Going to Kalamazoo in a few weeks, even though I am some what anti-NSRA, wouldn't want anyone to drive their rods on the grounds with open exhaust.... Hold on, I'm going on a rant, just hung up the phone with a fellow hot rodder, not street rodder, which has spurred this deep wound to resurface again. Five years ago while "IDLING" around the grounds at Kalamazoo an NSRA "Eldor" with his nice new blue and white shirt, sprinted up to my rod and demanded I close up the exhaust. As I attempted to explain I was sorry, he spoke to me as if I committed some kind of atrocious crime explaining the rules of the event. For lack of better terms, the "Eldor" said I would not drive back to my parking place and I would buckle up the axhaust now. Well to save any further discomfort to this "Eldor's" day, I buckled up the exhaust and drove back (IDLED) to my little parking place with my tail between my legs as if I was an old dog who was just kicked in the ***... Bad dog, Bad dog !!! Idling around on private property with open exhaust...... I then began to become midly upset. This old *******, I mean "Eldor", had the same kind of enjoyment 40 or 50 years ago on the ""streets"" which we are just trying to recapture in some form on private property at a rod event. I'm not here to adovacte launching your car in the grounds for a 1/4 mile burn out p***ing millions of $ worth of rydes, during your 10 second p***, this should be in a proper burn out pit or track. I / WE are just trying to recapture the fun and enjoyment which I / we missed, as I was born 40 years too late. I would love nothing more than sitting down with the old ******* and listen to his old stories of hot rodding, not even thinking of committing what he had done because we would be thrown in jail, and probably rightfully so!!!!! During my pissed off moment (going on five years now) has lead me to this conclusion..... The "ELDOR" was probably pissed off at me because I was not running exhaust tubing which I stole from the next door neighbour. Exhaust tubing from the next door neighbour you ask - Ya, the TV antenna the old ******* probably stole, as his buddies already stole theirs, when a couple finally scrounged up enough money to buy a pole TV tower with the nice little antena on top.... He would then use nice shinny 1 1/8" OD TV tower for straight exhaust right out the back of his rod from the manifold, under the rear end, not over the rear end as this would mean a bender, and wack the tail pipe off right at the end of the rear frame horns.... Oh well, the Eldor probably works for "Boyd Who" now, who seems to have a similar at***ude towards people. Too make a long story short, my question is; are there any kool dining spots in Kalamazoo or other neat places we should stop by while I attend this event UNDER protest, as I suc***bing to pier pressure from my buddies?
I'm not from that area, but here's my best guess. Clara's resteraunt in downtown Battle Creek (I think??). Kalamazoo AIR ZOO, @ the Kalamazoo airport naturally. Gilmore cl***ic auto museum in Hickory Corners, I'm guessin north of k-zoo 'bout a 1/2 hour. If nothing else, go just to drool over the restored barns. Gull lake is just south of the museum. When I get over there, I usually drive around the lake and stop at a little cafe on the south end for lunch. Not great or anything, just a view of the water and food.
Wow, that was quite a 5year old rant! First off, i guess you mean "Elder". I am probably as old as the "Old *******" and I can tell you that we never got away with running open headers on the street. If we could have, we wouldn't, because we belonged to a club that was trying to elevate the public opinion of Hotrodding. But if we did, we would have been also thrown in jail and as you say, rightfully so. The only place we uncapped the headers was the drag strip. In the dark of night on a far out road somewhere we may have cheated, but not in the public eye. Private property at a rod run certainly isn't the place for open headers, because surely someone will complain and the people putting on the rod run will get h***led and so they jump on the guy to shut it down quick. That would be you. Personally I love the sound of open headers, but I understand the problems that it can cause. Ah, I feel better now. I still don't understand the TV antenna part.
the only people who'll hear your open headers are the inmates at the jail. If you want good, cheap food check out Poor Richards.
I think you are missing a couple key words which are underlying in the ***le of the K'zoo event.... National Street Rod ***oc. Not that there is anything wrong with frail engined panzy colored street rods.... That said, being the father of a 10 week old that I am planning to bring to the event (swap meet), I will not object to the no open header rule. A year ago it would have been a different story.
