Thread: Where to start

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Ok, here comes the "Dutch Uncle" part of the discussion. But I feel this is one of the most important aspects.

Anyone can find an old car to start on, anyone can start working on it, but very few of those people actually succeed in ever getting it on the road. Money, family issues, skills, expectations, commitment.............all of those get in the way.

The VERY first thing you need to do is take a long, honest look at YOU. What are your abilities and resources. How mechanical are you? What equipment and tools do you possess? Where will you build this car? How much money do you have to invest in it? These are all things that you have to know going in.

The '32 Ford you pictured is going to be a $ 40-$50,000.00 car as pictured. That is raw cost of the parts and only work done by some outside sources, like upholstery and body/paint work. A glass '32 roadster body is upwards of $10,000.00. The frame and suspension will set you back another $5-$10,000.00. Then there is engine, transmision, windshield, top, etc.

Now, all that is not meant to be a wet blanket on your plans and dreams......if no one ever jumped in and did it, none of us would ever build a car. But we do not want you to be one of the people who start with all this enthusiasm and a few years down the road bail out at a significant financial loss, and your tail between your legs.

Not everyone can or should build a car from the ground up the very first time. It is far better for some to buy a finished, or partially finished, car that they can enjoy and learn from. Your chances of success are far greater if you go that route the first time than if you start from scratch.

Any of the people on here who build them from a drawing on the garage floor will tell you that you need to be a designer, purchasing agent, welder, fabricator, body person, electrician, etc, etc. to get one completed. That is why you need to take that honest look at YOU before you spend the first buck on any parts.

Don

This is exactly what I need some good advice from the guys who have been down this road.

After what I've heard from both of you who have replied to me and based on my own skills and assets. I think that it would be wise for me to pick up on a project that hasn't been finished due to whatever reason.

As far as assets go, I have the auto hobby shop on base which was built for all of the guys and gals on base to work on, build, fix, tinker or do whatever they please with their cars and trucks. Based on the general prices that Dutch threw out I should be pretty good on the financial aspects of at the very, very least getting a project like this on the road. The only thing that would be a real concern would come down to the paint and upholstery. I would have a place to paint the car however I have never done anything like that. Upholstery is also something that I've never dealt with, so I don't know what is needed to complete a job like that or if it would just be better to have somebody else do it. Also actually building a car like this is fairly new to me. The most I have ever done is just the restoring of several old classics with a friend of mind. Every one we towed in on a trailer, so all of those projects were in rolling condition. I think I would like to start this project in a rolling condition just because that's a level that I am comfortable with.

You are being very smart. If you are patient and have cash in hand, deals come up all the time on cars and half finished projects. No one EVER gets out of a car what they invested, so you can save a bunch of money with the right buy. The economy and this gas situation is sure to bring lots of these to the marketplace.

Now that you have that out of the way, it is time to start figuring out what you REALLY want in a car. An old car is only ok unless it really turns your crank.....it has to be one that you really really really want. I have had a bunch of old cars over the years, and had some that didn't do a darned thing for me. I just bought them on impulse and because they were old cars. I bet everyone on this forum has done that too.

Some people are roadster people, some like coupes, some sedans, some like fat fendered cars from the '40's, etc. Most rodders will tell you there is that one car that they have yet to own that is still in the back of their mind. Mine is a '32 Ford like you pictured, but too rich for my blood. (Unless I donated blood every day for the next 10 years ) So I compromise and build cars that are within my budget and skill level.

You have a little time to figure out what car you really want, and also to start putting the cash away so that when one comes up you will be the first guy there with money in hand. Good luck.

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I have had a bunch of old cars over the years, and had some that didn't do a darned thing for me. I just bought them on impulse and because they were old cars. I bet everyone on this forum has done that too.

I remember my friend Rob coming over one day driving an old truck he'd found while driving by a junk yard. It was a complete impulse buy but it ended up making a great beach truck. That old Chevy didn't really do much else for either of us besides get us to the beach and back.

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

, That is why you need to take that honest look at YOU before you spend the first buck on any parts. Don

Very true. As far as the actual building of your car goes (not talking about cost considerations or decision making or such stuff here) most of us have had to come to grips with the fact that while there are things that we are pretty dang good at, there may very well be things that, frankly, we can't do worth a crap.

Yeah, of course there are exceptions. Some guys can do anything and do it well, but in my own case, there's a good reason that I have my brother do my welding, and while my painting is more or less acceptable, I'm better off farming it out. I could go on ......

It would be gratifying to be able to say "I did every bit of it myself" I guess, but I never found out.


Jim