Howdy,
Let me start by saying I love street rods !! When I bought my 64 Bel Aire I was looking at street rods it became quickly evident based on prices it wasn't going to happen, again when I found my 56 Olds 88 I was looking for a street rod but the Olds kinda found me called my name and she came home with me (again no street rod) This time I again went looking for a street rod and again found the price for a nice street rod was beyond my reach. I guess I like street rods because of the mid 30"s style I love so much and the reliability of a modern/late model drive train with creature comforts like A/C and nice sound system.
Now that being said and being stymied 3 times in a attempt to purchase a street rod I found a appreciation for STOCK vintage/classic automobiles, apparently that's what I was meant to have !!
it gave me the opportunity to restore one 64 Bel Aire ,purchase a 95% restored Olds and a 100% restored 34 Plymouth again learning to appreciate stock/original automobiles.
The point I'm trying to make (slowly) is why the rush to street Rod everything ? since finally getting insurance on the 34 and getting the exhaust where I want it I have been out and about in the 34 lots of thumbs up and gawking however on the occasions where I park or get gas and talk to people one of the comments will be boy that would sure be nice with a small block or LS motor and a 4L60E and a ford 9 inch !! This has happened more than once with one suggesting small block Mopar power, as I said I'm ok with street rods but why the RUSH TO ROD everything ? doesn't anyone appreciate the simplicity of the mid 30"s vehicles and keeping a vehicle original am I now part of a dying breed ?
I do notice when I go to cruise ins however that most the guys with the really cool street rods are guys in their 60"s and 70's so I guess I'm caught in the middle and that's ok !!
I'm just not sure why so many people think a mid 30's car needs to be a street rod. I can appreciate the reliability of the modern drive train but hey somebody's got to preserve the original stuff too !!
P/S I also noticed in my quest for fat fenders and running boards that the stock/original vehicles where much more reasonably priced.

 

I think it's a few things.

Firstly, and mostly, people do not know how to work on old things any more. Carburetors and points are arcane arts, and tachs, dwell meters, timing lights, and vacuum gauges are ancient tools of a previous civilization. People do not want to learn, do not want to work on cars, and do not want to maintain them. Having someone LS the car gets rid of the need to learn and work on them. Putting an LS in the car is the 2010s equivalent of the 1980s "put a SBC in it" and whatever they did to model Ts in the 60s.

Secondly, people want more out of an old car than it could give. They want gobs of power, fuel economy, power steering, air conditioning, and, to a lesser extent, braking and handling. They also want reliability, but reliability as they see it, and old powertrains are not reliable, to them.

 

^^^^x2^^^^

 

Hi,

Nothing wrong with stock vehicles, only big draw back is functionality in today's world. We have a father and son who regularly drive their Model A's to our local weekly car cruise. Both have a top speed of 45mph, so a little scary considering most roads I'm my rural area is 55mph, and .ost do 70mph...

We used to have a guy with a stock 27 Chevrolet sedan but he trailered it everywhere just for that reason.

Have 2 friends with 34 Plymouths, one has owned it since late 60's coupe, 383 dual long rams with a 4 speed done up like a street rod from the 80's. The other just got a sedan 302 Ford, c4 looks perfectly stock on the outside.

I personally got 36 Chevrolet Business coupe a few years ago and no drivetrain so a spare 59 Buick nailhead 4 speed and a 9.3 Pontiac/ Olds axle should be fun. Also going dual quads and leaving the points distributor as well.

Think everyone watches too many TV shows as everyone seems to modify vehicles with no real world budget like most working stiffs. LS motors as stated like the sbc in every make and model. There is no reason why a older drivetrain can't be reliable only issue is spare parts as not every parts store is going to have a water pump, starter or generator on the shelf while on an out of state adventure.

You're cars, do what makes you happy nothing wrong with stockers. Eventually most will only be able to see them at a museum vs in the wild so to speak.

Regards,
Jim

 

x2

 

I am 78 and still have all those antique tune up tools. They are so old, the Sears tach/dwell meter was make in the USA. They were great when I had the 54 Olds. The main reason I got rid of the 54 and went to the 75 Hurst is the ability to drive distances and to feel more comfortable in heavy traffic. I would have never driven the 54 to the OCA Nationals this summer in Springfield this summer. The Hurst had no problems other than she likes to drink. I would love to have a street rod and it would be a 40 Ford coupe. It would probably have a SBC and all the creature comforts. I think the 40 Ford coupe is one of the prettiest cars every made. My first car in 1963 was a 40 Ford 2-door sedan with a 265 cubic inch SBC in it. It was the first car I ever built and I was in high school. But Solly, it would be a crime to hot rod a car like yours.

 

Yup,
I get the reliability the availability of parts and the creature comforts that's what interested me in a street rod however the price for a nice street rods is usually a pretty hefty sum !! and I get it most sellers are trying to re-coupe their investment (hard to do in most cases ) I have noticed in my searches that the stock/ original vehicles can be purchased at a considerably lower price than their street rod cousins. As Jmos4 noted the stock original vehicles may wind up being museum pieces, also as Koda noted working on the vintage vehicles may be a lost art.
At any rate glad were all here to preserve these vehicles.
If I were a wealthier man the other thing I would preserve is old homes I love it when someone restores a old home !! I love to see them with their crown moldings, hard wood floors, claw foot tubs etc... If I could I would restore every old home in the U.S. nothing would be torn down !!

 

To quote David Kindig of Utah, "stock sucks"

 

Most street rods start out as basket cases which makes them a blank slate for creativity. Lets take a Model A, the value of a completely restored one is about $25k, rodded up the value goes up exponentially. While I like stock old rides and have restored a few, a street rod is more fun to build, drive, and admire.

 

Stock vs. Street Rod/Modified, I don't favor one over the other. What I can say is I really appreciate owners who often go to great trouble and expense to keep their cars original so that the rest of us can "see them in the wild" as originally built. So cool!

To me, the important part is making your car your own, looking like and doing what "You" want it to. When I was looking for my '67 CS/4-4-2 I wanted it to look very close to stock, but if it had a few "go faster" mods under the hood, or items that improved driveability, that would be even better, as long as the original motor/drive train was still in it. I felt very fortunate to find my car that checked all those boxes, requiring no additional mods by me. Perfection to "Me", right from the get-go. True enthusiasts should, you would think, appreciate them all.

 

I think it's a crime to street rod a car that is rare and still has the original powertrain, by which I mean it is destruction of art. If the car is a basketcase, like said above, I can be more understanding. If the car is not rare or desirable, like a V6 Cutlass in the 60s and 70s, then I can understand putting a larger engine in it, even though seeing a nicely done small engine car is nice at a show. People should attend an antique auto hill climb event sometime in their lives; it makes you realize that the car is incomplete without all the original parts; there's a feeling to seeing, hearing, and smelling something old light up the plant for another go.