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So, You're Ready to Build a Rod. Is Your Wallet?

2K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  Nightfire 
#1 ·
#5 ·
$41k for a street rod project?

Must be for a trailer queen or one of those plastic rods. Nobody I know would ever spend that kind of bread for their ride. By Buddy's had a fit when I spent 14k on my Riv and thats a family car. I bought my 53 chevy for $1500 and installed a Ford 9" rear end with disc brakes for $300, had a drive shaft custom cut for $100 and wheels and tires or $700..OH-yea the side pipe exhaust cost $150. Now that 37 Dodge business coupe is a different story all together... the car cost 8k and the Jim Meyers Mustang II front suspension cost 2k and the 327sbc was rebuilt for $150 and the wiring is still on going and I have $400 in that. That 69GTO Judge clone my wife bought for $2500 then I installed an aluminized exhaust for the cost of a 5" tach, then the paint job was free, it should have been, it orange pealed and the wheels and tires cost $200. I bought the 64 Chevelle SS for 2K and rebuilt the Ford 9" for $100 and I bought a 400sbc for $50 and had it punched to 406 and bought the pistons for $300 and The rods cost $50. Then I bought the 65 Chevelle sedan for $700, had a 350 bored to 377 for $500 which included the balancing of the bottom end and a 383 steel crank, 2.05 heads for $500 and so they sits.


Tazz


Rat Rods Rule!:evil:
 
#7 ·
Pretty neat but its a VERY general price for a street rod. A 32 roadster is obvously going to be a whole heck of a lot cheaper than a 37 Sedan, and so on.

A brand new fiberglass 32 ford roadster can be put together for about $18,000 to $19,000 (basic car, no heat/AC, basic crate 350, simple car). This does not include paint or interior, just all the parts (body, chassis and every single part needed for the car, does include the seat).

I am currently putting numbers together for a 32 ford 5 window. If i can buy the body, chassis and every part for $20,000 or under, I will build it. But being in the street rod business, I am a dealer for alot of companies and can get discounts on alot of parts that the normal Joe cant. The interior obviously wont cost me much either.
 
#8 ·
At least I planned on 15 years...

$41,000 for a rod almost is enough to get a guy killed by his un-understanding wife. My Monte should be under budget ($15,000)and finished ahead of schedule (Dec. 13, 2017) if it keeps progressing as it has lately. That list was definately cool though. Thanks for posting it. My wife almost flipped over the parts bill until I told her I wouldn't spend that much. Not like I wouldn't if I had the chance....LOL

BTW Tazz, I'm going to have to make a trip to your area for prices like that. Parts savings like that would pay for the gas down and back twice!!
 
#9 ·
Now you've made me think, I subbed my prices in ..
I started with a 36 Ford coupe I bought on ebay, $6700.
Part Price My cost:
Chassis $6,000 $2500 complete w/ powdercoat
Body (fiberglass) $9,000 see above
Engine (crate motor) $3,000 $1200
Transmission $1,000 Shifter & cables $300 300
Differential $2,000 75
Drive shaft $100 100
Steering column, box, wheel, etc $1,500 200
Tires & wheels $2,000 600
Radiator (w/ condenser) $650 400
Gas tank $350 25
Exhaust system $800 approx: 300
Emergency brake $350 100
Upholstery $5,000 approx: 1500
Alternator $100 75
Alternator & A/C brackets. $250 25
Heating & air $1,000 700
Wiring, gauges & fan $1,700 350
Lights $200 100
Body preparation and paint $4,000 approx: 1500
Miscellaneous (5%) $1,900 approx: 2000
This is getting some good deals on ebay, freebies, and trading out labor on some parts of the project. I should probably add another 3 grand or so for obvious brain faded items I'm not thinking of. A lot of money? Apples and oranges, I think I'll have close to 20 grand into the car when it's done, what could I buy on the lots that compare with the pleasure, rarity, etc, and even resale I'll get with my coupe? I've done my share of cars on shoestring budgets, this is my self indulgence, I ain't gettin no younger and by gosh, I deserve it..lol
:D Dan
 
#10 · (Edited)
Since I am in school I wanted put together the cheapest "rod" possible. I found an 82 S10 longbed that someone else had started a V8 swap on then left it sitting for around 3 yrs. I paid $1000 for the truck (about $500 too much) but it needed a lot of work, motor was overcammed, had the wrong intake, needed the heads rebuilt, and was leaking from the rear main seal. It also needed full exhuast, new windshield, gauges, oil pan, seats, radiator, distributor, and a shifter. Since I wanted to do some bracket racing I also installed a narrowed 9" with a locker and 31 spline moser axles etc.., a set of SSM lift bars,and purchased some wheels and slicks. I'm at $3500 (including purchase price) and still have a long way to go, however I doubt that it will ever exceed the $20,000 mark.
 
