Thread: should I not buy a Street Beasts Car ?

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Almost ready to pull the trigger on a nice car i saw.... 34 ford coupe but hearing so many bad things about Street Beasts I am nervous now. If the car is done does it matter or is this bound to be a bad deal down the road. It is turnkey so I will not have to build it... but please help me out here and let me know if it is a bad decision and why.

Picture of car below

I have not seen in person yet but supposed to on Friday. Am I wasting my time? I know its not a street rod as it is fiberglass but I dont have 50-100k to spend.

thanks so much...


mod not fixed picture link

Only if the chicks dig it.. Dont worry about your buddies..

The reason I would never buy a street beast 34 is no parts from a original 34 or reproduction 34 parts will fit,if its damaged you are stuck with having to repair or go back to street beast which might be hard as I thought I read somewhere that they might be having problems at the company but someone out there should know for sure if its true. Jeff

if you like it and you have the money for it and the work is of good quality, I say go for it! Nice choice of car btw. That is a fine looking piece of machinery.

I know its not a street rod as it is fiberglass but I dont have 50-100k to spend.


Actually, it is a street rod. Fiberglass cars can be and are street rods just as much a original steel. Nice looking rod.

Street Beasts has been mentioned in some posts (same a the original company, Classic Motor Cars) for having some issues with doing what they promise. Getting the parts to finish the build seem to be the major sin. But this car is a finished, running car, so you won't face that problem. A guy who was in our car club had one of their sedans, and it was a really nice car.........347 Ford stroker, bright red with nice interior. He trophied every time we went to some show, and people were always pulling him over wanting to buy it. For most people, it looked just like a restored/ rodded '34, and they didn't realize or care that it was a repop with some differences in the way the fenders went on, etc.

If you like it and it seems sound, buy it. Looks really good in the picture.


Don


PS: Welcome to the forum.

You are the only person you gotta make happy, If you like it and it all checks out then Buy it.

In my reply to your email I didn't realize you were looking at a completed car, so the portion of the comments about the cost of building won't apply. However, I'll still stand by my remarks about quality, design quirks, market value, and perception. While I respect the comments of the others, it's easy to tell you "do what you want or makes you happy", and certainly this car has eye-ball in a picture (if it's your style), but the hot rod market is changing. If you don't get it dirt cheap you'll get nailed later when you have to part with it.

first thought ...... from a person who has had to work on some parts from a streetbeast , the fiberglass will not hold up ! the glass the make these out of is crap . the window area WILL stress crack , the fenders WILL NOT hold up from stars in the top of the fenders . the car is really tought to fix any problems on the body and paint .
second thought ..... you can spot a streetbeast from a mile away , the grille is way to fat ,the rear fenders are so mis-shaped it aint funny .
third thought ... if you like it and are happy with the car then buy it .. but dont think it will be easy to sell this car again ..

Wasnt Classic Motor Cars the same outfit that had the Gazelle or Mercedes 'glass cars on display (selling kits) in all of the airports in the early 1990's......it seems like they were always near the baggage claim. Saw lots of the display cars but never have seen one built kit on the street.

What Kenny D says is good info......offer the guy $6,000 for it.

mike in tucson

Dont they build the fenders and body all in one piece?

Not only hard to paint but what if you have a fender bender.
My Ronson body is seperate pieces. Pics in the for sale thread.

I think if you read between the lines, the message here is not to pay too much for the car, so as to protect your investment. It sounds like your budget is not wide open, so your choices will be somewhat limited.

Do NOT think that a 'glass car is not a street rod! They've been building them for about 50 years, which makes them older than many of the "experts", and they've more than earned the status of a "traditional hot rod"!

Besides that, very few steel cars are built with strictly original parts, despite what you might be lead to believe. Bottom line is, if you think it's cool.....it is!

When was the last time you looked at a really cool street rod, and said "That is a bitchin' hot rod!......unless, it is made out of a non factory material?" Never...right?

As adults, some of us have forgotten the "fun" in custom cars, and tried to analyze it too much. You will be just as much a part of the rodding community as the guy with what some might consider an "ideal car". Don't worry about making a perfect choice. Just have fun!

HOTRODPAINT makes his usual good points, especially overanalyzing what is or is not a hot rod. Rods ARE supposed to be fun, and if you like it and enjoy it, that is all that matters.

Friend of mine has a nice '29 Ford roadster. Full fendered, red, SBF engine, nice wheels, etc. People love his car and he usually gets peoples choice or some other trophy. Kicker is, the car is built from a SHAY reproduction Model A. These were built by Shay Motor Co with a Pinto 4 cyl engine, and meant to be a fun kind of driver. He modified it, put a 302 in it w/ tunnel ram, painted it the brightest red he could find, and everybody thinks they are looking at a real steel Model A. Everybody except the "experts" who look down their noses at it. But he loves it, drives it everywhere, and steals alot of trophies from the real McCoys.

Like the others said, don't pay top dollar for the Street Beast, but you can still have a rod to be proud of and enjoy.


Don

The concern I have is about the quality of fiberglass in the streetbeast cars. If it's not top-notch resin, it won't hold up. Call streetbeasts and ask them what the temperature distortion factor is in their 'glass. It should be well over 300 degrees F. If they can't or won't tell you, be careful. Low quality fiberglass (like camper shell 'glass) will warp and move around in the heat of the sun, and the fiber textue can print through.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a streetbeast without a lot of research into their fiberglass composition - but that's just me. I've been burned on a glass body. It isn't a streetbeast, but Bob knows who I'm talking about. (our favorite South Carolinian displaced to Nebraska )

Jack
- Yep, I refuse to capitalize streetbeast.

how would you tell a minotti bodied car and was/is their quality any better? in the for sale section is a black one but owner is not sure of body manufacturer. How woudl one tell? papers? title/vin?

Minotti bodies were top notch from my experience with two of them that friends had. If the person bought the body originally they should have both a receipt and an MSO (Manufacturers Statement of Origin) which some states require for registration. You've stumbled on another pitfall.............misidentified manufacturer. Probably THE most respected manufacturer of '32 roadster bodies is Wescott. Guess which name people choose to call their body if they have absolutely no clue who made it? I'll bet Dee wishes he'd sold as many bodies as claim they're his.

As for being over analytical you have to decide. The way I see it it's like a tool you'll need to use over and over. Many people will by a cheapo copy claiming that they "can't afford" the good one. The good one will often last a lifetime if well maintained, the cheapo needs to be replaced/repaired again and again....................which one really cost more? Kind of a variation on the old saw, "if you didn't have the time/money to do it right the first time, how did you have the time/money to do it over?"