1931 DeSoto

MemberRide-9

Rat Rod Pickup

Bill Flocchini

I guess I would describe myself as a biker first, as there were few moments throughout my life I can recall not owning a Harley. But as the years went by I always had a fascination with hot rods. While attending a hot rod show with my brother-in-law, I saw a cool looking Rat Rod cruise by and remarked that it would be cool to own one of those someday. He turned to me and said, “Why wait, let’s build one”. He had the body shell of a four-door sedan parts car sitting out beside the barn, and claimed that and the frame would make an excellent starting point.

We sourced parts from all over, for the build, with only three real goals in mind. First was to keep it cheap, as anybody can build a car by opening their checkbook and throwing money at it, but for us the challenge was more aggressive and would rely on our resourcefulness. Second was to keep it safe, although we were dedicated to keeping costs in-check, we were equally dedicated to ensuring the car was safe to drive. And lastly, to keep it fun.

We succeeded in all respects, the completed project, cost less than $2,500. All new braking and steering components were used to help ensure a safe ride, and we had a blast building it.

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3 Responses to “1931 DeSoto”

  1. Joseph

    Pretty cool ride, and you sure did keep the costs down.

  2. mike

    2nd question.(still waiting for answer on 1st) is it street legal?(exhaust looks illegal.Why not list what drive train/motor brakes ect Maybe others would enjoy doing this if they could keep it around 3k.

  3. mike.t

    And that is the car that's pictured?