Event Coverage Is it just me or was LARS slow?

Hit he nail right on the head!

 

We had to pass on the show because of the heat and eye surgery. Got a lot of reports back from friends, much of what has been written above. Normal LARS pricing, if you want parts walk the rows of vendors waiting to get in Thursday night that is the best time for prices and it is free if you go in looking like a vendor. Much of the show is controled by the FairPlex Board: swap layout, buildings, vendors areas and such. And if you REALLY want to feel young, hang around a group of LA Roadsters members. We missed seeing our friends and customers which is why we go, it is a gathering place. Did HOP UP have a display with the HOP UP balloon??

 

Good luck as this has been discussed before. IF you could get today's youth interested in these cars we love where would the money come from? This shit ain't cheap like it was going back a bunch of years. Starting in the early 70's me and ALL my friends had pretty bad ass cars with shit jobs like bagging groceries or pumping gas. With one of the posts here mentioning $700 just for a V-8 60 axle, today's youth would have to have one helluva job to build or buy a decent hot rod. Two huge factors in the younger crowd getting involved today. Big cost and low availability. When I started driving in 71 the stuff was everywhere and was very inexpensive. It remained that way for quite a while. It was largely why it was so popular. Then at some point the hobby became a business for many........that's when it all went to Hell. There was a time when I always knew a guy that had "this", and he knew a guy that had "that".........all for just a few bucks. These are my observations from going from magazines, models, and slot cars in the 60's to the real thing when I got my first car (a pretty clean $20 57 Chevy wagon) in 1970 and have since had well over 600-700+ vehicles of interest (no bullshit) with no gaps for college education or raising kids. (man that's a lot of typing)

 

I think the hobby is doing fine, overall. I'll be worried when restored 1969 Z/28s are selling for $10,000. However, you are right, the younger generation needs to get involved. Prices are a little steep and maybe they need to come down to make things more affordable to the younger folks, which does not bother me.
I'm doing my part --> I've welcomed and involved the young people in my family and their friends to the hobby and my garage. I have a nephew that has a 1964 El Camino another with a 1961 Bel Air, and a niece whose husband-to-be with a 1950 Studebaker Starlite. In fact every year, we get camping spots at The Great Labor Day Cruise --> http://occa-inc.com/ and I make sure they all bring their cars and their friends (READ: more young people) and we provide the food and drinks. We have a great time hanging out and cruising. It is now to the point where instead of me calling them, they are calling ME to go to events.

 

When I came of age in the sixties/seventies, the car scene was central to youth culture, it isnt any more. I dont really see any way that is going to change. There are no drive-in restaurants to hang out in, street racing as we knew it is non-existant, in many places, there arent even any race tracks within a hundred miles. The times have changed, theres no escaping that. It is going to fade away, and other things have taken its place, its just that for us on the inside, we cant/wont see it. To the vast majority of people out there, what we do is kind of bizarre, and has little to no relevance. Its just how life is. I do my best to bring my daughter into it, whether it will catch and hold with her, I have no way of knowing. Honestly, if it doesnt, it wont hurt my feelings much. Life moves on, I didnt have a child to live through her, she is her own person, and will find her way, my job as a parent is to teach her to be open to things, and expose her to as much as possible. Beyond that, what she chooses is her own, not a reflection of what I want/wanted.
Its just not central to the culture anymore, the life we lived when we were young is over and gone. Car culture as those of us that grew up in the fifties/sixties/seventies knew it is gone, its over, and it aint coming back. That saddens me, but thats part of getting old, our parents mourned the passing of radio as a major cultural influence, thier parents mourned the passing of the horse and buggy days.

 

I agree with Groucho and Falcongeorge, and I applaud what BigDogSS is doing to engage kids in our doings. 15 years ago I thought that the tuner kids with their lowered Hondas were the next generation of hot rodders, but I'm not seeing as much of them any more. I suspect that hot rodding will eventually be an esoteric hobby for old farts, the way Model A restorers were when I was young. Oh, wait, it already is that way!

 

I was right behind you...

