Posted by Jason on Monday, June 06, 2005 at 8:35PM :
In Reply to: Re: Looking for PW Doors! 40's - 50's era posted by Russ/Wyo on Friday, June 03, 2005 at 6:26PM :
THANKS for that little bit of info!!!!
You see here's the deal.....
I am a substitute teacher at my local votec and being so I have had the pleasure to work with some damn good kids in various programs. I had talked to the Auto Tech instructor with whom I was able to become very good friends witht his past year. I had the idea to build a rat rod that I had been wanting to build and I thought a great idea would be to bring it up with the kids and see if anyone had the interest to build one there at the tech school. We would be building "my" rat rod, but it would also be there ride, something they could get there hands into and say THEY had a hand in building!
Unfortunatley, the Auto Tech instructor is being "bumped" so that another instructor from the aviation program which recently folded will be able to "retain" his job and thus take over the auto tech program. This of course had frankly pissed us all off as the current instructor has been able to take failing students and mold them into bright young men achieving good grades and getting scholorships of $20,000 dollars! Of course this somehow doesn't seem to really phase the school board?? Politics,..ain't it beautiful!!??
Anyway, this has put a kink in the plans but after having shared the idea with several other instructors (welding, machining, etc.) and a few of the Auto Tech kids, I still want to see if the possibility is worth taking the risk to give these kids a kick ass project to claim as their own. And in the end we both make out,..they and myself build a rat rod jalopy and they have another achievement under their belt to take with them for a lifetime!
I ahve been successful and truely blessed to have been able to secure a Doge power wagon shell of a cab that is pretty solid except for a minor amount of bondo and a rediculous1/4" thick "diamond plate" floor someone had the bright idea to weld in that needs to go! I also should be picking up a 1940 merc flathead engine with 3 speed tranny and possibly its front and rear end for a mere $250 bucks! I also scored a decent and solid Model "A" for coupe frame with most of its suspension and a few extras (sadly no body or model T truck cabs with that one!!) that I think I just might use for this project for only $50 bucks!!! I just need the services of a good sandblaster, a set of good solid doors for this cab along with glass and we'll have almost everyting we need.
So, sorry for bending your ears but I thought I'd share with you guys our little plan,.....we'll see what happens!
take care and God bless.
Jason