Hot Rods Damn kids and their rain sensing windshield wipers

Happy birthday youngster

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Hey if less younger guys are interested in hotrods that just means there will be alot of nice cars going for little money to younger cats like me that do like em.

 

As long as your face isn't planted in your phone and when you ask a question, you actually listen to the answer I've no problem with anybody like that. I have to chuckle, at 25 I too thought everyone was old. Now at 62, I am that old (er) guy, and it's really not all that bad.

 

Complain all you want about the younger generation but you still need them to program your TV remote. But seriously, as long as we have shop teachers like @anthony myrick and others who take the time to help and educate these "young whipper snappers" there is still hope. JMO

 

60! I thought you were like 42! Happy B'day.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/passing-the-torch.1173642/

Here's what I did to finally get my son interested in hotrods .... sure he still has a late model mustang ... but he's got a hotrod now too

 

Also....if you don’t get out and talk to young people, it’s hard to know what they are interested in. We have lots of young students playing with old cars.


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Talking with the tuner and lifted young folks is how I locate a lot of cool parts. shhhhhhhh

 

Thanks. I’ve seen a lot of newer instructors bring some much needed youthfulness to shop classes.
Almost every older teacher/instructor always talks about retirement to no end. Imagine having a job you hated so much you can’t wait to leave it.

 

I try to do my bit for fueling the passion. When I'm racing my HA/GR (the one in my avatar) and a youngster (anywhere from 2 year old to my age, 64, ) comes to have a look I try to engage them in conversation about how I built it or how it runs. If I'm yapping to one of my mates at the time I politely tell them to hang on and make the effort to talk to the younger ones. I've had kids lined up in the pit area to have Mum or Dad take their photo. I disconnect the power supply and let them hop in and make sure they put their race- face on for the photo.

 

Happy birthday young man!

 

Something else I just thought of. A lot of older folk hate the way younger folk always seem to be in a hurry to get something done or seem impatient to listen to an explanation. It's not nit picking on the younger ones it's more trying to explain the gap.

 

Exactly what happened 30 years ago when so many cars disappeared into the crusher that could have been restored. There was a brief period before the internet when all we had was word of mouth and paperback Hemmings Motor News to hunt.

Joe

 

I'm 73 and I am putting my money where my mouth is. I had two cars, both barely off topic, they were both 65 model year, but neither was a muscle car. One I had for 28 years, and the other for 23 years. And both are hot rods. An AMC Marlin with a built 454 Chevy, and a Buick Sportwagon with a later model Buick V8 and overdrive automatic.. This spring I sold both of them, one to my grandson, and the other to his sister. Both were sold for a token payment. The big block Marlin went to my granddaughter. I just bought another old car for myself. I have one more in me. A 54 Ford wagon builder with a Chevelle chassis and a chopped top.

My grandson has a 2004 Mustang GT clone he built from a bare V6 automatic shell, black on black, 5.0, 8.8 and a TKO. This is his 11th Mustang. My granddaughter just got her other hot rod on the road. It's a 99 Civic with a B18C type R engine and trans. She built it herself.

 

It’s traditional

 

Happy Birthday , my friend , many more, wishes to you .

 

Fear not! The torch of wisdom is being passed to many young and inquisitive minds. Here’s a great example.

Planting the “Seed”

 

^^^......^^^

 

There are two sides to every arguement, and the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
Yes, the torch should definately be passed along to the next generations. Also true is that the up and coming must earn the right to bear the torch. Always tricky to get the timing spot on..................

 

When I was a young man, I was really into cars. At the age of 16, I really likes cars from the 30s, but I knew I didn't have the money, skills, or even a place to work on one.
At 25, I still likes the cars of the 30s, but at that time, the 60s & 70s performance cars were cheap, and affordable to me.
At 30 I had my first 30s car, even with all the knowledge from all the earlier cars, I quickly discovered I was in over my head. It took 3-4 more years to acquire the basic skills to get started on that 30s car.

My son just turned 40. When he was young, he was really into cars. Had it not been for an involved dad, he could have never had gotten that first 40s car at age 19. Since then, he has built a lot of hot rods, most with my help early on, but he is getting better as he gains experience. He has a really nice 57 Dodge wagon with a modern Hemi in it.
My son has a 7 year old son. He is really into cars. His dad has already helped him with a go cart.

My daughter is 3 years older then her brother. She has a now 20 year old son. He has been into cars for a long time. He really likes older cars, but he knows they are beyond what he can afford right now. He is at the point he is trying to find a car level he can afford. I have little doubt that at some point, he will have a nice old car as well.

The point I'm making is, some guys are really into cars, some from a very young age. Those younger 18 year old car guys pretty much understand that the car hobby is expensive, and most understand the car of their dreams is probably out of their reach for a few more years. The real car guys will find something to entertain them with a price range they can afford until they get themselves into a position to buy something close to what they want.

I don't remember any old car guys giving me deals on cars through the years, I had to find those deals myself. Same thing with car parts, I had to find them and work out my own deal. Weren't many old guys that would give me straight answers to questions I had either, I had to seek out those answers too.

