Hot Rods To all our Oz and Kiwi members...

It’s summer down your way so where are all the event pics and write ups? You guys have some interesting rides and I love seeing them...

 

I live in a beach city that is packed with tourists.
Any photos of the "scenery" would be considered off topic here

 

Here’s a thread I did in the winter if that helps.
Beautiful warm day there in the middle of July !
photos start at post 9……..

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/photos-of-back-to-brunswick-hot-rod-run-2024.1315564/

I missed the Rocket Speed Open Day, but hopefully someone will post pics.
A lot of great cars there.

 

All of the Aussies who used to post event pics on here have gone over to Instagram and Facebook and don't post here anymore. Invitational events for HAMB friendly cars only are held annually in four states- South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland - and nobody posts pics anymore. The Victorian event was for pre-36 coupes and roadsters only but I think the other 3 were just pre-36 hot rods.
Our son runs an Invitational event every March and for the first time in 14 years he didn't do a post of the run on the HAMB.
So sorry @Fortunateson looks like you're fresh out of luck re the Aussie events. I am too as I'm not on FB or IG.

 

Hi, I’ll be attending an event later this month that is for American cars only, so I’ll post what I can. A lot of stuff will probably be off topic though.☹️

 

I watch a couple YouTubers from down under, it's a little depressing to see them mentioning the warm weather there now.

 

I have a very good thirty year friendship with a fellow from Geelong. Came up on a teacher exchange program and are families stay in contact. They’ve stayed at our place numerous times and are coming again in June. Were thinking about finally going there in July but our Deuce Days has to come first!

 

Will post something soon, i attended the Jalopy Dust Up today and blew the cobwebs out of the RPU and had a freaking ball. JW

 

July is the middle of our Winter, not really an ideal time to visit but then again our Winter is nothing compared to yours. Also no hot rod stuff on that time of the year. Geelong Rod Club put on a run in early Feb which is pretty big.

 

Supposed to be summer here but it’s been cool and miserable for weeks. Xmas day was ok . Planning to go to a hot rod picnic today , but again rain. Will probably still go to avoid cabin fever, and catch up with folks. Hasn’t been above 70 degrees for weeks.

 

Jalopy Dust Up 2025. Me trying to stay in front of a blown BB Chev Model A... i failed. JW

 

I think a lot of the UK people have done the same in recent times. Forums are dying out.
Due to the stupid new UK Govt online regulations coming into force here in UK in March, the couple of amateur run UK hot rod forums still active may be forced to close down anyway, and those of us from UK still on HAMB may well loose access to the HAMB as well, but that will be a wait and see what happens situation, as it might still be accessible to us via VPN.

 

Things are going to get worse. JW

 

There are many contributing factors as to the lack of event coverage from Aus. but to simplify it...

- The HAMB friendly/"Traditional" events have dwindled. (Victoria went from having at least 12 events a year to 2-3)
- Events/Builds etc. are now documented on Instagram and cross shared to Facebook.
- Cost of living has progressively gotten worse.

 

New Zealand has lots of Hot Rod based events but most are mixed with old and new shit, there are good event coverages in our mags but a lot goes straight to faceache or those other BS sites. I post what i can on here with what i can find that is traditional and that i attend as i only post what comes out of my camera.

 

I won't make this summer's events - but this old beater is in route from Texas to New Zealand.

 

I just came back from a show here in Tauranga 2 hours ago.
The general consensus with most people is "they're over it"

 

So what are they "over" actually? The traditional hot rod, street rod, cruisers or the car scene in general?
Here in Oz any car show is battling to find enough grass to park all the attendees but the %age of hot rods is small with the bulk being Aussie Holdens and Fords plus imported American cruisers and muscle cars.
IMO more than 50% would be bought not built and all the owners know is how to wash and wax their car.

 

The demographics is "aging out" and there is not too much fresh blood coming up through the ranks.

Note this is "Car Shows" not Nolstalgia Drag racing or Vintage Road Racing [Circuit racing]
You have more fun doing shit ,than owning shit.

 

That's it right there. When you get the Tshirts organised with that printed on the front let me know. I want one.

 

Go and sit in on a few funerals and listen to the eulogy........ It is always about what they did in their life
Sometimes what we DO is build cars, and once we're finished .......... What next??

 

Use them and enjoy it, go to some shows/events if that's tolerable or just cruise some back roads and get lost in time. Sounds a bit like me. JW

 

If you put a little "hottie" next to a Hot Rod nobody should complain! In fact that's the way it should be...................................

