not a 32 but you CAN afford a tri five chevy.I bought one for $125. start with a cheap junker, add money and work as you can afford it
Model As are cheap and are definitely hotrod material. Stay away from things like International trucks that were never ever used as hotrods
This is the equivalent of a fist fight but on the H.A.M.B. it’s like talking about how each others girl kisses. Very touchy subject. Haha Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I'm stuck in the past which Unapologetically Via The Boss is Exactly the Mindset that is expected here at the Hamb and your laughing at the Very Membership who for the most part do celebrate the rise of Hotrod to 1965 I still continue to be amazed at Senior Membership that can be so out of touch with what this place represents and celebrates... Quoted... "Fortunately, the real hotrodders, Isky, Edelbrock, Thompson and so many others looked to the future and kept up with the times." ...All these Shakers in the industry may have been Futurists but again we are celebrating their contributions up until 1965... The Definition of Hotrod...Here Ends at 1965 with only privilege granted to post 1965 Hotrods that have been built in inspiration of 1965 and older...
A stock Model A with the fenders taken off isn't a hot rod. A jalopy maybe, but not a hot rod. This, I believe, is an example of the root question.
A “Hot Rod” is a car (rod), first with a souped up motor (hot) in an attempt to go faster, second it is one that needs maintenance fairly frequently (cause things break), and third it is never finished ( cause hot rodders just can’t leave well enough alone) and are constantly changing shit. With the advent of computers and quality control I'm not sure anything earlier than 1990 Applies to my definition. Of course anything post 65 is not a subject for this board. Others may differ.
Don't get all uptight, I didn't bad rap the sight or its intended purpose. I will continue to laugh, or shake my head, at those that are too close minded or short sighted to realize that different people have conflicting thoughts about the same thing. There is no definite answer to the original poster's question, only opinion. Whatever our opinions might be, your's is not right and mine is not wrong. There are no longer any real deals to be had, at least not in large urban settings. Maybe there are those in more rural areas that aren't trying to get rich with clapped out trash. Maybe they realize what they truly have. Maybe they're willing to swap cars, items or labor to get what they want or to help someone in town. I damn well can't (more like refuse) to own a '32 coupe. So it's easier and cheaper to pick up a mid-'70s Corvette and rod it. Headers, intake, carb, cam, gear, shifter, maybe even a solid rear axle. What would I have? A hot rod. Tell John Force his top fuel funny car really isn't a hot rod, no matter how many times he likes to use the term. Then ask him to meet you at the strip where you can dust him with a 17 second Model A with a flathead. Once again. I'm not suggesting or want to change The Hokey Ass Message Board. I'm not even asking that some special models get a break. I'm saying don't bust somebody's balls with subjective dates and descriptions. A kid who's dropping a beefed up short block into a '73 El Camino is working on his hot rod. Don't dissuade him with terminology.
There is a Hotrod definition here that gets ballistic in discussion even without involving talking about post 1965 innovation and the furthur evolution of Hotrod which really is totally Off Topic here...(Note...There are exemptions of course but the essence of the HAMB is What Happened On or Before the End of 1965 )...What happened between then and Now is considered Inspirations of... So two things that are really annoying...1) Discussing anything Hotrod post 65 because most of us could give a shit less what it morphed into in whatever category of Hotrod after 1965 it is as it's truly not relevant...even in comparison...What was the O. Poster Circa 2011 thinking...That's Why 1965 is What It Is...Here at the Hamb 2) Being painted as Not Informed or Out of Touch with the latter evolution of the Unrelated Modern Hotrod Evolution that again is Off Topic...We don't Care...The Hamb is an escape...a trip back in time...A Time Machine set to 1965...Period Serious thought should be given to topics of discussion here as the reception may not be rosy.
The word hot rod is used way too loosely and disrespects the meaning behind the words IMHO. Hot rod is represented by an era in time, a culture and a mind set that mostly grew (maybe not totally) out of the ending of WWII. Watch the McGee roadster story. It certainly got most of its recognition then and there is no disputing guys have always been hot rodders prior to that time. I believe hot rods are vehicles belonging to a span in time that starts before WWII and possibly ends in the late 1950's. Good, bad or indifferent and whether while most folks would hopefully agree broadly with what I say, I suspect any folks who do disagree know full well that these facts are pretty much correct, just that they don't like it or they disagree with most stuff for the sake of it. Personally, I prefer to call a hot rod any vehicle upto about 1950 or thereabouts and after that somebody else can give it a name. There seems to be a gap in names between the hot rod era and the muscle car era that needs some ownership and greater respect for what it is as well. However, the only people capable of inflicting a hot rod definition on us here are the folks that run the Forum and I guess we need to respect this also. Every previous chat on this subject has general been shut down way earlier than this, so don't be surprised if it happens again as I also have an opposing opinion regarding the definition of T bucket versus RPU just to make thing interesting... Thank GOD for free speech my hot rod brothers, just don't get up in arms over it. I also believe we have a lot to be thankful to from the moonshine era, the speedway era and the salts lake pioneers and drag racers for helping us make our hobby what it is today...