As to helping out the kids? If they show me real interest, I will test them to see if they really are interested. If it proves out they really are interested, I may help them find something they are looking for, but I'm not going to buy it for them. I will give them the best, most accurate information I can, but I'm not going to do the work for them. The old car hobby is not easy, and never has been. I believe the internet has made the old car hobby much easier then it ever was before, but I am under no obligation to make it real easy for them. I don't intend on making it any harder for them, I will help them when I can. Gene

 

Yesterday I took the front wheels\tires off my 36 pickup (vintage real Rader wheels,slightly crusty) to the local tire shop to have them balanced. The young 20 something fella who came out to get them out of my OT pickup says "woah dude are these off of that cool old hot rod pickup I've seen driving around?" I'm planning to stop by with the old pickup and let him look it over and sit in it too. Hopefully a seed might get planted.

 

Do they really have rain sensing windshield wipers?

I'll have to start packing a squirt bottle.

 

Hi Trevor
Thank you for your input I for one appreciate it. I joined my first hot club back in 1977 I was seventeen then. The majority of older guys didn't really give me the time of day either their were a couple of older guys who were friendly but in all no offers of help or advice when needed. The older guys could be very friendly when they found out you had some parts they were after. So in some respects things haven't changed that much. It's great to see young guys like yourself getting into the sport and bringing your youth and enthusiasm with you.
As for the "staunch" old farts you've run across in your travels the sport is big enough to give them a wide berth you'll find the old guys who are more than happy to chew the fat with you and help out with parts. Stay with your passion Trevor sad sacks aren't worth losing it for.
Interesting some of the comments about young guys not into older stuff. My son (34yrs) went to all the hot rod shows, swap meets etc with me from the time he could walk. In his teenage years got into the import scene. Built some impressive turbo generated stuff putting out some very serious horsepower and still owns one of those cars. The other day he contacted me and was seriously looking at purchasing either a 50 Merc convertible or 51 Ford woody from an estate sale. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Some times guys the young guns just need a bit of time to see the light.

 

So, my 15 year old son was with me as I was making a deal on a 50 Ford club coupe. The old widow wanted $300 for the car and I was bucks down at the time. I told her I didn't have the money right then and my kid pipes up..."I do and I want the car". I huddled with his mom and it took some persuading but she caved and he's almost 48 now....still has the shubox but he's building it as a pro mod style road racer now. Twin turbo O/T motor, 6 speed, shop-made suspension etc. He's not interested in traditional hot rods....he's interested in POWER!

 

Here's my take on this:
I don't think anyone on this site is trying to slight or discourage a new guy, young or old. We all have the hobby in common, and except for the occasional jab or smartass comment (meant in fun), old guys (or experienced young guys) are trying to pass on tips and knowledge to those who ask for it.
A lot of young guys are sooo computer-savvy that when an old fart like me asks for help, they say "hit tab, F9, insert, scratch your ass, and problem solved", and it might very well be. Because the computer is second nature to them, they don't feel the need to explain details, just how to accomplish the task.
Same goes for car guys: ask them a question and they will give you an answer. They probably learned the hard way, years ago, so it's second nature to them. You don't need to know WHY I told you not to hit your thumb with a hammer (I learned the hard way), just take my word for it. Don't sweat the details, just do it! If you decide you know better, go ahead and smack your thumb, but be prepared for the "I told you so, dumbass!".
In either case, the guy asking the question can either accept what the other has to say, or, have their own preconceived idea of what the answer should be (in their own, predetermined mind), or move on....no harm, no foul, no hard feelings.
Of primary importance, though, is to consider the media form we're dealing with: the printed word carries no inflection, personality, or insight to the writers attitude, unless the writer happens to be a typist/novelist, which most cars guys aren't. We type the shortest answer possible and move on. If that isn't complete enough for the OP (whomever that may be), the OP should ask for more details until the answer is clear. The only dumb question is the one that never gets asked.
It's taken me a fair portion of my 72 years on earth to keep my mouth shut and consider advice I've gotten before discarding it or getting pissed because I didn't like the answer, or it didn't agree with my original thoughts. I've developed thick skin, a pretty good bullshit detector, and a respect for experience and knowledge.
One of the best quotes I've ever heard was one that my Dad told me when I was about 15... He was a great fan of Will Rogers who said "I left home when I was 18 because I couldn't get along with my dad....he was so dumb! I went back to visit when I was 21, and I was amazed at how much he'd learned in 3 years!". I think that was my Dad's way of teaching me about life and experience, although it took me more than 3 years to discover how smart and insightful he really was.
In short...'Patience Grasshopper"

 

I'm guessing this type of discussion began with prehistoric humans .....

 

These darn young punks and that “wheel” thingy. Why don’t that stair at the cave walls like we did.

 

Well you do know what caveman dad said to caveman dads kid as the kid was growing up?

“Our rock bands were better in my day”

No worries, I won’t be here all night...

 

I'll tell you one thing us old farts can do to help get young people interested in HAMB friendly cars and the hobby. Stop being stand offish, or aloof when young people show an interest in your car. I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys (some of them even friends!) who act like some young person is bothering them when they stop and ask them questions. They've told me after the person left and I asked that they thought the "kid" was too stupid to understand. What the Hell can the kid ever learn if we don't take the time to educate them, and answer their questions.
I think in many cases young people turn to other young guys with their hot import, or modern muscle cars for comradery because they've felt unwelcome by some older guys.