Thread: new here and have a question for you all

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I am and have been a vette lover all my life.
Thought about buying another new vette.....however I have always loved the '32 as well.
I am building a '52 Chevy pickup but then I want to build a Street rod and start this Fall or late summer.
So my question is... A rolling kit. Are the frowned upon due to being Glass and also who has a nice set-up.
Any vendors that I should contact or stay away from?
I want something that will look good and sound good....but I want to drive it often. Show it only on occasions.
The vette was only driven 220 miles last year and on the trailer most of the time....dont want that with the Street rod.
Thanks for any help.... I can do most anything....I did most of the work on the Vette with the exception of the flames

Some folks frown on glass cars, but hey if that's what you want, go for it. There are a couple of companies making tin deuces now, but check them out thoroughly. I have heard both good and bad about their product and some of their business practices. As far as builders, theirs a zillion of them. (self included) Redneck in Atchison, Ks. puts out a very nice body and can put it on most anybodies frame you want. Nice stuff. Wescott's makes an excellent deuce body, but a bit on the spendy side. Before you plop down a dime, do a ton of research and if possible make a personal visit to the company you are buying from. Ask for references, check out and verify the information they give you.

Thanks Dave... I want to do as much of this myself as I can. I just want to find everything I need.

Redneck makes very very nice bodies! Good solid glass and inner structure! They are hard to beat in my opinion!

Travis do you have a website for Rednecks?

Depends on the body style your looking for. Redneck makes a great body for sure:
http://www.redneckstreetrods.com/
They don't make a five window though.

I have also looked at the Redneck three window body and was very impressed with how straight the body was. This one would have taken very little work to get ready for paint. I was also impressed with how rigid the floor area was. I would certainly consider these people. It would be nice to visit their shop.

Before you buy a glass body check out a car with at least 20 thousand miles on it. i have seen some cars with cracks showin up and some spiderweb showing thru the glass. that can be cause by not properly mounting and shimming the body to the frame. i traded for a basket case 32 roadster I was too anxious. it has a minimum of bracing and the doors and deck were not mounted they didn' have a very straight body for mold paterns cuz i can feel humps ans bumps in the quarters, but with paint it will look like old steel that went to a bad body shop.

Very good point, Tim. 'Glass bodies have to be mounted correctly or they will stress fracture from one end to the other!!! And yes, before you ask, I learned that the hard way !!!!!!!!!!!! Experience is always the best teacher, but the lessons aren't free.

I bought a Gibbons body last year and I certainly wouldn't recommend them- it was one of those experiences that I try not to think about. The rest of the car is nice enough that I'm thinking seriously of not even using the body. If you are looking a building a coupe or roadster I would look at Wescott or Outlaw. If you want a sedan, check out Deuce Customs. Just keep in mind that there are crooks in any business and the street rod industry is certainly no exception. I could share a lot of horror stories...

How about a Downs Mfg. Coupe body? Any body have any experience with them (good or bad)?

A group of us are starting a project for a handicapped buddie. We are using an Outlaw Performance Body. It is a 32 3window with 3 1/2" chopped top, looks great gloss black gel coat will allow you to see any imperfections. Steel tubbing is laminated with matting and has chopped glass over it. Just looks good and strong. Progressive automotive has these bodies and chassis. They have a really sweet c-4 vette based front and rear suspensions and are adding a c-5 soon. Check them out I think you will like being to buy all your goodies at one place.

I found the website....I have heard about them through CCR TV.
The guy on that show doing the %^ is Rich Evans at Hintington Beach Bodyworks....same guy who painted my Vette
cool website at www.huntingtonbchbodyworks.com

You asked about Downs.. Those who have build them will comment that with the years and "practice", they have an improved product and that their kits are mostly reliable out of the box. http://www.downsmfg.com

I looked at their "37 Ford" PU body before landing on my 39 Studebaker body. I talked to a network of owners with the 37 ford PU version and heard very few "real" complaints.

The recommendation to look one over with 20K miles is a good suggestion. It may be difficult to do. Rodders with keepers tend to to a refurb before the original build gets 20K down the road.

I additionally recommend you go to a large regional show and talk to owners with drivers. The Syracuse nationals is a 6-7K attendance with lots of glass, coming up in July.
Trailer queens generaly stay nice for a lifetime, given their anti road policy. TQ owners are not usually the builders either and have minimal reference to the real isssues of building/owning glass. Look at and talk with the the driver keepers and ask those owners the questions.

Glass will eventually give you some trouble if you drive it. Most any notable glass builder nowdays will have a reliable product if they have any scale to their business. I believe the days of chopped - thin paneled - flimsey "kit cars" are about gone. The real issue is panel fitment and consistency in the field of the flat panels.

Also, If you want to save a nickel, some of the Downs bodies can be built on existing platforms, I believe they still use the Chevy S-10/ Sonoma frames. speaking of frames, that's a whold other issue - lots of em out there and all have their own issues among builders.

good luck with all that....