Thread: 32 vs 34 Roadster & 33 Speedstar?

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The reason you see more '32's is because they are the quintessential hot rod. Always have been, probably will be for as long as "old" hot rodding exists. Other differences of the Model 40's is the cowl is very different, much of it under the hood (they don't look as good running hoodless). Also, all body styles have suicide doors, whereas the '32 has rear opening door (except the 3 window coupe). There are a bunch more but it sounds like you're already honing in on the '33-4. Your observation of longer is accurate, and they are designed "swoopier". The Speedstar is an "interpretation" that is "swoopier" still.

If you've never built a car before you have no idea all that is involved. They're an amalgam of systems, some of which can seem very complex to the novice. Why should a car be any different than anything else? If you've been involved in any house remodel or construction you may have figured out that at first you start the job and end up making many trips to the home center for more "stuff" you didn't realize you needed. Building a car is the same. If you really do get serious about this you'll probably sit down with a legal size tablet of paper and a stack of catalogs. Or do it on the computer in a spreadsheet. You'll list EVERYTHING you can think of and then price it out. No matter how thorough you THINK you are, you'll learn you came up real short. My usual advice to novices is "However much money you planned on..............double it! However much time you planned on...................tripple it!"

Newbies will start out thinking it's not that tough. They'll price in the least expensive body they can find (say $5k), and a frame (say $2k), toss in a grand for an engine, couple hun for a trans, and swag a few thousand for other "miscellaneous stuff". No sweat buildin' a car for $15-20k!! Like the man said above, start thinkin' at $40k, and that's if you do most of the work yourself. If you build a glass car, and buy mostly new, aftermarket pieces (which is what you see on most {meaning not all for the comprehension challenged} glass cars, especially Speedstars) it's not hard to be in it $30-35K in parts alone. And that's only if you don't get too exotic. Yeah, cars can be built for less. But usually that means you've got a lot of experience in knowing where to look for usable pieces, and have the time, and talent, to put into modifying them to work well and look good. If you don't have the time and talent, then you start hirin' those that do. That's how you end up seeing the $75-125k car. Those guys had the cars built to a very high standard (hopefully) by a pro, and are probably in them $200-250k, and are hoping to only lose half of what they spent.

Let's use just one of the areas of "contention". Paint. A paint job, done right or wrong, will use roughly the same amount of materials. That would be about $1000-1300 depending on color, brand, location and a few other variables. First off people scream BS!! Well, if you keep thorough track of costs for sealer, primer, color, clear, thinner, tack rags, abrasives, masking materials,etc. etc. etc., that's a real world number. Yeah, junk materials can be bought for a little less, but the quality of the end product goes down too. A high quality paint job will easily cost $7-10k, materials are essentially the same, the difference is labor. And that quality thing is another issue. Paint finish quality is a perception thing. It really comes down to what you can see. Having been in the business of painting cars I see a lot. It's a curse, because my standards are very high, which costs money. That is if you hire it done. If you can really do it yourself, then it just time..................which IS money after all. This is not a brag, just intended to be a lesson. I see paint jobs all the time that folks brag on. Trying to be courteous I just nod my head and don't point out that to me it looks like it was put on with a dirty roller. So, it comes down to what you can be satisfied with. Which is another area of "contention". About this point is where some pipe up the "build it to suit yourself" thing. That's fine. It's your car, choose the style and finish level you want/can afford. But in that statement of "individuality" is a bit of a lie. Nobody builds a hot rod JUST to satisfy themselves. It's an extension of their personality, and therefore ego is involved. Of course that's why folks get defensive and scream that "suit yourself" stuff. Not right or wrong, just human nature. So figuring out where you fit in that game is part of it too.

All of this is not to discourage you. Rather it's to attempt to prepare you for what you think you want to get into. You've got a lot to learn. You've made a good step in asking questions first. My best advice would be to tell you not to stop. You live in an area where rodding happens year round. There are a gang of rodders in your area. As Dave said, get to know them, and attend as many events as you can. Don't be affraid to ask lots of questions that the posts here have exposed you to. Folks like to help those that show an interest (more of that ego thing). You'll get opinions all over the board. Your job is to figure out which ones come from a perspective similar to yours, and then act accordingly. In other words, don't let the "I wants" get you too ahead of the "I cans".