 

IMO gotta go back to having a forum set aside for "traditional looking" but maybe not all traditional underneath cars. I am building 1930s-1950s stuff with modern parts you cant see with the hood closed, straight up junkyard and swap meet parts scrounging, but don't post the builds here anymore because of the change to drop that forum and had posts deleted when asking about jag stuff for swaps. You already have the hardcore traditional only hot rod and customs forums, an additional more flexible forum would get more traffic. From what I remember that forum had more posts than the hardcore traditional ones.

 

The kids are still out there, they just aren't interested in Hot Rods. I went with my son and grandson to Cars and Coffee San Francisco, the first Saturday of the month. They swarmed around the latest Ferrari or McLaren and ignored a beautiful 32, 3W coupe. If you want to be involved with them, learn to love 400+Hp Honda's and Subaru's. They are all Turbo nuts.

 

As far as bringing younher people to traditional rods you need to wait
Until the next fad starts and people go back to not giving two shits about old
Ford stuff.

From what I see I'd wager it being like the second coming of billet. I see a ton of mini truck guys building mild customs out of early 50's cars and they like the full size truck guys are building everything from scratch. I see that creeping into mainstream hot rods as well.

Weird going to a show and havin someone scoff at an ifs install because is wasn't all scratch built. I see that as a fight against things being so spendy so buy tools instead but I also see it as part of the growing hand made movement. It's been enough years of real "maker" jobs being outsourced or replaced with robotics that the guy working the desk job starts building or making because he wants to see a tangable product instead of just a spread sheet.

Anyhow, for trad cars to be more reasonably priced they need to go back out of style. It got big because people thought "hey I can build a neat car and it doesn't have to have a 5 figure parts on it" now the trad parts are the 5 figure parts.

As far as getting them into cars as a whole I think they need to see cars doing what cars do instead of just sitting there.

We grew up when social networking ment cruising and talking to people so the cars already hold a nostalgia that we can tap into when it's a static show.

Nowadays we have people with anxiety about using an inter office phone because it's not texting so that whole aspect just isn't there.

How do you fix that? I do t know but with cars I think getting people involved with events like the cross members "Hotrod 100" events, mikes hill climbs and dirt drags, the Hamb drags and shows where you are actualy cruising! Not just "cruising" to your lawn chair.

The video of that red roadster firing up and twisting around will do more for getting a kid into hot rods that a thousand cars just sitting there.

That fat cam, enough compression to feel in your chest. The way a hot rod
Feels launching or how a custom looks about 500 times better slinking down the street than parked.

That's how you hook some one.

That's what keeps you up at night anyways isn't it? You don't stay up late thinking about 40 Cars sitting there doing nothing do ya?

The drifters, the rally guys, the imports. There having cruises, track nights and road course events. I hate to say it but bring back the 70's were people shit with there cars haha

Also, I didn't go to the roadster show sorry for the tangent

 

I am 75 years old and a die hard roadster lover. I went both Friday and Saturday even though traffic was terrible going and coming. The temperatures were really hot at the Fairgrounds. The layout is what is confusing to many. You simply need to deiced what you want to see and spend your time wisely. You can walk in on Friday or drive you pre-72 car in the specialty parking area and pay the price for each day. I have found that you can't do both the swap meet and look at the vendors and roadsters all in one day. I saw roadsters, coupes and sedans parked side by side in several areas along with a special LA Coupes area. I was well satisfied with the number of cars to look at and didn't bother with the Swap Meet which has always been known for extremely high prices for the "good stuff". I will continue to go and use good judgement of how to make the best use of my time. The LAR put a lot of effort into making the show worthwhile to all who attend and always welcome any comments for improvement. This is a very large venue and walking has always been a problem for the "older generation". Scooters are everywhere especially in front of the air conditioned building 4.

I would certainly hate to see the show go away because of the age of the participants and spectators. I encourage all of you to take some younger friends to the show and talk up the wonderful hobby of building and driving Hot Rods. Lets "Keep The Flame Burning"!


Here is a photo of Main Street on Saturday around noon. Lots of people having a good time and looking at roadsters —lots of them.

 

I dont know how any of the kids get involved anymore, surely not with car clubs, at least around here. I went to one of the weekly car shows sponsored by a "car club". I was pretty excited thinking I could get to know some new guys who like to get dirty and wrench like I do. They asked me to sign up, but before I did I asked if they got together to work on each other's projects..nope, not really, just hang out in the parking lot at the show
I didnt sign up.

