[Higirl]

News flash from your favorite newbie : I am about to take the plunge!

If all goes well, it will happen today around 4PM. I guess I will be driving a rod home tonight .

You must all wonder: What did she pick in the end?

Well, after much consideration and a LOT of thinking (mostly done between 2AM and 4AM over the last 10 days - This whole rod purchase has me so stressed out I have not been sleeping much ) the following decisions were made by little ol' me:

1- If I buy anything else than a hiboy 32 roadster, I will always wonder what it would have been like to own and drive one. My eyes will always wander when I see one pass me. So, why not buy one, try it and see how it goes? Either I will love it so much I will never want anything else OR I will enjoy it for a while, grow tired of the unpractical & uncomfortable aspect of it and then sell it and buy a coupe (or keep it and ALSO get a coupe - if I hit the LOTO that is ) - OK, so hiboy 32 roadster it is.

2- I decided to not purchase anything I cannot see with my own two eyes and test drive. all ebay out of state cars were therefore scratched off my list. I was able to find a local hiboy, only 1 hour away from me . I was able to sit in it, make sure it fits, drive it, have my boyfriend also drive it etc...

3- I decided that I should be 'reasonable' and not buy a real expensive steel body or original HF body rod as my first rod. After all, I am not rich, this is my first one and I have a LOT to learn. I opted for an older fixer upper that has a lot of charms, has a cool vibe and was built right. It is in good enough condition that I can drive it and enjoy it TODAY but it is not so "finished" that there is nothing more to do on it or improve. Ijn short I can drive it as is NOW but I have a lot of room for little projects (such as powder coating in red the 3 double barrel carbs) hehehe....

4- I like this rod not because it is perfect, cause it's not. It has it's share of nicks and bumps (and so do I) and has been around the block a few time but it has a lot of charms. Early wescott body steel reinforced, nostalgia look, guide 632 headlights, cool drum breaks (I intend to boost the breaking as my first project on it - maybe power breaks or whatever will help it stop better, hopefully retaining the drum breaks), old ford steering wheel, currently the body is black primer... Looks kinda bad, borderline rat rod but not quite . red grill, red steel wheels etc... Rides smooth, not too hard on gas (only one of the 3 carbs is currently hooked up which is still plenty for me), easy to steer, and not so pristine that I would be worried about taking it out and enjoying every chance I get hehehe. As it sits, it is still handsome and ironically looks "authentic" (although it is a repro). Unlike the new flashy fancy shiny modern expensive roadsters that look somewhat sterile, this older rod has a lot of "old school" charm, which I immediately connected with.


So there you have it. It is priced (as always) kinda high for what it is, but is a heck of a lot cheaper than anything else I have looked at so far, so I can afford to pay it mostly cash and finance the last 10K and pay it off in 4 to 6 months and be done with it. At 26K there is no need for me to stress out financially and I'll have some money available to spend on it .

If the purchase goes through tonight, I will post photos tomorrow so you can see what the beast looks like.

Last night I spent 3 hours making room in the garage. Everything is now ready. I am pretty darn excited (and a little anxious, too). Wish me luck!

[1939d2/s10]

Congrats,bet your all smiles.Best of luck and lets see some pictures,Johnny

[strummin67]

Hey. Glad to hear you found something. Keep us posted. I like your music too.

Strummin

[Higirl]

Originally Posted by strummin67

I like your music too.

Strummin

thank you!

[powerrodsmike]

You will find that a hot rod, whether built by someone in the past, distant past, or present, will take on the soul of it's builder and owner and sucessive owner(s).

I know you wanted a car with "soul".
May they all be good souls.

have fun.

later, mikey

[home brew]

Glad to hear that you will have your hot rod tonight. I am sure that there will be many on the board waiting for those pics. powerrodsmike is right that all rods take on the soul of the builders and owners. Now it is your time to put some of yourself into this rod. Good luck.

[Deuce]

Cool ...
Us guys are a visal bunch ... we want photos ...
Also go look here ...
You MUST go and see this ... in LA ...

http://www.hotrodhotline.com/deucediary/deucediary3.pdf

[rj57]

Nice to hear you finally found something you're part way satisfied with.

Few of us buy the "actual" car we want. Mostly because of money restraints.

It's not that we "settle" it's more that we realize there's limitations. And with a bit of work this new project can be a nice car to cruise around in.

Good luck.

[jpelli]

have owned three rods build all , one coupe , one sedan and I now drive the car I always wanted a 1932 roadster. Welcome to the street rodding , you will meet great people and all are willing to help. Join the NSRA the fellow pages are worth the dues plus the magazine. I like to add there is nothing like a roadster. Joe

[jpelli]

have owned three rods build all , one coupe , one sedan and I now drive the car I always wanted a 1932 roadster. Welcome to the street rodding , you will meet great people and all are willing to help. Join the NSRA the fellow pages are worth the dues plus the magazine. I like to add there is nothing like a roadster. Joe

[home brew]

Still waiting for those pics!

[Higirl]

Woke up this morning and both my cheeks HURT.

?????

It's from doing THIS: yesterday for 40 minute straight while taking MY roadster on OUR first ride.... The drive from Thousand Oaks to Simi Valley was BY FAR the MOST FUN thing I have EVER done in my ENTIRE life.

I anticipated driving a roadster would be fun, but I had NO IDEA it would be THAT MUCH fun. I honestly don't think I have ever been as HAPPY and smiled SO HARD and for SO LONG as I did yesterday.

I'm in looooooooOOOoooove

[Higirl]

PHOTOS: Yes, yes very soon, my server is down and they are fixing it as we type. As soon as I am able to access my website to store the photos I will let you guys know. Despite all it's "imperfections", the little beast turned MANY heads yesterday and I got thumbs up and lots of smiles and steared up quite a commotion as I drove past shopping strips, intersections, houses and other drivers. Wait until I am done with fixing it up!

[pepi]

I have been wondering how long before I would read this one. Well done! I am SURE this was one of your better decisions, and one that will reward you for years to come.............. cool as hell!

[41willys]

Yes, congratulations. I wish I could by driving mine now too.

Jason