ClassicCar

nailkid22gmailcom

Hello everyone,

My name's Tom, and I just signed up here to ask a few questions.

It's been my life long dream to have a classic car. I especially like the European cars with the extra long hoods and all sorts of bells and whistles, like this beauty here:

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/357/9/e/beautiful_classic_mercedes_typ_500k_by_pingallery-d5owqwm.jpg

I'm not too awfully picky about exactly what car or exactly what year, however, there are a few things I believe make me stand out a bit in the classic car scene.

First and most important(steady your hearts collectors), working with my dad's 1986 suburban has taught me that while the exterior may be amazingly awesome, the engine and internal parts need constant babying. I have no real interest in having to tinker with my car every few weeks to get it to run properly, really I'm just interested in the body itself.

Secondly, it doesn't actually have to be a classic. I've heard tell that a few companies make kit cars, but so far I've been unable to find much of anything on them, at least on non-American kits.

Basically, I'm wondering if there's any way to buy just the body of a car, and then put in a modern engine, transmission, etc. I don't have a whole lot of time to be tinkering with it, and my grandpa's 1930 something Ford needs care every single weekend to run properly.

I'm also curious how much just a body would cost. Is it possible to buy just the body from a kit? And how realistic is my idea of swapping in modern parts? I'm sure there would be some conversion issues if I were only replacing a few parts with new ones, but what if I'm replacing everything?

Also, as point of fact, I intend to pay a custom car company(that I have yet to find) to built it for me. So this won't be a garage, do-it-yourself project. I don't trust myself that much, even with a fully detailed manual.

Any thoughts, ideas?

Cheers all,
Drame22

Jon B

Welcome to the Forum, Tom, and I'm sure that some of us will have some thoughts on this subject. However, you've posted a "general" question on the "Hudson" forum, so I am going to move this discussion to the "all makes" forum a bit later tonight. That way, folks other than just the Hudson enthusiasts will see your message. (Just giving you a bit of advance warning so you don't suddenly find your message is gone, and think we deleted it!) Just look at the listing to the right of the page and go down to "General", then click on "All Makes".

Jon B

Why not just buy a nice used "replicar" or "replica car"? You wouldn't have to engineer it yourself, these have been all worked out and they look like vintage vehicles (you choose the vintage, 20's through 60's). But underneath, they're modern cars. You would pay a lot less for a good used one than you would to buy a car, rip it apart, experiment with what kind of modern drive train would fit it, and then do the conversion. Here is one of many companies that buys and sells these things: http://www.cars-on-line.com/replica.html

There are so many replicars out there. The kitcars that drop onto VW Beetle platforms; "Zimmers"; "Glassics" (replicas of Model A Fords); MG sportscars, Auburn Speedsters. What you need to do is find something that you like the looks of, then shop around (Craigslist, Ebay, Hemmings Motor News, etc.) and find someone who's selling one. It'll cost a lot less than if you start from scratch.

Browniepetersen

Jon has a good point here. If you go on the web to http://www.shayhistory.com/index.html or google Shay Motor car Company you can find a car like this (this is a Shay) that looks like a 1929 Model A Ford. The common one you see is the Roadster. They run all modern Ford parts and was actually built and sold by Ford. On their website they show cars for sale as well as a great form of folks cars and comments.

They are a lot less "tinkering" than a true antique but give you the look and enjoyment of a 30's car. Not a bad way to go....

nailkid22gmailcom

Jon: I took a look at the site you linked, and ran into the same problem. The newest car there was from the 1980's, and the newest car that hadn't been sold already was from the 50's. Not to mention they are all very expensive. $30,000 and upwards.

That's why I was asking if it were feasible to get the body itself. Perhaps from a replica car that no longer functions?

I should also add I'm interested specifically in old Mercedes-Benz cars, especially the ones with the long hoods. If they made G4 replicas, I'd be all over that. Does that affect the price?