 

Hells Hot Rods nailed it. I know of multiple people that could not find a space to sell due to people roping off way more than what they needed or paid for. Those same people went back to the gate and complained and got their money back and left. ElPalacko and myself took over 1/2 to try and find somewhere to have our spaces and we were in row 5 at staging. I applaud LA Roaster club for putting on such a huge event but the swap has just gotten worse and worse every year. Its become the great land rush. I think they could get a map of the parking lot and pre sell spaces so you buy what you really use. Just image how much money the club lost on spaces that were taken and not used or paid for.

 

I went on Friday morning and setup with a couple buddies even though I wasn't selling anything. I always get a swap meet spot even if I'm just bringing in my car. That way I can set up a canopy, cooler, bbq, etc and hang with friends. Also have a staging area for purchases. I bought a set of 5 spokes with rubber for a killer deal )old straight spoke Ansens), got a Model A hood for $20, dash for $5!. Oh, also bought a 31 roadster pickup so it was a good day for me. You really have to go Friday if you want to snag good deals.

I brought a bicycle for the first time and it was a life saver. With the heat, it would have been brutal trying to walk the whole thing. I figured I would not be able to ride around on Saturday because of too many people but not the case. Definitely a lot slower than normal. I stuck it out all day Friday and Saturday but didn't go back Sunday.

 

I set up on Friday - Yeah i was pissed about the dickweeds saving spaces for their buddies, even though you are not supposed to, and even worse half these dipwads never even showed up. We roped off our single spot that we paid for, and then left by noon - too HOT.
Got their early Saturday morning and got set up. We noticed and commented on the larger swap with less buyers but really did attribute it to the higher than normal temps. But having said that, we were there to SELL, not build our egos with high prices. Sold a Rebuilt and narrowed 10 bolt for $150, also a disc brake 9" for $150 - is that low? probably, but I came to sell the stuff, not cart it home. Sold a bunch of other junk and between us, in our one little spot we did over a grand and don't have to trip over the crap anymore. Was home by 4:30 Saturday.
Sunday Morning I drove the RPU to the "Show" side. It was a bit lighter than usual but all the manufacturers were still there, the food lines were reasonable, and we had a good time right up till 3:30 when we got our Pewter Mug. Back home by 5:00

As for the age thing, first I've been hearing this same old argument for 40 fukin years. It's the same thing. I remember an article in Street Rodder in the 70's saying where will the new rodder's come from as the old ones are dying off. Well I hate to break it to you kids, but most events are MUCH larger now than they were n the 70's! And I think some of this cost of cars and parts and what we built when we were kids compared to today is through Rose Colored Glasses. Our shit was pretty rough back then and the cost of used parts was relative to wages in my mind. Sure certain cars and parts have gone sky high - like gennie 32 Ford's but let me ask you this - If you say kids can't get into this because the cars are too expensive, or you part of the problem? How much would you sell YOUR car to a kid for ????? I see plenty of kids building More Doors, 60's cars, and off brands because they are more affordable. I know a kid that really wanted a 64 SS Nova - just kept bitchin about how much money they were. I helped him find a really nice 63 Falcon with a 302 and 5 speed that was less than half the price of most Nova's - now he has a really cool, simple to work on car, that is less common than a Nova and he's digging our hobby.
The biggest problem with kids and the hobby doesn't have a damn thing to do with Economics, it has to do with social issues. I have a 22 year old nephew that doesn't have a driver's license! He takes the freaking Bus to college and plays stupid ass video games all day. It's a cultural thing. They don't give a crap about even driving. But my other nephew is now 30 something. He was the same way, but finally cam e around and built a cool Subaru WRX and now talks about getting an Old Mustang ,or maybe a 57 Chevy. He's coming around with age, and so are his friends. It's just the cycle of life my friends

 

Like an 88 Mustang? Sorry Don, I just couldn't resist. LMAO.

 

I was on a quest to find some front fenders for my 1932 Ford Coupe.

The first set I came across were decent, but had filler - $3000
The Second set were NOS and perfect - $5000

Those prices makes me wish I wasn't into this hobby. lol

 

Yep, it's the beginning of the end.

