Stan's Customs
Well-known member
Greetings all...
We are getting back to our '61 Basket Roller this spring. After lifting the body and examining the frame, it has been back halved in it's life time. It has a notch cut out where the shifter fits...clearance I suppose. One of the x braces is bent a little and the rear shock bar is home made ( flat bar). The front suspension appears to be pretty much undisturbed.....but needs rebuilding.
In spite of all that, the measurements for the body mounts are dead on and the body fits well on the frame.
The steeering box has a gear problem...like a tooth missing internally. The car has no numbers matching anything, though it came with 283, wide ratio muncie, Edlebrock 2x4 carbs and after market intake and a stock non-posi differential.
The original aluminum radiator was sitting in the frame...why i don't know, it has a couple dozen visible small holes. There is no drive shaft, exhaust, brake lines, and the right front inner fender well has been replaced improperly and will have to be redone. Most of the interior trim and exterior chrome, bumpers etc. is there.(cracked windshield and missing top) but really a pretty decent appearing black car to give it some credit....at least at a glance
When you do the math on trying to bring it up to original and nice ...well then it's decision time. I could buy one close to original cheaper and refurb it...if money was no object...he he.. like that is real life. If that was the case I would have been at Barrett Jackson this year ...There was one or two there I'd probably have been happy with...
Soo...I'd like to know what the forum thinks about some of the after market front suspension kits...which ones are a consideration or not, and if they drive enough better than stock to warrant the expense. I know a couple of builders that like the original stuff pretty well ...if done right, and believe that for cruisin' they are adequate.
I guess what I'm really trying to formulate is a build plan......I wake up every morning with a new one. Even though this is about suspension initially...other comments are welcome. The entire drive line is in question at this point... The only thing I know for sure is that it will be black with silver coves and a red gut...and appear somewhat original...again, at first glance.
Thanks...Stan M.
We are getting back to our '61 Basket Roller this spring. After lifting the body and examining the frame, it has been back halved in it's life time. It has a notch cut out where the shifter fits...clearance I suppose. One of the x braces is bent a little and the rear shock bar is home made ( flat bar). The front suspension appears to be pretty much undisturbed.....but needs rebuilding.
In spite of all that, the measurements for the body mounts are dead on and the body fits well on the frame.
The steeering box has a gear problem...like a tooth missing internally. The car has no numbers matching anything, though it came with 283, wide ratio muncie, Edlebrock 2x4 carbs and after market intake and a stock non-posi differential.
The original aluminum radiator was sitting in the frame...why i don't know, it has a couple dozen visible small holes. There is no drive shaft, exhaust, brake lines, and the right front inner fender well has been replaced improperly and will have to be redone. Most of the interior trim and exterior chrome, bumpers etc. is there.(cracked windshield and missing top) but really a pretty decent appearing black car to give it some credit....at least at a glance
When you do the math on trying to bring it up to original and nice ...well then it's decision time. I could buy one close to original cheaper and refurb it...if money was no object...he he.. like that is real life. If that was the case I would have been at Barrett Jackson this year ...There was one or two there I'd probably have been happy with...
Soo...I'd like to know what the forum thinks about some of the after market front suspension kits...which ones are a consideration or not, and if they drive enough better than stock to warrant the expense. I know a couple of builders that like the original stuff pretty well ...if done right, and believe that for cruisin' they are adequate.
I guess what I'm really trying to formulate is a build plan......I wake up every morning with a new one. Even though this is about suspension initially...other comments are welcome. The entire drive line is in question at this point... The only thing I know for sure is that it will be black with silver coves and a red gut...and appear somewhat original...again, at first glance.
Thanks...Stan M.