Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Ya know, I am really glad this thread has turned you on to wanting to build one too,. That was one of the reasons I wanted to do this thing, and why I keep posting all these little steps that I am doing, I wanted to show that anyone could build a basic, strong hot rod without a lot of money or even equipment.

Let's talk about me for a second. I am about as far from a professional rod builder as you can get. I am an old time rod builder who is capable of putting together a simple, straightforward rod that runs. Period. There is no way you can compare me to some of the guys on here, or who are out there. I see the work guys on here do, and I am in awe of how really good they are. I refer to my own Son a lot, and mainly it is because I have his creation sitting in our shop staring me in the face every night, and I see how much more sophisticated his car is than anything I could build, and how talented some people are in their vision of what a car can be.

I have learned a couple of lessons also during this project. The one is that I am a terrible welder, and welding is probably the biggest single talent that you need to build cars on your own. I have always tacked stuff and had a pro do the final welding, and now I use my kid to do that for me. But if I were able to produce a strong, pretty weld I could make so much more progress on my own. It is the one skill I am going to work at so that the next car has more of me in it in that respect.

You mention you would not know how to do the car, but that is something I would have hoped you would have picked up a little of from this project. Essentially, a rod is just a ladder frame with a front end, rear end, and motor and trans in the middle. Sure, it is more complicated than that, but there are some basics you have to follow and if you do that, the car will turn out fine.

As far as making brackets and the like, the one thing I have been trying to show is that common pieces of angle iron, flat steel, and tubing can be cut and rewelded into shapes that look nice and serve a purpose. Sure, we have a pretty well equipped shop now, but for years I worked out of my home single car or two car garage. I built my first roadster pickup in a rented garage that had a dirt floor. It was a crappy car, but it ran and stayed together.

There is no denying that the cost of building a car is climbing, and the rat rod craze has made all of the old stuff more expensive. Even I have gone over my original $ 3K estimate, but if I would have stuck to what I originally planned on doing I still think I could have come close. The secret is to start out with a cheap or free donor car for the major items, like engine , trans, and rear axle and shop wisely for the rest, and build everything you can yourself. Just today, Jose at work told me he knows a place where the guy tows in abandoned cars and will sell a whole car for $ 50 or $ 100. Even if you pay $ 500.00 for a running car that is maybe rusted out or hit in the rear, you are way ahead and have a cheap start on your rod.

Ebay is my source for almost all of the stuff I have on the car and parts I have stored for future projects. You have to pass up a lot of items on Ebay and wait and play the game to get the deals. As for bodies, every community or State has some old cars sitting around, and you just have to keep looking. We found my '39 Dodge cab in Georgia and also found my Son's '29 Fordor there. Each one was $ 900.00. He later found an almost mint Tudor '30 body about 600 miles from here for $ 1700.00. So they are out there.

After doing this project, I still think the absolutely very best way someone can get started in rodding is to buy a Speedway or Total Performance kit (OH OH, there's that K word ) and put a good running, but cheap small block chevy into it and learn how these things work. You can't beat the price of them, and you can buy them one piece at a time, as paydays allow. That is how I have always done it, one piece at a time on paydays where the rent and electric isn't due. I save up for the bigger purchases, and they take more time to get. Sure, a T bucket has some drawbacks, most notibly room inside, but there is no rod that dollar for dollar gives as much fun or is as easy to build. Every piece you need is available from many sources.

I also like to buy someones cast off project, because they never ever get what they have in them. You can save a lot of money, and sometimes all the hard work is done. You may have to redo some stuff to suit you, but if the basics are there, you can have a great start.

Don't give up, but just start simple and keep it that way for the first rod or first several rods. I like basic rods because I am not afraid to leave them sitting out in the rain, or to jump into them an drive across the State. There are lots of guys on here who will be only too happy to help you get the thing up and running.

Good luck, and thank you for following the project. I have been having a blast doing it and sharing.

Don