Have you noticed how the guys are dressed? I don't see any studs, lip rings, tattooed faces, goatees, tatted chicks or whatever. Not a lot of suede, rustbuckets, or beercan overflows either. Most of those cars are sano, especially those beautiful cover cars. Now that I think of it I'm gonna go back thru and check for Maltese crosses, skulls, and bullet holes.....
That's a good looking truck, I like they light colored engine bay and roll & pleat running boards. That building looks interesting too. I always like looking at the backround in these old photos, try to imagine being there........ Do you know if it might have appeared in any of the little books? They covered a lot of these local shows back in the day.
dude, whoever got there hands on a super early 1949, 331 caddy engine with the 2 bolt valve covers is one lucky SOB...... damn
Some VERY nice cars on this thread... Beautiful examples of a great time in hot rodding history, and craftsmanship. Shame some of you seem to be paying more attention to clothes and appearance... Hey, guys...don't miss the forest for the trees! Who the hell cares what anyone looks like, now, or then. Judge cars based on the CARS merit, not the owners fashion preference. Junk was built in the 50's, too, by guys in white shirts.. And I know some great builders who look like homeless people.
#1 Rule in Hot Rodding....Never criticize someone else's car!!! Especially when you don't have the whole story behind it! The car on the top belongs to my Father & I. He built the car on an extremely limited budget in the mid 50's. It started out as a coupe which had it's roof crushed by a tree landing on it. The car was a total loss that my Dad picked up for a few bucks and turned it into a show winner! Oh, by the way. We still have the car...and it is still a show winner 50 years later!!!
I just wanted to add my 2 bits on the whole "rust rod" discussion. nothing is more irritating than a chuckle-head that buys new parts and rust damages them or wants to add "patina" even the poorest farmboy would maybe use some chassis paint and maybe another color for detail if they couldn't afford chrome-plating. you woulda been laughed out of the parking lot @ "The Speck" "Scotties" or any number of other spots in town. a beater was a beater, if you were constantly up-grading or working on your car that was one thing. you kept your car washed, and if you had any dress-up goodies, you kept 'em shiny. my car looks like poop right now, but it'll be painted just as nicely as i can make it in my 1-car garage when done. no skulls, barbed wire, etc.
I love this thread! Some fantastic cars shown here. I comepletely agree with the majority of this site, skulls and spider webs, rust and "patina", and that stupid "rat" was not part of the majority of the '50s. Now, what I've seen right here on this thread is a coupe with Casper the Ghost and a couple of skulls on cars from the '50s. It's the same thing, generation after generation, it just happens to get bolder. Right here on this thread was discussed "Traditional Street Glow". Hell, my Dad's '35 Ford Pickup had a bullet hole through the hood in the '50s from an accidental rifle discharge. Before he could fix it, he made up a little story about it being out front of the bank when an actual robbery had taken place. None of his buddies wanted him to fix it, everyone thought it was cool. IDK, maybe traditional bullet holes are more popular than new ones? My personal opinion is that everything in the '50s was done with class and style as opposed to todays "look at me". Steven.
My personal opinion is that everything in the '50s was done with class and style as opposed to todays "look at me". Steven. Not everything. Some pretty ugly and unpleasing cars were built in those days too. I remember a 32 channeled roadster being stretched 12" between the cockpit and the trunk in order to fit it on a 37 frame. I also recall a couple of roadsters that were handbuilt from the doors back...... and it showed. Average joe builder did not have the welding and fabbing skills that he does today. One aspect I did like was the habit of naming your car..... and having it painted on the decklid, maybe with a little picture too. Renegade, Apache, Soyanara, L'il Deuce, Red Devil...... etc, etc.
I love this thread. It is about as close to going back as you can get. It sure wouldn't be hard to pick one (or a few) from the this bunch. Thanks for all the great pics and keep them coming.
Harold, no need to explain, Kevin was making a point that making roadsters from coupes is nothing new. The vast majority holds your dads and your roadster in high regard. Great pics btw.
Keep the posts coming. This has turned into a great insight into how Hot Rodding actually was in the 50's. I was looking at some old photos this AM that a buddy with no computer has. What struck me with these pictures of cars is that many of them were taken in someones back yard in front of the one car garage they were built in. Most people then did not have what we take for granted today, a pickup truck, a car trailer, a roll chest of tools, electic and gas welder, a floor jack, an air compresser, florescent lights, room to get both doors open at the same time, heat, cherry picker, credit card. If some one had even four things on this list they would have considered themselves lucky. What did help was a buddy or a job or a neighbor or a local gas station that gave you access to what you didn't have. There were lots of friends willing to help on a build as no one was as pressed for time as today. The car clubs were as much for pooling equipment as anything else. Look at the cars being pictured here with the above in mind and appreciate them even more. Again thanks for the posts.
Here is my 32 coupe. Channeled in 1951 by the original owners grandson. The fenders are left on and the body channeled to the running boards. This car was chopped later in life.
Great thread, thanks all for the cool photos! I've got a stack of old "Hot Rod" and some little pages R&C's, is great to go thru them and see what was happening when I was a kid drooling at these mags in the magazine rack in the grocery store. I can't help but comment, and second the earlier one, about "tradition", and the traditional police here who immediately hammer guys doing whatever they happen to think is "wrong" and not theme appropriate. The variety of engines used (SBC's), coupes with haircuts to make a roadster, and yes Virginia, people wanted their cars "finished", not raw metal. I totally understand a bare metal car as art, but not as functional car, at least not in Michigan) I now have 3 cars with Bowtie's under the hood, no apologies from me any more. Most of all tho, I'd LOVE to go to an event with a bunch of my buddies all dressed red shirts and whites with black Oxfords, what a statement THAT would make! Pretty class act, that.
If you look at the old books ,They tell you how to build stuff .And todays books tell you were to buy this and that ,Its a damn shame ,If you ask me .I love this thread ,Sorry about the rant .
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