Hot Rods Is the traditional "fad" over where you live?

First off, I know that traditional cars we build and love on here have always have and always will have a following from a certain group of die hards. I think most will agree they gained a lot of popularity a few years ago (10 maybe?) and shows, publications, even the Hamb showed this, the became all of a sudden the hot ticket to build, a fad you might say. Around here it seemed we had a bunch of young guys (under 30) all of a sudden wanting to build one, unfortunately it seemed most were confused between "traditional" and "RR" but that is besides the point. The point is it seems they all for the most part has disappeared.
I'm getting ready to move/ downsize the shop and like most good hoarders I need to get rid of some of my stash. I have Craigslist ads, did a swap meet and no one it seems are interested now in flat head stuff, early axles and bones, heck, I can't even get rid of a nice DeSoto hemi I have. 5/6 years ago this stuff would sell like crazy.
Part of it I'm sure is these young guys found out it's not as easy as they thought, lot's of still born projects around, only a few actually built something but with no one to play with ( half a dozen "hot rod" clubs popped up, gone now) they have lost interest as well.
So, just curious, is it just here or is it the same everywhere?
All good in my book, I got into it in the early 90's, built a flat head A then when no one else was doing it, I'll still be doing the old stuff till I die I reckon, nothing wrong with the fad chaser posers all going away.

 

Shit Metalman. If I lived within driving distance I would take it all off your hands. I could care less about muscle cars and th imported stuff the young kids are interested in. To each his own I guess. Long live traditional bro.

 

Everything that's old is new again. The car scene always seems to bounce back to what used to be cool. As for me, I don't care what the style or generation the build is from as long as it is a hot rod and owner built.

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"traditional" is not a fad. turquoise with pink graphics and a tan tweed interior was a fad, pro street was a fad, Boyd style "Modern" old cars was a fad. fads come and go. Traditional cars are timeless and never go out of style

 

I'll always like the cars I like, I've never added any additional era of cars to my "like" list. Finding the time and funds to finish them is a life long project, it is a hobby and I'm ok with that. Bob

 

The fad never even started, where I live.

 

I am a old school hot rodder and a member of a car club that is celebrating it's 45 year of existence and have always liked the traditional style before I knew what it was.

There are guys in our club the follow the latest tread and guys like me that have built cars years ago that faded into the background but over time have come back in style.

With the active membership around 15 to 20 there are 8 cars with flatheads,the rest are all over the map.

Several of use are also members of the local Early Ford V8 Club of America and these cars are mostly traditional. HRP

 

Same here. I like what I like, which is a little of almost everything, no matter if it's in style or not. I quit trying to be in style when I got out of high school 40 years ago....

 

Have you tried on here? I know, foolish question! I've been thinking about selling some stuff lately and really don't know how or what's the best way to go about. I know old magazines don't seem to be worth much anymore, but I do have other things of the paper variety. I'm really thinking the misc. section would be the best place and most of these items wouldn't cost much to ship or a big deal to ship. Good Luck on selling, Carp

 

Not so much a fad but as you pointed out a bunch of new guys, not necessarily all young either jumped on the bandwagon to try to be a part of the scene and found out it wasn't that easy. The revival of car clubs saw a bloom with novices starting new ones cause they couldn't cut the mustard with real car guys. Also a bunch of fresh retirees tossing cash around to show how it was done back when even though they never participated much till now either. Old timey hot rods and customs will always get a thumbs up, hopefully with less and less posers and more affordable parts and projects.

 

Never was much of a fad around here. Traditional "inspired" at best. But honestly that's what works for me. My cars vary wildly muscle, old vette, trifive, 48 plym. All my cars fit in their own "era" not overly modernized

 

It's dying fast around here as are those who were involved. Mechanics are a dying breed. Schools are shutting down auto shop as well as machine shop and welding classes due to lack of interest. The local tech school can't fill their classes. Shops charge $80 to $100/hr but don't want to pay a mechanic $15/hr. Why run up debt for school and buy $10,000 worth of tools to work for $10/hr? Might as well work in a fast food joint with no student loans or tool costs.

 

That is so true around here, too. Then they turn around and brag about how busy they are, and about what a backlog of work they've got.

 

Up where I am, pastel street rods are still "in".

 

Had a spurt awhile ago of kids building rr's but that has passed.

We are the real minority here. Just a handful of us.
Lots of old "original" cars that don't see road wear. Sitting in garages just waiting for the owner to pass on and then the family has no use for them and then has trouble moving the car.

Nothing is forever!

 

Contemporary is a word I use to describe my own cars and most others I see. Primarily old timey but many have an alternator or an automatic transmission or something else. While trying to look the part they aren't traditional in any sense of the word and it pisses me off when they describe them as such. She's either pregnant or she isn't.

As far as fad goes I hope people who think in those terms leave and get into the next fad like bowling perhaps.

