My 9 year old likes my old cars. The 62 econoline is his, he says, He already wants a couch and some courtains in it. Hes been bugging me on when is his vans turn? After the coe?or after the vannete. One of his videogames has this as an option to drive.
It is changing, but maybe not the way you might think. A friend died yesterday of very aggressive cancer two weeks after he was diagnosed, his cars, a vette and an elky, both went to his neice and nephew, cars they could not have afforded while he was alive. In life they had large monetary value, in death they became treasured items belonging to uncle glen and will be looked after as such. I suspect that will be the biggest change to our hobby. RIP Glen Gillis, car guy extrordinair.
I look back to 1973 as a 28 year old with the "newest" year model wise vehicle at the 1973 NSRA street rod nationals. That newest vehicle was my 48 Chev pickup, yup that same one over there in the Avatar with far less modificatons. It was all of 25 years old but it was an "OLD" truck according to the locals around town. As in "why ya driving that old truck?" Not too well accepted by some at rod events at the time either. That year a 32 Ford was 41 years old. Most of them were owed by guys with a few extra spending bucks then. Right now a 78 Camaro or Chevelle is 41 years old and to a guy in his teens or 20's that is an "OLD" ride. I've had more than one guy tell me he is fixing up an old car or truck and then go on to say it is a mid 70's rig. As someone else said the hobby is still there but what guys and gals are working on may not be what we see as "cool" cars to fix up.
reading all this, I saw the other day the new Harley Davidson there building as we speak, its got an electric motor! it comes with an app for your cell phone that makes big motorcycle noises while your at the stop lite! we cant worry about it, just take the neighbor kid or your grandson to a car show! I have been putting young kids in my car when im parked at a cruise nite if they are showing interest, one kid I put in the car about 10 or 12 years ago, is building rods and working on bonniville stuff now, and hes in his early 20s!
We're all doomed, the polar ice caps are melting, the magnetic poles are shifting, THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END! Well I for one don't give a crap, I'm going to have fun with my cars and so are my kids and they're in their 40's. My Grand Kids seem to like anything that goes fast and I have hope for them too! Let the naysayers say what they will I'm finally retired and I'm in it for the fun of it! KK
Having 6 great nephews I'm not sure I'll be able to get one. Yes all their dads are kinda liken hot rods but 4 of them have dads that also want their boys to be football or some other sports hero. Kinda sad - the two oldest spend even the weekends playing in some kind of tournament outside of school sports.
Plenty of young people involved, only 24 years old myself. My old man has been building hot rods since before I was born. Collecting bits for my own build now and have been for a few years, only reason I haven't started is because we have to finish his current car first! My view is the idea of what's 'traditional' will change as the years go on. A lot of 60's and 70's cars are getting more popular because they are now 'older' and earlier stuff is just getting more expensive making it harder for the average person to get involved. Not to say you can't get involved with a small budget, you just need to be smarter about how you do it and have patience.
Heads up for you young guys.....start collecting all the junk flathead engines you can find. Get the cracked ones while they are still considered scrap. There will be a demand one day for a hollowed out flathead with an electric motor hidden inside. Put a pair of Bose SoundLink Revolve speakers in the lake pipes for that distinctive sound and you are set for traditional hotrodding in the no-gasoline future. Oh yeah, don't forget to record some good sounding engines of all makes so you have them for the "sound apps". That way you can swap out the flathead for a hemi like them old-timey hotrodders did back in the day.
I'm positive the "Hobby" will always be here, has changed, will change, trends come and go in my 50+ years of being a Carnut. I understand/enjoy this is a traditional car site, look around, the younger generation I see that are Hot Rodders, for the most part tend to be "Tuners" that's their 57 Chevy and "RatRod" is a dirty word here, A lot of them are well built, just look like junk/poop IMO, I understand their thinking, paint, chrome, upholstery, wheels is what makes the cars so expensive to build, they're Carnuts having Fun, that's what our great Hobby is about. 50 years down the road will car show Old Farts be showing/cruising with their Tuners, RR's and 60's/70's cars will be their 32's, I think so, just my opinion. Us Baby Boomers are aging out and our generation drove the Hobby to it's present state, the business side, parts mfg., retailers, builders seems very strong and they will change adjust to market as they have in our time frame. My Opinions and $2 buys coffee at my breakfast joint.
Plenty of younger rodder's around the Carolina's. Sent from my SM-G955U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I never really get this. Why worry about what might happen, will the "hobby" survive? What happens, happens, things change. the world is full of unintended consequences. I'll be dead, what difference does it make????? JUST ENJOY WHAT YOU CAN!!!!
I don’t know, didn’t the modern trad resurgence happen with a lot of young people.. if it happened once... Some don’t givie tradition enough credit Based on Ryan’s age he must have been pretty young when the hamb started.. Reading all the old stories about Dutch and Roth and the like by guys who knew I don’t see how it could die out but some people? Just keep parts affordable and the people in power in check..
I think the term traditional should be re-addressed. Sent from my SM-G955U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
well, according to dan stoner R@# Rod in it's original incarnation wasn't a slur that meant pile.. better?
Alot of guys my age would rather sign lease papers for a new mustang with 425hp and a 6-speed than work on an old car themselves.
Me too. Even if when they grow up, their rides end up not being Hamb-friendly, doesn’t mean the hobby is dead, just means we are. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I went to the “Chili Bowel” in Tulsa a week or so ago and there were way more kids there than us old folks. I know it’s a litte off topic for the HAMB , but close! It’s still racing! Bones
It’s all going to be ok man. The country. Cars. Us as a people. It will all work out. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jalopy Journal
