Hot Rods Do People Really Spend like This?

There are several related but different questions posed by this thread and they are muddying the waters.

• First comes in the title "Do people really spend like this?" and the answer to that is an obvious yes. This car in question, Ridler and AMBR entrants etc. are among them.

• Then there is the supposed time involved in the radiator shell and grille. Some see it as believable, others feel it's very hard to see that much time.

• And as a result of that, the speculation of what that work would have cost, which relates to both the title question and the claimed time factor.

So, three questions bundled up in one and as a result a mish-mash of posts addressing one, two or all of them.

None of it is questioning whether the owner is a decent person or not, it's just one of those times when published 'facts' make people's eyebrows rise, which leads to discussion.

 

Sorry to disagree, but I think you're making divisions where they don't really exist.TRJ published the information on how long the job took. No one is disputing that. The discussion, which has had some branches, is basically whether it would be usual, not unusual, for people to dedicate large sums of money on a small part of a project. Clearly, I didn't need to ask if anyone ever had spent this much. No one has even begun, or needs, to question the motives, intent or decency of the customers.

 

It is not always hugely rich folks that spend big dollars on their cars. I worked with a few successful small businessmen when we built their cars. These guys are small town, hard working folk. They had seen investments flop and decided to have some fun with their money and I don't fault them one bit! Paid my wages.

Time adds up on some of these projects. And yes, many time it gets redone several times before the owner decides he likes it. OR he changes his mind mid-stream. I did a small grill insert when I built my T that I did not end up using. It was small and lowbuck and I did it in my spare time. I think I had a good 20 hours in it, (and I rushed, that is why I did not like it) just a small insert for a chopped 32 commercial grill. Not an entire focus piece like that nose.

 

I think it is important to have people who are willing to spend significant money to push the envelope of design and fabrication. It moves us all forward a bit and is inspiration-even if the cost and results are shocking. Also important to have people trying to build as cheaply and poorly as possible (ie the dreaded rat rods) -to move the rest of us to work a little harder and create a little better. I will, forever,stuck in the middle: wishing I had more talent, time and money to do a better job while desperately trying to keep out of the mud.

 

Isn't that what I said?

 

Man,
Just take yourself 350 hrs, set aside and really poor your sole into that one piece. Decide what to do or make and do it. If you take 350 hrs and "butter" just one piece instead of the whole loaf the needed talent can be concentrated and honed and refined.

All of a sudden, $2500 for a chromed drake grill sounds like a bargain.

 

A single data point is not a statistically significant sample size.