Budget rat rod

[dude43]

Well i m turning 16 and ive got a decent 95 honda civic to inherit. But ive always wanted a 34 ford pickup rat rod,I know a decent amount about cars and my dad knows a heck of a lot more. ive heard of people building budget rods , but how cheap can i build one meant to be driven somewhat often?

 

[earthman]

Welcome Dude
'34 pickups are getting expensive. My suggestion is use the Honda as a doner for a one of a kind front wheel drive bucket type roadster. Buy some rec tubing, $100. For a body,get some sheet metal from whatever,old refridgerator,car hoods,barrels you get the idea
Pop rivet to some square tubing from discarded metal shelving and
drive I want to see the progress pix

 

[gassersgarage]

Used Hondas still command a decent amount of money. Perhaps, enough to buy a finished rat rod or at least a project. This way, if you decide to build one from scratch, you still have something to drive. I've seen running rats going for as little as $6K. Don't look in California though, prices here are outragious. LOL

 

[dude43]

only problem i see in buying one here is that i live in florida very humid , you dont see too many around here down to bare metal lol most people get a body from out west and use it for their project here.

 

[FlatBroke]

Keep in mind, it does not HAVE to be a specific year to be able to say "I built it"...Doner cars and trucks...S-10, Dodge Dakota, the list goes on and on...

It might be easier for you to find something in an affordable price range and build from there.

 

[gassersgarage]

Check out some of the threads here. Seems there are a lot of vacant fields in the mid west, usually in the country with a lot of vintage tin. Rebel Rods had a Dodge 4 dr rat as a feature. Guy in California went up to Oregon to get it. He found it on ebay for around $6K. Changed wheels, pin striped it and sold it. Asking price was $13.5, apparently its on its way to England.

 

[chopper tom]

You shoud check out smokestaks' scratch build thread on here Its cool and i can easily see more people starting to do this as tin becomes more rare !
with this methode you can build almost anythingcoupe,sedane ,roadster ,picup?
Best of all ''NO RUST''!all new so you can let it rust to sute yourself!!!

 

[dude43]

is there a pickup similiar to the 34 ford that would be more affordable or should i forget about a pick up?

 

[FlatBroke]

Trucks are easier to build, I say stick with a truck...


SOOOO many options...

 

[donsrods]

The guys are right, '32-34 pickup cabs are getting nuts, a decent one is about $4000 for the cab only, doors fetch a grand each usually. My Son Dan wants one in the worst way and that will be his next project after his RPU and Tudor are done. Everytime we saw a cab in the swap meet area at Turkey Run we had to stop for him to check it out. We found one he could have probably gotten for $ 3000 (guy wanted $ 4000 but sales were way off this year) .

I also see the direction the guys are steering you to buy something that is a little further along, and I also agree with that thinking. For the first time builder I know it seems great to build your own from scratch, but it really is pretty hard to do. It takes a fair amount of fabrication and welding equipment, a pretty roomy place to spread out stuff for the year or two or three it takes to do, and also a fair amount of money. Even the small stuff will eat up a budget real quick.

No one is trying to discourage you, just the opposite, but we have all seen so many guys get started on a project, lose interest because of the financial and time drains, and sell it at a loss before it gets on the road. If you buy one that is running or close to running you stand a much better chance of having one to drive, then you can use that car as a springboard to doing your own later on.

I know this is not what you want to hear (I didn't either at 16 ) but you have your whole life ahead of you to get the car you want to build.

Don

BTW, keep the Honda, they are cool and you can't beat having dependable transportation that doesn't cost an arm and leg to operate........especially at over $ 3,00 a gallon. Then have your fun car on the side.

 

[maddog]

Dude, I think its cool that you want to build a truck. It might not be as easy as you think, in fact it will be harder than you think for sure. Dont let that stop you, and I am not trying to discourage you either. I say go for it.

If you can buy an unfinished project (the further along the better) you will still have your hands full but at least you might get to drive it before you burn out or get tired of putting money into it.

I have seen all kinds of old cars turned into truck cabs and the beds are easy. A doner car can help too. If you get the right car it can have most of the running gear and some other stuff too.

Since your in florida, just go to Dons shop and hang out by the dumpster. We will start putting pressure for him to clean his shop, and I predict he will toss enough stuff to build most of a car.

Go for it Dude.

 

[chopper tom]

a t-bucket would be a great first time build!
With gas prises you could even put some kind of 4 cyl in it if ya wanted too!
There plenty of books and info to guide you also!

 

[dude43]

well its not what i wanted to hear but better to learn this from you guys instead of the hard way, i plan on keeping the honda sos elling is no go. how much would a running/near running around '34 pickup cost? or does it just depend too much

 

[dude43]

what exactly is a donor car? t bucket idea sounds good thanks choppertom

 

[maddog]

A doner car is vehicle that you will take engine, trans, rearend, steering, radiator, brakes, shocks, exaust, etc out of and use it in your build. Then throw the unused and unwanted parts of the doner car in the scrap metal. It could be any kind of car that has the parts you want to use.

 

[dude43]

ok easy enough, im thinking finding one thats near running if not already running is obviously best

 

[maddog]

ok easy enough, im thinking finding one thats near running if not already running is obviously best

Yes running if you can. Maybe one that doesnt have a title, or is caved in on one side or something. Drive it and check out the components you want to use. Make sure it doesnt smoke, it shifts, the brakes work. Then you know what you have.

An almost done project is still best sometimes. Usually a good value as well.

 

[dude43]

any idea how much for a good deal, a pickup thats running or near it like you said , maybe missing a few parts but pretty much complete. something around a 34 ford pickup

 

[41/ls1]

If you pick up the March 2008 issue of Rod and Custom they have a good feature of building a RPU out of a 67-72 F150. Check it out. Also they have had several others in past issues.

 

[luckyfasteddie]

things to think about

Have you checked with your insurance person. I had to prove,pictures ,title , ins card,etc that I had a daily driver before i could get the cheaper collector car type ins. At 16 be thinking what college your going to go to and how your gonna pay for that.If not college then a trade school. a partialy finished truck that has taken all your money and is stalled for lack of funds will become a drag real fast. I know that at 16 we all thought we were invincible,but you are talking about building something that can KILL you if its not done right.Living in Fla.where anything goes makes life a little easier but you really have nobody checking to make sure its done right. Read and reread Dons words,then go find his thread on how he built his t bucket, then decide if your up to that at 16. LFE