The great Restore-Street Rod debate

I started with H model Lincolns in 1954, back then Zephyrs were regarded as parts cars for Continentals, and only a few of us really liked and appreciated Zephyrs, and no engine ever made was held in lower repute than the HV12, "drain oil special" and "boat anchor" were often heard, and the plan then was to put a modern OHV engine in your Continental as quick as possible, and buy a cheap Zephyr for a parts car, all my Lincolns, I had over 40, had V-12's except 1, it had a flathead Merc V-8 in a customised '41 Continental, carson top, nosed etc.

I was fortunate to have a really good V-12 in my first Zephyr, that showed me how good they could be, and subsequent purchases showed just how bad they could be, but a challenge for sure. Now here we are 50 years later, and I am once again involved in a 1941 Club Coupe, the car was a rusty incomplete mess when I bought it several years ago, see pic, and no good V-12 was available, and my competent son agreed to do the brunt of the work of getting it upgraded and running for me, which he has done with the help of a donor 1982 Lincoln Continental, so my car has a 302 V-8 engine, AOD trans Power Disc Brakes, etc etc. Can hear some of you hollering "sacrilege!!!" about now, but I paid less than 3K for the hulk, a few hundred for the donor '82, and my son has put 3 years of hard work in it, so that's my story, and I am sticking to it, some Lincolns are too rough to restore, and I think it is justified to make street rods or resto-rods out of them, rebuttals?? Rolf

Rolf, This debate will go on for many years after we are all gone. I just hope no one takes my cherished iron and V 8's and dechromes it. The street rodders like to say that they take a rusty POS and make something out of it that a restorer would never touch.

I am finishing up a 48 Lincoln convertible that I had to replace the floor, all four fenders, skirts, hood, trunk lid, cowl vent, dash panel and V 12 engine. To be exact, the only parts that were original to the car that I saved were the body, top irons, both doors, trans and rear. Now I know why they say buy the best and go from there because it is cheaper. I enjoyed the challenge.

It appears to me the hot rodders are starting with the best they can find and torching and welding their way from there.By the time they are finished, the car begins to approach 6 figures (a lot of them don't own tools, only check books.)

A few do start with cars that were badly modified by persons with pie in the sky ideas and end up saving a car that would be very difficult to restore or would end up melted down into 2 or 3 Toyotas.I do applaud those few persons. For the most part rodders end up ruining restorable cars by starting a project that will cost 3 to 5 times what they thought.

Just my 2 cents on a subject that will never die.

Bill

Dear V12Bill,Your comment about the rodders buying the best they can find reminded me of the following story about a local guy.He located a Dearborn award winning and AACA National award winning 39 Ford convertible.I know he paid more than 60,000 for it,he rolled an after market chassis with a small block Chevy under the body,changed the gauges and wheels and tires.Sold the restored original chassis with the Columbia rear to a restorer,dragged the 39 to Hershey last year and sold it for 125,000.He pays someone to do EVERYTHING.Go figure,it takes all kinds.diz

Anyone can restore a car,,,,it takes a real man to cut one in half.

I have had many a hot rod. Build on the fly, make it fast, make it comfortable(?), and make it eye catching - much more than when it left the showroom. It is a good plan. I try to do all my own work and take exception to the statement that most rodders ruin good restorable vehicles. Some do sure, but case in point

ME.

1948 Continental Coupe. Going to restore to original glory.

could throw a 460 overdrive auto, a/c, steering, tilt, 6 way power seat, cd player, dvd screen, and more, but won't because the base project is just too good to alter. The 460 etc would be easier I believe.

I believe a car like this should be seen in its glory no matter if rodded or restored, as long as it's not crushed or left to rot. V12 / 3 speed w/o/d or V8, it is still alive!

Automobiles have souls just like animals and people. Keep them going with healthy habits and if that doesn't work, get the torch and transplant away, but do not throw dirt on them.

just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Rolf, do you enjoy the 302 AOD, disc brakes etc.etc.?

That's part of the enjoyment factor too I think. and no matter what, people will still say what's that, what model is that, what year? keeps the car alive, even with prosthetics galore, it's still rocking.