 

I agree with a lot of what the guys stated above....slow and a crap load of walking. I get there early... Park near the swap meet and start walking it early.... Started and stopped a few times for refreshments. By 3 PM I was spent... Can't do it all in one day.

 

Did anybody buy an $8.00 beer, or $14.00 cheeseburger basket?

Yall weren't kidding about California having a higher cost of living.

 

A bunch of us from the cool central coast of California were there Friday and just about melted from the heat . But worse than that was the friggin loud music from the Vans Warp Tour next door.........what the hells up with that? I talked to a cabbie on Friday night and he said the Fairplex was under new ownership since last year, so we might see some conflicts in the future. But where else are you going too see so many cool roadsters? We'll be back next year for sure.

 

I AM DOING MY BEST TO KEEP THE KID INTERESTED

 

Get there first thing, take 3 Advils, drink a bottle of 5 hour energy drink and am good for a few hours...

 

I went early Saturday morning and walked the swap meet, it was split in half with cars coming and going into the event. one side had the majority of parts for sale and the other had more garage sale stuff, antiques, clothes, tools, tricycles, peddle cars, etc. I was disappointed to work that part, for me it was a waste of time. I did find some cool parts that I normally don’t find at the Pomona swap meet, so for me as a customer I was happy. I don’t go every year simply because of the cost to get it $10 parking, $20- admission. And like (4psi) stated $8- beer or $14- cheeseburger basket I can’t afford it.

 

I think for us with young children we need to keep them involved with wrenching on cars, hell even passing me tools while I work is fun for them. Helping with body work and bringing them to car shows, my boys like to go cause there's usually someone selling Hot Wheels. Get your kids off there smartphones and Ipads and get them outside. just my two cents.

 

If we want young people in our sport we need to embrace what they like and open it up to them. That means the dreaded R.R., Pocket rockets, Asian cars and motorcycles. That is what they grew up with, understand and can afford. I don't know if I'm willing to do that either but if not I think our sport is in for a slow death.
Maybe the young enthusiasts will organize their own stuff and keep the "Hot Rod" banner flying.
Gary

 

I am trying to get my youngest and the grand son into old cars. Sold Darol my pickup, he always wanted it, for a price he could afford not what it would of sold for on the open market. Sold middle son Brandon my 27 roadster that I had since I was 19, again for what he could afford not a price from auctions or ebay.
have been making an effort for the grandson to buy a 36 pick up that we sold the oldest son 10 years ago and now that he does't want.
I feel that a lot of the disintrest is from that they see prices for junk is what they could buy a running newer car for and they lose interest.
They need to be able to afford a car not see prices out of site for just rusty junk.

Darol and Trevor (grandson) let them go for a drive in my roadster, good way to get them interested.

 

Been going for over 25 years and really struggled with the heat. Spent Friday at the swap and by 3.00 I was wasted. Went back to the hotel and collapsed, totally missed S0-Cal and Walden's but they tend to be about the same every year. Spent most of Saturday looking at cars and the exhibit building. I certainly did not have to fight any crowds to look at anything. I thought it was the slowest of any of the years since I started going. I have knee problems and would have rented a scooter but alas it was not to be. This is my one big show every year and I will continue to support it as long as I can. There are some younger people getting interested in this area but finances and availability of raw materials tend to limit what they do. It gets you to thinking when your at the host hotel with all the LA Roadster guys and you wonder how long they can keep doing this without letting younger people get involved. I have known since birth the young man (Jim Karls) who ramrodded the McGee semi clone roadester they are selling at B J next year. If they let more quality young men like him into the club it will perpetuate.

 

I plan to hit this show one of these years. Talked to some of the older members last year at the Grand National Roadster show, seemed to be down to earth guys. I got my Model A on the road back in 87 when I was 24, at almost every event I went to, I was one of the few young people with something 48 and older. From what I've seen here on the HAMB, there are more younger people involved than back then. There was a cartoon in a 1970's Street Rodder showing guys freaking out over the cost of Deuce parts even then, I don't think that's changed.

 

Maybe if we looked at our (bought "right") parts stashes more as a source of inexpensive material for those new to the hobby than as our own retirement fund, we'd solve a couple problems at once.........................