This is a long term goal, but one I've been working towards for the last 6 months or so, saving up whatever I can spare from my income. The main issue I have with older cars is their atrocious gas guzzling ways. My suburban gets 8MPG. Highway. *shudders* whereas a new suburban might get 12 or even 14.

So the modern-ness is less for tinkering I suppose, and more for efficiency. After all, I plan to use it as a daily driver. What's the point of having a gorgeous car if you can only ever play with it on sunny Sundays? But that being said, I can't afford a 1980 V8's cost. I don't even want to know how much worse a 1950 engine would be.

And no one answered this, but would it be possible to order just the body from the kit company? Surely something as expensive as that would let you make a custom order, right?

Cheers all, and thank you for the help so far. Very informative.

Drame22

Jon B

Here's a website that lists kit cars (already built, or the kits themselves): http://www.kitcar.com/kitcarsforsale-kitcars.html There, I spotted a nice thirties-looking Jaguar on a 1965 Beetle chassis http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Replica-Kit-Makes-Jaguar-SS-100-2-door-2-seat-convertible-1937-jaguar-ss-100-kit-car-assembled-and-/300872329589?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item460d636975

Try local Craigslists under "replica car", "replicar", or "kit car".

Here's a webpage, grouping all the kit cars for sale on Ebay: http://popular.ebay.com/passenger-vehicles/kit-car.htm

Here's a Gazelle kit car (looks like '29 Mercedes) http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars_for_sale/1983_gazelle+kit+car_29+mercedes+reproduction_117645214_3

nailkid22gmailcom

Thanks for the info Jon, but a replica car isn't exactly what I'm after.

I mean, it is, but not as a 1980's car. I'm wondering specifically is it possible to swap in a modern motor(2008 or newer) transmission, etc etc into one of those cars?

Jon B

The car that you originally mentioned was some sort of replicar that looks like an old Mercedes. Thus I assumed that you were looking for such a vehicle. That's why I suggested that you look for a used replicar whose price would (presumably) be less than that of a new replicar. It will cost you a great deal of money (and your own time) to purchase a new replica car, then find a chassis and engine on which to mount it. An alternative would be to find a replicar from (let's say) the 1970's or 80's and drop a newer engine in it. But you will be paying for a good running replicar, and then pay additional for a good running engine for it, then spend a good deal of time dropping the engine into the replicar.

Possibly you are interested in finding a really old car and dropping a more modern engine in it, and street rodders do that every day. But again, this will entail a good deal of your time in researching exactly which engine will fit into the car you choose. Then you'll have to purchase the engine and install it. Plus, if the car you choose is older (like from the 30's or 40's) you will pay good money to get one in good condition (or you'll pay less, then spend a lot of money and time fixing it up). You don't sound like you have an unlimited budget so you'll have to weigh the options.

You sound like you're trying to avoid engines from before the 2000's because of their poor economy but indeed, there were many, many cars from the 20's through the 90's that got very good mileage. VW Beetles were economical and their engines were used for a number of replicars. Willys cars from the 1930's, Ramblers from the 60's -- all got excellent mileage. So, you could possibly find an old original-type car (with "factory" engine) whose styling appeals to you, which isn't so old it couldn't be used in everyday service, and which gets good mileage. It all takes research. Then you wouldn't have to do any engine transplant at all, and could enjoy it ''as is''.

All of these things are possibilities for you.

nailkid22gmailcom

Thanks Jon. This thread was mostly academic. I do plan to do this, but later after college. And like I said, I'll most likely go to a professional custom shop to get the job done. I was more looking into the options and getting a notion of what the project would cost.

Browniepetersen

Drame, I hope that your college experience will include a degree in engineering or perhaps something where you come out with a title like Dr. Shop hours today in a custom shop start at about $150.00 per hour and go up from there. The kind a build you are talking about will run over $60K and up. And when you finish you have something with little or no resale value. When dealing with old cars, you need to build what you really want then drive the crap out of it until it is beat to death (400,000 miles or so) then do it again. Good luck in your studies--work hard and visit a few car shows along the way so you can make an informed decision...

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