This is OUR version of history.

This forum is full of guys who are using mini truck, ratrod and lowrider ideas on cars and trucks like Dodge and International trucks, 48-52 Dodge cars and a lot of brands that were NEVER considered suitable for a traditional hotrod.

To give you a simple guide almost every traditional hotrod was a FORD.
And it had to be made before 1948.
Thats all you need to know.

Things made after 1948 can be 'hotrodded' but they are street machines, not traditional hotrods. After street machines, we had the Muscle cars. After muscle car, who cares? Hotrodders dont care about any cars made after the Muscle cars.
There were occasional off brands made into a hotrod thru the years but they were referred to as oddrods.
A race car can be a hotrod and some traditional hotrods were driven to the dragstrip but I think in general racecars are separate from most traditional hotrods.
As recently as 2002 Streetrodder magazine was promoting the idea that hotrods were of pre 48 manufacture.

Wouldnt it be nice if the HAMB had a separate sub-forum for traditional hotrods ONLY?

 

This is certainly true.

HOWEVER

Any time I've made even a halfhearted attempt to listen and learn, I've been well rewarded. You can learn in any school, if you want to learn. People are under no obligation to teach me anything; they do what they like, and for their own reasons. My end of the bargain is to be a good listener and maybe even a good conversationalist.

I've picked up plenty on my own, a lot more from the HAMB, and some of my best ideas and info from folks who are willing to talk.

Not everybody waving a traditional flag actually cares for the reality of the times. And everywhere there is a solid core of interested and interesting people there's also a flaky outer crust of scenesters.

 

My original post was to broad, and sweeping. It should have read SOME younger people don't want to hear how it was.
I talk to many younger folks who are truly interested, and we have a great time.
By the same token, some of them are really knowledgeable, and I listen, and learn.
.
.

 

Your probably just hanging around with the wrong group of guys, just like our elders are not all the same, niether are we... I know our crew embraces history and the guys that will take the time to share there knowledge of it with us. We'll welcome anyone with our same interests to hang with us, roll with us and generally appreciate that you guys will even tolerate us young fuckers... dont give up on us just yet.

 

You beat me by a minute Zerk.
We were typing at the same time.

 

cant we all just be a happy dysfunctional mob? for anyone hating the "rockasilly kids" i love them all and would rather raise two of those (which i am ) than raise a couple hipsters or jocks or some other breed i cant stand. its the best this generation can do at being cool and i have nothing but patience for them. when i hear roy orbison or buddy holly blasting from my kids room or my son practicing another shadows tune on his guitar i remember that my friends are raising kids who do the same things with bands like slipknot and skrillex. thank the sweet lord for the rockabilly scene!!!

 

Well said 54pathfinder.

 

I know this thread was born out of frustration, but I have had some good chuckles here. I see myself too. I'm old enough to remember 50's day at school. we'd wear denim or leather and sunglasses thinking we were the coolest. I knew better.. had pictures from the "day" my relatives in button down colars, narrow ties and slacks.. dungarees were for the "poor" or delinquent lol! It was just more fun to be Fonzie than Potsie. I think that's the point thouh. The kids in the tats and pompadors are just having fun and calling it traditional. Not realy interested in accuracy, just want to be even cooler and more dangerous looking than Fonzie.

 

im 26 and my best hot rodder friend is in his 60's
I got to him for advice with cars, life, money anything and everything.
I call him my H.R.G.B. (Hot Rod Geezer Buddy)
he has a badass 39 Pontiac.
When we hang out I take in all that I can and listen to what he says.

 

I'm 61 and always find it interesting that when I drive my hammered, hot rodded '30 Ford around most all old timers ignore me and the car and most all young people, 15-25 years old, wave, yell, holler and come look and talk about it.

Yet when I drive my El Camino, totally original in every way, the old timers wont leave me alone.

The only variation to this is Bonniville where the youngsters don't give the Ford a glance and the grey beards don't leave me alone. Ying/Yang.

People who wonder what color of flat black for the body and what color of red for the wheels are the same one's who'll be sanding down the paint on their glass 32's to make them look "old timey" and painting something stupid on their doors, before sanding over that too. They will continue to use fake Oldsmobile valve covers on their sbc engines and drive pieces of unsafe shit 'till they figure out that what is hip today will soon become passe'. Then they will leave.

True hot rodders and serious car people on the other hand will be around forever. In small numbers that's the way it's always been and that's OK with me.

 

Okay your right... Send them over to scare my kids will ya?

lol!

 

Ironically that's the best thing that ever happened to her. I think her donations are up to half a million or so...

 

What? Slipknot's awesome.

 

Had a lad complaining about how hard it is to get the old grease off cross members and engine compartment. I told him the old grease is much better than the new as it had a harder job. He said how so and I told that back when we worked on them after you carved the wheel from iron stone you then had to carve the races from granite. A lot of friction there and so you need a much better grease. He's learning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha

 

People who wonder what color of flat black for the body and what color of red for the wheels are the same one's who'll be sanding down the paint on their glass 32's to make them look "old timey" and painting something stupid on their doors, before sanding over that too. They will continue to use fake Oldsmobile valve covers on their sbc engines and drive pieces of unsafe shit 'till they figure out that what is hip today will soon become passe'. Then they will leave.

