Hot Rods Are Hot Rod Owners Getting Soft?

Ha......Now that's funny!!

 

I hope he never changes his avatar.

 

Quoting Boatmark, " I'm only 50, so my back in the day really wasn't that far back" .... I remember saying that phrase, as well. Seems like I said it 3 weeks ago, but how did I get to 72 so fast?

 

This is just kind of ridiculous in my view, times change.
As much as I love cars and mechanical things, it's not a religion so who needs that kind of dogma!
Jeez guys, RELAX and have some fun instead of constantly judging everything and everyone for "purity"!!! The HAMB is oriented to "tradional" designs, but you can DO whatever you want. Just like guys did "in the day". LIGHTEN UP! Who cars about macho?
Does that make me...soft?

 

I'm 65. My 38 Chevy coupe: 327, T-10 4 speed, tunnel ram, original straight axel, 60's hot rod

I was at a local car show a few weeks back. the guy in the car next to me said "walking around talking to friends about, knees, heart attacks, back pain, etc...we use to talk about engines, transmissions, 1/4 mile times". We're getting older. That being said I will NEVER put an automatic transmission, A-arms front suspension, radio, air conditioner, in my 38 Chevy coupe.

Gasser's forever!

 

Well let me chime in on this. For the most part many of the new generation "Hot Rods' are built by professionals and drivin in and out of trailers to the show. I am 66 years old my Hot Rod is buggy sprung, radial tired with disk brakes. It does not have AC or shinny paint. It does have an automatic that is built and will turn the tires in 2nd and 3rd. It also has a 2500 stall speed converter.It also has a radio which is hard to hear over the gear drive. I drive the hell out of it!!! I just completed a 4400 mile trip and I would go tomorrow if anyone asked!! I like real Hot Rods or cars that are built by owners. Trailered cars are nice to look at but just don't seem real to me because they haven't been rained on or covered with bugs!!! But please do not get me wrong I do understand that as we get older the need for creature comforts becomes more necessary than when we were young. I'm just not one of them. Build your car your way and enjoy it. But if it comes out of a trailer it is not my cup of tea no matter how nice it is!!!

 

I'm 65. I got up this morning feeling like a thousand miles of bad road. Still, driving the ten miles to work in my manual steered, manual tranny, manual braked hot rod farm truck without radio, a/c, heater or seat belts put a smile on my face like it does every day. It's not for everyone.

Some of my friends have street rods and customs with all the comforts. Their cars also put a smile on my face when I see them.

 

OP said, "Somewhere along the line, the majority of hot rods have become rolling works of art that are only affordable by those in the upper income brackets and as luxurious as many modern cars."

Sounds like this is less about what equipment is on a car and more about envy of those in the "upper income brackets."

I build my cars the way I like them, and I don't care what other people think about them. I also don't care what other people do with their cars. It's none of my business.

My '56 Nomad has logged over 300,000 miles since I have owned it (almost 24 years). It came from the factory with power steering (does that make me soft?) but the pump blew to pieces about 16 years ago on a road trip to St. Louis and so now it is harder to steer than a car with manual steering (does that make me a "real" hot rodder?)

 

I think you over estimate the number of cars that are "pro built", unless you count having a professional paint it as "pro built". I attend several meets a year, including the NSRA Nats....you know the one with all those 'Street Rods'....and often cruise the motels. The number of trailers vs the number of Rods is waaaay in favor of 'driven to the show'. Now, I admit I live in the Midwest, maybe it differs on the Coast(s).

And, I have trailered cars to shows on occasion, but they were not show cars, merely thought the risk of a problem with that particular car over a long distance was a risk I did not want to take.

Ray

 

Man, this thread has it all. Multigenerational philosophisin', four speeds, finger pointing, Oprah, Viagra, and kitten pictures. What more could you ask for? I'd ask for the kids to quit being sick so I could go out in the garage and beat something with a hammer. Carry on.

 

Fun to read a few of the ideas,some are like most things by your own exposure. Timing is by far a lot of what I see in the posts. When I cut back on modal cars and started building real hotrods in the late 1950's,I thought OHV V8 was the only thing to have,nice stance too,but it was very very importen to have it look as good as it ran{shiny] plus to be nice enough for the girls to want to ride in=was way cooler to be riding a chick around with ya . So my rods had shiny n upholstery. Most did in our club,but there were a few unfinished for a short time with primer an old chair pad. Those guys got help from others in our club to finish up there rods,we were kind of a team,I still think its what makes a good club. I am sadden at how many that think primer was in anyway a finish or some old blanket was finiel interor,an even sorryer that they think it could look cool.
Sure there are even over done rods out there now,just like we now have rat crap cars. I just walk by those.

 

Interesting thread---lots of viewpoints. I would wager if you asked four different guys the same age, say 70, but from different parts of the country what was traditional in, say, 1959, you'd get four different answers. That's why we have East Coast and Left Coast, for example. What is the reason for all the attitude/arguments, guys. It's about the CARS--we need to not take it so personally. Just because it's not YOUR idea of "traditional", it's not an affront. JMHO.

 

Can we compromise here?
My knees and shoulder hurt all the time.How about I wear scratchy woolen underwear and tight shoes so I can still have my Auto trans and power stuff? Is that manly enough?
(Joke, for those with no sense of humor! Jeeeez)

 

No need for any butthurt going on in here

 

My Dad died with his boots on and my Mom past 18 months later but both loved getting rides in my Roadsters but they relied on the comforts of their new car.

 

I don't really think I can add anything to this subject, that hasn't been touched on already. I enjoy this forum. I admire and respect the "traditional" builds, and the parts used to build them. That being said, the car I'm building, will not be considered H.A.M.B. friendly. There are a great deal of parts and pieces that are not traditional. My car is being built by me in my garage,with my tools, my money, and my taste and ideas. When it's finished, I'll be the one driving it. I think these are the most important "traditional" aspects to the build. When it's finished I hope there are other rodders and builders who can appreciate it. But if not, the smile will still be on my face when I'm cruising down the road. The reason most of us build our own ride is to have it the way we want it. If you get caught up in a bunch of rules to build your car by, what's the point? Might as well just go on down to the dealership and pick up your cookie-cutter box on wheels.

 

Just put the Zipper on the lift for some updates on the wiring, tires and brakes. Interestingly enough, I find that I'm driving my hot rods even more as I get older (73). Interesting comments, but totally immaterial as I build by cars for me and if I chose creature comforts, that's my choice.

 

Maybe not a religion, but to many of us it borders on a 'religious experience'. Much like theological pursuits, traditionally-focused hot rodding/customizing has deep epsitemological concerns. We want to know, study, recreate, and recover lost/obsolete/forgotten methods, knowledge, and techniques in hopes of preserving the automotive icons of our fathers and grandfather's era. IMO, it's a worthy and fulfilling quest.

I realize not everyone shares the same level of interest, and yeah - everyone is free to build what they want...but the HAMB is focused on "spreading the gospel" of traditional hot rods and customs (built in a style representative of 1965 and earlier). There's the criteria - the cars are our scriptures - that's our dogma. It's not for everybody.

That's what makes threads like these problematic - they incite emotional responses/justifications for building what you want. Honestly, who cares? The standards and guidelines for this message board have long been established...if it's on-topic, post it - if not, don't. It's not about telling people how to build their cars, it's about staying focused on why we're here.

Build what you want, post about it if it's applicable. Fellas, this ain't the place to prove your manliness or solicit others to validate your bad-assery...

Carry on.