The decision to rod or restore is a very subjective one. I had no doubt about my intention to rod my '37 when I bought it, but the question was - how much? I listed my desires and priorities and they went something like this:
It has to be reliable and able to keep up on the road
It needs to pay tribute to its original styling by keeping the body lines as stock as possible - no chop, no channel, no Monte Carlo headlights!
It needs to be comfortable to drive - I'm not getting any younger!
It needs to have an edge - some sort of something that sets it off from its neighbor.
Here's what I've done and what I'm planning:
Chassis & Engine
Boxed frame - full length
Tubular IFS front suspension (all polished SS)
Custom X-members (home fabricated)
Jag XJ-12 IRS with a healthy dose of chrome
Camaro Z-28 350 W/MPI Fuel Injection (rebuilt to stock specs)
700R/4 transmission (same)
Body
Like I said, no chop or other modifications that change the basic shape but...
Joined the front sheet metal together and created a tilt-front.
Restored the bed, but shortened it six inches.
Custom fabbed an inner frame for the bed and added electro-hydraulic actuated rams to make it a tilt-bed.
I can't afford to build and keep a museum piece. Almost all of what I've done so far has been done under a carport! I need something that I can drive and enjoy (and show off!) before the bureaucrats and enviro-nazis outlaw them all. I want something that looks old (because it is!) but drives like something new.
I get as much enjoyment checking out full restorations as I do rat rods, and I'm definitely a part of the "to each his own" crowd. That's part of what makes this sport (how can you spend this much money on just a hobby?!) so fun.
Thanks,
~rocker~
