Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

Tweet

Thanks Pat. Yeah, wish I did too. He likes it because after about 9 PM it starts to cool off and you feel like working. A few nights I went over to the shop about midnight after I got up from a nap. It was really nice not to be sweating all over my work for a change. At least Fall is coming, so it should start cooling off pretty soon.


My Son is a musician, so he is used to being up late. To him, 2am is when work ends.


Don

yes .i like to work late to. i use to like to paint at 4:00 when no one is around .i am trying to get back to find my drive i had. i am good for 4 hours on my feet and thats it

Don, I have been enjoying this string today, a great source of info. I am contemplating my first rod (my dad has built a few (with some help from me), but am nervous about the DMV. What are your plans for registering this T? I am in CT and if I undertook a project such as this, it would be registered as a 2006 composite vehicle, which means emmissions testing, ride height, bumpers, fenders, lighting requirements etc. This kind of kills my idea of building one from scratch. I am assuming your local DMV doesn't require such things...

Keep up the good work, looks awesome.

Gusaroo: Thanks for the nice words. I was lucky enough to buy a T bucket project a few years ago that had a good title. Ended up scrapping the body and frame as they were trashed, but kept all the good stuff. I intend on using this title, which reads 1923 T.

Some States are tough to title cars in. Florida, luckily, is kind of like the old West. We all carry guns here, and as long as you don't shoot anybody in the back, you are ok. Our laws regarding cars are kinda on the "loose" side. The reason I moved from Pa. was to get away from those overly restrictive regulations.

You should see some of the cars that are driving around down here. At some cruises it looks like the local dragstrip just let out. Slicks, blowers, open headers, etc. Gotta love it. I was coming home from a cruise one night in my '27 and had the headers uncorked. Cop pulls up next to me and I figure I am dogmeat. He says to me "nice rod, my Sister has a '34 coupe." and drives on his way. I hope they still have the same sense of humor, because the T is going to have either zoomies or open megaphones.

Don

Don---How are you doing with your budget on the 3K project so far?

Brian: Well, I've sort of been avoiding adding up where I am, but you guys are too sharp, so I guess it's time to "weigh in."

In July I posted this tally:

Initial purchase of body/frame on Ebay..........................$ 530.00
(frame ended up getting cut up and turned into a table, it was unusable )

New 2 x 3 , 3/16 wall tubing (20 feet)..........................$ 125.00

20 feet of 1 & 3/4 inch DOM tubing for crossmembers.......$ 85.00

Total Performance front spring perch.............................$ 30.00

" " " tubular front crossmember......................................$ 25.00

Model A rear crossmember (Ebay) .................................$ 50.00

Speedway early Ford biscuit engine mounts.....................$ 20.00

Model A rear spring (Ebay)............................................$ 50.00

Speedway rear spring perches, rear spring mounts, and
new front spring .........................................................$ 145.00

Front wishbones (Ebay)................................................$ 100.00

Superbell front axle (Ebay new)......................................$ 190.00

Chevy Blazer rear axle (junk yard)...................................$ 125.00

Early Ford pickup front shock mounts...............................$ 50.00

2 used chrome front shocks (Ebay)..................................$ 20.00

Chevy 3 speed trans (Ebay)...........................................$ 29.99
Shipping on the above ...........................................$ 90.00
(But it included a brand new Hurst shifter )

Chevy bell housing (Ebay)..............................................$ 32.00
(including UPS)

Chevy tranny mount (Advance Auto)...............................$ 5.00

Total Performance smooth perch pins for front axle..............$ 60.00

So, my total so far is........Drum roll please........................$ 1762.00


Now, on top of that, I am going to use the brand new rear slicks and custom made solid wheels I had built for my '39. The wheels and tires cost me
about $ 750.00, so this puts my total so far at $ 2512.00.


Since that time I have added the following:

$ 1000.00 for the front spindles, '40 Ford brakes, Buick drums, wheels and tires I pirated off of my '27. I figure that is an honest cost if I had to buy them.