#11 ·
The sad thing is that unless you're an old retired guy like me with enough spendable income laying around, these prices are way out of reach - especially for young people just getting into hotrodding. And that is a shame.

I've often tried to figure out how someone could build a rod the old fashioned way...and with an old fashioned price tag. My criteria is pretty basic. Fenderless, early 30's body style, V8/auto, a safe and solid chassis with a "clean" front suspension and a fairly traditional look. And my target price tag? How about $3,000 (streetable - in primer - unfinished interior - and all labor done by the owner.)

Impossible? Probably. But it would be a gas if we could toss together some ideas and come up with suitable, easy to find, junkyard donor vehicles to meet the criteria.

Here's what I've come up with as I've daydreamed about such a project. Feel free to kibitz or add your own ideas.

1) Use a mini truck chassis. My personal preference would be a pre 89 Ford Ranger because you get a) the forged twin I beam front suspension which gives the appearance of a dropped "A" axle - see pics of my '32 in my gallery or project file to get an idea how this looks, b) the ability to clean up the front end by shaving off the spring and shock towers and replacing them with coil overs and a simple mounting bracket, and c) the Ford 8.8 rear end which will hold up to mild rodding and d) a stock wheelbase which could be made to work (108" for short bed, 114' for long bed) The major drawback to this chassis (at least as I see it) is that a lot of folks complain about the inability to keep the I-beam suspension in proper alignment once you start messing with stock ride height.

2) Any cheap donor vehicle with either a chevy 350/350 or a ford 302/C4 combo already in it- and be sure to save the wiring harness, ignition, dash switches, wiper motor, etc. etc. for possible use.

3) A hand built body. It's just the conclusion I've come to after looking at every conceivable alternative. Either that or stumble onto some amazing barnyard find. The drawback to a hand formed body is that most of us have very limited tools/experience for this sort of venture so the body style would have to be quite simple - to my way of thinking the model A roadster couldn't get much simpler. I'm not talking about a perfect replica here by any means. I'm talking about fashioning a roadster body that has the simple classic line of the "A".

The idea here isn't to come up with a show winning perfect rod - but rather to build a safe, fun, traditional looking streetrod - with a price tag nearly anyone can afford.

Hope I didn't steal your thread, Nightfire, but I'd really be interested if others have thought about doing something similar and the ideas they've come up with.

Dewey
 
#12 ·
Well....I'm not a young guy (chronologically anyway), and I'm not an old retired guy to quote cboy. I have one in college, one in high school, and one in junior high. Disposable income? It all gets disposed of....lol.
I started my project, a 48 Chevy p/u just about a year ago and decided from the start that it would be, out of necessity, a junk yard builder. Got a complete truck for $20 at a farm auction, another frame minus the bed for $5. A friend of mine had a mustang II frontend laying around that he gave me.
Jon mentioned earlier about Voc/tech schools. I am an instructor at a community college and in our building is the automotive dept. One of the instructors is a big streetrodder and a good friend, not to mention a wealth of knowledge. To teach the students about frontends and proper geometry, they offered to rebuild and mount the MII frontend, all I would pay for is the parts to rebuild it. I purchased a V8 crossmember w/motor mounts, and a power rack all new...total cost...$244.33. All fabrication and setup was done here at the school. I made a donation to their car club to show my appreciation. If you have access to a college or voc/tech school, I say give them a call. The students loved being able to do this type of work and it was used to further their knowledge and get them into cars...beyond working in a garage.
 
#13 ·
Just a suggestion...but

try and stay away form the plactic rods. There are plenty of steel Rods waiting to be built. I have no use or respect for a plactic rod, it's not a muscle car or street rod for god sake, its a plastic car. Stay real...build steel!


Tazz


Rat Rods Rule!
 
#14 ·
cboy said:
The sad thing is that unless you're an old retired guy like me with enough spendable income laying around, these prices are way out of reach - especially for young people just getting into hotrodding. And that is a shame.

