Hi, I'm thinking about building a 30ish Deuce Coupe. I live in Pennsylvania and so because of the laws here this "rod" is going to need to look fairly stock in many ways. For example, it will need to have an enclosed engine, and fenders, etc.
I would like it to look something like the following when its done:
I'm on a very limited budget. But I have plenty of time and I can do just about any type of mechanical and body work, including the paint.
Because of the limited budget I've been thinking about starting out with a small truck chassis. Like maybe a Chevy S-10, or Ford Ranger, or a Toyota, or even a Jeep or Bronco chassis.
I can probably pick up a complete running truck fairly inexpensively. I'm hoping they have a frame under them after the body has been removed?
I'm not even sure about that and this is one reason for this post. I'd like some advice on what the best small truck and year would be to get.
I'm also open to using a car, but I'm thinking that most cars are unibody and don't have a frame that the body can be removed from.
My plan is that once I have a running chassis with the body removed, I can then move on to fabricating a 30ish Deuce Coupe body to fit the frame. I've recently learned some fiberglass techniques and I feel that fabricating a body from scratch is within my reach.
Because I live in PA, and I can't be showing off the engine, etc, anyway, that will all be covered. I'm not really concerned about performance at all. I'm going purely for looks.
I just want a pretty Deuce Coupe, that I can build within my budget. And this plan appears to put the project within my reach. There's no rush to get it done. So if it takes me a few years to build this thing that's fine.
~~~~
My Questions:
What is a good chassis to start out with?
I'd like something that is easy to work on, and was fairly popular so I can obtain parts easily. I'm thinking a small truck chassis as I mentioned above, but I'm open to other options.
Has anyone else built a hot rod by placing a fabricated body on an existing chassis like I'm proposing?
And finally, has anyone else fabricated their own fiberglass hot rod body from scratch?
Thanks for reading about my proposed project. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and advice.
I would like it to look something like the following when its done:
I'm on a very limited budget. But I have plenty of time and I can do just about any type of mechanical and body work, including the paint.
Because of the limited budget I've been thinking about starting out with a small truck chassis. Like maybe a Chevy S-10, or Ford Ranger, or a Toyota, or even a Jeep or Bronco chassis.
I can probably pick up a complete running truck fairly inexpensively. I'm hoping they have a frame under them after the body has been removed?
I'm not even sure about that and this is one reason for this post. I'd like some advice on what the best small truck and year would be to get.
I'm also open to using a car, but I'm thinking that most cars are unibody and don't have a frame that the body can be removed from.
My plan is that once I have a running chassis with the body removed, I can then move on to fabricating a 30ish Deuce Coupe body to fit the frame. I've recently learned some fiberglass techniques and I feel that fabricating a body from scratch is within my reach.
Because I live in PA, and I can't be showing off the engine, etc, anyway, that will all be covered. I'm not really concerned about performance at all. I'm going purely for looks.
I just want a pretty Deuce Coupe, that I can build within my budget. And this plan appears to put the project within my reach. There's no rush to get it done. So if it takes me a few years to build this thing that's fine.
~~~~
My Questions:
What is a good chassis to start out with?
I'd like something that is easy to work on, and was fairly popular so I can obtain parts easily. I'm thinking a small truck chassis as I mentioned above, but I'm open to other options.
Has anyone else built a hot rod by placing a fabricated body on an existing chassis like I'm proposing?
And finally, has anyone else fabricated their own fiberglass hot rod body from scratch?
Thanks for reading about my proposed project. I look forward to hearing your suggestions and advice.