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Post by blackbeard on Apr 20, 2015 0:57:22 GMT -5
Wanting to build my first gasser within the next year or two. I have never built or worked on cars before (I'm 23 if curious) and I'm wondering how hard it is to build one? I can weld and fabricate and I'm a pretty fast learner. Just need some pointers before I dive into it. Any pointers on building would be great, and building on a budget tips also. Thanks in advance
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Post by straightaxle64nova on Apr 22, 2015 7:36:29 GMT -5
All of your questions are kinda hard to help with without knowing what kind of car you are looking to build. Most old coupes, sedans, and trucks (depending on how rusted it is) may just need a bit of updating for your safety and the ease of finding parts. If you're looking to build a car that you want to change the suspension completely, like a Chevelle, it can be very in depth. If you want to do a budget build, consider what your budget will be and be realistic. Finding an old body itself can be expensive, not to mention any bodywork you need or want done, then the chassis work you need or want done, drivetrain, and lastly the interior that you want. The most important thing (to me anyway) is to have fun building and then enjoying the car, no matter what you want to do with it. If it's not fun, make it fun for you.
Glad to see a 23-year-old into old-style gassers. I'm 35 and have been around nostalgia drag cars my entire life. The entire classic car hobby, no matter what genre, needs more young men and women interested in order to keep these cars around.
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Post by blackbeard on Apr 22, 2015 12:47:34 GMT -5
I'm really wanting to build a 55-57 bel air and it's probably gonna be a budget build, but with my experience with cars I'll probably end up spending a lot of money on prefabbed stuff. I really want to make my first a learning experience so i don't know which route to take. I just want something that when I take it for a Saturday cruise I can smile and know that I built the car. I have found some pretty cheap bodies on eBay but they are all several hundred miles away. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Maybe one day I'll have something to cruise around in.
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Post by straightaxle64nova on Apr 22, 2015 18:07:51 GMT -5
Hey, we all had to start somewhere, and if you can be proud of it, that's the most important thing about it. I love '55 Chevys. I had the chance to buy a straight axle '55 from the guy that sold me the Nova body. The '55 was at his house when I bought my car from him, but he hadn't started to build it at the time. After I got my car done, it gave him incentive to build the '55, and he gutted the car, put in a new, flat-panel floor, cut off the frame at the firewall, and then welded in 2x4 frame rails and the new leaf spring perches up front. He got the steering done and then lost interest in the car. He called me up and told me that he'd sell it to me for $8000, but that was way too rich for me, even though I know it was well worth the money.
If you can find the car you want, whatever it is, don't hesitate to get it safe and running first and drive it a little. Get to know the car and make a plan for whatever you want to do with it. When you have the funds to do things, do a little at a time and spread out what you do. If you want to do a new front suspension, such as a straight axle, wait until you're done driving the car for the season. I have a '66 Chevy II 4-door that I've been driving since 2010 with the original 194-straight six and Powerglide because I can't come up with the money to rebuild the 700r4 trans and converter that I want to put in it. I rebuilt a 350 engine for it 2 years ago and it's still sitting on the stand. I don't want to put it in without the trans, but I've been doing small bodywork on it a little at a time. When I go to cruise nights in that, of course I get looks from the people that know my other car, but I always have the mindset of "if you don't like it, you don't have to look at it." There will always be the people that turn their noses up at your car, but if you're proud of what you have, that's all that matters.
Like I said before, enjoy the car, no matter what you do with it. If you want a cruiser, cruise with it, but be reasonable. A race engine in a cruiser doesn't work well, trust me. As long as you have fun, everything you do to the car will be worth what you spend on it. Good luck with the find.
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Post by blackbeard on Apr 22, 2015 19:36:32 GMT -5
Thank you I appreciate it.
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