Folks Of Interest Young guns

Its a shame that it seems as if no kids are into hotrods and customs. I am 18 and know 2 people in my area that are pretty close in age that have hotrods. All of the kids around here if they are into cars at all are into new stuff that mommy and daddy bought them. Im sure there are a few more people that im not aware of but its just sad.


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I know how that is im 17 and i spend most of my time helping my friends build there engines to out run tuner cars. But putting a sbc v8 in a 90s s10 is not exactly what i enjoy doing all the time.

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Sounds like where i live[emoji19]


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And i have the same problem here all these ****ers are all complaining that there parents only bought them a $50,000 sports car and im working my *** off rebuilding chevy engines so i can buy a ford shoe box for $2500ish and build that. Its ****ing ridiculous.

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When I was around your age (in the 1970s) I saw the same things with people around me and had the same thoughts that you expressed here. Years later I realized how lucky I was that nothing like that was handed to me at that young age. You have something that money cannot buy. You are building skills, knowledge, character and gra***ude. People who have things handed to them never have a chance to build these things. Be proud, because YOU are the lucky one.

 

If wrenching on old cars bring you joy, it doesn't matter how many others around you dig them. Trees do make noise when they fall, even if no one is there. I was always a lone wolf, still am. You don't need validation, brother.

 

Kids can't afford vintage tin in most cases, cause all the good old boys have run up prices. What's left is junk tin in most situations. It's easier to afford $125 monthly for tuners, sad. I can't get my last sprout into a new car, they don't have character and they all look alike. Sprout wants a piece of vintage tin seams to be unreachable at times. But not discouraged we are determined to stay focused on the task. Old sayin' goes Built not bought rings true .-Thanks

 

Be patient. Costs are dropping as fast as the baby boomer population.
Most of us didn't start this hobby until our family's have left the nest. Start saving for your dream.


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I was 12 when I started building my first hot rod. I was almost 17 when it was actually roadworthy. I still have it. None of my friends were really into hot rods up until high school, then it was a pretty small circle. Honestly, until I found the HAMB maybe close to 20 years ago, I didn't have a group of friends that were as into cars as I was. Here's my first ride in 1985.

 

Root, thatsum nice curls under that cap. Not showing any of my early 20's pics.
Great picture!


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Oh yeah.....

 

We are out here, just few and far between. Im 21 and have a running hotrod and currently building a T roadster with a flathead now. Ive got another friend in his early 20s also building a flathead roadster. The hobby wont die anytime soon, but most "car" people would rather be into modern vehicles not outdated 100HP death traps haha. We are the torch bearers!


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I completely understand that!! My first build was a 69 c10. I couldnt afford to find a nice model a body at the time so i settled with that. Recently bought a 46 chevrolet truck cab and plan on building that very soon.


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To me the most under valued potential, is the early 50's Ford car. I did a quick search on OKC CL and came up with multiple cars for under $1,000. Granted, it's not a 32 roadster, but you have to start somewhere.

 

My sons (7 and 9) are hot rodders.


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Wow, I miss 1985. Looks like you were Born in the USA, Smoking in the Boys Room, falling In and Out of Love, wearing your Raspberry beret, going Back to the Future, practicing Weird Science, and all that going Beyond the Thunderdome. I dig your ride. I was also the only one I knew remotely interested in old cars.

 

all is not lost . I was driving in a home coming parade for our local high school and this young girl ask if she could ride with me in my '62 g***er ranchero , said sure . got to talking with her and she and her father were building her a '64 ranchero to drive . she is 16 years old , in the 11 th grade and knew a lot about older cars . I really enjoyed talking with her , made my heart feel good , I was out of school in 1973 .

 

Im 22. I cant decide if i like custom cl***ic or new tuner cars more. But i feel in my area most people dislike the fact that people like to modify their car. Especially the police har***ing you for any tint or a louder exhaust. It seems they ***ociate cool cars with drug dealers and other various criminals.

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i have been doing this since i was 15, earlier if you count the random junk car parts i would drag home that i would find in the woods near my parents house. In that time i have really only made friends that are as obsessed with it as i am in the last few years, and that was though the HAMB! In high school there was a couple guys that had old cars that their daddy gave them. I had a 68 Firebird. it was ugly green and i shot it in grey primer after getting the body straight on it. It was a sweet ride, even rebuilt the Ram Air IV motor in auto mechaics at school. When most kids were out partying or skiping school i was either at work making money for car parts or at guy named Rich Wilsons house, he was an old timer, to me at the time, but he taught me a lot about how to do all this hot rod stuff. Pretty cool to help a guy chop a model a coupe in his hot rod shop at 17 years old and actually finish it all the way to paint. Hot rods and old cars are in your blood and soul. I have been hooked since birth, and have done my best to infect my boys with it. There are more out there like you. Stick with it and use you cars as stepping stones to get to what you dream ride is. Build a small block S10, then sell it, and build a Chevelle or Nova, then sell it to build a Tri 5, then sell it to build that 32 or 34 ford that you have been dreaming of. Yeah it takes time, but the time and energy put into all the builds you do up to when you get to the one you have been dreaming of will give you the skills you need to build that dream ride exactly how you want it. That's how tons of us end up with sweet early hot rods or customs that command big money these days. I don't believe in saving up to buy the one you always wanted. It will take you forever and trust me something will always come up for what you need to spend your hot rod money on, especially when you get married and have a kid or two. Use the cars as steps, you get to have fun with it, build your skills and not be stuck watching from the side lines. Wish there was some young guns around me that were into this stuff, I could use the help in my shop!

