Hot Rods DOES YOUR HOT ROD SQUEAK & SQUAWK?

Over the years dirt in all those joints are probably causing those squeaks.
Oil attracts dirt and when it dries up its squeaking. If it is annoying.. Thin out some motor oil and spray it everywhere on the undercarriage, Wd40 Dries up too fast/

 

I use white lithium grease.Works like a champ and quiet as a new Cadillac.

 

A sure cure if the squeaks get too loud is to pull over and switch off. Works every time.!
Was told a long time back that tightening joints in a wooden framed body is a sure way to make it groan louder. It needs to move a bit. Just enjoy it.
Garpo

 

LOL I had a '49 I don't recall it being cheap but it must have been 'cause I didn't work steady and always had enough cash to go someplace.




When I was real young (think the last years of "trad rodding") it was common for gear heads to play with both cars and bikes. I think the distinction of scooter bum and hot rodder didn't really happen until the later '60s or '70s. By then anyone who owned a bike was an outlaw and car guys were trying to go main stream.

It never really mattered to me, anything with wheels and a motor is good. Although I still hold with the saying "Harley Riders are Shit, if you don't own a Harley you aint shit." (that is just for the Gold Wing crowd I still think that all you guys are shit. )

 

What a pack of whiners! If you want to hear real squeaks and squawks drive a woodie. The only good thing is that when you drive in the rain everything swells up good and tight, quiets things down nicely.

 

Who's whining? I am a pretty good wrench if I wanted a street rod I could build one.

 

Just curious,how much was it when they were cheap?
Looking that bike,there is some 70's "vibes",so i guess that was in the 70's?

 

Made me laugh. We sprayed WD 40 on every moving part on a long hot summer trip on a 32 looking for the annoying squeak. What we disccovered was the firewall to cowl band gasket was hard and worn. But what a mess before we found it. But WD40 evaporates every 200 miles in high heat. That's my 2 cents.

 

I don't know about Danny's bike, I built my '49 in the mid '70s from a pair of bare cases, I already owned a pair of 80" wheels and I ended up with about 1500 dollars in it.

To build a comparable rod at the time would have easily run me 2500-3000.

When I rebuilt everything in about '80 (see bike below) I ended up with about 1200 in engine parts alone in the rebuild, and most of them were well below retail (helps to know people I guess)

 

Recently I took my Front seat to have it Upholster & the Guy
told me that the Springs on the Front Seat had to be Rebuilt
& other wise the Seat would Squeak ever time you went
around a turn!
Just my 3.5 cents
or when the Cows
come Home!

 

Both of these squeak some if the road is a little rough

 

1500 bucks!
That isnt pricey,but the 2500-3000 price range isnt bad either.I guess people didnt give a much value for old bikes back then..
That reminded me when i was first time in US,in 2008 at Daytona bike week.Your economy was going to sewer back then(ours followed yours 1 or 2 yrs later).The dollar was pretty weak and our european moolah was stronger back then,now they are pretty much equal.I bought a '72 shovelhead for my bro,it was dirty cheap too because of that economy thing.My bro still owns that same bike and he puts a lot of miles(or km's) on it at every summer.
I guess that was once in the lifetime deal.I think it will take decades when the economy is at the same point again.And i hope that it will take decades.Sure its cool to buy cheap crap from foreign countries,but unemployment,poverty and other shit like that isnt so cool in anywhere..

 

Around here the roads would make squeak and squawk a pleasure, its more like slam and blam..

 

It was a non running basket case when I bought it in 1972 for 500 bucks with a title,the photo was taken in 1976. HRP

 

Antti in april 1970 Jack Bible and I walked into Robisons Harley-Davidson on Volusia avenue in Daytona and he rode out on a 53 panhead.375 dollars cash.At the time Joe had about a dozen old rags in the 3-500 dollar range,mostly old beat up cop bikes.

 

I've seen vintage coke signs that says: Coca-cola 5 cents.The value of money changes and its been bugging me how much it would be in nowadays.I noticed that the internet is full of money value calculators.Looks like the 1972 500 bucks would be 2,877.43 dollars in 2016.

http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=500&year=1972

I guess you cant get a huge pile of Panhead in nowadays with that money.Well,not in here anyway.

With the economy "discount" my bros bike was slightly over 3000 in euros,but comparing for those prices it was a bit more pricier.It wasnt actually a beat up bike,but mechanically worn out from here and there.At first summer my bro rode 6000 miles and after that it needed a complete rebuild for the motor.
Well,this thread has gone a bit off topic,sorry about that!

 

Squeak and squawk? You haven't heard anything until you drive a Woodie cross country. The only time it gets quiet is when you drive in rain and the wood swells up.

 

My old 65' ducati scrambler had a similar seat; had to pack yer nuts carefully..I sure didn't slide around like my present 72' Kaw, bitch to keep my ass in place..

 

I ran that seat for about 4 years. I was packin this old hyde and she didn't like the P pad. Before I got that seat I ran a bates seat and P pad (or no P pad). That frame was dove tailed so I had to do some bending on the seat. Anyway I told her if she wanted a different seat that was up to her, and she came up with that one.it was pretty comfortable. I wish my current seat was that comfortable.LOL

 

I guess I'm missing your point, is there one?

 

Maybe you could start by explaining yours.

 

What we have here is a failure to communicate. What does any of these comments have to do with street rods?

 

(Street rods don't squeak. They're overly finished, plumped and padded. Comfy as a lazy boy recliner and quiet as a golf game). I think beano's point is that hotrods squeak, rattle and roll.

 

from post #54:

I would not have said a thing if he had not called us whiners with an exclamation mark.

 

OMG! Like I said, a lack of understanding.

 

LOLI don't think I would sweat it, its not like we are standing there looking at each other.

 

Not sweating a bit, just surprised at making mountains out of mole hills. I' m done.

 

I sure my sedan has no squeaks and squawks at all......at least I just cant hear it above all the banging and clanking.

 

Dang Danny heres my old 64 Pan...2 wheeled hotrod...I know its a hot rod cuz it said so, right on the primary belt...... Hotrod Pans and Sedans....go figure. View attachment 3331581

 

That pic is awesome! You look like your just about to say:

“We wanna be free! We wanna be free to do what we wanna do. We wanna be free to ride. We wanna be free to ride our machines without being hassled by The Man! … And we wanna get loaded. And we wanna have a good time. And that’s what we are gonna do. We are gonna have a good time… We are gonna have a party”



Please, more guys. I love this thread !!!