Dear Wally, I was just on the HAMB. You know, that hot rod discussion thing, and I got involved. Geez Wally, those guys are serious over there, they really get worked up. Watch what you say when you're talking cars with someone, you could end up with a bloody nose. And for gosh sakes, don't mention the Cutlass to anyone. Take it easy. Beaver.
Just for the hell of it, I am going to reply by saying that those comments sound like something more out of Dennis the Menace. I'd prefer Father Knows Best... Hahahahahaha!!!!
this is a hot rod and you shall address it as such. You guys can tell him he’s wrong, but John Force thinks his top fuel FC is a hot rod. What’s the Hamb? Pre 65 and a narrow focus we all love. That’s it - love it or leave it because it’s the best. It’s a big world though with lots and lots of cool shit in it. What’s a hot rod,,, who cares. But please please please stop walking into my shop and calling my coupe or my Vicky a roadster.
How about a Nice Salt Flamed 48 Chev Fleetline or Coupe...That isn't going to set you back as much as a 32...You just have to keep your eyes open and step back in era or go newer...but that isn't the focus here...
If you want it bad enough, you will find a way, even if it means going without something else or doing a little extra work to make it happen.
“A hot rod is a car that has been radically modified for extreme performance, regardless of year or brand.” *Road Authority To me, a hot rod is what ever I want it to be.
To me, my T is a hot rod in every sense of the word. But what was I supposed to call my '50 Dodge coupe with a 318, 727, bucket seats etc.? Was it a "restomod"? "Street machine"? Certainly not a "Street rod"!
IMHO, I always thought of pre WW2 cars as hot rod material & Customs were post war up til the late fifties, early sixties & Muscle Cars from early sixties to 1972 when the shit hit the fan. After that I kinda consider these cars as simple transportation, of course there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, were to me, kinda unimpressive. The Goodguys events are busy trying to include the mid eighties stuff into the mix & let's face it the Square bodies & metric stuff are still attainable & up until this spike in popularity, they were definitely affordable. I think "Hot Rod" is a state of mind & I can't look at a stock/restored pre war car without thinking it would be a better car(to me), if it was hot rodded, ditch the fenders & chop the top. The exception to me would be a 35-36 Ford roadster, they look killer bone stock.
I almost mentioned the John Force thing, but 31Vicky beat me to it. The pre-'49 cut-off date was a creation of the National Street Rod Association. They allowed only cars manufactured in 1948 or earlier into their shows (although at the 1973 Street Rod Nationals in Tulsa, I saw a VW beetle with one of those '40 Ford-looking fiberglass hoods registered as a 1940 Ford). If you look at magazines of the pre-NSRA era, the definition of a hot rod was pretty fluid. There was no hard and fast cut-off year. That changed with the NSRA. Even Street Rodder magazine had a monthly column entitled "Across 49th St" for vehicles outside the "accepted" cut-off date. Now people act as though that date was carved in stone on Mt. Sinai. I personally like the parameters of the HAMB, in the style of 1965 and earlier, but that's for this site, not the whole wide world.
This always seems to be a big deal as it comes up every year or two. For me it is either a hot rod or custom and some are cooler than others. Everything else is just transportation. If one is compelled to label or categorize, so be it. On this site it is pre-‘65. Further it is a site that reveres an era, not the act of “hot rodding” something, as stated by Ryan.
Oh contrare, sir. You may very well be correct in your answers had the question been posed to the world at large. However, the OP's question was posed here on the HAMB, and here there is a definite answer. Uh huh. All us HAMBers don't necessarily agree on the pre-48 thing (but we do all agree that the pre-48 thing is our Hot Rod Old Testament), but one thing we do all agree on is that post-65 is OT. Call your grandma's Cutlass a hotrod somehwere else, but definitely not here.
Off Topic...Unless they are Inspired Period 1965 and older... and around here that is pretty much potentially 50% or more of what the Hamb Hotrod base is, post 65 Nuts on Traditional and the Inspired Traditional...My Hotrod is an Inspired Traditional 2010 Hamb Build...So post Hamb Material is Discretionary.
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