Thread: newbie from Oregon

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Originally Posted by oneshotkyle

don't want to be bad news. I just got off the phone with N and N Duane. His fiberglass layer has quit. He is looking for another fiberglass layer. He may not be making anymore bodies. Things are on a hold as of now for new orders.

Kyle,
Your message surprised me so much that I called Duane to chat. The story that I got is that he's always had only one gal that does the fiberglass work, she's been with them for about 11 years, and she works as needed to fill orders. She's taken another job, but she also made it clear that once she has her schedule figured out she may be able to continue doing some work for N&N if they need her. They have everything they need covered for now, plus short term future needs, and at this point the shop is busy filling existing orders, and they're looking at one where the customer wants a bunch of "extras", like frame & underside of body painted, engine & tranny installed, etc, etc which keeps Duane & Scott busy longer.

At this point they're giving it a little time before they start looking for a new fiberglass person, because that part of the business is covered for now and the gal that's been there is not a done deal on her new job. Bottom line, Duane's laid a lot of glass through the years, he's taught every person that's come through the shop how to lay glass right, and they plan to continue with the same quality product in the future. As for orders being "on hold" the shop is busy, they're booked out a ways, and they're letting people know that there's a little bit longer wait than it would be if you happened to call when things are slow. Didn't Duane tell you to call him if you decided you wanted a body in a month or so, and he'd love to make one for you? N&N is open for business, going strong, and God willing, will be for a long, long time.

Yes he did tell me to get back when I was ready. Which I will i

A couple of thoughts. (Regrettably, my '34 did not come from N&N)

If you're going for the lowboy look like mine, be advised that the large hump required by an auto trans really cuts down the footroom. Space for pedals is really tight.

Be very careful about the choice of wheel size. Tire choice for the big 'n little look is very limited in the traditional 15" wheel size.

Don't ask me how I know . . .

1-fquarter.jpg

2-rqrtr.JPG

Henry rifle- car looks sweet. And thanks for the info

A couple of other points to mention, mine's a highboy, but with a 1" channel in front, 1/2" rear to give just a hint of rake to the body which was a suggestion from Duane, and easy to do the way they do their body assembly on your frame. I used Duane's headliner insert, took out the wood strips across the top (for interior connections, not structural) to push it up closer to the inside top, and glued material direct with 3/8" of foam around the perimeter, 1/8" above the seats. I have about 1" of head clearance using Fiero seats, which sit only about 2" to 2.5" off the floor at my rear. The point is at 6'5" you're going to find it challenging to make everything work for a comfortable, long range cruiser, and you're going to be chasing tenths of inches, not inches. Also look at the driver's view through the chopped windshield carefully. Just my $0.02.

Good point about the chop.. mine is 3 5/8" and I wish it were less at times. Like at stop lights! LOL

Yesterday I got to sit in a 32 coupe. It had minivan 3rd row bench seat and a 2 1/2 chop. It wasnt had to get in or out. Knees were a bit higher than I would have imagined. Lol. The chop top will keep you looking for stop lights hahaha. Really like the simplicity of the 32. Would love to see how that superior glass works 2 1/2 interior stretch feels. Now my quest to find a 33 34 coupe for a test fit. My question on 33 34 is most bodies in that year seem to have 3 inch or better chop top. Are they any lower than 32's with 2 1/2?

Originally Posted by oneshotkyle

Can't quit reading build after build. From what I foresee for myself to build hmmm.
20k 32 on rolling chassis
10k engine/trans and misc running gear
10k interior and paint. If the body don't need a lot of attention.

I visualize 40k in building a 32 coupe. Am I far off in outer space?

I think you're short on the cost estimate. My Oze base roller was $21,500, but just adding a radiator, Wilwood brakes, a stainless steel gas tank, a brake line kit (big mistake) and a steering column, plus $1350 for delivery drove the price closer to $30K. I spent $10,500 on my LS3 connect and cruise package. The my rear end gears, with a helical gear posi unit was about $1500. Tires and wheels were $3,000. I had $43K into the car on the day I started to build it. As I get near to painting, I've got close to $60K spent, but that does include a pair of upholstered racing seats. Upholstery for a car with no upholstery panels can get real expensive.

There are many things that only cost $50-200 each, but add up to thousands, before you know it. I was shocked when I added up my credit card charges, for the first year of building. I spent a lot at Summit Racing.

Guess cost invested might vary from builder to builder. The 32 coupe I sat in yesterday and the guys father's 32 roadster were both less than 20k both old school small blocks and turbo 350's. The roadster needs paint and some more interior work but these guys drive them most every day. There cars helped me get more real expectations like not needing ls style engines ( big price). Not needing big power or the highest end stuff. Real simple real clean

Our ' 47 Ford cost us a bit over NZ$25,000 (about US$20,000,) about fifteen years ago.
Motor and box (350 Oldsmobile,) was under the bench, Jaguar suspension came from a wrecker for around $800, panel beating around $2000, most expensive item was painting at around $10,000, and the car itself cost $4,500.
(All NZ$.)

The rest was upholstery and incidentals.

And it could have been less if I wasn't so lazy and farmed a lot of the work out!

(Nah...at that stage of life I was working all hours I could...)

Kyle, if you're looking at a glass '32 coupe a premium roller from N&N would set you back about $14K, and figure another $1000 for wheels and tires if you go steelies, big & little. A nice crate engine is maybe $5K, and depending on your desires for tranny figure $3K or so, and another $2K for gears & locker, so $25K to get the big ticket items. If you plan to do your interior work yourself you might get by for $2K, but if you're having it done figure $5K, and same with paint - DIY maybe $3K, but having it shot at least $5K and likely more like $7K. I would think you can get a basic '32 coupe on the road for $35K to $40K, assuming you already have all of the tools you need, like a good compressor, welder, full range of hand tools, impact wrench, torque wrenches, engine hoist, engine stand, etc, etc. If you deviate from your plan and start going off on rabbit trails for more HP, beefier tranny, fancy wheels, etc it's easy to drop another $10K to $20K, and if you start chasing that special paint job you can drop more than $10K quickly. The key is to make a very detailed plan of what you want, then work the plan with no changes. My plan was to use a takeout 302 mustang motor & tranny for $1200, and the next thing I knew I'd dropped $14K on a new built engine, EFI, Tremec, etc. Plan the work, work the plan.

Rspears- still just curious on the interior difference between Duane ' s 32 and 34 bodies. Height and length. Hoping someone like daytonagary might give some insight to a comparison of both

Originally Posted by oneshotkyle

Rspears- still just curious on the interior difference between Duane ' s 32 and 34 bodies. Height and length. Hoping someone like daytonagary might give some insight to a comparison of both

Yeah, Duane might be a little testy since you announced to the world via CHR that he was going out of business (just kidding), but you could always call Gary and see if he still has a '33 and '32 coupe sitting bare - Daytona Rod Shop - 1932 & 1934 Ford Street Rods
Seriously, call the source and get the straight answer. I could measure the '33, but it would be inside the interior panels, and would be different depending on how one did the panels.