 

I have to take issue with this, I own an auto repair shop and employ three full time techs. They earn a base pay of $38 to $43 an hour, on top of that they earn a production bonus that can push their pay to over $50 an hour. Being an auto mechanic can be a good, solid career and I would encourage young people interested in this to pursue it.

 

Sorry to throw the thread in another direction but I get frustrated by this.

 

Locally a rat rod was purchased and transformed to traditional. I don't think the hobby is growing in the traditional form at all. The tuners and sports cars are more popular with the younger folks,,,maybe because they handle better, a/c, power you name it and you can cheaply get mega hp out of a fuel sipping 4 cylinder. My SIL put a PowerWorks supercharger in a '02 focus SVT engine, don't get much cheaper than that

 

No problem. What is your hourly rate? Do your techs deal primarily with modern electronics?
Thanks

BTW, my earlier comment about hourly rates, pertained to custom or hot rod shops.

 

You have to realize you may be the exception, I recently had a young gun metalwork and paint my 36 who quit a famous shop whose policy was 200K up cars, magazine created celebrity. They were starving him to death for the 4-5 years he worked for them. Not unlike corporate america.

 

Being in the business for 40+ years I've seen, built, painted about every fad that's come along. Your correct, I agree, traditional cars are timeless but there was a time or two they were not in "style". Same as when I built a straight axle gasser style 37 Chevy coupe right in the middle of the pro street fad, timeless style but I wasn't part of the "in" crowd. I would be more excepted today with that car then I was then. I am proud to say even though I'd follow my customer's wishes and follow the fads, I never did that with my own cars, I built what I like, not what was cool at the time.
Just because something is timeless doesn't mean it can't be part of a fad. Flame jobs for example, always been around, could be considered "timeless" I remember back in the early 80"s they became a fad again, least around here. Seemed every customer coming in those days wanted a flame job no matter if it was a hot rod, mini truck or new Corvette. All of a sudden, heartbeat graphics and multi colored bands became the rage, flame jobs got rare again.
Maybe fad isn't the right word, maybe that does belong to the pastel/ tweed type thing that won't (hopefully) ever be considered "timeless".

You and I are thinking on the same page. Maybe it wasn't the cars that were the fad but belonging to the "scene" is the fad that's passed. The younger guys have moved on to the next "cool" place (hope their tattoo's still fit in) but unfortunately I also seeing the traditional purest ageing out.
It will drop the price on the cars/ parts those of us left have to pay to build a traditional car. I already see my stash isn't worth as much as I thought.

 

Like metalman,I have alot of parts too (40 Ford stuff) that would have been worth a lot more a few years back but no worries-maybe I can use them up on a build or two. The group that likes these type of cars are getting up there in age (me too!)

 

Tatoos and drinking ha ha. I still see younger guys in my area interested in older stuff, just a lot less of the instant gratification types. A lot of folks are also busy raising kids, will be back at it in when money allows. Old tin and parts are getting harder to find too.

 

The traditional hot rodders that I know in this part of the west never accepted the notion that "Traditional" was what they were doing and just stayed the course....

 

I still see cool and uncool stuff from most every fad and some that are just confused looking with a little from several, like patina-ed rides with directional wheels and white letter tires and late model seats with headrests etc.
but what the hey, as long as they are havin fun, they may be doin better than me or someone who has a car thats dead on

 

A "fad"? Yea, to the posers who got into it and found out they didn't have a clue. So, when their builds began to look like shit, they became Rat Rods. A lame excuse for half assed thinking and effort. The TRUE traditionalist takes a look at everything being done around him and never misses a beat. You might even say, he's stuck in a "groove", which in his case is a good thing.

IMO, and I am NOT a traditionalist, what's happened is, the "herd" got thinned down. The posers quit. Too much research involved = WORK. The rat rodders grew up and got tired. The "bling" guys can't help themselves, they have money to burn on $30,000 paint jobs and chrome cup holders. They sanded off the pastel colors, painted their cars in flat paint and hated themselves for living a lie. THEY are the ones who thought traditional was a fad. So..... all you guys who stayed in that traditional "groove", keep going.

Also, if you have to ask what a traditional Hot Rod is..... then you'll probably never know. So, go order those 24" RIMS, rubber band tires and keep the credit card warm. You'll need it.

 

Traditional hot rodders became the new goldchainers. That's what happened.

Back in the pastel days, if your ride didn't have the right amount of billet or the correct shade of easter egg, you were criticized and mocked. You didn't fit in & didn't "get it"- get outta here, loser.

Then the trad cars became popular. Now, you got a set of radials? An OD trans? Your motors isn't old enuff? You get criticized & mocked. You don't fit in & don't "get it"- get outta here, loser.

Think about it.

 

So, each group has a few assholes. It happens.

 

Out of all my cars I have built in my many years, my traditional 46 is the car I have the most fun with. I'm in my own "little world" when driving it. Very reliable, safe,{to a point}, fast, looks cool! Around here, I think the traditional cars is getting bigger every year.