 

I see you are in Glenbervie. WE have been staying at our daughters in Glenbervie after retiring and moving north. Might bump into you at a car show some time. Russell.

 

I don't like the bigger car shows so much. I like the Dust Up, the Hot Rod Blowout, Rocket Open Day, swap meets etc. Every event I have attended lately there's a bunch of guys standing around complaining about the LVVTA certification system. I think that is a major factor in what is killing it. There are a lot of horror stories around getting a car through VIN and Cert.

Some years back, I had a chance encounter with Rod and Shelly Millen while strolling along Hahei Beach. I remember him telling me "Me and my mates, we like to drive our cars". That was shortly before he started the Leadfoot Festival. I believe a certain government made it hard for him, which would've been a contributing factor that led him to can that event. Same deal with a bunch of guys running a dirt drag strip. It was kept low key because if you make it a large event there are too many rules, regulations, consents etc. It didn't survive as it was too costly and required a lot of effort from the organisers. If you want to race your traditional hot rod or dragster, you will find the local drag racing rules don't cater well for those types of cars.

If you like big car shows, where your ride gets swallowed up in a never-ending sea of shiny paint and chrome, all well and good. But for those of us who don't, there needs to be a hot rodding renaissance. That, and a peeling back of government over-reach.

 

I have stopped going to many annual shows as i don't like hanging around the owners of new Mustangs, Dodge's etc and the people that think their poxy newish Holdens are the shit. One of these shows i have dropped is a series of shows featuring a different theme each month and all the same new shit turns up to all of them. At one of these i was in the running for most original Hot Rod (my RPU was built late 40's in Utah) but a T bucket with nothing older on it than the 70's won, WTF!! So i guess im with you, Mike, (Gofannon). One i really like is a Hot Rod Hootenanny (invite only) where we drag race on grass and another is the Jalopy Dust Up where i took Mike for a ride in race four and that was so cool. So smaller more Traditional shows have a more personal feel and that suits me fine. JW

 

Those big shows [or Cars in Coffee type shows] are just a non participants way of participating.
You see rows and rows of late model [S-550] Mustangs that are all "unique" because of their Tupperware options.
Then they all cruise off together at 10 mph like a convoy of ants.

Here is a drone flyover of the Kumeu show a few years ago
If you look closely there is a lot of late model cars in the show.


The format is simple .......... buy a late model v8 car , hang out drinking beer and pretend you are cool

 

Here is the Nostalgia drags 2024 They must have a very recent cut off for what is nostalgia.
Back in the 70's and early 80's stretched Fiat Altereds and Sheet metal rear wings weren't around [maybe dementia is creeping in and I don't remember it being like that]


The format [above] would be quite simple and cheap], go to the States and pick up a non competitive reasonably late model Altered and drape a vintage Funny Car body over it
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Even road racing has this problem [the last historic meeting at Taupo was a total clusterfuck because of the promoters]
All the V8 historic cars were mix'n'matched with late model cars so most didn't even bother to show up.
Then they ran Formula Toyotas, and late model 4 cylinder touring cars as a historic event.

This is why most diehard people are simply "over it" [the "rules for thee but not for me" attitude]



I am seriously thing of switching codes [from road racing to drag racing]

In NZ we have the "night wars" [6 - 8 meetings a year within 1.5 hours drive]
There is one catch ..... you cannot go faster than 11.00 sec and you must have a road registered and legal car.

The 11 sec cut off means I can race without a competition license , race harness or roll cage.
And I can race at night without getting "baked in our harsh sunlight" [I won't have my wife "wanting to go home" halfway through the meeting]

Who cares if I line up in an old car against a Mazda or Toyota [they race the same clock]

 

Every time that I go to a large open car show I regret it. I’ve been to a couple here in NZ just to see what they are like - It’s pretty much the same as any large show in the US.

I don’t care for cleaning and detailing my cars and never wanted or understood a need for a trophy. I prefer small traditional focused *driving* events. Anyways - I’ll be driving my cars as much as the weather allows even if it is just me and the wife..

 

The wife and I are heading off to Auckland near the end of March to take in the Scroungers Hotrod Blowout and the Nostalgia drags on the following weekend at Meremere, Champion Dragway.
Really looking forwards to both events, I've always had a fantastic time at both of them in the past.
Hopefully I'll see you there.