and post pics

 

its only my second build and first wagon, so I am all ears

 

Here is a few more pics, it looks like it was a woodie at one point,

 

Bill, we should stay in touch, do you build cars down there? Have we met before at any of the mn conferences?

 

Guess iPhones only do one ata time

 

Hi- We have built some. The best is a 35 Ford pickup still in progress. I usually go to the MTTIA conference at Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN in August.Also have gone to Wyo Tech, Daytona and UTI in Phoenix before.Bill

 

Don't "F" the wagon up with a chop. Get the ratrod word out of you and your students vocab. Build a clean driver out of the wagon it will have more value.


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Customs Your Favorite 49-52 Chevrolet - THE H.A.M.B. thic might help with some inspiration. Good luck.

 

Welcome
I would like to invite you and your class to join our group,
I started the group for the All Steel Wagons
and Sedan Deliveries from 1949-54 built by
General Motors.
We are trying to preserve and in the same time bring
more awareness to these automobiles just like the
coupes sedans and the two and four door models.
EMS metal fabricators is a member of the group and
they will be very beneficial when it comes time to
purchase sheet metal panels for your vehicle,
So if you think this sounds like something you and
your students would like to be part of and since
your already a H.A.M.B. member it will be easy, just go
to our group's link below:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=515
then scroll to the bottom and click on join group.
We have a great bunch of guys and cars not to mention a lot
of pictures that might inspire you on which direction you would
like to take your '51.
Respectfully Yours
Gene
(user name: gemnewt)
Moderator

 

Good for you and good for OHSteach. I was a Vocational Auto Instructor for 37 years and built at least 5 or 6 hot rods in my tenure. Unfortunately, most high school shop classes in this area have been eliminated in favor of "Technology Class". Keep it going and get an advisory board of some guys in the community who support your direction and it will help your cause.
In the later years of my career I had a high school drag race program that had two cars and an enclosed trailer. I have lots of fond memories of those days and many of those students I had back then are still good friends as grown men. I took a lot of pictures of all those cars as they were being built but don't have much on my computer except this Coke truck we made in 1976. Bought the body for $35, fabricated the chassis, someone GAVE us the engine which was a 427/435HP BB Chevy. Sold the car finished as a driver with no interior for $3800 so we could have money to do it again the next year. Never saw it again after we sold it!
Good luck to you hot-rod teacher guys! keep it going!!!!

 

Corndog, cool builds its good to know that other teacher have done it before,
gemnewt, just joined the group, lots of cool pics! Thanks for the info on the panels.
Thinking about doing a chop on it, but I am sure it will be a huge job, any one have any input on how to cut it? Not sure yet if we will just starting to think

 

We off and running so far this year, unfortunately the unfinished school remodel project has left us temporarily shop less for a few weeks but that isn't stopping the kids, we cleaned it out, removed all the glass, and removed the front clip so far. We have come up with a few ideas, pictures and diagrams on how to chop it, covered hot rod vocabulary, history and icons, as well as history of the roads. This week will be building new rocker panels and learning about the stove bolt 6!

 

A member here, "Boones" has a big collection of pictures.
All types...(Period pictures , customs, hstreet rods, unrestored, stock restorations) that he has pulled from all over the internet, etc..
He has a bunch of pictures of 1949-54 GM wagons in there.
Here is a link to it. If you are afraid of links, do an advanced search for "threads started by"...Boones.
The signature at the bottom of every one of his posts has a link to it, too.

Great to look through. Lots of ideas!
http://public.fotki.com/boones/longroofs/gm/

I like this guys's quick do it yourself approach, and he did not pay big $ for the woodgraining. Looks good.

"1951 Chevrolet tin woody wagon project": by 38zephyr: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=601028&highlight=tin+woodie

Have fun.

 

DON'T chop or channel it. You'll kill it and make it a morf if you do. Work on the motor, trans, suspension (stance, disk brakes), and make it a decent and safe driver. Don't forget about a dual master cylinder as opposed to the single pot stock one. Play with the seat design. Floral insets (Surf style?), vinyl/leather (lodge/hotel style?), plaid (50's/60's picnic style). Give it some thought and make it yours and kool. There's a couple of threads on here about woodgraining yourself. It's not hard...but will take some practice. The students should have a ball with this one.

 

This thread reminds me of the other high school thread that was started last year and still has a long way to go.

The kids need to learn the basics of building a hot rod,,basic welding,frame work,brakes ,engine and transmission,,give them a goal they can accomplish by the end of the year,,a running,driving car. HRP

 

Good Luck on your project! Didn't realize they still had any shop classes going on. I know myself and I would guess a bunch here enjoyed and got more out of their shop classes than any other classes while in school. Keep us posted on your progress.
Your story reminds me of this thread. It is a great one involving the shop teacher.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317447&highlight=anybody+remember

 

My high school welding students did all of the fabrication on this truck. 4" chop and airbagged. Currently we are doing bodywork on a 45 ford panel and restoring a 1940s mini bike. No money from the school but that's ok.


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