Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Yeah...oh well

PROGRESS REPORT # 1

Continued mocking up the T bucket, and decided to actually give a very slight rake to the car, rather than make it sit low and level as I originally planned. My Kid suggested it, and he was right, it sits better. Front of frame will sit about 6 inches off of ground, and back will be about 8 inches. We also decided to use the existing front spring perch, and modify it by shortening it up, and mounting the spring to the top of the perch. This will drop the car lower than I could have gotten it otherwise.

We are going to go to the junkyard Saturday after next and pick out a rearend. I am leaning toward mid-70's Ford 8 inch out of something like a Maverick because the center sections are pretty, and the width should be about right.

Found an old T bucket radiator that someone gave me free years ago, because it is damaged. Something crushed in the top tank a little, and it needs redone. I figure a radiator shop should be able to straighten the tank and clean and resolder it for maybe $ 50.00 or $ 100.00, I hope so, because it is very thick and not too bad otherwise. Well have to see what happens there.

I have also decided to deviate from my original plan to use my arc welder to do the work, because, frankly, I am not a great welder, and this car is going to become a surprise gift for my one Son, and I want it to be safe. So I will do what I always did before, I will spot weld stuff, and have my other Son mig it for me. I don't want this thing to not be safe, and this won't affect the amount of money I put into the car.

I have to order a longer front spring from Speedway this week, and will post pictures of the front end, and how we set it up. I say WE, because my one Son has taken an interest in helping me with the build, so I know it will have nicer bracketry and all, because he really has an eye for what looks right.

Here are a couple of pix showing the freeby radiator I plan to use. I'll take some detailed shots when we start on the front suspension.

Don

PS: I'm really happy to see some others doing the same thing. Please post some pictures of what you guys are doing, so I can steal some ideas for mine.

Don, I am glad to see someone else doing a budget rod besides me. I keep having people tell me it can't be done. On my 49 I have 500 in it right now, And I have almost all the parts, Just need to find the front discs, a rear window and a door window that I broke during removal.
I plan on building the wiring harness myself, Will be welding in the floor pan probably next week, then the car is going into storage until I get my garage built, as its currently in my dads garage and he wants the space back. So until then out comes my other budget project, the 20s touring car, Will work on that body and probably sell it to help finance the garage, Have 2 of them, Going to get the other when I take the car to storage at the old farm.
But thanks for doing this project, you have restored the hope that it can be done.

Nice progress Don!!!! Funny how plans evolve during the project isn't it?

Your most recent post brings up a couple of good points. The first that I think needs to be really stressed is safety and admitting our own limitations.

"....I am not a great welder......" There is noting wrong with using an arc welder for a project (and actually for a budget project it's one of the cheapest welders you can buy to get you going). For the first timer, there is a lot more to it though than just going out and buying an old "buzz box". Things like having a machine that is large enough to actually lay a good weld on fairly thick metal, proper rod selection, and skill all play a BIG role. If some one reads this and is planning a build who has never welded before, I can't stress enough , get some training.

A LOT of community colleges offer very good welding courses that can at least get you started, and in many cases you may even be able to do some of your project in the courses. If you a first time welder it's not a bad idea to have an experienced welder/instructor looking over your shoulder while your doing your first welds on something your going to trust your life to.

The other thing is your...having your son help and the nicer bracketry ....I think is great! The point on the build I'm doing on my 64 Ford is that you can still have a nice car by using skills and imagination rather than a credit card. An example from my car is the steering column. I could have left the nub on the column after I removed the arm (UGLY), found and bought a floor shift or aftermarket column (a lot of work and potential expense). Or as I did take some time and cut and fill the nub in car, have a nicely finished column and spend nothing.

I hit me last night that between your "T", Jims sedan delivery, and my 64 we'e got a pretty wide spectrum of cars covered. SHould be a ton of neat tricks posted by the time they hit the street.

Keep-up the good work.

Don

I hit me last night that between your "T", Jims sedan delivery, and my 64 we'e got a pretty wide spectrum of cars covered. SHould be a ton of neat tricks posted by the time they hit the street



You are absolutely right, and it's nice to see others, like you, posting your own ideas and projects onto this thread. Any money-saving tricks that anyone has found will be really helpful to the others.

Even though I started this thread, I don't own it, and will really appreciated anyone jumping in with any of your own builds or tips.

Thanks,

Don

[QUOTE= An example from my car is the steering column. I could have left the nub on the column after I removed the arm (UGLY), found and bought a floor shift or aftermarket column (a lot of work and potential expense). Or as I did take some time and cut and fill the nub in car, have a nicely finished column and spend nothing.

I had the same problem when I aquired the '73 F100. It had a floor shift(you couldn't tell what gear you were in) and a cobbled up column. I found that the collar from a '66 Mustang would fit right in with a little modification and the floor shifter from the same Mustang worked quite well mounted on a wood console I fabricated. I'd post some pictures, but I sold the truck a couple of months ago.

