David Fertig Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Wanted to Buy Chevy roadster. Prefer 1932, but will consider 1929-1932 cars. Looking for unrestored car or old restoration or even an old hot rod. NOT looking for a high dollar clean and polished fresh restoration. A little rust is ok, but not something that was drug out of a swamp. Mechanicals are NOT important. PREFER non deLux model - without spare tires on fenders. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 When you say mechanicals not important, do you mean you're going to upgrade the drive train? As in, hot rod it? As far as sidemounted fenders go, it's fairly straight forward to cut out the well and replace with a piece of metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 I have been building cars the same way since I've been about 14. Take a fairly decent survivor, put a small block in it and drive it. Now days they call them rat rods or farm trucks. My logic has always been that I can get another car on the road for the cost of paint and body work. I just sold my '31 Chevy coupe and have always wanted a roadster. I don't get into the tractor grills and fake rust. And I do not want to fuss over it if someone breathes on it. I just like to drive them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 OK, glad you're having fun! Just be aware that most of the people on this forum like to keep antique cars original, so most would be hesitant to sell to someone who says up front the car will be modified. You might also try the HAMB forum if you haven't already...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Yeah. I understand that. But I also see that the number of people restoring and driving old cars gets smaller every year. I don't see the point of having something mechanical that you are afraid to use or work. TCI just built a Model A. Basically pulled the body and set it on a new frame and drivetrain. If anyone wants to put it back in the future, it would be a simple swap. That's basically what we do. The least we can change the original car while making it something that is comfortable and safe to drive and that I am not afraid to hop in and go is what we do. In my opinion, that is better then a restored car that sits in a garage and never sees the light of day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass is Best Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 7 hours ago, David Fertig said: Yeah. I understand that. But I also see that the number of people restoring and driving old cars gets smaller every year. I don't see the point of having something mechanical that you are afraid to use or work. TCI just built a Model A. Basically pulled the body and set it on a new frame and drivetrain. If anyone wants to put it back in the future, it would be a simple swap. That's basically what we do. The least we can change the original car while making it something that is comfortable and safe to drive and that I am not afraid to hop in and go is what we do. In my opinion, that is better then a restored car that sits in a garage and never sees the light of day. A stock 32 Chevy is a wonderful running and reliable machine. I would not need a sbc to be usable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Yeah, different strokes and all that. You started at 14, I started at 13 and first restored a '31 Chevy Tudor. I've driven tens of thousands of miles in original cars. A well restored or maintained original car is a pleasure to drive and rarely breaks down. As strange as it sounds, though, even those times when something does go wrong are pleasant memories or new friends made. I know of a couple guys who remember me because I had gas in a can when they needed it, and you can learn a lot about a man by how patient he is cleaning and adjusting points on the side of the road. You won't remember much of interest driving a "trouble free" sbc, but you'll remember the times you had problems with an original car and the people who helped. Driving an original car is part of the experience to me. As said, different strokes...... 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 I'm not knocking anyone who wants an original car. I've had an original '56 Chevy for 29 years and have had other original cars over the years. I know where I can probably buy a really nice '32 roadster and could probably get the '32 phaeton from him as well. But they are too nice for what I want. It's funny reading posts on this site. Someone posts a link to a car for sale and the seller gets belittled for storing it under a carport or tarp. Or someone changed something on it at some point. At least it still exists. My friend has a '14 Studebaker that was made into a canvas body racer when new. He races it when he can. And he has fun with it. I got my boy a model A 5- window for Christmas. And he will have fun with that. My buddy just turned me on to this site and I was thinking that it might be a good community to get involved with. I've got certain cars that I am looking for and I've got cars that I want to sell. I've got piles of old parts that I have collected over the years. I have always wanted an open car. And right now I am looking for a Chevy roadster. It will get a small block and a manual transmission. I will drive it and I will not worry if someone leans against it. I can buy a really nice restored car and do that, or I can take one that is not as nice and do that with. I'll even throw this out there. I have a '33 4-door that has an extremely nice body. I'd have to check the guy I got it from, but he was on of the original members/ founders of the aaca. He took the car apart and had it sandblasted and that is as far as he got. The car has no rust except for surface from sitting. I was thinking of building that one as above, but would be willing to work a deal of the car and $ for a roadster of someone wants to build a really nice sedan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 I have a nice 31 that needs assembly- all new wood etc. but I want to see it stay original.................................. so would have to guess this isnt the site for buying. The Hamb is specific for your needs. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 2 hours ago, David Fertig said: Someone posts a link to a car for sale and the seller gets belittled for storing it under a carport or tarp. Well pretty much because if anything other than very short term storage a tarp will do almost more damage than it prevents and several cars have gone south under a tarp. Others in a carport, when it's a leaky old one and the car isn't really sheltered when the wind blows. I've even seen and purchased cars inside that the owner wasn't doing any favors. I just spent 100G on a building I could have spent on a car to have my cars properly stored. Now I have no money for cars and the building isn't completely finished but eventually it will be and then the cars I buy will be properly protected. As of now the 4 I have are in the heated garage, that I'm currently finishing off. A lot of people don't understand the value of proper storage when thinking about the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted March 11, 2018 Author Share Posted March 11, 2018 Good news! I found a car to build. Not the 1932 Chevy I was looking for, but a lot of similarities. Some have even referred to the the '32 Chevy as the "baby." A lot more solid then I was looking for, but that's not a bad thing for an 87 year old car. Previous owner bought it in 1949 and the State Inspection sticker reads 1956. He was on the long-term resto. plan. All new wood in the 1980's. Body is about ready to prep and paint. Front fenders are perfect. Rears need just a little work. All the parts were included - bagged and tagged. Seats have new leather. Original top is included and my guy says he can make a new one. To say that I am stoked, in an understatement! It's not a roadster, but I like the suicide doors of the convertible coupe better anyhow. Shooting to have her on the road by 2020. Stay tuned! