All Opinions Wanted- future car builds
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All Opinions Wanted- future car builds
Posted: June 19 2007 01:38 PM
 
Bill Hartman (aka Streetrodder007) [ View ] [ hartman@comcast.net ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ]
Port Huron, Michigan
 
What would you guys rather buy a finished streetrod with, (1) a single carb (2) vintage fuel injection (3) multiple carbs (4) mild blower motor?

Or you could rank them in order.

Just curios where the market is heading, Mild or Wild? Something inbetween?
 
 
Comments
 
Posted by orphans2  -  06/19/2007 03:04 PM
A good cruiser, able to handle long trips in relative comfort. That could be with a single carb, multiple carbs or new FI. Blower motor would be cool if it never had to be driven over 100 miles. Don't know if I would want to listen to a blower motor for 2000 miles. ;-)
orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001
 
Posted by 31tudor  -  06/19/2007 04:03 PM
A STREETABLE motor with reasonable HP and torque. I want 250+ HP and a single carb. Keep it simple! We all know 250 HP will make a 30's car FLY with appropriate gearing.


When I see big motors I pretty much assume big cooling problems, big gas bills, big maintenance bills, big amount of time spent tuning, etc. That's not always true, but I think most of us think along these lines. Why is it so much easier to sell a rod with a SBC in it than any other motor? Because it's easy to fix!
Eric Hibbs [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] St. George, Utah Charter Member since January 2002
 
Posted by 32Canuck  -  06/19/2007 04:36 PM
I whole heartedly agree with 31Tudor.........A simple setup, easy to maintain, no headaches on the road.

We drove our 32 coupe 3000 miles in seven days last year without so much as a bandaid with us....Just kept on runnin like the energizer bunny...........sbc, can't beat them for reliability.
32Canuck [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Victoria BC, Canada Charter Member since December 2006
 
Posted by Streetrodder007  -  06/19/2007 05:41 PM
Good comments. I am to the point pesonnally, I'm getting very burned out on the single carb sbc and most hotrods in general. Here I even build the damn things all the time, and I find myself at a lull in this hobby. I dont know if I am burned out, or just bored, I've worked on so many cars, that the excitement is gone. I suppose everyone reaches flat spots somewhere in time...oh well, who knows...
Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  06/19/2007 05:59 PM
when it stops being your escape out in the garage it becomes just a job.
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by 31tudor  -  06/19/2007 06:04 PM
The single carb SBC truly is boring, but usually viewed as reliable with tons of potential. I'd really rather have a flathead, nailhead, or SBF just because they're different but when looking at buying a FINISHED car I'm looking for something that requires no work.
Eric Hibbs [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] St. George, Utah Charter Member since January 2002
 
Posted by Willys33  -  06/19/2007 07:20 PM
Everyone knows what I'm going to say...FI! You want horsepower, simple and a little wow try an LS1 thru 7 with overdrive trans. How about a Hilborn unit converted to FI by BDS. Now that's WOW and simple and reliable and can deliver horses AND MPG. On one end of the spectrum is a 29 Ford roadster with a Quad 4 and on the other end is a mini condo (4 door Packard) witha V-10. Could even do a cab over with a diesel, propane injection etc... Just happen to know where a 1952 White cab over is.
Get off the trailer and drive [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Alamogordo, New Mexico
 
Posted by Streetrodder007  -  06/19/2007 07:20 PM
It certainly has become a job Shine, your right. I am an Electrician by day, and by night I build engines on the side for people, and help 4 other buddies who build Rods for a living. . Anyways, gettin bored, curious what people want, and where the market is heading, I dont make a million dollars doing it my way, but it provides enough money for my hotrods. I do mostly SBC's and early Hemi . Just seeing what the crowd likes, and would like to see.
Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006
 
Posted by DavyJ  -  06/19/2007 07:27 PM
I think the type of car you are building should help dictate the induction you use. Face it a chopped and channeled coupe or a pure hot rod should have carbs, while a smoothed out late 30's car suits fuel injection. Of course there is always that new Moon 6 pack of carbs with the injectors inside! I personally like a quadrajet or a holley on my cars. At least i can fix it on the side of the road.
Still driving the wife's car, cause I am slow. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Niagara Falls, Canada Charter Member since February 2005
 