I've often tried to figure out how someone could build a rod the old fashioned way...and with an old fashioned price tag. My criteria is pretty basic. Fenderless, early 30's body style, V8/auto, a safe and solid chassis with a "clean" front suspension and a fairly traditional look. And my target price tag? How about $3,000 (streetable - in primer - unfinished interior - and all labor done by the owner.)

Impossible? Probably. But it would be a gas if we could toss together some ideas and come up with suitable, easy to find, junkyard donor vehicles to meet the criteria.

Here's what I've come up with as I've daydreamed about such a project. Feel free to kibitz or add your own ideas.

1) Use a mini truck chassis. My personal preference would be a pre 89 Ford Ranger because you get a) the forged twin I beam front suspension which gives the appearance of a dropped "A" axle - see pics of my '32 in my gallery or project file to get an idea how this looks, b) the ability to clean up the front end by shaving off the spring and shock towers and replacing them with coil overs and a simple mounting bracket, and c) the Ford 8.8 rear end which will hold up to mild rodding and d) a stock wheelbase which could be made to work (108" for short bed, 114' for long bed) The major drawback to this chassis (at least as I see it) is that a lot of folks complain about the inability to keep the I-beam suspension in proper alignment once you start messing with stock ride height.

2) Any cheap donor vehicle with either a chevy 350/350 or a ford 302/C4 combo already in it- and be sure to save the wiring harness, ignition, dash switches, wiper motor, etc. etc. for possible use.

3) A hand built body. It's just the conclusion I've come to after looking at every conceivable alternative. Either that or stumble onto some amazing barnyard find. The drawback to a hand formed body is that most of us have very limited tools/experience for this sort of venture so the body style would have to be quite simple - to my way of thinking the model A roadster couldn't get much simpler. I'm not talking about a perfect replica here by any means. I'm talking about fashioning a roadster body that has the simple classic line of the "A".

The idea here isn't to come up with a show winning perfect rod - but rather to build a safe, fun, traditional looking streetrod - with a price tag nearly anyone can afford.

Hope I didn't steal your thread, Nightfire, but I'd really be interested if others have thought about doing something similar and the ideas they've come up with.

Dewey

That sounds like some greate ideas Dewey, if you remember, I still wanna build a 2.5k rod on a chevy s10, chevy luv or a ranger myself...








Mike
 
#15 ·
Nightfire said:
T if you remember, I still wanna build a 2.5k rod on a chevy s10, chevy luv or a ranger myself...
Yup, I remember that thread Mike. I got so carried away with the idea I hit the local bone yard today to do a little research. Seems the Ranger wouldn't be the greatest candidate after all - at least for what I had in mind. The I-Beams in all the early Rangers aren't the good looking ones like I thought. Plus they would pose some mounting problems. The best candidate for my idea looks like either an f-100 or an f-150 from '73-81 (the 2wd version). These have the right I-beams and if one found the right truck it would have a V8, a c4 or c6 tranny AND a 9" rear end - all in one donor vehicle. Not too shabby.

Now it's just a matter of locating one with a decent chassis and a modest price tag.

Oh boy, looks like New Project Time.
 
#16 ·
I'm currently under way on a 39 Chevy 2 door sedan (see project Journal). I'm contemplating my budget at every turn. I guess everyone does. For what I want to do to the car, I have to believe I can't take any shortcuts, as it would kill the resale.
I'm a firm believer of The HotRod 1/3 Rule. For every shortcut you take, you will lose 1/3 of the resale. My buddie has an absolutely GORGEOUS 40 Ford that he did, and because of a few shortcuts, he can't sell it for anywhere near the amount he has into it. And he did all the work himself with the exception of the interior. He cheaped out and did the fabric instead of leather. It would have cost him another 2-3 grand at the time, tops. Strike one. He kept the battery in view, under the hood instead of cleaning up the engine bay. Strike two. The paint he used looks dull & drap. (Looks great, but not a showcar type finish. Better than your average drivers, but....) Strike three. Had he went the extra mile, this car should EASILY fetch $50K. He has it for $38 and no bites.
I plan on a 3" section and a 2"rear-3" front chop, along with raking the nose, pinching the hood, and making the rear look more like a 40 Ford Slantback. Obviously have to shave the hinges, gutters and door handles. It will be quite a radical roofline compared to a stocker. Therefore with all the work in it, if I cheap out on anything, I'm sunk. I fully expect to spend 40K on this. Hopefully, I will see at least this much back when I sell it. Leather interior, LS1 motor w/ a blower, 700r4, Billet everything, and smoothed underhood treatments (Like a Foose or Trepanier). I KNOW the paint will be 10K PLUS. (Ouch) Thats after I do all the bodywork and priming. You know it will be a losing proposition, but you'd at lest like to get the invested cash out.. :( Time frame: 5 years
 
#17 ·
Beenaway,

Can't argue with your logic at all. To get big bucks out of a car, you gotta put big bucks into a car. And avoid shortcuts. It's the path I took on my '32 pickup and based upon a recent appraisal done for my insurance carrier, it seems to have been a wise choice. So don't misunderstand what I am about to say. I would never want to go without a nicely finished rod sitting in my garage.

