Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50261 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780760335321
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover
You're building a hot rod. The first step is the chassis. If it's not right, the car won't handle well. If it's really not right, the car might destroy itself. Next is the body. This is what everyone sees first, and it's what makes a hot rod a hot rod. Veteran builder and writer Dennis Parks walks you through the whole process, whether you're modifying a '32 Ford or building a chassis from scratch, finding and using existing body panels or choosing New Old Stock panels from the aftermarket. The Hot Rod Body and Chassis Builder's Guide offers foolproof advice for building the hot rod of your dreams.

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Foreword So, you want to build a hot rod . . . You might ask, "How do I start this process?" Well, the answer is in your hands right now. This book will provide critical information for planning and executing the project. The book starts with explanations of the tools and equipment needed. It will give you information on the different styles and types of suspensions and valuable technical information about how to set these up correctly. It then continues on through the build process, with many detailed tips and explanations. As you work on your project, you can use this book as a resource for technical information and to look at various options and alternatives as you proceed. The beginning of any project is important. If a carpenter starts a house out of level or out of square, nothing he does after that will ever be correct. A lot of work will be done to try to correct the original error and it will never end as it should. This is also true for hot rods. Make every effort to prepare yourself before you begin, and to make each step right before you continue. When I worked as an industrial arts teacher, my advice to students was that "proper prior planning prevents poor performance." Think ahead, look at the options you have and go with the best choice that meets your objectives. Gather together as much information as possible on the individual parts of the build. Have an overall plan for the project and additional plans for each individual phase. You won't build the car all at once, but in steps. Your overall plan keeps your end goal in focus and your individual plans keep the project moving forward, one accomplishment at a time. First, look at what your objectives are for the car you are building. How it should look, the ride height, ride quality, and the handling are just some items to consider. Much of the time it is a tradeoff, as you have to sacrifice something to get something else. The important part is to think and plan ahead of time. Choosing an overall look and feel, and components that work with that ideal, will save you a lot of time and money. Often, as a build goes on, you have to make adjustments to your original plan. If you start with a good plan, it will make it easier to make these changes, and you may have already thought of the other options you have. The frame and the suspension begin to set the theme of the car you are building, and you want to continue that theme throughout the build. So, use this book to plan the build of your hot rod. Think ahead, and if you do need to change or modify your plan, you can use the information in this book to steer you in the right direction. The technical information contained here can be an invaluable bonus. John Kimbrough

Introduction My previous book, The Complete Guide to Auto Body Repair, dealt with the sometimes necessary skills required to repair body damage. Most of the skills and techniques that were discussed in that book address standard repair issues that are typically encountered with your ordinary daily driver. There is some creativity in how you repair something, and certainly taking a beautiful car that has been crunched and restoring its original lines is satisfying. . . . Yet repair work isn't really the stuff of dreams. Hot rod building is! Hot Rod Body & Chassis Builder's Guide should stir some excitement and creativity in your mind. Once you learn the various methods of fabrication and how to work with more advanced tools, your hot rod projects will be limited only by your imagination. In this book, Chapter 1 discusses the various tools that are typically found in any competent hot rod fabrication shop. Bear in mind that you do not have to own all of these tools to build a cool hot rod, but having the correct tools for the job and knowing how to use them properly will always make the task at hand easier. Chapter 2 concentrates on chassis work, whether you are resurrecting an original chassis for use beneath a high-horsepower hot rod or starting from scratch with a pair of bare frame rails. Taking a production body down to a decent starting point is the goal of Chapter 3, where body repair is discussed. No matter how pristine that new project may be, the body most likely needs some repair, be it rust removal, a small patch panel, new floors or firewall, or just a few (or several) holes filled. Chapter 4 discusses reproduction bodies and some of the things that you need to know, whether the body is fiberglass or steel. By the time you spend the coin required to bring home a reproduction body, you should make sure that you know all there is to know about making that body last. Chapter 5 is where the fabrication really begins and things get quite exciting. Not that the rest of the book is anything to sneeze at, but this chapter should get your creative juices flowing. Chapter 6 discusses the various tasks that are required prior to applying the perfect finish to your newly created work of art. Chapter 7 provides some visual ideas and discussion of various paint schemes, along with how to implement them on your hot rod. These last two chapters also show yours truly actually doing some work on my track T, practicing what I'm preaching here. If I can do it, you can! I hope you enjoy this book, and thank you for buying a copy.

Customer Reviews

Very comprehensive foundation to building a hot rod
I just finished reading Hot Rod Body and Chassis Builder's Guide. This latest hot rod book from Motorbooks has raised the bar yet again. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, this book is a must have for your hot rod building library. This book offers plenty of practical advice for choosing an appropriate suspension system for the look and ride that you want from your hot rod. It also gives sound advice for resurrecting a vintage chassis or body. Simply a must have for your library.