Posted by dwinspector21  -  06/19/2007 08:27 PM
I agree with Davy.......the type of car you are building dictates what you put under the hood. I had a 41 Willys with a punched 460 C-6 9" Currie set up and it ran like a scalded hog!!! Sold it!! Too much car! The simpler the better, in my humble opinion. After all that IS what you asked for, right? Gimme a cruiser any day, I like to drive my little mess around!
dwinspector21 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Kodak, Tennessee
 
Posted by dixie  -  06/19/2007 08:37 PM
SBC--SBF--SBMP--*BBC* carb are fi--Are you could b like the pro street 32 coupe at gg atlanta blown bbc with inj on acky open zoomies off the trailer to parking spot one burn out then back to his parking place then back on the trailer.
jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006
 
Posted by pooch  -  06/19/2007 09:11 PM
KEEP IT SIMPLE! REMBER THE OLD KISS THEORY!

JUST KEEP THE HOOD CLOSED AND DRIVE! YOU CAN GET GOOD MILAGE OUT OF A CARB AND DEPENDIBILITY.

iF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, THE FIX IS USUALY EASEY CORRECTED!

P.S i SURE ENJOY THIS SITE!!!
pooch [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] albany, Oregon
 
Posted by Brickman  -  06/19/2007 10:06 PM
I am really torn myself, I have the single carb sbc and it is very reliable. But...I really had more of a hotrod in my mind than a mild 350 is giving me. I know that with added hp is more cost, breakage, and time spent working on it...but I think I would like to go there for a year or two just for the rush of having good hp once in my life anyway. I say I am leaning toward Fuel injection.
Brickman [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] west Plains, Missouri
 
Posted by blksheep  -  06/19/2007 11:43 PM
I love Ram Jet Electronic Fuel Injection. But,...it requires a well managed electric fuel pump, new 3/8 and 5/16 inch fuel lines and that the car's wiring is in very good condition. Li'l pricey, but delivers excellent performance, is reliable, really enhances the resale and has that open hood WOW factor, so, in my opinion it's worth it.

However, theres a reason why a mild cammed, correctly carburated, properly cooled SBC is in most streetrods. They just simply work very well.

Next time your droulin over a 500 inch, blown rat that idles at 2500rpms, with a scrocco radiator, look around. The trailer for it ain't too far away.


blksheep...NOT currently directly injected...in Charlotte
blksheep [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Charlotte, North Carolina
 
Posted by Streetrodder007  -  06/20/2007 08:35 AM
So far it looks like the the crowd favors the carburetors- even multiple, then the fuel injection. No takers yet on the blown engines! Good to know.
Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006
 
Posted by Streetrodder007  -  06/20/2007 08:38 AM
The converted Hilborn looks so cool- but so much money, it might be hard to recover your investment. Momar injection makes a nice setup also.
Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006
 
Posted by moparjack44  -  06/20/2007 08:52 AM
I must agree that the SBC with 1 carb is probably most reliable, but has been done to death and I think boring. I agree with other post, if that is what I had, I would not raise the hood at shows. Call it luck or planning ahead, but I have been very fortunate with my multi carbed Hemi, and I drive it, I do not own a trailer, not even a trailer hitch. I just got back from a troulble free trip to Gettysburg Pa, about 600 miles round trip. The down side, it does have appetite for gas, and needs to be at least 93 Octane.
JOHN 3:16 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Halifax County, Virginia Charter Member since March 2005
 
Posted by Tudorford  -  06/20/2007 09:09 AM
Blown engines look great but 5mpg sucks. I love 3 2's or a 6 pack of 97's but tuning them has always been a nightmare for me. It's hard to beat a single 4 barrel, simple to tune and work on and lasts for years.
Tudorford [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] -, Mississippi
 
Posted by Alf  -  06/20/2007 10:16 AM
My '34 Ford has a 289 cu in Ford engine with a small blower and a single carb. I have driven it around the country since I built it in 1993. The engine was assembled by a local engine builder who designed it with a blower in mind. It runs great. It is very mild until you punch in the boost, and then it is time to hang on. I love to hear it whine when the blower comes on. My car has A/C and Cruise control, it makes a great road car. I guess my point is, if the engine package is properly designed it can be a little wild and still be dependable.

