RE: Old Smokey F1: Time for Tea
Monday 18th September 2017
The rat rodding scene is one of America's most unique car crazes, with no shortage of 'gear heads' eager to render their classic car vision in faded paint and rusty iron. Despite their budget appearance though rat rods often hide tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars worth of extreme performance parts beneath their seemingly dilapidated bodies. Some, of course, are more extreme than others - step forward Chuckles Garage and its 1949 Ford F1.
Old Smokey F1: Time For Tea?
What to do with a $225 truck? Give it over 1,000hp of course!
What started life as a $225 Craigslist purchase has now benefited from somewhere near $300,000 worth - yes, you read that right - of work. With the help of a 5.9-litre Cummins diesel and compound turbos, it makes over 1,200hp at the wheels. Those massive turbochargers work together to maximise boost - the 'small' 80mm unit working as normal, taking gases from the exhaust, before feeding the larger 94mm turbo. That larger unit aids the smaller one by feeding back 40psi of boost, making a total of 100psi at the plenum chamber. Oh and it is fitted with nitrous, just in case an extra 350hp boost is needed.
Scott Birdsall, owner of Chuckles, still isn't sure whether it's a drift truck, a rat rod or a racer after pouring over 3,000 hours into the project. His end goal is clear though; to be the first truck to hit 200mph in a measured mile. Watch The House of Muscle episode here and get a little more in-depth info on the build.
[Photo: Chuckles Garage via Facebook]
Discussion
paulw123 said:
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. In my opinion it's pointless, looks dreadful and is worth a fraction of what he's put into it. That said if we all did the same thing the world would be a boring place!
It would indeed be a boring place but you have a point.Is this 300 000 dollars in parts alone or for the whole project including what he's paid his employees. Has the work he's put into it led developments in other areas or is it all a standalone money put. Ultimately, if it burnt down, the cost to him to make another one would interest me.
A thirty second eBay check suggests a big old set of brembo six pots up front can be around 8k, that's not factoring rears or the actual mechanism itself so I can see how this sort of build spirals out of control if you go online and click "buy now" on all the best stuff.
Now if this wasn't lowered and could be used off road like trucks are meant to, I'd think it was cooler, and if it wasn't so hideously expensive I'd think it was awesome.
IMO a rat rod truck should have an engine stolen from an 18 wheeler and four turbos off a ww2 era mustang and be cheap enough to consider using it for a ram raid.
However all that aside, it would be an absolute giggle to drive and I imagine was a pleasure to build.
matthias73 said:
paulw123 said:
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. In my opinion it's pointless, looks dreadful and is worth a fraction of what he's put into it. That said if we all did the same thing the world would be a boring place!
It would indeed be a boring place but you have a point.Is this 300 000 dollars in parts alone or for the whole project including what he's paid his employees. Has the work he's put into it led developments in other areas or is it all a standalone money put. Ultimately, if it burnt down, the cost to him to make another one would interest me.
A thirty second eBay check suggests a big old set of brembo six pots up front can be around 8k, that's not factoring rears or the actual mechanism itself so I can see how this sort of build spirals out of control if you go online and click "buy now" on all the best stuff.
Now if this wasn't lowered and could be used off road like trucks are meant to, I'd think it was cooler, and if it wasn't so hideously expensive I'd think it was awesome.
IMO a rat rod truck should have an engine stolen from an 18 wheeler and four turbos off a ww2 era mustang and be cheap enough to consider using it for a ram raid.
However all that aside, it would be an absolute giggle to drive and I imagine was a pleasure to build.
http://www.speedhunters.com/2017/02/old-smokey-f1/
Furthermore, there are many many rat rod / truck / things in the US and in the UK that cater for many different styles and tastes. Some might consider the money spent in this scene to be 'pointless' or needlessly extravagant, but lots of these folks own businesses that thrive as a result of making show pieces such as this one - just look at SEMA coverage to figure out big money spent can often mean big money earned. Not to mention sponsorships and the like paying for parts and time in some cases.
I for one adore builds like this (even if it is diesel powered) - an otherwise derelict and unused 'Murican truck body getting a second and more crazy shot at life is a wondrous thing.
paulw123 said:
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. In my opinion it's pointless, looks dreadful and is worth a fraction of what he's put into it. That said if we all did the same thing the world would be a boring place!
Well, I say thank God for people like him! The world would indeed be boring, and covered in Kia's.
te'? I guess there are a lot of ways of looking at it.
If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
big_rob_sydney said:
I guess there are a lot of ways of looking at it.
If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
I find this logic flawed - purely on the basis that many people already do use $300k to go for the 'alternatives' to a old US supertruck, or fill a hangar with multiple toys for the price of this build. What you claim is this builder could have done the same, thus depriving the world of these eccentric and semi-pointless but universally bonkers creations. It's clearly not built as a standalone vehicle for anyone's personal wants or needs so that point is mute.If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
Not trying to be a dick, just pointing out relative facts.
Resolutionary said:
big_rob_sydney said:
I guess there are a lot of ways of looking at it.
If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
I find this logic flawed - purely on the basis that many people already do use $300k to go for the 'alternatives' to a old US supertruck, or fill a hangar with multiple toys for the price of this build. What you claim is this builder could have done the same, thus depriving the world of these eccentric and semi-pointless but universally bonkers creations. It's clearly not built as a standalone vehicle for anyone's personal wants or needs so that point is mute.If its a business investment and you get a good return on your investment, then it absolutely makes sense, and the business owner should probably do this as many times as they can. Not only that, but whilst making the money, I imagine they would also get a personal sense of satisfaction, and that's a hard combination to beat.
In saying that, if it were *me*, who, as a private consumer, were to consider this as a standalone vehicle for my personal wants or needs, I'd have to pass.
Why? Because $300k buys you a lot of alternatives. From the 200 mph club cars like a few BMW M-cars, and a de-restricted Phaeton (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=364421&i=120), to the various exotics, including a few motorcycles, and possibly even a Bell helicopter, I could probably put a good 5 to 10 vehicles in a hangar for that money, and still have change to invest in hookers and blow.
Not trying to be a dick, just pointing out relative facts.
By the way, it's moot, not mute.
Love it - as I love some of the more insane iterations of rat rods and so on I see at dragstrips . Current bonkers favourite is a LWB Land Rover with a humungous Cummins shoehorned in and an exhaust stack like a factory chimney . Business investment - get out of here ! It's for fun , a commodity often lacking in the areas of motor sport I normally frequent . Damn sight more tasteful than some hypercars I could mention....
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