The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Restomod Rules

We have 17 rides in the shop right now, three restorations and 14 resto/street rods. There is a common theme among the non original ones that I think offers a lesson that should be followed for a successful and safe build. No sophisticated math for various components but just stuff a home builder can do to make a difference in a driving/riding pleasure and an unfinished project on Craigslist.

# 1 BRAKES:
You can have very good drum brakes but if the ride is going to be an all weather one then front discs are time well spent. I ran drums with power assist on my 37 Buick for 25 trouble free years UNTIL I was in Kansas City during a monsoon and rush hour. With the right side drums being under water I had full pedal and no brakes. Discs are unaffected by water, dirt, mud, heat.

#2 Tires:
Radials stay flat to road surface for max traction and best of all don't get "squirrely" on grooved pavement. Many areas have the grooves to drain water and cut chances of hydroplaning.

#3 12v negative ground:
Without special order this is what all after market "toys" are set up for. I'm cheap so being able to buy an alternator with a life time guarantee for less than single generator component is appealing.

#4 High pressure cooling system:
Everyone wants to add creature comforts to their Dream so a system that boils at 212* is best suited for the trash bin. A 15# cap boosts the bp to almost 260* which if that doesn't work you have troubles.

With these basics you can then play with height, stance, suspension (from couch soft to chip tooth enamel harsh), wiper choice, sound system, power everything, engines from lap Poodle domicile to belch fire V's with 1500hp.

With the four basics for at least a safe ride there is a good chance you will get enjoyment from your Baby while all the rest can be chalked up as lessons learned for both you and your billfold.

Finally:
Feel free to ad any other gems of success YOU have learned.

Great Lessons Evan!! One painful and somewhat expensive one I've learned is it's much more enjoyable to make incremental improvements (with a plan) while continuing to drive and enjoy. The common approach (I believe) for a project is tear it down to a pile of parts that may take years to reassemble. Years ago (as in 15) I picked up a clean, original '68 Plymouth Barracuda convertible with auto and 318. It was a never wreaked, stock yellow with black top car that a local lady school teacher had bought new and had 90ish K miles. Everything worked, even the AC was cold.

Well I had big plans for the little car and there was an extra complete, ready to run 340 in the shop along with a good 727 torqueflight. So, I did a full take down with plans to build a nice driver, E5 red, 340 car. I then started doing a lot of pipeline work that kept me away from the shop for months at a time and after 5 years or I sold the now in pieces project car for dimes on the dollar.

I could still be enjoying a nice original car during top down drives on nice fall days, but NOOO.

I've used the lesson above to make many upgrades to my '51 that at most had it out of commission for a week or so and put close to 20k miles on it in the past few years . It's not a show winner but represents well, is safe and reasonably dependable as a light duty local daily driver.

RonR

I totally agree on driving it as is if it's possible to see if you fit and if you really want to spend the money on up grades. Mine was in pieces when I purchased it, so no driving, had I been able to I wouldn't have put the pedals where I did or add a hump in the floor where it wasn't really needed.

Assemble and drive before paint would be second on my list. It's much easier to alter with out $1000's of dollars worth of paint to worry about.

Third on my list would be, it has to look right when on the road. To narrow or to wide axles doesn't look right. Modern bed, or extra large wheels can be added to the list as well. You bought a old truck for a reason, it needs to look like one.

I'm a shining example of what Ron and Joe are talking about. I took a truck that could have been back on the road with some minor repairs and a few modern update and stripped to the bare frame. Thirty years later I'm seeing it come back together, a lot of time lost that could have been enjoyed with a running, driving project. I try to pass that lesson along whenever I can. I fully understand Coilovers words of wisdom.

Quick tip there - I always stick projects right front and center where I can't avoid them and am forced to finish them.

I got my 1949 3600 back up and running, driving and insured this year with complete rewire, new bed, new floor and lower cowls, seat, glass, exhaust, brakes, parking barke etc etc by.... stripping it down right in the driveway rather than hiding it in the shop. That way my wife was not only supportive of me finishing it, but literally cracking the whip

I have a 52 Pontiac Sedan Delivery frame off I have the same process going; floor is about 95% done and the frame is now finished (just going into year 2). The body is right in the absolute middle of my shop completely in the way, so I have to deal with it. And the frame I put under a temp shelter I built right in front of my wife's favorite garden - shading it out. In other words, if I don't show progress I better be used to sleeping in the barn

Well said (written!)

YOU ARE A BRAVE MAN!!

I'm in the pile of parts stage myself. But the truck I got needed to come apart. I still keep finding things that I need to fix as I get into a component. But the restoration was part of the plan, to keep me busy in retirement. --- It's working.

I've built a couple of hot rods for which radial tires were inappropriate so I went with bias-plies. After years of being indoctrinated with the dogma that bias plies are so antiquated as to be borderline dangerous, I was absolutely shocked at how outrageously nice those stiff-sidewall bias ply tires will handle! Just another example of how sometimes the prevailing wisdom is passed from one to another without any actual experience.

Getting too many projects under way at once means that few, if any of them will ever get finished! April 27, 2046 is my projected completion date for all the jobs I've got in progress right now- - - -just gotta figure out which one to drive on my 100th. birthday ride!
Jerry

I picked up my '62 C10 as 2 separate trucks that I intended to work on. One as the main project, one as a parts truck. Plans changed in the middle and the two swapped positions on my priority list.

The White one was supposed to be the Project, but it had no running gear and no title. I found the Red truck while searching for a parts truck and it had a title and I could drive it home. Only issue was that I wanted a Step Side.

Well, I knew how to swap the beds - Issue Resolved

That was back in 2003. It is still not finished, but a lot of progress has been made over the years in the Mechanical upgrades and repairs. AND It's a running truck that I was driving as recently as yesterday. Since it was running the majority of the time, I am able to enjoy it and actually use it as a Truck while still working on it.

There is also the great satisfaction of getting something done on it and then taking it out for a spin. You get to see and enjoy the little bits of progress.. Keeps me from getting discouraged.

Restomod rules, none. Have fun.

Mines a rusty mod. 😂
I like to say “wolf in sheep’s clothing”

Moparguy I hate to have mine down more thsn a few days too,pealed my daily cruiser down for rods and mains while snow was on last winter . Thats long enough !!