Hot Rod Forum banner

Durant Roadster?

3K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  powerrodsmike 
#1 ·
A local oldtimer that builds T's has a car under a tarp in the field which I thought was a model A roadster. When I asked him about it he said it was a Durant that he was storing for a friend & that, while in pieces, was complete...
Anybody have any experience or knowledge with these cars? Apparently they were only built between 1921-1931... Im not sure what year this one is, but the guy wants in the neighborhood of $2k for it. What would I pay for a comparable Model A?
S.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the Pic! That looks to be the car!
I realize that the car has a lot of history. The man not only started GM & Chevrolet, but pioneered payment plans so that the average Joe could afford a car, something that Henry Ford was dead set against! His is a very interesting story...
So whats a guy to do? Let it sit & rot in a field? I certainly wouldnt restore it to original, but why not build a tire smoker out of it?
:pimp:
 
#8 ·
Don't get me wrong, I like to see old tin get hot rodded. But if that Durant is complete and the parts are in good shape, it might be a better plan to put it back together, spiff it up a bit, and sell it in the collector market. You should turn enough profit on it to go out and have your pick of comparable age cars that have already been hot rodded. Now if the tin on the Durant needs a lot of work or if a number of parts are missing...then, by all means, have at it with the chop saw.

Dewey
 
#9 ·
I agree with CBoy. Some cars just shouldn't be hot rodded. If it's complete and in good shape to do so with this car would be one way to ruin it's value. A completely restored Durant would be worth 10 times what a modified version could ever be worth.

Buy it and restore it or leave it alone for someone that will. My $.02
 
#10 ·
Duly noted guys & thanks for the input.
When I get back from work Im gonna talk to the owner & get the whole story.
I could certainly appreciate the car in stock form. Unless the price is right ill leave it for the next guy...
Truth be told there is an old jeep just around the corner from me that could use some attention...
 
#11 ·
Well if its all there the price at $2000 certainly seems like a bargain. But then again the Jeep you are speaking of may be more practicle. But for someone with the tools, and equipment, and talent ,and ability to restore that Durant original...he could make some money with it.
 
#12 ·
IF you can afford to play, buy it and then sell it as is to a restorer/collector/museum.... Let them spend the big bucks it takes.

No reflection on you,,,
No doubt how good you could do it, they would not be satisfied that is was good enough..
that's how collectors are.
 
#14 ·
Max Keith said:
I tend to agree that if the vehicle is restorable to origional or near origional condition, that would be the way to go.
I mean can you even imagine the sacrelig of doing something like putting a Big Block anything in an origionad Duesenburg or Cord?
i can :D lol
 
#15 ·
star star star

I don't suspect that you will make alot of friends in the durant star automobile club if you hotrod that one. I was in the process of making a sunbeam tiger replica out of a sunbeam alpine. I had collectors calling me at home begging me to stop what I was doing. I know it wasn't the same as your durant star dilemma but the devotion that some of these restorer guys have to their marques borders on fanaticism. If you do rod it get ready for having to make almost everything you need on it custom, and again the restorer guys won't want to give up anything to a rodder. so if you need body or trim parts you may find yourself out in the cold. Just a thought.
 
#17 ·
I'm glad to see some people agree that certain cars just shouldn't be made into hot rods. Every time I see an historic vehicle hot rodded I cringe! A model A or T? Most are still easy to come by, and there's at least one in every old car museum across the country, and just about in the world! An early brass era T that's pretty much all there? That's a tough one! Probably something that should be left to a restorer. A late model T? Go for it! The Sunbeam I'm not so sure of -- you're only doing what the factory did at a later date anyway. But they are rather hard to come by now. When was the last time anyone saw a Sunbeam??

I cringed when I saw a very well done 1930s Packard sedan rodded. VERY nice rod, but this one was a recognized Classic!! Well, turns out it was a basket case that needed everything, mainly a body shell and badly rusted frame when found. Restoring would have cost almost as much as the value as a Classic (in the multi 100's or thousands range) instead of just under $100K the owner had in it, and the frame had to be built from scratch (but with a GM front clip). The body needed extensive work also. Okay, I can see the logic there!

Then there's the guy in Rod and Custom a few months ago that bought a near perfect 1939 Lincoln Zephyr from a guy who'd restored it. All it needed was a little detail work due to being restored 5-10 years earlier and shown a bit. Had taken several awards when first restored, just needed touching up here and there to bring it back up to a near 100 point car. Since I mentioned R&C, you know what happened. Full custom/rod treatment -- out came the V-12 (at least that was sold to a restorer!), in went an SBC/TH-350/9" drivetrain. Chopped, shaved, full custom interior. Then the fellow had the nerve to drive the car over to show the previous owner! Didn't seem to understand why the guy came out, saw the car, then turned and walked back in without saying a word, just shut the door! I don't blame the guy one bit.

I know it's a lot better to start with as rust free a body as possible when building a rod, but the Zephyr deal is going to the extreme! When is it to much? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should! I'm a rodder at heart, and like to DRIVE my cars, so I don't do 100% restorations. When I was looking for a replacement for my 63 Rambler wagon when it was T-boned, I passed on cars that were restored or very well cared for originals, even if they needed an engine overhaul and a bit of cosmetic work. I kept at it until I found one that was solid but needed the full treatment (interior, drivetrain, and paint shot). Rambler wagons aren't worth a whole lot, but it just doesn't seem right to take something that could be restored relatively easy and rod it.
 
#18 ·
sharp21 said:
Im just not sure i could handle all 35 horses!
Especially on wooden rims with galvanized tyres...
what is a galvanized tyre? (I know about the tyre part of that phrase) I think you should do what makes YOU happy. I would pick up the car and sit on it for a while. Peddle it around . I have no doubt that it is a rare and unique car that may indeed be WORTHY of being restored. BUT, if it is truly a classic that NEEDS to be restored then someone will come and offer you a price over and above what you paid for it. Or at least offer you what you paid and a persuasive argument about why you should sell it. The market will dictate whether or not that durant is truly collectable. If no collector shows interest given a reasonable amount of time then whack it up. so far I have seen no offers to buy it. Did anyone from the durant owners club come forward? I see those guys are split on this one too. I see that one guy in the club tried to rod one and said the same thing as me about parts availability. I wonder what he meant when he said "let us know if you lose interest" I would take that as a "do it if you want to". (I saw your post,heehee)
 
#20 ·
Henry Highrise said:
powerrodsmike said:
what is a galvanized tyre? I think he must have meant vulcanized tire
I know about those, they are the tires that Mr. Spock makes. Thats where the "vulcan" part comes from. Just a li'l fun. :D Mikes hotrod observation # 475. If you look at a durant star grill shell straight on from the front and squint it has the silhouette of a tombstone. cool huh.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top