whos budget?

[the reverend muddy grimes]

So I was watching Gears this morning and Stacey is talking about a new ford motor that ANYBODY can afford. only $7000. Ok, have these guys lost touch with reality? Whos budget will support that? I have less than 2k in my truck at this point including purchase price. And My wife is sweating me about the money.

 

[LOWANDRATY]

budget

They do build some cool stuff on TV these days, but when everthing is donated to them, they lose touch with reality.

 

[42chevy]

That is budget to people who mostly write checks to build thier cars. I like to build my own engines, they won't outrun those $7k engines but they make me proud that I built them. If it took that much to build my car I couldn't afford it. I have about $4000 in my '42 Chevy and it was over a period of time. Right now anything I want to do costs too much and I have to wait for tax returns or seel one to build the other. I don't have enough cash to even do a cheap rebuild on my Olds 455 or anything over about $10 at a time. They are way out of touch with most gearheads.

 

[ratdog]

My wife tells me I have lost touch with reality because I complain about the rediculous prices that everyone wants for a bunch of old crap.But those shows and magazine budget builds are a total joke.But I guess for the guys that are spending 50 or 75 thousand on their car build at some shop another 7000 for a motor isnt going to matter.

 

[bob w]

And that is where some of the resentment for our low budget rods comes from. You can get far more attention with your low cost home built car than they get with their high dollar showpieces.

 

[donsrods]

It was prices like this that drove the rat rod or back to basics movement in rod building. For a while in hot rodding it was how much you spent on your car or what big name builder put it together that made your car cool or not. Some people still like cars like that, and if you can afford them more power to you.

I have no problem respecting people who have more money than me, they probably worked hard for it, so let them enjoy the fruits of their labor. But by building our own stuff it gives us the sense of accomplishment that we did it with our own little hands and we can also have a very cool car in the end.

As for spending $ 7K on a motor, in reality that amount really doesn't get you a whole lot. When you start adding up custom machining, stroker kits, aluminum heads, roller cams and roller rockers, etc, etc. $ 7 K can be spent real fast (don't ask me how I know ) But as the old speed shop saying goes, "Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?" I think what they were saying on that show is that in the world of high performance engines $ 7 K is sort of entry level, and the average guy WHO WAS GOING TO BUILD A HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTOR, can afford this one, as opposed to a $ 20-30 K motor.

But I equate it to when I started boating about 45 years ago. I could only afford a little $ 800 runabout with a 40 hp outboard, and there were guys who would pass me with their high dollar speedboats or yachts. However, we were still out on the same water, enjoying the same sun, fresh air, and fun that they were. Rat rodding is kind of like that.

Don

 

[Sam_Fear]

And that is where some of the resentment for our low budget rods comes from. You can get far more attention with your low cost home built car than they get with their high dollar showpieces.

Nailed it.

The money crowd kills every scene. From the drag strip to the little league baseball diamond, the money shows up and the fun disappears.

I think the rat rod scene is gonna be a hard one to crack. Sinking big $$$ into a rusty rat will make a guy look like a big fool.

 

[dmw56]

I had about $5000 into my Rat Truck. But then again I used up a lot of stuff I had laying around from other projects. Doubled my money when I sold it.

In comparison my Chevelle has a $5000 Crate long block. With everything else for the engine (carb, ignition, radiator, pulleys, etc) I'm well into $7000.
If I sold it today I'd probably break even.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Nailed it.

The money crowd kills every scene. From the drag strip to the little league baseball diamond, the money shows up and the fun disappears.

I think the rat rod scene is gonna be a hard one to crack. Sinking big $$$ into a rusty rat will make a guy look like a big fool.

Yeah but plenty of people are already doing it. I saw a righteous 30s International pickup at a carshow. I got to talking to the owner and he had paid big bucks to find an original patina cab, even bigger bucks to build the 392 Hemi. It was the kind of truck anyone of us would be proud to roll out but he had spent big $$ on it and it was a trailer queen, never drove it anywhere.
They are even airbrushing on fake rust holes in fibreglass bodies.
But, I just do what I do and like what I like, no matter what anyone else is doing. It takes all kinds.

 

[goose-em]

Let's face facts.

Most folks who spend the big money just want something they can take to a show and brag about.

Of course us folks that spend little money want the same thing, or we just want to have something fun to drive.

I remember back when I had my 56 Chev. I took it to a car show at the age of 16. I had just pulled it out of my garage after shooting it with paint.

I was put with all the rest of the 55, 56, and 57 Chevs. I still remember everybody making fun of my car. This was long before the rat rod movement.

It had a cracked windshield from when the hood came open while I was driving it. The hood was a little dented. It had carpet out of the house that my parent were throwing away, and which, I had spent countless hours sewing together with fishing line so it fit properly. Interior was done in the late sixties, diamond, tick and roll. 327 motor built by me and my dad, 400 hp at the rear wheels. Gennies with baby moon hub caps, low profile tires, it was the eighties after all. Chrome was pitted and the trunk was rusty.

I loved that car and wish I still had it.

From that day on I realized I had to build what I liked and to heck with all those checkbook folks.

7k may be affordable to some, but when you build the whole car for less than that, that is real rodding in my opinion.

Anybody can write a check!

 

[hotrod preacher]

the reason the TV shows say stuff like that is to promote their supporters/advertisers.......
i thought when muscle car tv said they were gonna build a "budget" car they shot a little high when they set the budget at 10 grand, but with alot of new parts, new engine, paint job, etc. it does add up fast

as far as the "buying ratrod types" i'm not against that type of person at all--until prices get overinflated b/c of profiteering

i'd rather see a guy enjoy a safely built ratrod he bought, than meet him on the road in one he built himself that's not safe!!

 

[lowbuckrats]

My budget consists of trading, bartering, finding and scrapping. I dont have any extra money after the bills and a couple beers. Real hotrodding is ingenuity and talent, not throwing money at whatever you are building.I have no use for the high-dollar easter eggs. I think they are down-right tasteless most times and overdone. If an individual is financially fortunate, then correct original restorations are OK. But putting flashy billet anything on an old car is like having a man wear a dress, it just doesn't look right. In fact it looks wrong.These are all my opinions, but most peopleI know agree. I especially dislike the cars that owner never did any of their own work on it. It's the same with the past chopper trend. The whole point in having and riding choppers is that they are mostly home built and you are pround of what you accomplished not just having store- bought. I find most true rat-rodders are proud of what they accomplished, dont care what others think, strive for uniqueness and then drive the crap out their creations without a whole lot of money spent. Just my feelings on the matter. Have a nice day...