Truth be known Dave, emotionally I would prefer an original '41 with a V-12, but practically speaking, the hopped up SBF really hauls, the AOD favors my gimpy left leg that will barely work a clutch anymore, and the disc brakes make up for my deteriorating 69 year old reflexes, plus my son who is a superior set up and front end man has got this big old coupe handling like a Jaguar, so I really have no complaints, here is the picture of it I should have put up, when I first got the '41, the other was taken after work on it had started. On the other hand, as some of you may know, I have been trying to sell a really straight rust free, complete '48 LC Coupe, like yours Dave, for a pittance, and it is open to street rodders too, so the opportunities are there, if someone would like to save a nice car, Rolf

and streetrodded your coupe could look like the attachment.

and another pic attached.

I've looked at your 48 Rolf, in fact found it in a couple of places while surfing, don't know why someone on your side of the world doesn't pick it up.

Hey Rolf -

As someone who's car was a prime streedrodding candidate when I bought it, this is a good debate subject and a tough one at that. A couple of personal opinions, which we all know are like bellybuttons:

1. I'm much more sympathetic to mechanical upgrades that make the car safer and more reliable than I am to major sheet metal modifications. Not only can these not be reversed, but frankly, I have *yet* to see a chopped, frenched, etc. Zephyr that looks better than the originals!

2. I've seen streedrods built from basket cases as well as decent originals, so it goes both ways. If someone wants to save a junked out Ford 60 sedan, I say go for it! But a nice complete Zephyr or 32 coupe (if there are any left???) -- hands off, bud.

3. Streetrods will continue to become more popular as the older parts become harder to find and more expensive, and the performance gap grows. My stock '66 Mustang can still hold its own on the highway, but for how much longer? My '37? - forget it.

4. I was talking with Merv Adkins awhile back about a '37 coupe he had. He said it was a prime restoration candidate, but that he would almost certainly get more if he sold it to a streetrodder. So is Merv supposed to take a personal financial hit for the good of the hobby?

5. That said, the guy who sold me my car wasn't too interested in my calls until I told him I was restoring, not rodding. But there can't be too many guys like that.

I say to each his own,but I do lean more to the original side.I have got some really good original parts from street rodders that would other wise not been for sale.Im currently working on a 39LZ Coupe and going back original.Installed new floor pans and have cut off the whole front end from the door post forward.It had aparently been involved in an accident,so I cut another one from a donor car.It had a v8 and Im going back with a v 12 and columbia.

The condition of the car isnt what drives me as far as original or street rod,I guess its a state of mind for me.

Flatcat, 10 years ago I sold a 55 Ford F 100 to a 17 year old who wanted to street rod it. It had been fully restored except for the interior, which is minor for a F 100. No one interested in having a restored truck to enjoy answered my ad. I sold him the truck knowing that you can't control what the buyer will do with the vehicle any more than he can tell you what to do with the money. A year ago I got a call from a new owner who had just bought my old truck. The 17 year old had only installed Mfag wheels and new tires, but kept the original wheels and Firestone 6.70 X l5 tires that were new when I owned the truck. The new owner planned to finish the interior and show it.

Sometimes things work out the way we want them to.

Bill

And sometimes they don't, in the '80's I built up this very original very straight and rust free '41 1/2 ton pickup, see pic, had a hot flathead and Lincoln brakes and OD trans and even a converted zephyr ignition on the flathead V-8, got a wild hair and put it up for sale on a consignment lot, and it sold for less than I had in it, saw it about a year later, chopped, channeled, SBC, totally destroyed, made me physically ill, and I threw up, cest la vie, Rolf

Well, it *was* a beautiful truck -- you do great work, Rolf. Next time you sell a car, you need to put in a "slap-up" clause, which basically says if the 2nd owner modifies it in poor taste, you get to slap them upside the head.

Or give me their address, and I'll be glad to do it for you if I'm in the area.

Well Cece, at the risk of boring everybody, I am right now hopefully finalising a deal to send this 1960 Custom Cab, see pic, to Australia to a guy who calls himself "Scrape" who says he builds car and trucks "low and fat", so it isn't destined for a happy end either, but I have had it up for sale for 4 months, and this is the first serious offer, time will tell, Rolf