OMG WTF HAPPEND HERE!!!!

[1320stang]

Well, to an extent, I think you can weed some out. The guy that is totally serious when he says Fords rule and everthing else sucks is not a ture car guy in my book. I think a true car guy appreciates other brands and other styles. A guy that only like the original cars, I don't care if he changes his own oil, and hates all modifications, not a true car guy. Same for the opposite. I dunno, I'm a detail guy, I really appreciate what goes into a car, be it a restoration or a highly modified piece. While I see why a guy might go out and buy a Honda, then order a bunch of parts out of a catalog, have them painted to match and put them on his car (been there in the original mini-truck craze), it can be done tastefully or it can be over the top. While that seems to parallel Preston's ride, you can't just go out and buy the parts to do what he required. I think there is one company that makes such pieces and I don't think they were intended for as low as his car is, or as fat of tires that are on his car. You might think of it as taking your sister to the dance contest at the prom, but if you win, you got it done. Yeah, you still have to take the ribbing from school, but you did win. It all is where your priorities lie. If the DeLays, Boyd or Foose did Preston's car, we'd all deem it as a failure due to the leve of fit and finish we're used to seeing out of them. But (and I'm saying it again) it's with what he had to work with and his experience that we're mainly basing how we judge his work here.

Here's another awesome example of a garage built project with little prior experience, but the difference is, this guy has a lot of coin AND he was copying an existing car.

http://members.aol.com/COUPECHUCK/

 

[180 Out]

My statement about "true car guys" is probably ambiguous. What I mean is that anyone who looks at Preston's car, and assuming it started life as e.g. a vinyl topped T code, and who would say they would like it better if it had been restored to showroom stock, is not a true car guy. He's a historian or a curator or a stamp collector or something else, but he's not really into cars.

That doesn't mean there's anything unworthy about a showroom stock T-code with a vinyl top. I understand exactly what Stanger'66 is talking about, that feeling of a restored car as an artifact of a time gone by. I grew up in the '60's (I turned 16 in Feb '70), so the '60's cars have that added time machine quality for me. But I go to local concours d'elegance events and the Monterey Historics and the various vintage races at Sears Point, too, and you get that same vibe peeking in the passenger compartment of a '30's Packard or Rolls Royce, or looking under the hood of a Bugatti Type 57 or a gull wing Mercedes, or looking head-on at a massive Duesenberg dual cowl phaeton. You can almost hear the champagne glasses tinkling and the rush of air as 6000 pounds of steel fly down the road at 100 mph.

Any car that's loved by its owner deserves respect. Any owner whose care and time and money you can see reflected in his car deserves respect. He is a true car guy, regardless if the car is a nut and bolt resto of a T-code '67 coupe or a 700 hp home built track car like Preston's. If you just go by the rule, it's your car, do what you want with it, you won't go wrong too often.

 

[Stanger'66]

First off, thank you MustangMatt for your compliment.

Any car that's loved by its owner deserves respect. Any owner whose care and time and money you can see reflected in his car deserves respect. He is a true car guy, regardless if the car is a nut and bolt resto of a T-code '67 coupe or a 700 hp home built track car like Preston's. If you just go by the rule, it's your car, do what you want with it, you won't go wrong too often.

I completely agree and apologize for my earlier rant. I know in the back of my head that someone who is truly intelligent does not judge others because there are so many factors into why someone did something(or built a certain car) that I may not be able to appreciate without being in their shoes.

1320, I still think that you can be a true car guy without building your whole car from the ground up. Can't sheer appreciation be enough? I do not fall into that category but I have seen many people who seriously LOVE cars but do not build the cars themselves. These people enjoy other aspects of the hobby such as showing, driving, or maybe just staring at their car in the garage. I feel as though you are contradicting yourself when limiting the spectrum of a true car guy to builders/fabricators when the hobby has many more aspects. You saying that only builders/fabricators can be "true" car guys is like when I was saying that only stock/slightly modified cars were art. Do not narrow your view just because that is what you do or like. That is what I have learned from this thread. What a learning experience...Food for thought, thats for sure!

 

[1320stang]

Read it again grasshopper, I NEVER inplyed that you had to build a car to be a true car guy, heck lots of car guys BUY their rides and PAY someone else to work on them for them. What I am speaking of is BROAD appreciation. I know you've GOT to have an idea of how much time and effort Preston had into just building the flares he has, and I'm not even mentioning the amount of time he spent deciding on how he wanted to achieve it. He probably came up with a few solutions he knew he could handle and likely some that he knew were beyond his abilities and went with the best solution. (BTW, did you check out the link in my last post? I think you'd like it)

And it sounds like you're the pot calling the kettle black. Were I to purchase or be given Preston's car would I change the flares? Heck yes!!! What would I do different? I have no earthly idea, as you can see, it's hard to come up with a solution that looks 'right'. It's quite possible that given the car's body style, there is no good solution keeping the suspension, ride height and tire size. You could put a narrower tire on it and come up with a better flowing flare, but it probably wouldn't perform as well, speaking of......

