Austin Devon hot rods "before" and "after" builds

I'm a fan of Austin Devon hot rods.  Well, I'm a fan of pretty much any traditional British tin which is transformed into a hot rod.  But the Devon is a favourite of mine.  I was interested to see two very different but similar examples pop up on eBay pretty much simultaneously.

The first car is a done deal.  Its shiny and its magazine featured and its ready to roll.  Underneath that pedestrian post war sheet metal and the raspberry custom paint you get a mix of traditional English rodding and American.  The running gear is Vauxhall Magnum IFS and Capri rear axle but the motor is a warmed up 355 Chevy small block.

I think from the ad on ebay that its a fairly recent build although those "Pro Modular" wheels and such give a strong 90s feel to the build.  I always liked those rims but right now I'd be rolling this one on slot mags.

I think I'd be tempted to radius those rear arches as well, but colour matching the paint job would be a nightmare.

For £14,999 asking price you are getting a nicely finished leather & shiny paint V8 hot rod, or should I say "street rod".  There are those of us on more modest budgets.

Thats where Austin Devon #2 comes in.

Built as a rod in the 1980s the seller claims, and certainly the evidence in the photos suggests this could well be the case, we have a Devon as a project.  And one needing some effort to complete.  But there are two things to factor in here and the first is the price.  Its on eBay for £750 or best offer which leaves you £14,249 to finish it if you are on the £15K budget as above...

There is another very interesting point at issue though which is that if this car really was rodded in the 1980s then so long as you keep to the YSR IFS, Jaguar IRS and the box chassis then you are legal under the BIVA/IVA or SVA regulations to run this rod without additional inspection, regulation compliance and the Q plate registration...

You even get a V8 with it for your £750 or nearest.  I can't help thinking this is a no-brainer buy.  The body wants some tidying, the mechanical stuff wants refreshing, those wire wheels need some chrome and it will need trimming out but its not rocket science to do.  You'll have a neat traditional Brit Rod which is fully legal.

My  take would be a nice deep gloss black with flake-tipped flames, retain the cruiser wires, trim it out in red tuck n roll vinyl and you are there.

It would make a great father's day gift.  Hint hint.