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 On 1/20/2018 at 7:17 AM, David Fertig said: I'm not knocking anyone who wants an original car. I've had an original '56 Chevy for 29 years and have had other original cars over the years. I know where I can probably buy a really nice '32 roadster and could probably get the '32 phaeton from him as well. But they are too nice for what I want. Way to go........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 On 3/11/2018 at 7:32 PM, David Fertig said: Good news! I found a car to build. Not the 1932 Chevy I was looking for, but a lot of similarities. Some have even referred to the the '32 Chevy as the "baby." A lot more solid then I was looking for, but that's not a bad thing for an 87 year old car. Previous owner bought it in 1949 and the State Inspection sticker reads 1956. He was on the long-term resto. plan. All new wood in the 1980's. Body is about ready to prep and paint. Front fenders are perfect. Rears need just a little work. All the parts were included - bagged and tagged. Seats have new leather. Original top is included and my guy says he can make a new one. To say that I am stoked, in an understatement! It's not a roadster, but I like the suicide doors of the convertible coupe better anyhow. Shooting to have her on the road by 2020. Stay tuned! I'm not sure the sbc is better than the original V-8, but in any case, once you start to put it back together, take note that the current placement of the landau bars are swapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Thanks for the tip, West. When I first looked at the car, the top was down. When we went to pick it up, the top was up. In any regards, the car will be taken back apart once we start on it. And as to the engine choice... This will be a much different build then I was planning on a Chevy. It's a much bigger, heavier car. One thought is to take the whole rolling chassis out and shelve it. Set the body on a late model frame with a BBC. We can build it so that at some point in the future, it could be put back to original if someone wanted. The other option, is to sell off whatever we are not using and let the next owner worry about "restoring" it if they want. Basically, I was looking for a Chevy and got chastised for my plans and told that "no one on here will sell you a car because we know what you are going to do with it." I was looking for a rougher car then this one and one that was missing parts. BUT - I found this one with all new wood and no rust. And all the pieces that are not on the car are bagged and tagged. SO - we'll rod this one and make a really fun driver out of it. I'll be cruising it around with the top down and a big smile on my face. I anticipate plenty of thumbs from passer-bys like my other cars. And if I get the occasional finger from some purists, well, that is their problem. We've got my boy's Model A in the woks now and I need to pull the engine on my '33 Chevy and do a little work on that, but after that, this is on the schedule. We are still in the planning stages, so things may change. I even thought of doing a resto. on this one and selling it and still look for a Chevy, but since it is not a V-12 or V-16, I am not sure that would be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 If you veer far from stock on anything other than mechanicals, it will lose it's appeal to ever be restored back to original. I always wonder with conversions, the modern thing to do in 10 years will now be outdated and a future potential customer will not want 10 to 20 year old technology if they are spending big money. 350 350 is very common today and "everyone" stocks parts, but in 10 to 20 years will that be as easily said? I think GM dumped the 350 for something else if I'm not mistaken. Of course with the internet you can have any part for a 350 within a day or two, but then again, with the internet you can also find those impossible to find old Flathead Cadillac V8 parts almost as easily with just a little searching. Seems like you could sell it as is, come out ahead if you bought it instead of a Chevy, it couldn't have been overpriced, Then buy a chevy and use the extra funds to finish it. Wasn't there a company that built brand new Steel 32 Chevy roadster bodies a while back. I remember reading an article about them. I almost think they were in VT. Of course that may have been back in the 1990's. Your choice. Just remember it's a Cadillac Standard of the World (according to period advertising). Any work done on it, should emulate that thought. The guys who buys a Caddy Expects it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I’d rather have a cabriolet than a roadster but that’s just my opinion. That little extra chrome and side windows just makes it more appealing to me. Nice car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted March 24, 2018 Author Share Posted March 24, 2018 On 3/15/2018 at 11:34 AM, auburnseeker said: If you veer far from stock on anything other than mechanicals, it will lose it's appeal to ever be restored back to original. I always wonder with conversions, the modern thing to do in 10 years will now be outdated and a future potential customer will not want 10 to 20 year old technology if they are spending big money. 350 350 is very common today and "everyone" stocks parts, but in 10 to 20 years will that be as easily said? I think GM dumped the 350 for something else if I'm not mistaken. Of course with the internet you can have any part for a 350 within a day or two, but then again, with the internet you can also find those impossible to find old Flathead Cadillac V8 parts almost as easily with just a little searching. Seems like you could sell it as is, come out ahead if you bought it instead of a Chevy, it couldn't have been overpriced, Then buy a chevy and use the extra funds to finish it. Wasn't there a company that built brand new Steel 32 Chevy roadster bodies a while back. I remember reading an article about them. I almost think they were in VT. Of course that may have been back in the 1990's. Your choice. Just remember it's a Cadillac Standard of the World (according to period advertising). Any work done on it, should emulate that thought. The guys who buys a Caddy Expects it. ExperiMetal did make some bodies, but it was a limited run and they are not easy to find. There was one for sale not too long ago, but the seller was hard to get any answers from. If I build this one to what I like, it would most likely get a big block Caddy engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Here would be a good alternative t save the old Caddy. https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/6542170260.html 1932 Pontiac Roadster. Asking 5,000 Looks pretty darn solid as well. Lots of parts not shown in that original photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Fertig Posted September 28, 2019 Author Share Posted September 28, 2019 Found! I was lucky enough to buy both a '31 Chevy roadster and a 5 window coupe last fall at Hershey. And then last week I was able to buy a '32 convertible! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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