 

I have been personally working on hot rods and race engines since i was 4. My dad owend a shop in Oakland ca and rather than send me to day care he thought me to rebuild and modify engines. I didnt think much of it then until the past 5years when i could actually use everything i learned. So then i started working for myself, better that than jiffylube,

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My first car was a 89 mustang. I was 12 made it run and sold it, then bought a Datsun 510, made it run and drive did some cheap stuff then sold it. Then at a swap meet I was 15 or so, I saw a 36 Ford truck cab and decided I was the owner. Did some work to it got a frame under it and then a guy who came to buy a couple parts from me offered stupid money for it so I sold it. Now I'm 30, own my Bel Air, a sport coupe and a model a. All my friends are early 50's and are muscle car guys but we all love cars. I have one guy I know in my area that is my age and likes old ****. Tried to friend the guy and he's one of those that daddy and mommy bought him old ****, but done old **** and he's never turned a wrench one it and he's snooty about it. Love old **** wouldn't have it any other way.


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don't give up

 

Sheeeiit...when I was your age I used to......'scuse me, I gotta pee.

 

ALL of us had this issue when we were young, I built and sold what I could afford, each car getting me farther than the last. Along the way is where we pick up the knowledge we need to continue, regardless of the style car involved, learning to wire, paint, rebuild is universal, eventually you get your first old car, when you do, it's something you'll appreciate.

 

My son is car crazy. He has always been in the shop helping me out. Teaching him how to chop a top or how to ***emble a front end payed off big time down the road. Getting young kids involved with jr.dragracing teaches kids many life lessons. After he out grew two dragsters he bought his first car at fourteen. Dad didnt buy the car. It came home as only a shell but it was a real 69 four speed super bee. He earned money any way he could. The limited funds taught him how to do things himself. Learning how to budget so the project was constantly moving forward was one of them. During this time he also learned how to buy and sell parts. Taking shop cl***es in high school really expanded his knowledge. He brought home lessons from school and applied them to his car. Winning state and national ***les for his school paid off in scholarships and tools. By the time he graduated high school the car was done. He walked out of high school with a six- pack four speed dana car he did himself. a month later he had a full magazine feature to his name. Going on to collage for a automotive engineering degree resulted in a job at chrysler. I never had to worry about were he was growing up. He was always in the shop with a few friends working on something. Kids want to learn they just need some one to teach them and get them involved. Spending a day with a kid at a car show or race can make all the difference. Just exposing a kid to our hobby may be all it takes.

 

Awesome!

 

Stick with it...you'll be glad you did, I promise. My kid begged me to let him buy a sad 50 ford [my first car was also a 50 ford] when he was 15...he still has it....it's gonna be killer! His buddy's don't understand but he and I have had some great father/son times with it. He learned some valuable life lessons in it's build.

 

I'm 20 years old, and I've been wrenching on the old iron for at least 6 years. When I was six years old my grandfather bought a '51 Merc four door, all stock, just a project car that had been sitting. He looked at me and told me I would get two things from working on that old car, knowledge about fixing cars, and a bad*** car to drive when I got my license. It sat for almost another 10 years in his back yard. You better believe I had that car running for my senior year of high school and drove it almost everyday. My dad taught me almost everything I know about working on cars, besides the stuff you learn by just doing it!

My brother isn't much older than me and both of us can't get enough of these old American machines.
Hot-rodding ain't dead as long as there's people like us around, it's in our blood, all of us here on the H.A.M.B.

 

hopefully, if this trend continues, I can afford a coupe

 

how many young folks get exposed to this stuff?
how many folks here are actively engaged with any shop programs?
I teach collision at a tech school, and would invite anyone to bring their cars and experiences to share with my students.
any shop owners here open up the doors for young folks to visit?
how many offer rides in their cars?
A fox body mustang or square body GM truck is considered old to my students.
I asked them at the beginning of the year what their dream car was and the majority was 60s early 70s muscle cars.
They identify with them from movies like the Fast and Furious series.
$$$$ is the biggest issue, they can pick up a Mustang of civic like we used to pick up 40s and 50s stuff
I try to expose my students to hotrods, customs regularly. I use event coverage from this site often in my cl*** as well as many of the tech articles.
I keep the students aware of all the local car shows and rod runs.
We tried having a car show at our school, but most of the old car owners in our area could care less.
Currently we are building a 63 short bus that we will use to promote our cl*** at several car shows and events, the students are very excited and hopefully they will learn skills to build whatever their 'dream' car is in the future.