Projects Odd duck

I've always liked to march to a different drum and when I chose to start building a street rod I wanted something a little different than 'normal'. I decided to build a speedster of sorts. The project was started about thirty years ago. I bought a model T frame complete with front axle and a four bar setup from famed Pete Reimer. I added a buick V-6 and gathered parts from here and there over time. The car was financed by pocket change - literally. My buddy helped me weld up an aluminum body loosely fashioned after a 1904 Mitchel. I got it running and it was ready to disassemble and paint. But back then my family was growing and so too was our business and eventually the car was relegated to the back corner of the shop. It gathered dust for a very long time.Eventually I decided I would have no time for it and I gave it to our teenage neighbor kid. He worked on it for a few weeks but it then sat again in my neighbour's shop for another ten years.

Well, I got it back about a month ago and decoded to get going on it once more. These days I have a well equipped shop, complete with CNC plasma and so I decided to scrap the body and rebuild much of the car from scratch. This time around the car will be a 1910 Overland Speedster - with a steampunk twist. I'm keeping the boxed 1919 T frame and the Buick engine with the auto transmission. The front end tube axle will stay as well. The hand made upholstered bench seat is also remaining. Everything else will become new.

In the last weeks in my spare hours on evenings and weekends I've built a new steel body with too many rivets to count. It is finished except for the hood sides. Fenders (a legal necessity in British Columbia, Canada) are to be fabricated in the next while. First I need to get an S-10 rear end with some new coil-overs under the car as the rear end in it is far too wide. I'll be lowering the car about 2" front and rear as well.

There's still a bunch of work to do but my goal is to have it one the road before our little town's annual parade which is to be held the first week of June

 

Well, I am convinced you will be the only one on the block with anything like that.

 

I think I’ll be great....and probably end up in Jay Leno’s garage


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

I think this could work but it needs different wheels/tires (bigger and narrower) to get that 1910s vibe.

 

I Like it .

 

Definitely agree on the wheel change. These don't fix the look at all to me. But like where you are going with it!

 

Great Headlamps!

 

Goofy and dumb. I’ll give it 1 page max.

 

Nice rat rod ya got there.

 

Agree with previous posters about a wheel change. Doesn't need 19" wires as it's not an antique. Just conventional steel wheels cause it's not a hot rod either... cool car with really nice metalwork.
Does it drive now?

 

yep, it is different - kinda doodlebug style - myou do have some creative talents - have you checked on being able to register and insure it?

 

How about a set of 5.50/600 X 20" tires on painted flat steel wheels with a ring of rivets close to the rim(like a steel version of Centerlines) to keep the "Steam-Punk" image going?

 

No shortage of descriptive monikers here...

 

sorry, just not my bag,
but if it makes you step back and smile then do not stop, rock on, every car on this planet started with someone's vision... if you like it or even just want to prove you can, then do it !

 

Hmm, I actually preferred the aluminum body. But it will be interesting to see when done if nothing else

 

The first set of fenders look fine. What are you going to change?

 

The vibe is more Edwardian Monstrosity than speedster :


With maybe a little Road Warrior thrown in :

 

and some Chitty chitty bang bang

 

This forum is dedicated to the traditional hot rod and custom ideal as they were done up until the middle 60's, the pre-smog times. I'm not the police (I have a feeling they will be along soon, though.) and I appreciate your excitement and having fun innovating things as you go. I'm sure you are going to have a fun vehicle that will attract a lot of positive attention from the general public. But it isn't and isn't going to be what is considered a "hot rod" around here. And speaking of the 'general public', very few of them kind even know what makes a true hot rod kind as understood by the keepers of the faith of this forum.
A lot of us are "car people" that have other vehicles which aren't considered acceptable here. But we don't post pix and share details about them, either, because we know that's a trespass against this very strict hot rod culture we have here. No offense against you or your project in the world at large, though. (Just don't say "Hot Rod". )

 

Interesting build. By the way fenders are no longer needed in BC if the vehichle is old enough, check with ICBC. What part of BC are you in?

 

mabe if the headlights were a little bigger ...like 55 gal drums

 

That is a cool ride. Got one like that in my neck of the woods.

 

strip the paint off there
definitely different wheels/tires
get some brass on there and....???

 

in a way it makes me think of the mack beer truck. i agree different wheels would be better. nice work on the body, better then i can do.

 

run dan run, far and fast!

 

Definitely different, keep up the good work. It's always fun looking at other's visions. If they were all cookie cutters it would no longer be as interesting. Keep the pics. Coming!!

 

Odd, indeed.

 

Please do not encourage people to run home built abominations without fenders just because the vibe of the build is “the olden days”. This is not a pre 1939 vehicle which is the cut off year for the recent legislation that allows to run without fenders. There are already people abusing this running 40s rat rods without fenders. I would hate to see the legislation revoked.
This is not an old car, it’s more like something you would see driving up and down Main Street in Disneyland, a rough interpretation of a brass era automobile. A delightful attraction to people who know nothing about old cars, but to a car enthusiast just another half baked job. Or since pot is legalized here now maybe I should say totally baked job.

 

I think you care way too much. Sure it’s not really my cup of tea either, but just live and let live. Besides, he said it’s on a 1919 T frame.

 

Dan,
I like the new body better, especially the rivets. Shift Wizard pretty much hit the nail on the head. You're going to get a lot of push-back and criticism here, because folks aren't going to see it as being true to what this place is about. I can tell that you like the steam punk thing, and that's fine, but that movement seems to me to be really interested in going for a certain "feel" that is a combination of nostalgia and science fiction, almost. People here are all about preserving the genuine article. Your car seems to be more of an interpretation of the brass era than a faithful reproduction of it, (which is also fine, just maybe not on a site dedicated to the faithful reproduction of...) Don't take the criticism personally. I can appreciate the work you have done. I think people are probably more critical of your choice to post it here than they are of the actual car. Post that car on a steam punk oriented site, and you'll get rave reviews.