Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Paul fairall]

I have a thread running in the Ford section regarding my recently purchased 103e popular. I have for some time now been wanting to hotrod a pop but since buying one I have had second thoughts,third thoughts etc. Rod it don't rod it.
Asking on another forum about the percentage of modified pops to standard pops some said they thought 70% rods to 30% standard pops.

Also while talking about this I looked at the pop rod gallery and actually don't like the rodded look. I much prefer the standard look pop. I plan to sort out the rust on the B post, A post and sills if required and other less problematic areas, rear valance is not bad and wind down window seals.
I also intend to remove the bitumen coated vinyl roof and weld in a steel roof. A local hot rod shop will do the roof and the owner said he prefers the standard look, so we are on the same page. On the outside it will look standard except the roof, which I think will look better. Over the next three years before retirement I will contemplate mechanical updates, keeping the front axle and both front and rear leaf springs but may change the running gear. For now it's all staying standard.
What are your thoughts on updating classics.

[Rene]

Hi Paul,i rodded my '48 Anglia which i bought as an original car.
I had a lot of fun doing this,when it was done i visited numerous events with the car,hotrod and classic car events and had fun.
But after a few years i was feeling a bit of an odball,at hotrod events it was'nt a yank car with a V8 and at classic events it was'nt a"real"classic.
As the interest faded away i sold the car and bought an original '29 model A.
For now i say an original old car is more rewarding and also a lot of fun,even with poor brakes and little horsepower.
What i also discovered was if the hotrod has cost a lot of money the value becames lower and more difficult to sell.
The reason i started with the Anglia to upgrade the speed and drivabilaty was
i could better keep up with modern days traffic,now i am driving the model A bog standard i can easy blend into modern traffic..........nobody cares i drive a slow car they just go around it or stay behind me........
As for a steel roof instead the canvas roof.........don't do it.
It is a lot of work,and with a bit of bad luck the welded seam will show after a couple of years,blistering paint and rust from the inside,the problem is caused by welding new into old steel,the old welded seams of the roof are filled with lead which has to be removed to make a perfect weld but this was very difficult as the lead was penetrated between the double sheet metal of the original roof,after a year it was starting to bubble on these places because some of the lead was melted out of trhese places and the poly filler did not fill between the sheet metal leaving an air pocket........a little moist and voila!......rust!
René

[Paul fairall]

Hi Rene, read your thread all the way through, massive job and admire your tenacity seeing it through. The guy doing the roof for me knows his stuff, he will lead it and use very little filler. He has a well established company that I can go back to should I have any problems. I will certainly talk to him about what you've said and see what he has to say. As I said, I'm not sure how far to go with it and plan to leave it as it is next year and enjoy driving it.

[Ray White]

To be or not to be that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them...

Hello Paul. As you may be aware, hot rods, modified, etc. is a hotly debated subject!!

I was interested to read that the proportion of hot rods to standard Pops is 70/30. I can only imagine that this situation has come about because these cars have been seen as suitable for modification over many years. I can remember seeing Pops being given the treatment back in the 1970s. Back then they were cheap and plentiful. They were considered outdated and most went for scrap. Fond memories inspired me to buy one and it only cost £2. It wasn't even rusty!

Times, as they say, have changed. Originality is becoming more desirable.

From a Classic Car point of view (mine) there is no question. Once turned into a hot rod a car is no longer a proper Classic Car. It has lost any intrinsic integrity that it once had and has become a modern vehicle. In fact, it has become a hybrid; neither fish nor fowl. There may be a place for hot rods in America but there is no tradition here. Specials are a different matter but that is not the issue here.

If you can restore the car to original condition I believe you will learn to love it. Why try turning it into something it can never be?

If you don't get on with the Ford as an old car I can only plead with you to sell it to someone who will cherish it for what it is...slow and ponderous but authentic.

[Ashley]

[Rick]

I've had one or two mildly modified classics in the past.

My view is that if something's original, then leave it that way, especially if survivors are few and far between.

If looking to build a hot-rod or very modified classic, start off with something that's already been dismantled (and parts lost), or a failed project of someone else's. That way, a car that may now be beyond being brought back to original condition, at least lives on, even if somewhat modified. But to hack about an original cars that's survived so long as it is, feels like a shame to me.

Plus, if modifying an old car, try to use parts that were around in period - so if building a "hot" Mini for example, hunt down period tuning parts that would have been used in the 1960s and 1970s.

As a rule I usually dislike intensely old cars that now have modern running gear in them, unless there's a clear reason why it was necessary, say if the car's owner has an impairment of some kind that meant driving a 100% original car wasn't viable.

Just my opinion

RJ
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[Riley Blue]

We've been here before - at length...

http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/forum/phpbb/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17656
_________________
David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

[Ray White]

[Paul fairall]

After some thought I have decided to put off the metal roof for now and strip the bitumen coated vinyl roof and see what I find. I can see a line between the vinyl and the curve of the roof and the remains of rivets, looks like it had some sort of metal trim or channel. This will need putting right if I don't go for the full metal roof.

[alastairq]

Possibly what you see are in fact, nails?

Yes, Ford actually nailed their cars together.....for want of a better description?

I think an issue for me is...what, exactly, is a 'hot rod?'

As I see it, the term is an Americanism for a modified car/bike....with the added frisson of perhaps the owner doing an establishment-shattering paint job?

I think the original rods stemmed from American enthusiasts producing 'Lakes' racers from whatever was cheap enough to get their hands on?

If that happened to be a model B Ford..then it got its roof chopped, to reduce frontal area, perhaps lowered, and more likely, a flathead V8 stuffed inside?

From there, the styling gurus got busy.

So, IMHO, rodding stemmed from the needs of motorsport.

Would that make an old car, tuned and equipped for rallying, a hot rod?


On the trials circuit, there is a regular competitor, a nice grey Ford Anglia [posher pop]....to survive in trials with any sort of success, means thoughtful modification of Mr Ford's product [because Mr Ford didn't really worry about broken axles and stuff, because, at the time, spares were cheap, so it would simply be replaced as a unit]
This Ford Anglia [posh pop]....has a modified E83W axle for strength in that department....and a highly modified engine, for power.

Yet, it looks like an Anglia......[not a good idea to spend too much on a fancy paint job, if trialling?]

Is it a 'hot rod?' Probably..probably not..it wouldn't receive gasps of admiration in the supermarket car park!

My '67 Mustang doesn't have a V8 [the 6 pot is seen nowadays as a better bet for tuning in the USA....apparently]...but it has been slightly lowered, and had a disc brake conversion on the front. It therefore isn't 'original' but has sensible mods........is it a hot rod?

I hope not...I still don't understand why I bought it anyway.

[Paul fairall]

[Paul fairall]

[alastairq]

[colwyn500]

I think that the passion and skill shown by those who make serious modifications to their cars is often quite amazing. But I think it is a shame that some people who buy old cars these days seem unable to cope with the reality of what they are like to drive and insist on strictly unnecessary engine, braking, paintwork and interior trim "upgrades".
In the classic Fiat 500 world there now seem to be very few out of a relatively huge number of 50 plus year-old cars that remain, which aren't now turned into almost cartoon versions of the original car.

[Ray White]