Hot Rods How long have you been building hot rods/customs?

Back before cameras and film, around 1959, I asked for and got a 1930 Ford Model A Deluxe 5-window coupe project for my fourteenth birthday, so sixty-five years later, my wife thinks I have projects which will never get finished. She's right, but it's still fun. The journey; not the destination.

jack vines

 

My Dad was a mechanic all his working life; he always had a cool ride that he modified slightly. He would lower the rear end, install dual exhaust (Smitty mufflers always), fender skirts, and Vogue tires. Always some mods to the motor. I vaguely remember a 1940 four-door, then a 48 Ford coupe, a 51 Buick Riviera, a55 Olds Sedan, a trophy winner in it's stock cl*** at our local drag strip. In 1956 when I was 12, we bought a 33 Chevy Tudor for me, and it is my avatar. No stopping after that rig!

 

Since 1963. I was eleven.

 

I started with my first old car, a 57 Bel Air, that I got at 16 years old in 2000. So about 26 years.

 

70 years + or -

 

Winner winner!!

 

Since 1974. 52 years.

 

Well, “ Tom Dogs” has a visual at 71 years!



Bones

 

Well, then....1st runner up!

 

My whole life so that's just shy of 60 years,when I was about three Dad stabbed a flathead ford V8 in a Jeep pickup with straight pipes thought it was the coolest thing. Dad had a pit in the garage and when I was about 4 I watched hip balance a truck 4 speed on his head while he change out the clutch I handed him tools. My brother and I thought Dads new riding mower was to slow so we wired the governor open and also decided to paint scalps on it needless to say he was not happy with us but I like to think he was proud. It just snowballed after that helping my older brother with his cars then my own.

 

I’ll go with that! I thought I might be in the running at 63 years of playing with hot rods, but was shy 8 years! Lol



Bones

 

Started with real cars (not models) back in '63 by helping my friends and my parents work on their cars. Got my own first car in '65 at 17 ('61 Chevy 2-door Biscayne 283/powerglide). Progressed to a new '68 Camaro SS off the showroom floor in '68 and my first hot rod (T-bucket) and a '56 Chevy 2-door post both in '69 that I never finished either of them. First running "hot rod" was my '34 Plymouth coupe in '74 that I built from ground up (the green car in my avatar) that I still have today (along with others) at 78 years young!