This is what I initially had in my mind. Here is what I originally said:-

So now I have the car, what's planned for it?... As you read, you will see that every square inch has had a lot of work performed so I am not restricted to trying to retain anything original. In fact, I will restore some of the originality that, in my opinion, contributes to the appeal of the 37 roadsters. This means that the original door handles and  hinges will remain. I am not overly impressed with the smooth look so all panels will revert to bolt on. The running boards will have molded rubber . The rest of the plan is as follows.

 Colour.... It has to be black , PPG triple black in fact....the blacker the better. Any  flat black will be the guide coat only

Engine.... 351 Cleveland 

Fuel delivery.....Multi Port EFI

Gearbox....C4 with shift kit

Diff.....9" with 3:1 slippery centre.

Interior......White leather look, tuck and roll

Top....Mercedes black cloth.

  Well that's the grand plan.....lets see if I achieve the goal.!...Oh, I keep getting asked "When will it finished "?......My common answer is " Last year"... I have September 2005 in mind, but realistically, I doubt it. I am doing 99.% of the work by myself. The only thing I won't do is the interior. My work hours are limited to respectable times ( got to consider the neighbours ) and the usual family commitments. I have a friend that says that every rod takes 9 years and 2 months to build, cause that's how long it took him to finish his. I hope I'm driving the wheels off the 37 by then !

So, lets see how close I was.

Colour.... It has to be black...Well yes, but not PPG, it is Spies Hecker, which is as good if not better

Engine.... 351 Cleveland .....Yes

Fuel delivery.....Multi Port EFI.....No, the price of fuel has put me onto a different tact.

Gearbox....C4 with shift kit....Yes

Diff.....9" with 3:1 slippery centre....Yes

Interior......White leather look, tuck and roll...No, it ended up real leather tan

I think I came fairly close. The vision in my mind was fairly strong and I didn't deviate to far from that. The time frame was also fairly close as well. Since I didn't have past experiences to compare with and the uncertainty of the condition of the body back then, I think I done well.

I will list questions that many have asked  me, and will answer them here.

How long did I actually spend building the car?......Hard to work out, but a close figure would be 3,600 hours.

How much has it cost me?....I purposely didn't keep a record, but I estimate the rod has taken $40,000 to build

Did I enjoy building it?..Yes and No. balances out with rewarding aspects and despair as things went wrong.

Would I build another rod?...Short answer, No. Maybe if I was younger and had the experience I now have.

Would I change things now it's finished?..Well yes, there is a part of the body I'm not happy with, so it's getting fixed.

Do I have any regrets?..Only that I didn't do this when I was younger, but I doubt I would have had the patience                and  experience back then. Pretty hard to have both I guess.

How long would it take me to build it again if I could?.....I'd say 3 years

Would I recommend to others to "have a go"?....Yes, the rewards in self satisfaction and achievement out weigh the low points. Just research and try and get some courses in welding and metal fabrication if possible. Any auto related courses are handy in building a rod. It all depends on how much of the build you intend to tackle yourself.

How did I motivate myself?...I have to admit, it was hard to venture into the garage on cold winters days, or hot summers days, or when you know there is a rod run on that you would have loved to attend. I didn't have a stream of rodders coming over, as I didn't belong to a rod club ( at that stage ), so most of motivation was self generated by this web site. I felt I had to show progress each week so the regulars would see me doing something. Also, I am an active member on a couple of rodding forums. The encouragement from other rodders was extremely helpfull.

What injuries did I inflict on myself?....Well, many welding burns, finger nails blackened and/or torn off. Skinned knuckles, knees, shins etc. Metal splinter removed from all over, including 3 trips to the eye hospital. Many cuts and abrasions. Tired and worn muscles on Monday mornings. Headaches from fumes. Welding flashes. Stubbed toes, bumps and bruises many times....the list goes on. Any rodder that builds a car will tell you similar injuries...you can't avoid them.

Do I get more pleasure from building or driving...Definitely driving. I know many will spend time and money building a rod just to sell it soon after it's finished..I like driving them. To each his own I guess.

What's planned now it's finished?....Drive the wheels off it!

Will I show it?..well not officially, not at a static show any how. I think showing a rod takes the fun out of it, for me anyhow. If other rodders like it and vote for it at a run, then fine, if not, fine also  I'm not bothered either way.  It was built to be driven.

    In Conclusion, I thank all that have been regulars to my site and especially the ones that have emailed me giving me encouragement, your help has been more than you know. I hope to see many at a rod run somewhere. If you do see me, please come over and introduce yourself. You know much about me by now, so we should have something to talk about:-) But I probably would be more interested in what you are driving or building.;-)

See Ya

Pep                                                                                HOME