A good friend of mine owns a race car chassis shop. He once was talking about street/strip cars and how there is no such thing as a great one. A street/strip car is a compromise to each environment. To achieve balance, you'll just be able to do 'okay' in either venue. If you make it perform better on the strip, it's ride and running abilities on the street will suffer. If you make it perform better on the street, it won't hook as well or run as good of number as it could. Yes, you can make changes going to and leaving the track such as tires, pulling out weight, changing the tune, etc. but still, it's better to have a dedicated car for said purpose. The guy has been in business 20 years and his shop is ALWAYS booked. He builds cars from all over the country, mostly late model Mustangs for FFW, NMRA, etc. I trust his word.

 

[Stanger'66]

Oops, thats what happens when you skim. Somehow I thought you were saying that you had to fabricate or build to be a car guy. Yes you are right about appreciating all aspects of the hobby. I don't think, however, that you have LIKE all aspects of the hobby. I think that someone can enjoy their own niche in the hobby and still be a "true" car guy without liking or loving the other aspects of the hobby(i.e. racing). He does however have to appreciate and respect the other niches just as the racers should appreciate and respect his niche. I think this is what you were getting at, hopefully I did not misinterpret again. Back on Prestons car, I definitely have some ideas for his flares if it was mine, but its not and he never asked for my help. As for the posted website, I glanced at it and it looks very interesting.

 

[Max Power]

Stanger, I just want to add, I appreciate the fact that you are 17 and don't type like you are text messaging. I'm serious, that crap drives me nuts.

 

[1320stang]

ditto to what Max said.

 

[Stanger'66]

Stanger, I just want to add, I appreciate the fact that you are 17 and don't type like you are text messaging. I'm serious, that crap drives me nuts.

ditto to what Max said.

Thanks. Maybe that is due to the fact that I can't text message!? I don't have a cell phone because I would rather spend the $40 per month on flexible board sanders, nice body hammers, and welding gas. Oh, and the $200 that my friends spend on i-pods is going to get spent on a new Makita 9227C buffer/grinder/polisher with variable speed from 0-3,000 rpm. Oh, and while we're on the subject of tools, what kind of tool boxes/chests do you guys have? I have the 3 chest upright HD combo by Clarke. I got it for my sixteenth birthday. I was looking for a good roller-bearing box and the Craftsman seemed flimsy, any of you guys notice that Craftsman's chests seem to be getting cheaper quality each year? Anyway, the Clarke HD is as smooth as silk, has no play in the drawers, seems to have heavier metal, and costs alot less! I don't really need the roller bearings in the top drawers since they are just light things like screwdrivers, hex keys, and pliers, but they work out nice in the bottom drawers with my heavy air tools, drills, body hammers, and socket sets. I guess I am trying to say that this box is a good bargain for 3 roller bearing chests at about $400(I think). I think I got a little carried away...

 

[1320stang]

I've got an old Craftsman base cabinet that didn't have roller bearing glides or wheels for that matter. My dad gave it to me, they had pulled it out of a work truck at the company he worked for and were tossing it. I bolted some casters on the bottom and I'm using it now. I like the blue Cobalt units they sell at Lowe's.

 

[Stanger'66]

If you have an older Craftsman then it is probably a pretty nice unit. The older models had better drawers with less play and smoother operation. Now you almost have to get roller bearings for a decent glide because they make them so cheaply. I still say you can't beat the hand tools though. I always use my tools incorrectly and they still replace them(i.e. cheater bars on rachets). Also, I figured since you're into metal work I figured you could appreciate this. I am going to pick up an SS shrinking disk so I can finally fix all of those oil can issues in the '66. This should cut my filler thickness down to almost nothing. I had two huge dents in the door that I worked out fairly well(surprised the non-believers) and I wonder if I could perfect them with the shrinking disk, and zero filler. That may take me one step closer to being as good as Ron Covell...

 

[RogerC62]

I haven't been on here in a while so I've missed a lot. I don't particularly like the wheel flares but as far as I'm concerned, it's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I saved a lot of pictures of it and refer to them to see how Preston did things as I finish planning my car out. Mine is totally different but his is a good reference to get ideas from.

 

[bnickel]

thought this might be interesting, i found a thread over at C-C.com where someone was bashing Preston's car pretty much to his face, and Preston was generally pretty cool to the guy until the last sentence.


http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26084&page=1&pp=40&highlight=Preston's+car+sucks


this should be required reading for anyone who thinks Prestons car is anything but badass.

 

[hhead]

maybe a different color would change your outlook. Maybe a flat blue with black flares and lower rockers.I would get rid of the lower rocker molding. they look out of place and throw off the custom theme. but hey, to each his own!

 

[65ShelbyClone]

thought this might be interesting, i found a thread over at C-C.com

You know, that front profile shot really makes the car look better.

On a side note......holy crap, Preston's car it turbocharged?!

 

[TOM B]

I like it exept for the box flares, I think if he would have rounded them it would look great, and not look like a ricer.

 

[bnickel]

it's twin turbo charged.

Tom B what about that car looks Rice to you? i see absolutely nothing ricer on that car in anyway. the squared off flares say nothing but german touring car racer to me.