Talk me down - 30's hot rod on the cheap

I love traditional hot rods and street rods. My grandfather built them and I grew up around them. However, most pre-war bodies worth rodding are prohibitively expensive. I have been looking for a long time, but everything seems unreasonably priced or is an awkward unpopular body style that wouldn't look good as a hot rod. Enter the Buick:

http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/5463291406.html

34 two-door with extra body parts. A bit larger than say a 32 ford, but what would it look like chopped and channeled and that trunk-tumor shaved off? I can't find any pictures of a properly 'rodded' one, only restored examples that look like Montgomery Burn's personal limousine. Maybe the body is just too awkward that no one has done it, or maybe they're just so rare that no one has had the chance. What do you think?

Sorry dude, but it's ugly.

What style of running gear will you be using in your build? I've heard from a couple people on here, that when trying to use Make-specific stuff from that era, they wished they would have went Ford just for the sake of finding parts. If, on the other hand, you're going to put an old stock car front suspension and an 8.8 out back, I'd say go for it! Anyways, you can't fully design the body of the thing without a couple of late nights and a few dozen of your favorite drinks staring at the it! I think it would be a great start to a 'rod.

Sorry, Jav, you're wrong!

It's ugly now, but the roof pillars are straight up & down, even someone like me could chop it straight.

Hang the sheet metal on a Modified Dirt car frame?

maschinenbau wrote: I can't find any pictures of a properly 'rodded' one, only restored examples that look like Montgomery Burn's personal limousine.

Google "buick street rod" and "buick rat rod". Both gave me many hits for Buicks of that era. The "buick street rod" gave me the most.

I have no legitimate reason to talk you out of it. Just make sure there's a build thread we can follow!

chop it to 4" tall windows, channel it over a tube frame, lose the hood and run it off a straight 8 with a gint tractor turbo. But keep the trunk.

Javelin is wrong. Chop, channel, loose the hood, loose the fenders, done.

The good thing about that car is you would be fairly different among the sea of hotrods that all look the same. I wouldn't even cut the tumor off the back but would instead try something like a rear mounted radiator with huge side scoops pulling air to it. Make that feature work for you. Run four pipes out of each side, lay them flat and have them merge into the running boards. Chop is a given. There's a lot of potential for going interesting directions with that car.

The front is pretty nice looking but the sort hump back style isn't as attractive as a longer more flowing rear end. I'd have to have a solid plan on how to deal with the rear end. How good are your metal work skills? I could see moving the back window forward, chopping the roof line and making a smooth, flowing rear end. A crude mock up above.

Seems to me that unless you want one heck of a project, you may be better off buying one more done than that. They're really cool to look at and fun to drive in a Saturday cruise night kind of way. I used to have a 1939 Dodge D11 5 window coupe. 327 Chevy tricked out, line lock, flame throwers out the tailpipe. Was a good "10 footer" car and often got more attention than a '34 Ford because it was so unusual.

Lose the hump back and you could turn that into a shorty panel truck. Lose the swoop of the rear fenders on the back half, keep 'em constant radius.

I wouldn't even chop that one, the windows are pretty short as is. I think it'd look alright (trunk aside) with the usual fender and running board delete and lowering (perhaps some channeling).

There's a LOT of work in that car - I see plenty of rust, and as the ad says the body wood is rotted away (a common problem on GM cars of that era.) Unless you have plenty of talent, time and money look for something else.

A project like this is a LOT of work. If you're up it, GO FOR it. I actually like the Quirkie-ness of it.

I would build my own frame, or modify a donor car's frame. I welcome the metal fabrication and have the means, tools, and motivation to do it. I did much of the hack work on the Georgia Tech MG Midget.

As for running gear, and please don't lynch me, but... I think a N/A 2JZ from a Copart SC300, 5-speed, with an old-school lakester style header would be fantastic.

In reply to Dave:

That's awesome. I prefer a smooth-butt two-door sedan, but that's really got me excited.

The hump back is begging for a Sir Mix-A-Lot theme.

Also note where it says NO TITLE in capital letters. Find out the regulations for getting a title in your state, or let the seller figure it out, or find another project that does have a title. I've seen too many people invest time and effort into an old car, only to find out they can't get a title.

Drop body on top of 2001 Chevy truck frame/running gear. Use title and reg from truck.

Instant hot rod, and it'll be fast.

Robbie wrote: Drop body on top of 2001 Chevy truck frame/running gear. Use title and reg from truck.

Most modern vehicles have a frame and track width that's way too wide to fit under a 1930s car.

i can't with good conscience talk you out of it. i would not alter the body at all or ditch the fenders, it's gorgeous. add driveline of choice.

patgizz wrote: i can't with good conscience talk you out of it. i would not alter the body at all or ditch the fenders, it's gorgeous. add driveline of choice.

I'm with Pat.

Whatever you think about the cost of a finished car, building that one is going to vastly exceed buying a finished project.

Don't get me wrong, after the federal government, I am the Patron Saint of fiscal irresponsibility, but I am here to tell you that car will suck you dry by the time it is anything like a hot rod.

So Hell yes, go right ahead and post the build thread.

stuart in mn wrote:

Robbie wrote: Drop body on top of 2001 Chevy truck frame/running gear. Use title and reg from truck.

Most modern vehicles have a frame and track width that's way too wide to fit under a 1930s car.

Chevrolet S10 are popular for this sort of thing because they are pretty darn narrow. Not sure if they'd be narrow though. The front suspension and steering in front of the axle would be a little bit of a bummer looks wise unless you kept the fenders.