hi i'm henry from Australia (Armidale nsw for anyone who knows where that is) i'm here to poke around and check out what goes on on the rod and custom side of things. i'm normally a vw beetle guy, but am looking to play with something different. something where i'm not bound by my preconceived ideas of how it should be done. if I do pull the trigger and start another project i'm thinking of something loosely based on a dirt track model T. I say loosely based as I have set a budget and goals that mean I probably can't build it as it would have been built in the 20's. the goals are a hand built single seat body on a period frame, straight axle front, skinny tyres, sub 500kg (if possible) and 100mph. clean simple and un adorned. + street registered. the budget is roughly what I estimate it will cost for tyres and rebuilt brakes plus $1000. not including anything suitable I have (not that much), can swap for or can scrounge. the idea being to do something completely different to what I have done before, learn lots of new stuff, push my creativity and ingenuity to build a car that is more than the sum of it's parts. + of course have fun. I guess a bit of reading is now in order to work out where to start.
thanks gentlemen. I've spent most of the day looking and thinking about how I could build it. i'd even reconciled myself to use the engine/box I have in he shed (I hope I don't get booted for mentioning this) a Volvo B20B/M40. twin carb 4 cyl/4 speed. the sums looked good for 500kg/100mph potential. next I was trying to sort out what kind of hoops i'd need to jump through to get my dream registered in nsw. what I want would make it a street rod which equals so many rules and regs that couldn't build it as I want anyway. I think the only way that might be possible to do it would be to build it on full T running gear and get it registered as a re-bodied/modified model T. time to start looking around and see if I can find some donor T running gear, then some speed parts... cheap. haha.
wow, there is so much to learn here. i'm used to one brand with 3 major models... the good new is i'm now thinking there is hope to be able to build and register a dirt track styled car (with lights and guards). the bad news is i'd be super lucky to build it without multiplying the budget by at least 10, probably 15+. still I now know it can and has been done in NSW Australia. to get it registered it will need to be basically all T parts (or whatever platform I can get) with a hand build body. i lucked onto a guy who has had a speedster registered, he suggested it would be easier to register it with stock running gear then add the tuning parts later. I have to sat how much I love car people, the guy, to whom i'm a total stranger, spent well over an hour answering my questions, going over the things he has done with his cars and making suggestions on how to get the results I want based off 20 years of race experience and god knows how many years of street T's. plus has invited me around to check out his fronty car.
still here, still watching and learning. I haven't jumped in yet, as I need to get rid off an off topic car or two to make some space and get some cash. it is looking like it could end up being dodge fast four based. I've found a motor, a victory 6 rear axle (and hopefully I can get a driveshaft and 'box from the same guy). plus a well priced circa '24 dodge frame + extra's. ideally i would get a fast four frame but the only ones I have come across for sale are 1000+ km away. I like the idea of victory 6 front and rear axles so I get 4 wheel hydraulic brakes. I understand hydraulic brakes. I just can't decide on if I want a single or two seat body. in the back of my head though I keep thinking of the local circa '17 dodge roadster body that is supposed to be for sale... with a fast four motor and victory six axles it could make a nice gow-esque car. only time will tell.
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