$ 450.00 for the turbo 350 I just bought. But, I can back out the $ 129.00 for the three speed I didn't use, so net cost is $ $ 321.00

I also sold the bed off of the T on Ebay, so deduct another $ 135.00

(I'm fightin' for every penny here )

$ 53.00 for fiberglass supplies

$ 20.00 for sheet of plywood

$ 25.00 for the windshield

$ 75.00 for the Corvair steering box

$ 80.00 for a sheet of 3/8 inch steel plate

$ 50.00 for my headlights

$ 20.00 for headlight bar

$ 103.00 for steering parts from Speedway

And, I think that is it. If I have forgotten anything it is unintentional.

So the total is about $ 4124.00


Oh, I forgot I didn't use the Chevy bellhousing either, deduct $ 32.00 more. Grand total, $ 4092.00. Whoops, forgot the rear wishbones, approx $ 100.00, so back up to $ 4192.00.


So, I am a little over, but have added some expensive options which have inflated the cost a lot. Still, not bad, considering. Maybe $ 2000.00 more will wrap it up? I hope so. In this figure are about $ 1750.00 worth of slicks and front end stuff that I could have done without. If I would have used cheaper tires and regular '40 Ford brakes I could have shaved quite a bit from this figure. But sometimes the little touches become the soul of a car.

Thanks for asking,


Don

Don. I don't think moneywise your doing bad at all. Had you stuck with the original goal (a safe, well built, basic hot rod which you originally intended for your son as I recall) you would have been very close to your original estimate.

Following along with your project it also shows that sometimes circumstances and plans can often times change during the course of the build. Who the car is now intended for and ultimately what you now want it to be is justification enough for the added expense into the car.

Regardless of cost you are building a very impressive car.

Thanks Mike, it is just a bare bones, basic hot rod, but I am kinda getting into it a little. I can't wait til I fire it up, it has been 6 years since I have driven a rod, and I better do it before I get too old to climb over the side.


Last night when I was at the shop working on it, some guy who has a shop in the same complex was evidently tuning his drag car because I could hear the cammed up idle and open headers. It was a real incentive to get moving, especially when he would blip the throttle. Sounded really mean and took R's very quickly. Made me rethink keeping the stock roller cam in it........I want mine to idle on the ragged side too.

How is your engine build coming?


Don

JUst got back in from the shop a little bit ago, both the Hemi's are now long blocks. They still need the valves adjusted, intakes installed, primed and broken in. Hopefully the 354 for the Plymouth will be test fired and the cam broken in this weekend and the 331 for the 37 Dodge will be the following week. Got a lot of carbs to build between now and then, plus change the setup on the test stand to get the Hemis in it.

I'm planning on doing a Part 5 to the 4 part Hemi info I did a while back that covers the engine builds and shows some different options on doing these.

I'm planning on doing a Part 5 to the 4 part Hemi info I did a while back that covers the engine builds and shows some different options on doing these.[/QUOTE]

I saw you said this in another thread, and I hope you do it. This would be really a lot of fun to see and very informative. Please do it.

I wish a lot of other members would do threads and updates on what they are up to and are building or working on. I have been having a blast doing the Project $ 3K thing, and it has actually helped me keep moving because I know a lot of eyes are on me to get it done. I would love it if other members would let us into their garages and see what they are doing. All it takes is a digital camera and a few minutes to sit down and type up the most recent progress. This kind of info would be so helpful to others thinking of building something of their own.

I hope some of you will consider doing it.

Don

Don, your doing a great job. I know what you mean about wishing people would post more about the progress on their rods. I really enjoyed all the posting that I did while building the roadster pickup.---I also found that the most expensive part of building a car is the last 30 percent of the build. Thats when the damn money seems to take wing and fly out of your pocket.

Don if i was building a car from the ground up i wuold love to post my progress, as it is i only get maybe 5-6 hours a week in the garage, so progress is slow, plus all ive been doing is boring body work, plus i have not taken to many pics

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Thanks Mike, it is just a bare bones, basic hot rod, but I am kinda getting into it a little. I can't wait til I fire it up, it has been 6 years since I have driven a rod, and I better do it before I get too old to climb over the side.

Don

get a passanger side door kit, if that happends

let me get some pics togther, I'll put a progress update on my '51 Chevy. been wanting to do that for about 1 month now, it's really going to come togther over the winter, I'll have it step by step. the final bill should be somewhere in the ballpark of $3000 or so, spent about 2k on interior and paint over the summer.

Don
Most of what I've done on my 53 Ford in in my galery. No captions but pictures are there