How to Build a Cheap Hot Rod (Motorbooks Workshop)

Hot rods are more popular than ever, but that popularity has driven up the cost of original parts and finished cars, making hot rodding more expensive than ever. But there’s hope for the hot rodder with a limited budget: How To Build a Cheap Hot Rod. This book shows how to create a great hot rod without breaking the bank.

Author and hot rod builder Dennis Parks shows you step by step how to build a car for less than the cost of a new Hyundai, in this case a very cool Model T, a.k.a. "Track-T", roadster. Parks is your expert guide as you identify your target vehicle and budget, find parts, build your car, and fine-tune the finished vehicle. Money-saving tips and detailed how-to sequences provide the essential information builders need to make sure their hot rod projects get built right and for the right price.

At a time of prohibitive costs, this book shows how a great hot rod can be built on a modest budget. The author documents his own building project--a "Track-T" kit roadster--showing in step-by-step detail how to turn a pile of parts into a quintessentially cool hot rod. This provides a detailed, easy-to-follow guide for building a car of your own. Parks’s advice and instructions cover every aspect of the affordable hot rod build, from establishing a target vehicle and budget to finding parts, building the car, and fine tuning the finished vehicle on the road. The book also includes a full resource guide.

The ever-escalating cost of building or buying a hot rod is leaving more and more would-be hot rodders behind. This book will get those hopefuls off the sidelines by showing how a hot rod can be built for less than the cost of, say, a new Hyundai.

Author Dennis Parks documents his own project--building a quintessentially cool Model T roadster from a "Track-T" kit--showing in step-by-step detail how to turn a pile of parts into a rockin hot rod. He provides a detailed, easy-to-follow guide for building a car of your own.

The advice and instructions cover every aspect of an affordable hot rod build, from establishing the target vehicle and budget, to finding parts, building the car, and fine tuning the finished vehicle on the road.

With Parks' money-saving tips and photo-supported how-to sequences, virtually anyone with minimal mechanical skills and the will to use them can be sure of building their hot rod right, and for the right price. The book also includes a full resource guide and recommendations for further reading.

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One: Build It in Your Mind     

What You Want versus What You Can Afford

Type of Vehicle           

What You Already Have         

Dream Vehicle 

Major Components     

Chassis

Body   

Drivetrain

Other Components      

Suspension      

Wheels and Tires         

Brake System  

Fuel System     

Cooling System           

Everything Else

Budgeting Money        

Lump Sum Available    

Pay as You Go

Budgeting Time

Do It Yourself 

Trading Work  

Sidebar: Photo Collection of Relatively Low-Dollar Hot Rods to Inspire Creativity . . .  

Chapter Two: Where to Find Parts      

Swap Meet     

Visual and Hands-On Inspection          

Measure          

Immediate Availability  

Bargain Prices 

Cash Is King   

Internet

Sight Unseen   

Photos at Best 

Questionable Description         

Not 100 Percent Accurate Condition   

May Not Be What It Is Thought to Be 

Shipping Expense        

Additional Methods of Payment           

Check 

PayPal 

Credit Cards   

  Certified Check

Classified Ads 

Poor Quality Photos    

Questionable Description         

Limited Methods of Payment   

Local Hot Rod Shop or Auto Parts Store         

Can Offer Expertise     

New Parts, More Expensive    

Catalog           

New Parts, More Expensive    

Wide Selection of Parts and Manufacturers      

Shipping Expense

Chapter Three: The Rolling Chassis      

Frame 

Original           

Reproduction   

Custom           

Repair 

Collision Damage         

Rust Repair     

Modifications   

Suspension      

Assembling the Front Suspension         

Rear Axle Housing       

Used   

New    

Wheels and Tires         

Priming and Painting Wheels    

Sidebar: Rattle Can versus Automotive Paint versus Powder Coating    

Mounting and Balancing Tires  

Assembling the Rear Suspension          

Setting the Pinion Angle           

Brakes

Installing Front Brakes 

Installing Rear Brakes  

Installing the Master Cylinder   

Routing, Bending, and Installing Brake Lines     

Sidebar: Bare Steel versus Chrome versus Stainless Steel         

Chapter Four: Body

Steel

Fiberglass

Fitting Body Aprons    

Mounting the Body on the Chassis

Attaching the Floor to the Body           

Sidebar: Reworking the Floor  

Mounting Taillights (Including a Third Brake Light)       

Fitting the Nose and Hood Sides          

Installing the Grille        

Fastening the Hood Panels

Building and Mounting the Dash           

Mounting the Windshield Frame           

Sidebar: Repair

Collision Damage         

Rust Repair     

Sidebar: Modifications 

Top Chop       

Channeling       

Chapter Five: Drivetrain

  Salvage Yard or Parts Vehicle           

  Rebuilt           

  Crate Engine  

  Installing Motor Mounts         

Painting the Engine       

Transmission

Salvage Yard or Parts Vehicle 

Rebuilt 

New    

Polishing the Transmission for some Cheap Sparkle      

Installing the Engine and Transmission

Obstacles to Overcome           

Mounting the Exhaust   

Connecting the Shifter and Linkage      

Connecting the Emergency Brake Lever and Cables     

Measuring for and Installing the Driveshaft        

Chapter Six: Additional Systems          

Fuel     

Building the Fuel Tank 

Testing the Fuel Tank for Leaks           

Mounting the Fuel Tank and Filler Neck

Routing the Fuel Line   

Cooling           

Mounting the Radiator 

Fan     

Mounting the Transmission Cooler       

Steering           

Installing the Steering Column and Wheel         

Steering Shafts, Universal Joints, and Shaft Supports    

Electrical         

Battery

Mounting the Battery   

Mounting Gauges

Fuse Panel       

Determining What You Need   

Installing the Fuse Panel           

       Circuits     

Engine Compartment   

Running Lights and Signal Lights           

Brake Lights    

Accessories     

Wiring the Vehicle       

Electrical Ground         

Wiring the Gauges       

Sender (or Signal Power)         

Power Wire     

Ground Wire   

Chapter Seven: Paint, Upholstery, and Glass    

Final Bodywork and Surface Preparation         

Applying Primer           

Applying Sealer           

Applying Paint 

Base Coat       

Clear Coat      

Laying Out Scallops     

Layout  146

Scuffing the Existing Paint         

Masking          

Painting Scallops          

Applying Base Coat to Scallops           

Applying Clear Coat to Entire Vehicle  

Upholstery       

Insulation         

Carpet 

Interior Panels 

Seats   

Seatbelts         

Installing Windshield Glass       

Chapter Eight: Now that It’s Built . . . Enjoy     

Before That First Drive

Double Check Everything        

Tighten Fasteners         

Check Fluids   

Hot Rod Start-Up Checklist    

Hot Rod First Drive Checklist  

Obtaining a Title          

Getting It Inspected     

Wheel Alignment         

Getting It Licensed       

Road Trip        

The Bottom Line          

Lessons Learned         

Sources