Hot-Rods... Show me pics!

[ratchart]

Feb 10, 2018 13:16:33 GMT Ritchie said:

I quite fancy having a go at building something like this, when (if) my other project gets completed.
I'm pretty sure you can get replica fibreglass bodies easily enough but what about chassis's?
Is it possible to make anything that looks right from a commonly available (cheap) ladder chassis?
I'm thinking something like an SWB Pajero or Ford Ranger?

There have been a few successful attempts at putting late 40s pickup bodies on modern-ish (90s) truck chassis. The advantage to those is that the vehicle keeps the Mazda/Toyota or whatever identity, but for an earlier 30s style rod you'll probably struggle. The engine is too far forward, the suspension is ugly and most modern chassis will I expect be too wide to fit a pre war body without chopping about. Once you start down that road you're into BIVA teritory and you may as well use a reproduction frame designed for the body shell anyway.

I'm told a Reliant Scimitar chassis is the right wheelbase for a 1940 Willys but don't take my word as gospel. Most other replica body shells (which are nearly all Fords) would have to be contorted a bit to fit though.

[pistonpopper]

Yep, something like a 1940 Ford coupe has a wheelbase of somewhere around 112" the Metrocab is about 114" you'd probably be able to 'lose' those two inches by moving the wheel arches or something. Building a hot-rod pick up of some description would probably be the easiest way to use a donor chassis as the random length can be accomodated in the length of the bed without disrupting the aesthetics of the thing. Thats part of the reason mine was a roadster pick up. The body I used started out as a '32 Ford Coupe, and we mated it to a model A pick up bed, had to put a 3" spacer between the back of the cab and the front of the bed though, otherwise there would've been a huge gap between them. Looking back now though I should've just lengthed the bed, hindsights a fabulous thing! Anyway, enough words, more pictures!

[Ritchie]

Oh, yeah got me thinking now!
'32 Ford Pickup roof chopped body on a taxi chassis with a Cummins 6BT.
Can't you just chop a section out of the chassis and shorten the propshaft to shorten the wheelbase rather than space out the cab / bed?
I can't see any issue with an MOT as long as it's solid.

[pistonpopper]

I'm no expert on this, but as far as I'm aware, once you start chopping the chassis around you're straight into BIVA teritory.

[Ritchie]

If it had leafs on the rear you could always move the spring hangers forward on the chassis then chop the excess off at the back.
That way there would be no joins.

[neilsdavies]

You can't cut anything off the chassis. Overhangs, outriggers, nothing. The Scimitar is a decent chassis for a fully fendered rod but you'll struggle for fenderless.
I've always wanted a black '32, roadster or coupe, I'm not fussy, and probably fenderless, although there are some really nice fully fendered ones around too. Jon Golding at Home Grown Hotrods builds some nice stuff.

[discostew38]

Feb 10, 2018 17:56:19 GMT pistonpopper said:

I'm no expert on this, but as far as I'm aware, once you start chopping the chassis around you're straight into BIVA teritory.

So if I used a complete chassis from a run of the mill taxi or what ever
I can just put a hot rod body on the top and it don't need to be "IVA" I thought there was a lot more to it than that

[pistonpopper]

That is as I understand it discostew38 but if I am wrong I'm sure that someone will soon be along to correct me. As long as you change nothing about the chassis you should be ok. Here's a Scimitar Chassis Hot-Rod...

[discostew38]

Interesting
Maybe I do need to own a hot rod after all

[pistonpopper]

[tristanh]

That's just ALL of the win right there.

[Littlepixel]

For me hot-rods are all about flat out straight speed at bonneville.
This pic kind of sums it up

[ettorebugatti]

[bmcnut]

Feb 11, 2018 0:07:17 GMT pistonpopper said:

Now thats just awesome. Its like a steampunk-hotrod crossover, without being steampunk.

[daslandroverman]

Feb 9, 2018 17:34:27 GMT pistonpopper said:

It is generally accepted that a hot-rod is a 1948 and earlier body style that has been modified for enhanced driving performance, top speed, and/or to accelerate faster. More form over function than pretty paint and wheels

I know pre 48 seems to be a common theme, but I always looked at hot rodding to be doing something a bit mad with a vehicle that wasn't really in the original brief.

This Land Cruiser for example.



More pictures and info here

Or just something that's well modified, and suave looking, like this P6.



Fair enough full fender cars are perhaps edging toward 'lead sled' style, but isn't that part of the hot rodding culture too?

[ratchart]

As I mentioned in my last post, these two are based on late-ish model truck chassis.

'48 Chevy body on Mazda.


'46-48 Ford, can't remember what chassis.

[hurnleft]

Some that I think are all on Scimitar chassis'

[Littlepixel]

Feb 11, 2018 11:55:59 GMT @automatik said:

Feb 11, 2018 11:01:01 GMT hurnleft said:

...



...

WTF...?!

Haha - I thought the exact same thing - Maybe the owner was going for the low-poly look?




anyway - back to the 'rods

Controversial?

[ettorebugatti]

I do like the sci-fi look of this one:

[daslandroverman]

Feb 11, 2018 16:02:06 GMT Littlepixel said:

anyway - back to the 'rods

Controversial?

I quite like it, shame it's a 3d model, as it's a perfect interpretation of the hot rodding ethos.

Quite how you'd define it, I'm not totally sure, but then if I have to ask I wouldn't understand anyway?