i was thinking about putting my 34 ford tudor out of storage,i was going to build another chassis,but i miss the old girl,my question is the traditional thing,i dont think i can make it into a billetproof show with it,,but,,i bought the car when i was 12 years old(i am 35 now),(my dad had a bodyshop/hotrod shop)learned how to weld and do bodywork on it,built my own chassis,i rolled over a 78 cobra mustang on its roof and cut the mustang ii out of it,then used the master cylinder, brake pedal assembly,seats etc. ot of it,bought a 70 caprice 4 door and used the 400 chevy and trans,went to the junkyard and cut out a 57 ford 9 inch,built my own 4 bars,used a vega radiator and stood it up,64 thunderbird column with slideaway(used to freak peaple out when they looked inside,how the hell you drive over there?),mustang shifter,black primer,no hood,no fenders,no sideglass etc.,just henry steel(and bondo),i drove it all the way thru high school everyday till the first snow storm (with gloves and a blanket,brrrrrrr)i even have my hotrod in my high school yearbook senior photo class of 1994,nothing on the car was bought,all junkyard parts,all hand fabricated in my opinion old school by myself,,i put almost 6500 miles on it in 2 years up and down the north east,but then i got the bright idea that i had to have huge mickey thompsons under it,so i tubbed it,roll cage,big roller cam,heads,45oo stall converter,4;10 gears, and turned a perfect hot rod into a overheating race car,so i pulled the motor and trans and put it in storage since i moved to florida,,,,the problem,,, with the mustang front end,roll cage,mickey thompsons i would not be let in most traditional shows? ,someday i will build another chassis,maybe,i really hate to change it,,,,whats your opinion????
It would be easy enough to de tune the engine a bit to make it more streetable. My suggestion would be to find a hood and hang fenders all around. Add some steelies and narrower tires. Personally I like the look of the 34s with fenders and hood and that would be an easy way to hide your Mustang suspension. Whatever direction you decide to go definitely get it back out and make it roadworthy again!
Some of the very best stuff at many shows is out in the parking lot. Put a motor in it and drive it! Pluck 'em if they can't take a joke! You'll be welcome where enthusiasm and creativity are valued.
F what other people view as traditional. I built mine for me to enjoy. You BUILT yours too in that the same old spirit of making something out of junk and using it. You didn't build it for everyone else to look at. You didn't buy it done and try and pass it off as yours. Kudos to you for building it when you were young. Progress is progress. Faster and stronger, more comfortable, easier to drive, that's what the old hot rodders were after. Speed and reliability whatever it takes. Taking something the factory made and making their own suiting their own individual style and desires. Whatever you decide, at the very least get it on the road again.
put some fenders on it and hide the ugly ass IFS... can't see the rear tires from here, but if you're saying they're huge Mickey's, well fenders will cover them too...
Get rid of the Pinto front suspension and the fire wall mounted brake booster combo, and the steering coloum, and what ever else you have in that that came from a 70's and 80' car. Thats my opinion.
my opinion is .... why the hell are you asking for opinions? You own it. You built it. You'll be driving it. You'll be fixing it. You built it the TRADITIONAL way (scrounging and fabbing,) so it is traditional. It doesn't need fenders, a straight axle, or steel wheels with WW's. All it needs is to be done, with you smiling behind the wheel. Just remember to smile TRADITIONALLY.
i think you'll find alot of support here for someone who wants to build a hot rod. Being a traditional rod and custom site you probably wont find much MII love unless you cover it with fenders. Bottom line, when you drive past the guys talking about how ugly the MII is on a fenderless car remember alot of them drove to the show in a Civic. Drive it. Make it better with each paycheck.
Drive that puppy! Put some fenders on it to cover up the IFS and you'll be good to go! Work on the other stuff as you go...
Building a rod like you did back then is how it "USE TO BE". Its your creation so go with what you want to.Not many cars today have junk yard components and now all you have to do is pick up the phone and order what you want.My personal opinion is I like what you did and would put a nice cruiser style engine in it and hit the road.
Get it running and toss a hood and fenders on it. If you look/get lucky, you should be able to find a set of cheap, used fiberglass fenders, tank cover and original boards that can be recovered. 34's (especially sedan's with IFS, look best with fenders.
Why dont you just drive it while gathering the parts you need to make it just like you want it now? Like a straight axle, bones banjo rear or wathever makes your jaw go "BAAAMMMMM" on the floor? I were you i'd consider it a rollin project. No shame on driving an unfinished car, expecially if its been built by yourself. Good luck on the build,and remember to have fun, it doesnt matter if you cant get in at shows w/ the car, the best car show is in your own garage anyway, possibly w/ your mates and a few beers.
From your post, it sounds like the main reason you are considering pulling the car out of storage is to go to "traditional shows" with it. (The secondary reason is that you miss driving the car.) So if you really want to attend traditional shows with it, then you would need to change it... You would be changing a car, you built yourself, to suit yourself, in order to be accepted by some other people (many of whom don't even own cars, much less a steel 34). So if you decide you need to change it to attend two or three shows a year, you have already received some good suggestions (many of them involve a hood and fenders on the current chassis). If you decide you only want to drive the car becuase you love the car and miss driving it, you can do that with a mild motor and trans combo. If you want to forget the previous paragraphs I wrote (before my first cup of coffee this morning). My opinion is this. The car has already been in storage 23 years, what's another 2 or 3 years. A traditional chassis never goes out of style, and you have witnessed a non-traditional chassis (yours) become taboo to many (from whom you crave acceptance). I would strip the car to the bare body and sell off anything you can, then start to build a 100% traditional style hot rod chassis. Fenders and a hood would still rule, but if you build a truly traditional chassis, it would not got out of style no matter how long it takes to build the car, and you could run the body with no hood or fenders (at least until you find some) and not offend too many traditional detectives.
Id take it out and put a motor in it and drive it. You built it, be proud. I started my model a along time ago when pro street was the rage, just now about to ready for paint and finishing it hopefully this feb. To far into it to change.All my buddies are into traditional rods, I am too, just too far into mine to change it over.Dont let everybody rag you to much its a 34 FORD. Hell you could hang a straight axel on the front of it in one weekend if it bugs you that much. Leave the rear alone My next car will beHamb friendly. My buddies still like my car they just mess with me. Leave it alone and drive it , was you first car. Like the previous post some of the coolest car are in the parking lot
thanks guys,all good points,i own a shop and build pro touring muscle cars and billet hot rods,today you just have to open a book and lay down a credit card,most of the cars i build for peaple they dont have a clue what they want,just whatever is in style and is the latest craze,air ride,20 inch wheels etc.,,i personally spend so much time making everyone elses car to stay with the trends,,somedays i think 20's and air ride and a fuel injected 4.6 ford,somedays its a dropped axle with a set of steelies,whites and a old hemi or nailhead(i have both),and somdays its a blown 427 chevy with wheelie bars and a roll cage,,,,,,,
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