Thread: My 15 week rat rod build or bust.....

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So I still am looking for a parts car. Man, who would have thought it was so hard to find a 80's RWD V8 car? Well that and under 500 bucks. I am going to look a few lower end car lots to see if they have any junkers out back they want to move.

Donny got the rear end mocked up today. He is planning on not using the factory frame from the fire wall back. We are going to us 2x4 stock to save time and then we will know it is all straight and true.

Pic's it is!






I hope to have more pics soon.
Zach

In your last picture I see a major problem... Leaning on the car is ok, but I do my best thinking sitting on my stool and drinking coffee--or your beverage of choice. Nice looking shop and project, but ya gotta have a couple stools to sit on!!!!!!!

I did the title work this week, I go it signed in all the right places. I even got a custom collector plate ( TETNIS ). The DMV said with the pics and the bill of sale it should be fine, but the state will mail me one way or the other.

The parts car thing is getting to the point where we may not need a whole car anymore. We have a rear end, front axle, brakes, and now we have a motor on had for 200 bucks, we have seats, and a truck with a tilt colum. I think paying for a whole car is out. But we will see, things change everyday.

Today we got a huge break and found a tube 4 inch dropped tube axle with brakes for 350 bucks! Donny made the rear frame with a 16 inch Z kick up. Now this week we will use the OE front frame from the fire wall forward. Here are a few pic's for today.

Zach

Oh, and yeah we have a lot of stools, and they get over used!

I got a few pic's of the front frame mocked up. This thing is really starting to take shape. I stoped at a my local tire shop and looked around at their junk wheel pile and found 2 16x4.5 ford wheels from the 40's, and 2 15 x 5.5 ford wheels from the 60's, they hooked me up huge. So even though I have a GM front bolt pattern, I have the wheels for the ford 9er for the back!

Here you go.





More to come.
Zach


So what do you guys think?

So what do you guys think?


I think you have given me the urge to head to the shop right now. You guys are rolling right along, and making some good scores. BTW, what kind of tire store has 16 inch 1940's wheels laying around?? I live in the wrong place.

Ok, I'm outta here............got work to do to keep up with you.


Don

We have a back yard style tire shop that is 50 years old...he has a few of everything! Thanks for the input. So if I do not use the 16's, do you need them?


So here are a few pic's of todays find. The wheels, the drive shaft we are using, and Donny found a Model A radiator just laying around in his back yard!!!






Things are starting to take shape!

Zach
So, are you guys out there? Or am I just posting this me?

No, I don't do the 16 inch tire thing, but you can put them on Ebay, I see them selling for fair money all the time. Can't remember exact prices, but I think my Son paid like $ 100 for his pair of 16 x 4 on the front of his rod.


Don

i am very excited about this thread. i love build threads!!

watching yours take shape makes me want to drop everything and start working. it's going to be sweet dude, i can't wait to see the finished product.

LOL yeah that makes two of us!

So today we got the lower cross member and the 4 bar link ends made. Donny fab'd them up, and then sand blasted them so they will rust. The rear air bags showed up so we can work this week on getting the rear all tied up. I have to get tires this week for the back so we know where the axle has to sit.

I am now thinking adout using 700 15's for the rear, so they will be 30 inches tall and sit just under the window.

More to come this week.

After a mental melt down about tires, I think we have got the wheels and tires picked out. FS 560 14 fronts, on 14x6 GM steel wheels, and 670 15 FS Rears on 15x6 F-150 steel wheels. That will make the rear's 29 inches tall, and the fronts 24.5 tall. It took for ever to find matching in stock tires for this thing. They are way more then I want to spend, but safty 1st. And on that note that is why I will not run radials in the font and BP tires in the rear. Plus the look is right with BP tires. I think you can pull off radials, but the look of BP tires is by far way cooler to me.

It sound like a 305 and a TH 350 for 300 bucks will be going in this thing, a tilt colum from a 70 chevy pickup, a corvair box, and who knows for a fuel tank and a radiator.

PS you guys are going to love the seats I got for this thing, more on that this weekend.

Zach

I'm with you on the bias ply tires. I realize radias have some advantages, but I'm old fashioned.


Don

Yeah the only down fall to the tires is they are 540 shipped......that blows a ton of my 3 grand buget..........