Instead, what I am daydreaming about on this thread is another animal altogether. The opposite extreme of what you are talking about. I'm thinking back to when I grew up and we built cars for $100 - $200. (I once built a streetable 52 Ford Tudor with a 53 Chrysler Hemi, for less than $200 and once bought a '32 Ford highboy roadster by trading a guy for an $8 watch.) I'm sure the other old duffers on this forum can all come up with stories of cars they built on the cheap - and I'll bet they'd LOVE to have one or two of them back in their garages right now. But most of us sold 'em or traded 'em and started off on another cheapo project. No huge investment going in...no huge profit (or loss) coming out.

These were cars we built totally for the fun of building them. We didn't care about resale...in fact we seldom even thought about resale. It was all about the mechanics, make 'em fast, make 'em cool and make 'em different. All on a miniscule budget. And that is what I have in mind for this next project. Just see how low I can keep the price tag and still come up with something safe, fun, quick, and interesting to look at. And if I have to eat the loss when it's finished...who cares. The loss will be negligible, at least when compared to what I might lose on a $40 or $50K car.

Dewey
 
#18 ·
I'm with ya Dewey!

I did a 64 Chevelle 4 door "rat wagon" with a 427 when I was 16. I remember almost DYING when I had to buy new motor mounts for it. (Orig 6 cylinder). (Forget the heavier coil springs, different drag link, etc. ) Or when I tore the rear end out of it. My next door neighbor was into drag racing, so I had quite a data bank. Or when I was power shifting the powerglide, banged it into reverse and took out the radiator when it ripped the motor mounts out. (Cheap bolts. Never knew there was grade 5 or 8 bolts when I was 16! Always wondered about those hash marks!)
 
#19 ·
Nightfire,

Here are a couple shots of the mini truck frame I mentioned in my PM. It is from a Mazda pickup and that is the original 4-banger - now set back about a foot from the original mounts. I was just experimenting with it to see what it might look like as a potential rod chassis. What I did was weld about a 4' run of 2x4 rectangular tubing to the underside of the frame at the rear and to the underside of the front crossmember. I then cut out the original frame section which had been over that 4 foot run and added a few 45 degree gusset plates. What you get that way is a "Z" effect in both the front and rear - and it keeps everything squared up and it its original position.

As you will notice in shot two, however, is the ugliness you have to contend with in the front of any mini truck frame which has A-arm suspension. You could probably hide some of it if you had a full fendered car but for a fenderless car or a car where the front end can easily be seen it's a lot to try to clean up or alter.





Too bad you don't live here in WI. I'd give you this chassis so you could try hacking away at it yourself.

Dewey
 
#20 ·
WOW Cboy, that is exactly what I imagined:eek:
I'm not tryin to build a show rod or a perfect duplicate of a certain vehicle, I know the a-arms look kinda dumb but hey a rod is a rod and the weirder it looks the more it sets it apart from others. I really wouldn't mind having them visible in the front, of course they'd look odd and weird but I wouldnt have a problem with them.
I know frame "z'ing" aint that easy and I only have a 100 amp mig welder but I could get my uncle to weld it for me once I got it tacked into place.
Appreciate that you would give me the chasis if I was close, but I'm faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar ways of. But those pics really inspired me.
I did some searching yesterday and found a 1990 Ford Ranger truck for $200 running perfectly but somebody took a baseball bat to the body and glass ot the body is useless. He says if he strips it I can have the chasis for $100. Maybe the Ranger is a bit too big, I dunno, maybe the front end will look even uglier and cluttered up than the mazda, I dunno.......but I guess it's worth a shot?
Thanks again for those pics, they brought new inspiration into my plans.......and thanks for the long pm, really helpfull!!:thumbup: I think I'm gonna go for the model "A" truck or "T" truck conversion, wish me luck:cool:



Mike
 
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