Hot Rods HELP - WRITER'S BLOCK: I Need To Pick Your Brains!!!! Mmmmm...BRAINS!!!!

OK, most of you know that I write a monthly column for the Gazette called Low Down. I try to discuss things relevant to the hobby that run the full spectrum from homebuilt traditional to high-end. Well, my shit is due NOW and I have no ideas. I'm in the middle of switching offices and can't get my mind to work with regard to Low Down.

Got any ideas?

 

How about a discussion about what walks of life we come from? In particular at Goodguys, it seems there are builder/fabricators, blue collar guys, check writers, etc. It seems like in that arena (Goodguys), there is room for everyone to get along and respect each others work. I LOVE to see the high end stuff at Columbus, but have JUST as much fun checking out all the cars parked at the hotels.

Some guys (like me) take almost 20 years to finish a car and others get it done in 6 weeks. Maybe that is due to commitment (either way), or maybe trying to take care of family at the same time, perhaps money... But does it really change that we all have oil in our veins?

 

write about the assholes who bitch about Goodguys.

 

How about...

Do good projects start from Form or Function. Is it different for Customs or Hot Rods? Has that changed over time?

Which direction does the bubble move during the project, which is easier to sacrifice, is the sacrifice temporary or permanent, should projects all end up at the balance eventually.

 

How about an interview column with Linda Vaughn and/or Jungle Pam. And some pics of course too.

 

. . . just sayin'

 

How about chilled monkey brains and it's relationship with traditional hot rodding?



OR! How about a bit about what people are doing to obtain those much needed parts to build their car to their vision? Might be time consuming and vague, though. Maybe cover ideas on obtaining parts needed? Survival tactics of sorts. The economy is bad and people are rearin' to keep going with their builds.

 

Comparative psychopathology...HAMBers vs streetrodders!

 

OOO! And in Goodguys Magazine.

 

Have you already done a column from the perspective of a young boy who has hust found out he loves hot rods? You could do it from your POV when you first got into cars or the frist time a car made you stop in your tracks and just stare.

 

the overuse of "barn find"

 

What is the definition of traditional. What is needed to say a hot rod is a traditional hot rod? Does a hot rod have to be anal traditional, to be called traditional. A 50's styled hot rod is for sure traditional. Is a 70's "Lobeck" styled hot rod traditional? Is there a line?

 

I did one.

 

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming!

I will definitely have to go in the direction of some of these with more research and thought.

 

Dang I dont wanna be cynical or abusive but hows about an article about procrastination.. i.e., I should be out in the shop working on my project (and smiling dammit!) as YOU should be getting into the right frame of mind to put out a quality article. .... lets face it we all should be doing other things than "escaping'" in front of our computors ..... adios, I gotta go do something important! LOL

 

Write about the frustrations of our hobby?

 

How bout the I.Q. of a scrapper that scraps old cars.
B.B.

 

How much you love cats n clowns n that you are in touch with your feminine side! Or the inner meaning of a bunnie with a flap jack on his head!

 

do gold chainers really wear goldchains,and are they good quality?..why gold? wouldnt billet be more appropriate?

 

how about how the magazines effect the trends in the hobby.

 

The effect on places like e-bay on availability and prices for parts and or cars.

 

BAM! That may be the one for today!!

PLEASE keep ideas coming!!!!

 

How about an article on the way todays' generation of import builders gets no respect from the previous generation, even though they are doing exactly what we did when we were their age, and our forefathers too?

I have a story to relate about how I found newfound respect watching a group of "ricers" help out an stranded "traditional" out of a jam.. and how he repaid the favours.

I may get flamed for sticking up for the import kids, but I don't give a damn. They are what we were, just in their own timeframe.

Cheers

 

Crock pot recipes for the up coming GOODGUYS show season, kinda like the DO's and DONT's of fine dining for those who eat out of their trunks.

 

You could write about how traditional parts were cast off by the gold chainers for years, but everything comes full circle, and now obsolete and rare parts are being bought up by the gold chainers, making the task of building something truly traditional even more expensive.

hows that for a long sentence?

 

Dear Penthouse;

I know you won't believe this, and I never thought this would happen to me, but I thought I would share this story that happened just the other day. I was riding along in my hot rod when this beautiful redhead and her blonde friend pulled up next to me and...


...oh wait, that's a different magazine.

 

I agree 100% with you and have debated the topic MANY times.

 

A timely topic would be the resurrection of Tom Medley's coupe, now in the hands of HotRods and Custom Stuff. As you may know, a "trust fund" has been formed to raise necessary funds to complete the car. With Tom's legacy as a Hot Rod Hero (Goodguys' term), it seems fitting we all pitch in.

 

How about the club's that help charites with their shows...in particular The Hunnert car Pile-up...and Johns Well's charity -The Hannah project...

R-

 

How about a "get with it" article that explains that if you painted your street rod in the mid 90s like an easter egg or buble gum stuck under a park bench that it may need some new paint, and just because seats from a '92 astro van fit doesnt mean you should use them....
Dont get me wrong, I enjoy a nicely done street rod but some of the abominations that exist around here just make me laugh and say what were they thinking!