Art & Inspiration When did you realize that hot rods were cool ???

Back in the day in my early teens I and most of my friends started playing with cars. In those days it seemed like there was some sort of an old 30s and 40s car sitting in every farmers field or behind every house and a lot of them could be gotten for little or no money. My friends and I all had "Doodlebugs" that we would race around the fields and have a hell of a good time. Paul, an older friend of mine started buying Hot Rod magazine and we discovered the hot rod scene. I enjoyed reading those magazines but never thought much about ever building or owning a hot rod. That all changed when I was a junior in high school and while walking to the end of my road to meet the school bus Paul and his buddy drove up in his buddy's newly completed bright red 40 Ford coupe with a 283 Chevy V8 with 3 deuces and a hot cam. I couldn't believe my eyes or ears as it sat there with its gleaming red paint and loping idle and couldn't get in fast enough when the guys offered to take me for a ride up to the school. When we pulled into the parking lot at school everyone's jaw dropped when I got out... That was it ,I was hooked. I've owned and built a number of customs and hot rods over the years but that 40 Ford was the one that sticks out most in my mind and the one that got me hooked.

 

Within seconds of seeing one.
I was probably about 8 years old, it was parked in front of a local gas station.
Found out much later it was a '30 Chrysler roadster on a '40 Ford frame with a full house flathead!
This would have been 1960 or 61, last I heard the guy still has it!
I saw it again in the early '90's and it still looked cool!
KK

 

About 1973 when my dad bought the 48 home from my grandparents. I was 4 or 5, they put me in the front seat to steer.

 

...me & my younger brother were riding our bikes not more than a mile from where I live now,...I was about 10 years old;(that's well over 50 years ago)..we saw a chopped full fendered Model A sedan cruz by, it was metallic blue, SBC engine, no hood, www's, chrome wheels,...sat low,...later found out it was from the next town south of here and owned and built by 2 brothers...it was our first look at a hot rod/ old car,..that started it all for me, remember it like it was yesterday.

 

77 sunset strip. https://metvcdn.metv.com/p4WMy-1522079547-tile_image-1980.jpg

 

This is from 1974 in school. 12 years old. But I’m sure before that.

 

I can't remember when they weren't. In the second grade I was given my first model, a curve front Olds milk truck. By fourth grade I had turned it into a lowered two seat hot rod.

 

I don't remember. I know it was after I was born...

 

According to mom, when the first '53 Corvette appeared in town I was hooked. I would've been three.

 

When I was about 15 and the guy down the street got a '40 coupe with tuck & roll.

 

1952

 

When i was about 10 yo. Went with Mom to the little country store close to home (we lived in farm country) and a black guy drove up with a Bright Yellow '33-'34 Ford 5w and I haven't looked back. Great life style for me.

 

modified car fascination for me started with Hot Wheels in 1967. I'd say it really hit me in 1972 when I got a subscription to Street Rodder for my birthday. funny thing, I asked for Street Chopper, I don't know if my Mom didn't want me to get into choppers or if she just misunderstood me.

never did get a chopper.

 

8 ... a '48 Plymouth with split manifold.

 

1960, started building AMT model kits, mostly ‘32 and ‘40 fords. 13yrs. old and was hooked. What’s strange is I am 72 and have never owned a ‘32 or ‘40 ford. Always been tri-5s and 1 ‘37 chevy cpe. And 1 ‘35 ford cpe. Never fully completed any of them. Trying to remedy that now.

 

I was born with it!

 

About 15, when my neighbor just back from the service pinned me in seat through 4 gears.

 

Fourth grade. 1970.

Sent from my Trimline

 

6th grade(1958-59)..I usta stand out side school every morning and watch the high school guyz(tail draggerz) idle by looking for a parking place. Straight pipes/glass packs....car club plates hanging below the rear bumper. Naked girl decals sticking on the wing windows.
Blub-blub-blub of the flathead engines. (Seems just like last week!!!!)
6sally6

 

right around this time .....

 

Sometime before July 1961, I was 10 years old, and placed two quarters on the counter at Squashes and walked away with my first copy of Hot Rod.

Bob

 

My first words were "hot rods are cool , mom" . " Dad said , that's my boy "

 

I was 7 or 8 when I first noticed the few “accessorized” cars on the block. A 50 Ford convert with blue dots and dual pipes was the one that started my addiction.

 

It was about 1958 in Jackson Mississippi. I was 11 year old. I was I saw a 27 Ford roadster hot rod going down State St. on a Sunday morning. I was hooked. It was AMT models until I could get something more solid.

 

I had normal parents, think 1950's { Ward and June Cleaver. } My parents weren't into cars. But I was born a Hot Rodder! They told me that I made car sounds, even before I could talk! The only thing I ask for Christmas was just toy cars. Everytime they went to the Western Auto store. I would sit in this pedal car. They finely got it for me. So yeah, I've been car crazy for as long as I can remember. Ron.......

 

In 1959 we went camping at a state park.I was 5.The folks next to us had a modern car,and a truck with no roof,and a flat chrome radiator with round head lights.I asked my dad...why cant we have a car like that? He had worked hard in life so he didnt have to so im sure he figured I was just a kid.Later I would figure out it was a 29 roadster pu.Have always had at least one old Ford even in High school when 55 Chevys ruled my life.

 

Musta been pre 3rd grade (It's supposed to be a 53 Stude)

 

Between 1961 and 1963 my Father had a construction job working on the Minute Man Missile bases in western South Dakota. For that part of the country and that time period, this created a boom town atmosphere and housing was very hard to come by. The only place that he could initially find was owned by the proprietor of a wrecking yard. Seems the owner had moved several older homes in across the road from his business, intending to rent them out. I was amazed at all the cars I could see across the road and bugged my Father to take me with him when he would pay the monthly rent so I could get an up-close look. I didn't know what they were (I was 6) but years later my Father said they were mostly T's and A's.

That baited the hook for me, but the hook was set in July of 1965. One summer afternoon, I stopped at a neighborhood grocery store to look at comic books. What I found was Car Craft magazine. This car was on the cover and a feature article inside. That Car Craft came home with me that day and I never looked back. That 50 cent magazine has cost me untold thousands of dollars and now I have passed the disease onto my son.

 

Since birth, grew up in the cab of my 33 and have always been addicted to hot rods and customs.

 

It started for me I was around 10 or 11 my cousin would give me issues of hot Rod and Rod and custom. Then JC Whitney catalogs to figure out all the different adapters. And Dream of engine swaps. I got my first car at 14 that was 50 years ago.