Complete n00b to Hot Rods...

Well i am finishing up my 2002 Supercharged Mustang GT and think i want to get into Hot Rods a little bit. Now if i say something blasphmous (sp?) please remember i am new to this whole scene. lol

I want to do something all Ford. No Roadster, maybe a 2 door or 4 door...post war i guess it would be. Chop/channel the top, but not tooo much. I want to air bag it and make it stand out but not be over done. Now i know this might sound very broad for a description but i want to first see what i am going to be getting into before i make any big buys.

Any suggestions on good cars to look into. I know this project will only be as good as my base car is so let me know what you guys think. Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated. **)

I personally always liked '57 & '59 Fords, '57-'61 Mercurys and '58-'60 Edsels. Many like fat fendered cars like the '41-'48 cars, and the '49-'51's. Of course, there are always Lincolns too.

I think cars are a personal thing. Buy a car because you like it. As with any car, the vision you see for it may be different than what others have. Pick up a few copies of Street Rodder or similar magazines. More than the cars themselves, check out what's available by the vendors to see what's possible.

In the end, a car is a car. Some may have more electronics, like your Mustang, and others, like a '32 roadster, may have minimal accessories. But they both have 4 wheels and tires, two drive axles, a seat, a way to steer it, and an engine and transmission.

It a few shows and narrow your search down to what catches your eye.

thanks alot...

i have been looking around and i am really likeing some of the early 30s to mid 40s sedans. I have a muscle machine so i need something a little more user friendly. What are some good aftermarket companies for these older cars? I have alot of ideas, so i think i will do as you said and buy some magazines and see what i come up with. Any more input is more then welcome!!

dear junior, i my self am not to familiar with the car scene, but i like to work on my car and all the aftermarket stuff i get comes from Jegs and The Origenal Parts Group and have never been disapointed

Yeah, I think swifster said it pretty well. go around and see what it is that "turns yer crank". There are a lot of good bodies in those early years, you just have to find the ones you like the best. As far as parts, there is tons of stuff out there, you just ahve to be willing to look. Depending on what body style you find some companies build aftermarket panels and all kinds of crap. As far as the drivetrain goes, it all depends on what you use for parts availablility. I'd say gopher head, er, go for it I mean. But that's always what I say.

Derek

Go on collectorcartraderonline.com and type in Ford, your price range, etc and see what comes up. Look around there at all the different years, makes and models and pick what you like best. Also when you look in mags, a lot of those cars in that rich people magazine called Street Rodder have MAJOR body mods to them like chopped, whole front end and rear changes, everything so if you see a sweet chopped Ford or Merc that is like a 50 and then you look for a 50 in car trader and see that they look completely different and you don't like them then the reason is because the one in the mag is modified A TON!
I hope that just made sense. But good luck on your project!