Hot Rods Goofy Comments From the General Public

I've found the same, I think it's because they grew up with them.
Quote from post 286...
What I didn't expect when I first started driving my car is how much older ladies (75 and up) really love Model As...without fail...they love em'.

 

I went to a car show and a man and his Son were looking at my Econoline pickup and he said to his son that this guy took a van and made a pickup out of it. Just kept my mouth shut.

 

You've gotta admit though, there aren't too many Muntz Roadjets around!

 

I was at a show at the Englishtown race track where I saw a tri-five Chevy, I can't remember what year it was now, four door sedan that was being converted into a two door. The owner had converted the left side of the car, but not the right. Several people were looking at the car and scratching their heads. I spoke up and said that it was indeed an original car that was sold to taxi companies. The "extra" door was only on the right so that passengers would not exit the taxi in front of on coming traffic. This got a lot of nods.

 

These are all great!

Here's one of mine..driving my Watson-style painted 61 Dodge down the road, and a guy pulls up next to me and asks about year and make...I tell him, then he informs me," it's a good thing your car is better looking, than you are"!

 

Exactly the right thing to do. That goes a long way to spread a positive image of what we are about.

 

A friend of mine bought an early 60's Valliant and painted it flat black with red wheels. He's NOT a car person, but wanted to fit in.

He took it to a car show and somebody came up to him and said, "Those things were ugly in '61, ugly in '81, ugly in '01 and they are still ugly!" My friend just turned and said, "It was my grandmother's car and she just died." LOL

You should have seen the look on the guy's face!

 

When I drive my OT Mav, I constantly get ask "what year is your chevelle?" Really?????

 

Several years ago two friends, my brother and I had our 35,36,37 and 38 Chevy Sedans on display together inside a local Mall. A little old man was shuffling along arm and arm with his equally shuffling tiny wife enjoying the car show. As he came upon our 4 cars he used the vast knowledge he had accumulated over the years to describe our cars to his lovely lady.
"Now notice how tall the windows are on this 35 and 36 Chevy" he said. "This 37 has a much smaller glass" he pointed out to her. "Then in 38 they got smarter and made the windows bigger again" he told her as they viewed my brothers car.
They really seemed to be enjoying their day looking at all the cars. His wife would look him in the eyes and smile as he explained the cars to her.
Those of us watching and listening also got a big smile and did not have the heart to tell them that my 37 was chopped.
The only thing that would have made it better for all of us is if we could have taken the couple for a ride in some of the cars. I am sure they would have got a big kick out of it.

 

Next to what year is it, that is most asked question I get. Did you cut a van up to make this?? Even old guys that were around when these were new ask that one. I even had a guy at the Run to the Sun show in Myrtle Beach start to explain to his wife and another couple where I cut it and how I moved the corners up and did this and that. I said nope! That's the way God and Henry Ford built her. Only made 52,000 of them.

I have so much fun with these little trucks. They get reactions everywhere I go. Military guys remember back when they were in the service when they see them. Some want to know where the engine is. Some ask if I'm scared to drive it. No crumple zone. LOL. I get a lot of how many MPG's it gets. People also want to know if it will do a wheelstand. I've had a lot of different vehicles over the years. None even come close to the fun this one has given me. I'm hooked.

Duane in Tennessee.

 

Last year at the round up was hanging out with one of my buddies next to his 32 3 window, some guy walking by asks him "what is that?". His reply was "its a 32 Volvo". I can just imagine next time that stranger see another 32 he's going to walk up to the owner and say "Nice Volvo". haha

 

I had my rusty, ratty 1927 Chrysler Tub (made from a 4 door sedan) at an indoor car show a while back. After looking at it for several minutes, a middle age spectator started a conversation.
Him: "Nice Hot Rod".
Me: "Thanks"'
Him: "I'm building one a lot like yours".
Me: "Oh, that's cool. What is it?".
Him: "A Fiero".
Me: speechless.....

 

Or you could change you name to 56nomad

 

I once had a guy explain to me that his T Bucket was a rare real steel body, but he layered it, inside and out, with fiberglass to preserve it and prevent it from rusting. I told him it looked good and kept walking.

 

Amen to that...Where did they get the site address???

 

I understand that completely. I have a tendency to build things that drive people away from me or at least try to. It seems that I have never really understood people who love in the main stream and I am sure that they don't understand me any better then I do them.

I had a cop stop me in my old Galaxie out on the local interstate loop here a few years back. he walked up and asked me how fast I was going so I said 65(ish) and he said, "well your speedometer is correct." I am not sure why he stopped me, but he did ask if he could look under the hood so I said sure and stumbled out and opened the hood for him. he smiled and said, "nice motor" then told me to have a safe day and got in his car and motored off.

