Do the Primer Nats represent the H.A.M.B. taste?

Let me preface this by saying that there are absolutely no new thoughts in this post. Unless you are interested in the perspective of a grumpy old carmudgeon, skip this thread.

I looked through the pictures from the Primer Nats (and thanks to BeachHop/Noddy for the excellent coverage), and I had the same reaction that I had when i went in person a couple of years ago: there are almost no cars there that interest me. Using the thumbs up/thumbs down rating scale, or the "would I trade that for any car of mine?", fewer than 10% of the cars shown are interesting enough for me to stop and look at them in detail.

I guess I should acknowledge, briefly, the Old Farts' viewpoint that primered and rusty cars were not brought to shows back in The Day. If it isn't finished (and shiny), park it on the street.

But I'm talking about more than that. Many of the cars that show up just have no style; the paint schemes are ugly, the choices of wheels and tires are lame, and the main criteria for proportion and detail seem to be excess, shock, outrage. I guess you could say that about the Red Baron, Roth's creations, or many other edgy cars from back when, but they had some STYLE.

It's not my intention to beat up on the guys who build the "new traditional" cars -- they're entitled to do whatever they want with their cars, of course.

But am I in the wrong place here? Does the stuff at the Nats or at Billetproof represent today's mainstream hot rodders, or the majority of HAMBers' preferences?

I have to say it: I'd rather go to a Goodguys event, the GNRS, the Antique Nationals, Paso Maria, or the LARS parking lot. Am I in the Old Fart Minority here?

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, Tony. But, I totally agree. Ugly cars are the norm lately. I'm 62 and I sure don't remember rusty, overchannelled, weirdly porportioned, badly designed crap with gorpy welds and leaks from the Golden Days of hot rodding. It's most surely a twenty first century fad. And it can't end too soon as far as I can see.

But, there were some really nice cars also.

Maybe you should start a HAMB Old Farts club. We can bring a little patch of Astroturf and yell "Hey! You damned kids stay off of my lawn.

 

I'm in !!

 

Hell me too and I'm 23 count me as an old fart! lately I just keep walking past anything with flat paint even my car! It is way overdone way played out and tried to be pulled off as something its not. Pretty sickening in my eyes. My car will have a few hundred hours spent on the body this year and your crazy if you think its going flat, even flake is starting to get overplayed in my eyes I'm beginning to think just retina searing red for my car.

 

Long live the HAMB/OFC! Thanks; I'm glad I'm not alone.

 

I've gone to all but the first Primer Nats and I would say that the rusty thing is fading away. Not as many as in the past shows. As long as OSR and CKD are around,guys will build those kind of cars. There were many HAMB worthy cars there. I haven't posted my pic's yet,so maybe it will sway you a little. As far as "I wouldn't trade my cars for this or that" well Fraud,you cars are just TOO NICE! LOL!!! Many guys who own cars that would fit in don't bring them out cause they think their car has to be "primered"! It has always been my favorite show. GNRS will always be a great show cause there's a little bit for every taste. I think the parking lot/drive-in area at the LARS is better than most shows!
I think you're just too high strung,Fraud,HA HA HA!!!

 

What's the cut-off age for the club?????

 

I agree. There was a lot of junk there, but there were plenty of nice rides too. I did have a good time and I tried to take pics of the nicer cars that were in attendance. There were plenty more I would have liked to take pics of, but there wasn't enough time since the grounds closed at 3:00.

 

Rust is fading away? More like rusting away. The Tin Worm is not to be triffled with.

 

Morphing....Pretty soon all the H.A.M.B. will be GoodGuys and N.S.R.A.ers. I personally like from Rat Rods through Traditional, Street Rods, Customs , Full Customs and even restored to original cars... Why be narrow minded...

 

I prolly should join you. My car is only 51 yrs old and the wheels
are only 44 yrs old and I didn't find the cab in a field somewhere. Aw crap!
Oh well, I'll just fake it

 

why are you guys only picking on the primer nats,,,,,look at every thread of a car show posted here (just this weekend/nationwide)and you will see the same shit,,,,,,

 

i don't know , looking at t-roy's post i see a lot of nice rides

 

I've tried to tell some youngsters around here that we DID NOT, back in the day, build cars like they do these days...ours were proportioned and LOOKED like hot rods - not severely chopped, not severely channeled and not severly dragging the body on the ground...they were also safe and I've seen some I would not ride across the crosswalk in...

So to try to answer your question...

