3k-One Year-30's Ford-Rat Rod Build Thread

[Wolfco]

This is my first post ever, and my first car project ever. Yes, i have a welder. I like the the 3k project attempts. Building a car using whatever you can find is going to be fun. I have had some other cars, nothing very old. This will my first true hot rod. My attempt will be a 1930's Model A Ford Truck Rat Rod build. I was planning on buying all the parts on E bay and Craigslist and wherever and THEN start the build this fall so i could work on this project during the cold MN winter, but that idea lasted about 6 weeks. I couldnt wait so the build date started 6/7/08. I will try to keep the thread updated weekly so i can ask questions and get feedback from the experienced guys. This should be fun. I am a bargain hunter, but now that i have started, i hope i can still shop for deals and build this car for 3k. It will be a custom frame, airbagged, chopped, channeled, 350 SBC/350 turbo tire smokin hot rod. sorry if that offends anyone. let do it Here is pic of the cab and box i bought on E bay for $630 bucks.

[Blow by]

Hey where is the pic,looking forward to see what you can do for that amount.Good Luck!

[Wolfco]

Here is a pic of the box and cab.

[bluestang67]

good budget build keep a log and pics coming

[Itoldyouso]

Welcome to the forum. You did real good on that cab and bed. We have been looking to buy one and the prices on these are getting crazy.

I hope you can come in at your $3K figure. We had one guy on here try it and he failed miserably.........I forget who he was.....he just drifted off into obscurity........breeding cats or something like that now.

Keep us posted as you go with lots and lots of pictures, we love 'em.

Don

[Dave Severson]

So, that leaves you $2,370.00 to build the rest of your "true" hot rod..... Good luck with that!!!

[pepi]

Doors will be a fun thing to try and find, it took 4 doors to make my 2 door truck... Just some in sight for ya ............. 3k sounds like a bit of a dream and for a smoking tire burner too, well I will stay tuned. I could learn something about building, not that I am all that but I have a clue... As mentioned GOOD LUCK ....

[vara4]

To bad your way up there, I could have hooked you up with a 302 ford and
C4 trany. The motor only has about 500 miles on it. You gonna be visiting florida soon. Kurt

[ford2custom]

I don’t want too spoil your first car/truck build ever. I will pass on the link but thanks for sending it.


Richard

[mopar34]

Pepi wrote:

Doors will be a fun thing to try and find, it took 4 doors to make my 2 door truck...

Don't worry about doors. You don't need no stinkin' doors. Just get some of the webbing they use in the windows for the NASCAR drivers. Have it mounted in the door opening and then just open it up and climb in and out. Or get some 18 guage steel, cut to fit the door opening and weld in place. Then use the netting for the window entrance and exit.

After all you said it was going to be a ratrod pickup.

[Itoldyouso]

Don, have you had to put any of your cats in lock down? The visitor was having a bad day. He wanted to take over trying to claim the house.

Attachment 31143

Hehe, he looks really dejected in there. Didn't know there was a time out for cats. Cute picture.

I took Lucky to the vet today to have his nails trimmed. As soon as he saw me get out the pet carrier he took off for the hills........I think he remembers going to the Vet in it to be "fixed." He didn't like the trip at all today.

If you are missing the doors from your truck Pepi is right, they are a bear to find and not real cheap. Some were selling at Daytona last year at $ 1000 a piece. The reason so many trucks are missing them is because Farmers routinely removed them to make getting in and out of the truck easier when working the fields. Lots of truck cabs around, but the doors got scrapped or lost.

Don

[Wolfco]

a bit rusty but will serve the purpose. The cab has a weird "box" the old farmer added, probably for a heater box or something....near the left foot area.....

[Wolfco]

Someone had the great idea to make a camper from a 1978 ambulance. I bought this P.o.S. for $300 and drove it home 90 miles...hey....it had the 350/350 combo i needed. If the engine can push around 3 tons of sh*t, it will move the 1 ton rat rod....i hope this old motor will have enough nuts to smoke the tires off the ol girl....we'll see...i promise pics too. The camper/ambulance ran good....i had to put a new battery in it to get it to fire and put the doghouse back on the engine. The interior is wall to wall carpet...nice touch.

[Wolfco]

enought talk about cats...please.

I drove the donor beast home, about 90 miles in the sleet/snow (yes it snowed April 16th in MN)...that sucks. I put a few bucks in gas and away we went....

The donor vehicle was nice to have...better than buying just an engine...
I took the engine/trans out as an asm....sawzall the front of the camper off and yank it out the front..took the steering column, wiring harness, speedo cluster, cable, tranny lines.....a good haul. I bought the beast on 4-16-08. Pulled the engine 2 days later...the wife didnt appreciate this POS isn the front yard next to the shop. redneck city.....

[Wolfco]

a few pics of the donor vehicle..