Check this article from the SEMA website: http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=56088 Rat Rodding made easy for everyone!!
I read that bfore I went to SEMA. I thought it did a good to expain to a guy who owns a performance parts store (that lived under a rock) That we could be good customers to. I think at Sema this year you could see how things are swining our way. I don't know if the good of that way out the bads. But the manufacures are paying attention for the most part. Stuart Warner is starting re make there old gauges. I dont know how many show car's had flat paint. It's geting main stream. Scott
I know things don't stay the same, but my fear is that there will be those who get into the movement simply to cash in.
What ever it takes to get the 1. availability of parts we need and 2. but questionable. Lower prices on the hard to find stuff. Yes we complain about the popularity and influx of the masses. But at least the big money will make these items either available or cheaper.
Yea, but it will also make it easier to build a car or truck which will bring in people with lots of money but no real understanding of what the movement's all about.
Good article! Nice plug............. Ryan Cochran’s The Jalopy Journal (www.jalopyjournal.com ) “spreads the gospel of traditional hot rods and kustoms to hoodlums worldwide,” and his Hokey Ass Message Board (known as the H.A.M.B.) offers lively—to say the least—threads about cars, tech, events and more.
Totally agree.. I've never understood this weird, clubby, "us-VS-them" mentality.. back when I was into muscle cars, the Ford-VS-Chev-VSs-Mopar etc "debates" did nothing except display the speaker's ignorance... now the same thing is happening with some rodders. WTF? The way I see it, the more rods (of ANY kind/description) there are on the road, the LESS attention my car will receive from the cops, and that's a good thing by my standards. Who cares what it's called? Just drive the mofo.
the "prototypical" rat rod... I bet Kevan loved that... THAT car oozes tradition and cool. Rat rod it is not.
Just wait until the day you go to your favorite little car show (i.e. The Roundup or Billetproof) and you either can't find a place to park or can't even get in. I've already seen it happening where these nice little small gatherings aren't the nice little small gatherings they used to be. Now as far as your elitist comments, I'm the last person you'll ever hear making the "you're not as traditional as me" argument. I've seen it with street rodders and I've seen it with traditional culture. As far as the people, the more the better. I just hate to see the great atmosphere at traditional shows get ruined in the name of more cars and more money.
I have to agree on the money issue. Case in point are all the damn yuppies that bought Harleys for the last 10 years. Totally 'f'd the scene for those of us that were old-timers, persay. Seen the $$$ on a new HD lately? $200 for a rear tire? Fuck. Now you have all these wanna be's that don't have a clue as to what it means to be a biker. Or what it takes to RIDE to Sturgis/Daytona/wherever. They have their trailers now, their trophy bitch, trophy 'gold-card'. That is one reason I dissappeared from that scene several years ago, and have been so attracted to this one. We get together in different guys garages, work on their rides, drink whatever, crank the tunes, get greasy, and have a blast doin' it. It's like biking was 25 years ago. Forming a brotherhood. I'd much rather see a ride that a guy actually built, as opposed to buying a ready made rod. Goldchainers can dress the 'traditional' part, but if they ain't got grease under their nails, they ain't squat. Give me a guy that has spent sleepless nights thrashing, busted knuckles, greasy nails, garages smells like cut metal, beer, and paint. He has the storys, experience, and the soul to get it done, and call in your buds when ya gotta mount the body. As opposed to cuttin' someone a check to do it all. Fire up the torches, men.
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