I don't think so, I'd like to not think so...altho the majority of the members here build safe, "traditional" hot rods (think the HAMB drags), the ones we see the most of, in picture threads, are those that are sinfully ugly and totally wrong to be called a "traditional hot rod"...I hope I'm right on this...

R-

 

Hmmmm, maybe because there's a Primer Nats thread or five up RIGHT NOW.

 

shit,,there are like 4 DIXIE FRIED, 2 or 3 leadsled east,and a few others i dont remeber the names up right now too....there are more things going on outside of california ...

BTW,,did you some of the shitpiles at dixie fried?????

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290875 shows cars on this post look great

 

Rudy's Coupe is the poster child for HAMB worthy cars! AND it's a recent build! Don't give up on HAMBers yet!!!

 

There is a big difference in the cars built in the 50's, and 90% of todays "traditional" hot rods and customs. The cars today are usually a modern interpretation of what was done 50 years back. All of the current trends of the last few years that are popular among much of the traditional crowd really have nothing to do with the original form of hot rods and customs from the 1950's. Lets look at a few of them!

-metal flaked roof (often accompanied by a semi-gloss body)
-"suede" paint in general
-un-repaired/exposed rust
-painted steel wheels with no wheel covers on a custom
-bare metal cars (how silly!)
-floor shifters on customs
-customs so low you can put a pack of smokes between the rear fender skirt and the asphalt
-police car unity spotlights on a custom
-zodiac metalflake vinyl interiors
-over the top, gaudy pinstriping covering a whole deck lid

man the list could go on forever. The sad thing, a lot of the guys think the above really are a representation of how cars were built 50 years ago. Dont believe everything you read on the internet!

 

I agree, and I am not an old fart by age.

I looked at the photos, and felt that the organizers must let anything in if the driver has tats and grease in his hair, while chasing off nice cars who's owners feel that the show does not allow aluminum wheels etc.

There were many very nice cars there, but from what I have seen, I would not go out of my way to attend the show.

 

Well, you better count me in to the "HAMB 'n Geezers Club"

I know between Phil, Dean, Tony and myself we have about 200 years of hot rod experiences...thats got to count for something....



.......like Royalshifter sez..."I like hot rods"

 

Chad S has it correct. I think we could use a new term for this 21st century style. Traditional isn't clear enough. Rat Rod is insulting. There HAS to be a better term...

I know! Let's call them Turditional. A 21st Century Turd.

 

Is it possible that the standards that used to define what was cool have been disolved? I started going to shows and meets in the mid seventies. Up until 3 years ago, I thought I would never go to a show and see a primered or rusty car that was supposed to be finished. Nice paint and polish was a standard. The over the top show cars were just that. Show cars.

That being said, it was all the shiney, chromed out cars that kept me from even trying to build a hot rod for a long time. It just seemed like a very expensive thing to get into.

Perhaps the introduction of new standards and ways of thinking have caused shows to allow just about anything to display, even if it doesn't quite fit the given criteria.

I go to shows or cruises now and expect to see just about everything that has wheels. I also go with an open mind. Sometimes it's hard to see where a builder was going with his car and I have the option of trying to understand it or move on. Being able to do both makes for a good experience. In the end, we're just a bunch of gearheads. Different and still the same. Perhaps the days of a "certain style only" show are falling to the wayside. Times and attitudes change. I think we're living in the middle of a change.

So, try taking a show or cruise for what it really is. A chance to get out and show your car and check out what everyone else is doing, but above all it's a chance to be around others like yourself. Gearheads.

 

Just curious. Any of you guys ever gone to a show that catered to just ONE style of cars? Of any kind? I've been going to shows since I was 9yrs old and the only shows i've been to with only one kind of car were the VW shows back in the 80's!

 

I agree. Looking through his pictures, I see a bunch of cars I think are really nice. I've decided that the Primer Nats would be an excellent show to hit if I'm on the west coast at the right time of year.

 

Count you in? I nonminate you for Sgt of Arms. Remember when car clubs had Sgts of Arms? I knew of a club that issued swats for running dirty whitewalls. The HAMB Old Farts sure won't have swats.

 

Funny....Hirohata Merc had spots! What a poser...

 

Bob Hirohata had Appleton 112s. Toody and Muldoon had Unity spots, Bob. Neither were posers...

 

The guys "in the know" should show us, young guy's, what they built, so we can learn.
Set a benchmark, so we can, someday achieve the same perfection.