OK- my wife has screamed foul, she says that it's not fair for us to do this with all the advantages we have as builders, and to make it fair for those that are trying to learn I have to do it as a hobbiest would.
No dist. pricing- I have to buy retail like anyone that works a job would have to.
I can only work on it AFTER I get off from work.
No speciality tools or equipment that wouldn't be available to hobbiest budget.
I can trade labor- but only for the labor rate that would be paid to the mechanic- or floor sweeper- that would be paid out if I were a working hobbiest.
I have to record every cent- starting with what I spent for the project.
If i don't make it at 3K I have to admit that I couldn't do it before I proceed.


Soooo....I will post some begining pic.'s tonight.

hambiskit: See, I was thinking the same way as your wife, that I had to do this project as if I were back 40 years ago, and had limited resources, both financially, and equipment wise. But my Son straightened me out on that.

Just because I use a plasma cutter to torch out a hole doesn't make it any different than if I used a hacksaw. The cost is still the same but I am 60 years old, and frankly don't want to be hacksawing too many holes. (gotta nap after every cut ) If I have mig welders at my disposal, it still ends up welded, only prettier and stronger.

I guess the bottom line is that I am not building this $ 3K car 40 years ago, I am building it in 2006, and should be able use current technology and whatever tools I have at my disposal, as long as the actual out of pocket stays below the $ 3000.00. I do agree that we shouldn't use the same tactics Jesse James uses on Monster Garage, where they claim a $ 30,000.00 blown, injected engine is "Na-da. Zip, Freeby, etc. I plan to document every cent I spent and try to hit the number I projected.

Darned wives, try to make honest men out of us, don't they??

But she is right.

Don

Originally Posted by hambiskit

OK- my wife has screamed foul, ......

I LIKE her!!

Keepin' you honest has got to be a full time job for her!!

Thanks Bob......

Originally Posted by hambiskit

OK- my wife has screamed foul, she says that it's not fair for us to do this with all the advantages we have as builders, and to make it fair for those that are trying to learn I have to do it as a hobbiest would.
No dist. pricing- I have to buy retail like anyone that works a job would have to.
I can only work on it AFTER I get off from work.
No speciality tools or equipment that wouldn't be available to hobbiest budget.
I can trade labor- but only for the labor rate that would be paid to the mechanic- or floor sweeper- that would be paid out if I were a working hobbiest.
I have to record every cent- starting with what I spent for the project.
If i don't make it at 3K I have to admit that I couldn't do it before I proceed.


Soooo....I will post some begining pic.'s tonight.

most hobbyist i know can't build their chassis, motor, trans. and dif., so if you gonna pay somebody to do all that, then it can't be done. i would think building something like that would be something most people would work their way up to. you take Itoldyouso, and hambiskit experience and knowledge out of it and they can't do it either. i take back what i said if you gonna compare it to a 17 yr. old kid that has never built anything, because he can't build it for 3,000.00, but Itoldyouso, hambiskit and I can. we paid for it somewhere down the line. JMO

lt1s10 is right, because we all cobbled up some cars and ruined a few along the way, before we learned enough to do it better. But this thread isn't designed to be a textbook for the younger or less experienced rodders, just an exercise to see if, in todays market, a low buck car can be built, and still be pretty well constructed. As a byproduct of that, all of us who are doing these cars can pass along some ideas and pictures so that others can benefit.

It is hard, if not almost impossible to build a decent car, regardless of the money spent, without some knowledge and experience. Companies like Total Performance have addressed this problem, by putting out kits that literally can be bolted together, no welding necessary. For some rodders, this is a great way to learn the basics while driving a rod.

The little game we are playing here with this $ 3000.00 build isn't going to be perfect, and may even meet with some criticism when done, but it is just meant to be a "what if" sort of scenario, where we are going to actually try to do it, rather than just put numbers on a sheet of paper. I still think it will be fun, and potentially educational for some members.


Don

in that case you might have enough money left over for a 6 pack.

I think i could fall under the catagory you guys are talking about,meaning i dont have major contacts, or have i ever to date built a rod from the ground up,but i do know alot of old rodders that i get stuff from,so if i tried this little project i think i might be able to do it,i dont have the knowledge most of you have but i have lots of common sense ,would trading parts with people be cheating,like i said before i make under 40 grand a year, so i have to get stuff wherever i can, allthough i am a building inspector, so people tend to give me lots of freebies,for example, i have 7 quadrajets in my truck right now ,cause i told a few people i needed 1,plus i have a buddy that owns a used car dealership that i can get any junk car i want,is that cheating?, also i can get all the scrap steel from jobs ,all the rest i could scrounge up,tell me if this falls under the rules of a less experienced rodder building a budget ride?I have 2 i could start,the free 30 ford i got or the 36 plymouth i found for 200$