True hot rodders and serious car people on the other hand will be around forever. In small numbers that's the way it's always been and that's OK with me.[/QUOTE]

i give it two more years max and the whole "kustom Kulture" thing is going to be as cool as mid riff shirts and mullets. its a fad just like the custom van scene of the eighties. once the mags have exhausted the look and people start to see how preposterous the cars have become it will all die. for example the "traditional rat rod" that had a mailbox for a air cleaner housing in a recent mag. and also if a tattoo artist had actually sleeved a girls arm in the 50's what would have happened? i really want to know. was that something that ever happened? if a guy inked my daughter up like that now i'd go to jail for a long time after i dealt him back if it was her idea or not!

 

Most of the neo-traditional kids are good and well-intentioned
(well, except for this one that lives next door).

 

ya old farts !

 

I've always tried to hit up the older builders for knowledge. Sometimes, it works out great. Other times it can remind me that some folks can be assholes. There's a fellow near me, Bill Knighton, when I was building my T he was a great source of knowledge and inspiration. I still drop by his shop and talk cars. His knowledge of the hot rod scene in early Houston and Dallas is unreal.

On the flip side, I've gone to shows or cruise-ins and the older owners sometimes didn't want to talk about anything. Of course they loved it when I said they had a nice car, but even that seemed like a chore. Maybe they were having a bad day?

I'm middle aged and always take the time to talk cars. With ANYBODY. Yea, even the kids with tuners. They may not be into hotrods, but they're into cars and that's a good thing.

A lot of older guys just seem to feel what they have is a secret and won't share it. They sit in thier lawn chairs and wait for someone to take a picture. So, it can go both ways.

 

I just had a similar experience happen to me in reverse. I was showing my Dad the engine bay of a '57 Mercedes 300SL roadster and talking about their history, etc when a group of old rich Pebble Beach looking dudes (gold Rolex watches on all three) literally cut right in front of me, turned their backs and started yammering about how everything back then was mechanical and not electronic.

So it happens both ways.

Just be respectful. Listen. Communicate. I swear most people nowadays live life like they drive...like they're the only one on the road.

 

I'm re-writing history.

 

this is not hamb friendly, but i know my littles hondas. work in a large diesel shop with many very smart mechanics. but they still come to me in the end. still like to confuse them and talk about points

 

I'm 61 and only have friends that share a common interest, it may be the 93 year old guy who still drives the Bugatti GP car he restored himself or a kid with a few neck tatoos and a Hot Rod, respect is the bond that connects us. Bob

 

Funny... did you pen that phrase? I kinda feel that way some times, but would you actually hang with your old man when you were a kid?

Sadly I get that some times. But I also get to talk to a lot of young folks who are friendly and share info / stories. And as I don't really know all that much about older cars myself (still), their help is useful and very much appreciated.

The tough cases, for me, are the rodders that are buds one day, but when in vogue with their friends on another day, pretend not to know you. Gary

 

Right now, I'm looking at a picture of my Dad, taken in July 1954, with his new-to-him 1951 Ford coupe. The car is light blue, V8, dual exhausts with glasspacks and three-inch chrome tips, bumper guards and baby moons. He's wearing a set of loafers, creased khaki pants, and a red letter-style jacket with button snaps and a tan collar. Oh, and a white t-shirt. His black hair is slicked back with I assume is a pretty healthy quantity of Brylcreem!

NO primer, NO spider webs, NO tats.

THAT'S traditional.

And I miss him every day.

 

I'm 66 and when I go to car shows or cruise nights or whatever, I never start talking about my history or experiences unless I'm asked. I've found most people, particularly younger people, don't really give a shit. If somebody asks and I'm drawn into a conversation, I'll offer a little bit and see how it's received.

 

We can't teach um all, hell we can't even reach half. But the few we get to. They will make the difference.
As for the rest.... Oh well we tried

 

....take the time to talk cars. With ANYBODY. Yea, even the kids with tuners. They may not be into hotrods, but they're into cars and that's a good thing...

Bingo. Even James Dean had an import. It killed him, but he had one. Steve McQueen had a mini Cooper... Import "Tuner cars" annoy me, but they are still (mostly) internal combustion engines and rubber wheels. There's a link there.

 

I was born in 1932,----But still listening!---No Tats either!

 

If WE didn't go through the phases ourselves.....For myself,muscle cars,hot rods of the 60's,big blocks,and smoking tire while getting to the big end quick was the time period.
Growing older (as we all do) changes perspectives quite a bit-would'nt ya say? What was cool at the time,might not be so cool now.
Case in point- Bought a 65 nova ss from an actual junkyard. 25 yrs later after clicking off a nine sec. pass,and actually winning my first,and only victory at the strip,things changed. I grew smarter/wiser/evaluated what I wanted out of "our" hobby/life.
I applaud(gulp) youger guy/gals who intern make cars better/faster,and aren't afraid to tweak things around like our fore-fathers. Might not have came from Detroit,but the passion is seen. Some of them(cars),well,non-USA stuff is not my bag,but I can apprieciate the effort.
It only took getting more mature to realize the history that was available for the asking,the knowledge,the stories of times I wished I could have experienced first hand.
I'm always learning,and I CHOOSE to ask.I will never deny someone who was "there" to share.
Some get it,some don't,some never will......
I greatelly value the rich history of "hot rods",and those still among us that can relive those times through their knowledge and stories.
History can be kept alive,it's just those who actually give a crap,and seek it.

 

It has nothing to do about tattoos