Thread: Newbie here

Tweet

New to the forum.

I currently have a 1990 Thunderbird Super Coupe 35th Anniversary edition. It is a nice car and fun to drive, but performance and rebuild parts are few and expensive so I have decided not to sink a bunch of money into this car.

I am now in the very early stages of planning to build a hot rod. probably a '29-'32 fenderless roadster... or maybe a coupe. I am not sure if I want to go with a kit, or get a roller chassis and build up from there.

I am intrigued by the Shell Valley "A Roadster" kit, since it seems to be fairly complete for a relatively low price. I also like the Street Beasts kits, though they are pretty expensive.

I AM sure that I want to use a SB Ford engine (always been a Ford guy) with T5 or Tremec. I may begin my project by searching out a 5.0 from an Explorer (the one with the GT40 heads).

Maybe by the time I have the engine built and ready, I will know which route to take otherwise.

Welcome to CHR, dog. I wouldn't touch a Streetbeasts car with a 10 foot pole !!!! The quality just isn't there, and they have absolutely no resale value. Just talking to the guys at Shell Valley yesterday, they advised me the roadster body is now stretched 4" to increase the leg room, and the doors have suicide hinges now to make entry and exit easier. (Yeah, I'm a dealer for them, Bill)

I'm a Ford guy too, so congrats on choosing a QUALITY Blue Oval product to power your project with. Good luck on your project, gimme a shout if you want more info on the Shell Valley cars.

Originally posted by Dave Severson
Just talking to the guys at Shell Valley yesterday, they advised me the roadster body is now stretched 4" to increase the leg room, and the doors have suicide hinges now to make entry and exit easier. (Yeah, I'm a dealer for them, Bill)

I'm a Ford guy too, so congrats on choosing a QUALITY Blue Oval product to power your project with. Good luck on your project, gimme a shout if you want more info on the Shell Valley cars.

I would love to see some pics of the new Roadster bodied car.
It would also be nice to have some updated/better info from Shell Valley on the Roadster. I have their little pamphlet, and the catalog (which is mostly aimed toward their Cobra replicas).

Is the Shell Valley Roadster as complete as the pamphlet indicates? It looks to me like I wouldn't have to add a whole lot. Do they have a top available? Side curtains?

I also have some questions about which engine to look for. I definitely want a 5.0 (maybe a stroker) and a 5 speed, and will definitely go with a carburetor. If I got the engine from a Mustang, can the stock heads be massaged enough to work well in a street rod, cost effectively, or would I better off to just replace them? Or would I be better off to look for an Explorer engine?