I was at K'zoo in 04. Saturday night, at the junction of 3 motels, an Arby's and Denny's (I think it's off the Sprinkle Rd exit of I-94), there is a huge gathering of street rods and a bunch of the local young guys running open headers, tubs, nitrous, blowers, etc. The law eventually shows, but until then, it's burnout city and good clean hotrod fun...don't tell anyone...apparently this is a yearly ritual...
"hotrod40" here's my response to your reply: First of all I respect nothing more than the orginal (real) hot rodders who are willing to share a short story or two with us younger hot rodders. I can certainly state this fact as I travelled almost 3,000 miles to the wonderful U.S. to meet Art Chrisman at his shop in California, what a great guy, treated me as if I was a friend of fiftty years. Hot rodders ""never"" run open exhaust on the street you say, ya right As I understand it you were lucky if you could afford new tires, obtain new tires and hell, very lucky it you could afford a proper exhaust...If this was the only problem our world had were rodders running open exhaust on private property, Hell I would be in Hot Rod Heaven..... (Hell / Heaven, understand it sir !) The point I think you missed was "I was idling around on private property", a HD is louder at idle. You must have heard one of those bikes crack the throttle at the green light when you have your window rolled down on a nice summers evening, it lays a beating on the old ear drums, oh well I'll roll my window up next time and put on some SRV music (Stevie is looking down on us you know)... "Open headers are not the place at a rod run" you say, where the heck is this coming from!!!! This is the point of a hot rod, I certainly am not advocating a 1/4 mile p*** or even 'cherping' the tires, I'm talking about the other fine rodders making music allowing the rest of the HOT RODDERS hearing your cam work at IDLE..... Okay the TV antenna part you didn't understand -- Well I guess I did get a little off on another tanget.... However; here it is; an older rodder spoke one time of the innovative ways a few hot rodders attempted to build or obtain parts for their rods as cash was in very limited supply. The rodders would scour the nearby homes and look for new antenna's which a nice family would instal beside their modest residence. As a new antenna was erected, that evening the rodder would take down the atenna and use the small atenna tubing/pole as exhaust pipe, with no mufflers, running the small diameter tubing straight out the back of his rod..... Now I certainly would not recommend this theft of one's property, agree with this theft, approve of this theft or running straight exhaust pipe on a hot rod. I was simply attempting to explain my great leap to my conclusion why the "ELDOR" ( I'ze apoligisyze, I cain't spel) was such an old *******. In my short eleven years in this great hobby, this is the first time I was used and spoken too as if I was a criminal the community feared.... As "rattlecanrods" advised me in his post, which was so obvious I missed it, Tats Why Day Call Its Da National Street Rod ***ociation. With all due respect "hotrod1940" thank you for your views,memories, and creating this wonderful past time for all of us to enjoy, happy HOT RODDING. NOW make sure you have a very mellow exhaust on your ride, wouldn't want to over power the music of the 5 hp. lawn boy mower the next block over.... I have only had one happy occasion to meet an "Old *******" in hot rodding, however; I have meet a few more "Young *******s" in street rodding...... I have the up-most respect for my elders......
I have met *******s (Your word) in all walks of life and whether they are young or old, they are still *******s. We will always have things that we disagree on and I appreciate your civil response. You love cars, and I love cars, on that we can agree.
I have responded to individual statements above We will always have things that we disagree on and I appreciate your civil response. You love cars, and I love cars, on that we can agree.
Yup off sprinkle road by where the host hotel is always a good time on saturday.In years past I was one of those young guys in a heavily sprayed 71 Nova SS putting on a lot of shows with the purge LOL. Olde Penninsula down town is a great place to eat. Lodo's Company in portage is great too.
I plan on being there again this year. I guess if they frown on open headers, they probably wouldn't appreciate me getting sideways out on the dirt track, huh?
I go there every year (except when Im in Iraq). I have been working over there for the last few weeks(church fire), Just North of the fairgrounds on Gull road is a little Mexican joint called Acapulco. I would give it a thumbs up.
The Jalopy Journal