On another note, I feel for you Streetrodder007. I also build cars for other people. Lately I have started wondering why I continue to do it. I am supposed to be retired. But after thinking about it I realize that it is something I need to make me feel good. I don't golf, or fish, I don't like to travel all that much (other than drive my old cars). And most of my customers end up being my friends. I really don't know what I would do if I didn't build cars. My solution was to cut back my shop hours to 3 days a week for the summer. I am also starting another car (a 1946 Ford) for myself. I think this will give me a little breathing room and I expect when next winter comes I will be ready to "get back to it".
Lanny Netz [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Grass Valley, California
 
Posted by orphans2  -  06/20/2007 03:48 PM
My 34 has a high output sbc (350 hp) and a single 4 bl, and while I start to drool a little when I see one of the new Edelbrock shiny 2x4 setup's I have to stop and think about my Olds with the 3x2's and the problems that can be associated with multiple carbs. I do like the Moon injected 3x2's but at $3600 it's a bit pricey.

Jack - Did you go to Gettysburg for the KKOA cruise-in????? I had wanted to go,but couldn't get away. Only live about 30 miles from Gettysburg.
orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001
 
Posted by moparjack44  -  06/20/2007 11:53 AM
orphans2, Yes. I normally don't venture into yankee land, but I liked Gettysburg. People were very friendly, prices (except gas) were reasonable. Seems like other than tourisum, it's a blue collar town. We had a really good time. I liked the area, and again everyone we met was very nice. Probably will go back next year. Hope you can make it. I love your 34.


Jack
JOHN 3:16 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Halifax County, Virginia Charter Member since March 2005
 
Posted by orphans2  -  06/20/2007 04:33 PM
Jack - Thanks for the compliment on ther 34, but I suspect you may like it a little less when you learn that it has a sbc under the hood. Alas, I can say "didn't build it, it was like that when I got it". Would love to make it a genuine Mopar but will have to wait a while before making that commitment. Would love to replace it with a 354 or a 392, but they are getting hard to come by. Maybe a freshened 340 or 360 would do. Can't go all Mopar as I would have to rip out the Vette rear, although there are times when I wish that would happen, too.


BTW your Desoto should be one very fine cruiser. The first streetrod that I was thinking about getting was a 1940 Chrysler with a 360. That was one nice cruiser, plenty of room and comfort for cruising. The car was price right, but before I could close the deal the guy traded it for a beat 46 Ford. Afterwards we were both sorry.
orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001
 
Posted by bohlsd  -  06/20/2007 07:36 PM
First. No.3 multiple carbs (look the best, run good, if set up right decent gas mileage.)

Second. No. 1. Single carb (usually easiest to work on)

Third. No. 4 Mild blower motor (if set up right usually runs good and looks good)

Last. No 2 vintage fuel injection (generally hard to keep tuned and hard to get parts and advise on)
bohlsd [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Manchaca, Texas Charter Member since May 2005
 
Posted by JAWS  -  06/20/2007 08:03 PM
Driven by lazyness, I rank them

1

3

4

2

Although my top would be modern FI tied for first place with good ol' fashioned holley.


Eric, you're right on the cost to maintain and tempermentalness of "wild" motors.

I did love driving my blown/injected truck everyday, but there was always this overshadowing feeling of "someday this thing is gonna let go, if I keep driving it like this.".
An electrical headache can make a great car a pain [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Boise, Idaho Charter Member since August 2004
 
Posted by Streetrodder007  -  06/21/2007 07:36 AM
The last streetrod I built, prior to the 39' Ford I have right now. I ran a 377 sbc with 6 Strombergs on a high top polished crossram, ran with progessive linkage, and a 700r4 and a 9 inch ford with 3.70 gears. Everything ran great, once you get the carbs dialed in, they are no trouble. They just look intimidating, but actually very easy to work on. The down side, you lose some performance compared to a modern 4 barrel with vacuum sec. It drew alot of attention though , most people loved them.
Streetrodder007 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Port Huron, Michigan Charter Member since April 2006
 
Posted by moparjack44  -  06/22/2007 09:41 AM
orphan2, no explanation needed for the sbc. I prefer the all MoPar route, but no one can argue you probably get most bang for your buck with a sbc. I can very much relate to the cash flow situation (do you know how much cheaper a 4dr Desoto is compared to a 34 Ford coupe). I drove the DeSoto for several years with very bad paint and rough body. I guess I spent all my budget on the engine. You are right, the 354 & 392 are getting harder to come by, and not getting any cheaper. I got mine at the right time, but I had to pay $1100.00 for a bear block couple years ago

I had 360/380 crate motor in my 81 Mirada, and I loved that engine. Lotta power, great lumpy idle, and very dependable.


I still love your 34, it's different and its beautiful. Be patient, and you will be as proud of it as I am. "LOL"


Jack
JOHN 3:16 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Halifax County, Virginia Charter Member since March 2005
 
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