Big Dollar Vs. Homebuilt

I'm a newbie, but I agree that the guy who truly does the designing and work himself is the master of the craft. If you can build a streetrod on a budget and a family and turn heads when you drive it by, then you my friend have the talent. I think every car builder uses at least a few manufactured parts on their ride, but its all in how you piece it together in the longrun.    

I have loved cars since the '50s. I enjoy seeing them all. I have built several, and have failed to build several, none would have won a car show. I guess you can say I have been building Rat Rods since those early days. I have great respect for those that have the dollars and the determination to have a car built, but the feeling you get when you do the work, spend within a budget, manage a family and the joy you get from completing every small task, is priceless. These are the things the dollars won't give you. So don't complain about the dollars spent, enjoy what you are doing and what you have to do to get there.... it's all a part of street rodding.  

Hi all,
  New member here. Just my 2 cents. I like the mix here at SR. I am strictly a do it yourself guy and have gotten some good ideas from SR. I am in the process of re-building a 34 ford 3 window that I first built 42 years ago and now have the time to do it better than the first attempt. I am staying with old school theme(except for the Unisteer rack & pinion) and find many neat ideas from both the low buck and high dollar cars featured in SR. Keep up the fine work.

Jack.  

Hi all again,
   I meant to post the above post in " What happened to the average rodder" but I think it fits in here too.

Jack.  

My husband first started building street rods about 6 years ago. Some are fiberglass, people say, "they're kit cars." Let me tell ya, they don't go together as easily as you think. The 3 he's done needed some serious fitting. The most expensive one we've done so far is the one he is working on now. Like he says, if you can do one thing a day to your car it won't take you long at all. He enjoys doing it for himself. When someone wants a restoration done to their vehicle they about have a fit when he gives them the price. It's not easy and it's not cheap. He's just spent 3 days wiring his 35 Ford pickup. So, yeah I prefer the homebuilt and he would agree, that way we know what we have in it.    Although I would like a new Camaro!!  

For me, it's all about the DIY.  The fun IS the build.  Seems everytime I finish a car, I keep it for a year or so, get bored with just driving it around, and then sell it to fund a new project.  I personally would get no satisfaction from writing checks to a builder, just to deliver me a car that's finished, and I have no busted knuckles in myself.

Roll your own man!

Ace  

DIY is what's real! Anybody with a big enough bank account can write checks for any kind of car. I am now building my third rod. #1 was a '55 Chevy with a 327. (originally a 6) #2 is a '37 Ford coupe that I have owned since 1966. The only assistance that I had on that build was a friend bent and welded the new tail pipes. It gives great satisfaction to rebuild and improve on the old stuff. #3 is a work-in-progress, 1951 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. It too is mostly "junkyard tech" with a few aftermarket upgrades that are becoming difficult to locate in the junkyards, thanks to government programs and the demand for crushed and chipped automobiles.  

Well here is the problem , when you build yourself and/or build for others you never get to finish you own, plus most of us are addicted to projects and never get to finish them. So I can say as much as I get the pleasure out of building your own, you do get envious for those that pay to get them done cause they get to enjoy the ride. The trick is to finish your project and enjoy it and always have a driver and never sell until you have the second project finished, then you can sell either one and still atleast have a driver.