Guess that does not count as something goofy that a someone said but it was sure strange.

Uh I got it from Ryan.

 

I was looking at a very nice but oddly colored custom Harley once and noticed a small sign on the rear fender that said "It's salmon, damnit". Guess he was tired of people calling it pink.

 

Now, this little Stove with the flatmotor is exactly the genre that turns my crank!
When I had my shop, I stuck a flattie in a derelict '54 'Vette. Tweaked many emotions
from the local Chevy bleeding hearts...

 

LOL It was pink and he just wasn't as tough as he thought he was.

I had a pink bike just before I became disabled, a pan that I bought from behind an apt building in mid town. Low miles, all gussied up (and rusty) and shocking pink, not faded red or salmon. Anyway I am off on a rabbit trail here. I stripped it down but didn't paint it. The wife and I were at a gas stop and this guy with all the stuff ( leathers, doo rag etc.) walks up and says to the missus, "is that your ol' man's motorcycle?" (I was standing right there) She says, "Yep that's his scoot." he says, "Why is it pink?" So she puffs up like a banty and says, "because he likes to fight ( big grin )" he just shuffles and says, "Oh" and walks off.

Tell you what if you are going to drive a pink car or bike you have to be one of two things be a tough SOB or have a good bluff.

 

The distinction that some of you have made between the merely "ignorant" and those who are "know-it-alls" and "opinionated" is important. We should expect almost eveyone outside the hobby, and many people inside the hobby, to be ignorant about the details of our cars. If you don't want any questions from the ignorant, then keep your car sequestered in your garage... it comes with the territory. Most of the know-it-alls and the opinionated are perfectly harmless and can be safely ignored. Choosing to engage them will often bring about a certain level of frustration. If you don't like being frustrated, don't engage. I actually don't mind it. If I prized my anonymity over my enjoyment of cars, I would drive a Toyota Corolla everywhere. But I don't.

 

Damn, Benno...Your wife thinks like mine!

 

Really? Mine won't bandage me up any more. But she does always tell me I won.

Hey on the corvette deal, I would drop a Kaiser banger in one if I had one if for no other reason than to draw attention at the local cruise.

I would sure like to get my hands on a '54 or 5, I know that it will never happen but I would sure like to have one.

 

Maybe not totally on topic, but:

I was at a car show with my Tow Mater look-a-like 1950 Ford F1. Did not have the wiper on and had the left headlight out (like Mater). The show was being put on by local sheriff's dept. A cop stands in front of "Mater" and says "You are running regular plates, but you are missing wipers and a headlight, how do you get it inspected?" I replied: "I know this guy and for $30 ...." You should have seen the look on his face. I then told him that when it got dark I put the headlight in and when it rained I put the wiper on. You have to have some fun once in a while.

 

Actually it was a sort of a goofy question, the cop knows that the inspector isn't liable for what you do to it after you get your sticker.

This is off topic I am sure as well, but the KC police dept. had a late model stock car with street tires and mufflers back in the '90s that they drove around for cop shop promotions. it had tags and an inspection sticker. I asked a cop once when he climbed out of it where he got inspected and he just smiled and pointed at what I was driving and said, same place you do.

 

When I had my '37 sedan, I pulled it up to the front door of the Little Rock Courtyard Hotel, and the concierge told me he had a car like that. His happened to be a PT Cruiser.

 

Driving my 71 GTO downtown and hit a red light at a corner patio. A guy yells over raising his beer and says "Cool car man I had one....69 right? NOT! If he had a 69 GTO you wouldn't mistaken it for a 71. Sorry this wasn't HAMB friendly.....but its all I got! HRD

 

Face it , you're never going to win w/ the public....if you talk to them they'll argue with you .... if you don't talk to them or give them 1 word answers , then tyou're considered "unfriendly" , many act as if you owe them an explanation about what you're driving
& why..... after 1/2 century of working for the general public , I'm never surprised at how basically stupid they are about anything outside "their" domain...... often the ones who are very "smart "in their field are really stupid about everything else...kinda sad really....
dave

 

When I had my '50, I had a guy argue with me that it was a '51 Ford. (Since I filled the hood and put '51 upper grille bars on it and it couldn't be a club coupe since it didn't have pop out windows (I put solid ones in since the frames were junk) When I tried to explain that it is a "custom" car, and I made changes, he still didn't believe me. I was finally like "OK, I guess you know everything, now move on."
I get more aggravated by car guys that tell you "nice car, but you should have done it "this way? " I had one guy who kept giving me "suggestions" that I finally told him"well buy it and you can screw it up anyway you like"

 

Wonder if anyone named Damon owns a Nomad.

 

Now there's a classic goofy idiot car guy post. Flamethrowers give us a break.