CHALLENGE: So you think you can DRIVE YOUR HOT ROD? Prove it!!!!!

INTERESTING THREAD....Yes I would love to go and prove that I can and do drive my hot rod....but this gg show isn't far enough away ( 5 hrs.) I just got back from the salt flats . I drove my 31 sedan out and back , no roof ,windows, only minimal floor pan, and the car is built with the trans exposed inside. sounds crude but I have made it as safe as possible. And then 1 week after getting back went to hamb drags,(3.5hrs.) I would love to see more people drive to kansas from cali. to go to shows . We build em to drive and do just that, in fact if it's not raining when I leave the house that is what I take the kids to school in, even in the snow. I would say I'm hard core. come on out anytime and we'll do some moonlight back roads driving. !!! loads of fun .. It is lonely out there on the streets and hiways, I wish more guys would drive 'em more often,but after driving to L.A. many times I do see why cali guys can't drive their cars everyday. I was terified driving my 63 on the 5 in rush hour, as well as the stude. the thought of getting rear ended was horrible. so I will stay in kansas and enjoy driving my old cars everyday.-----love and respect----- jeff

 

The Autocross events looks like fun.

As for the other bullshit in this thread? Entertaining like a trainwreck.

/popcorn

 

No doubt!

Wouldn't it be amazing if people could just post things they liked without being attacked or accused? Or if someone didn't like a post they would move to the next one instead of making a point to bitch?

Oh well, the HAMB is great anyway.

 

Racin' cars is cool, $60,including admission to a hot rod show, for a few runs at an autocross is damn cheap. Look up yer local SCCA chapter and see how much they charge for the autocross alone. Not to mention that your hot rod will not pass the SCCA tech inspection.

GoodGuys is doing a great thing.

Alan "Billetproof" Galbraith - a fan of actually USING your vehicle to go FAST (even if its really slow on a tight course).

 

dreaming is fun, isnt it?

 

I want Gary to pay for my gas! The ol' rocket sucks down $300 a month driving in L.A.! So I will attend and race at this event, and I will happily pay $60 bucks if that Mr. rich guy Gary pays for my gasoline! Also if my car is to race at said event, Mr. richy-rich Gary should cough up the dough for some paint! Cause primer is sooo last thursday, like OMG! Since when is it MY responsibility to have to pay for fun events! Gary should pay, for all of us... because he's got lots of dough.

p.s. Gary, some disc brakes... maybe for my birthday? Or Christmas if I'm good?

 

I was hoping to be the first to post a time so I could be the fastest Hamber on the AirRide autocross, my time, 22 seconds but Hoboy56 already has me beat at 20 seconds.
I did however hold my club record for a year (no one else ran). My car handled so poorly I scrubbed the sidewalls of my tires. This led me to replace my rear springs and add a front swaybar. This year I showed "Mr. Chevy" so my other '55 hardtop stayed home and I lost my club title. I will be back next year to try to regain it.
As far as anyone bitching about the $40 entry cost to a GG event, name another regional or national event that cost less, you can't. Sorry guy, if you are worried someone is making money from you at this hobby you must be pretty damned miserable. It must make you sick every time you spend a buck on your car.
O.K. I get to claim I'm the second fastest Hamber on the autocross at 22 seconds.

 

Kirk, I must publicly commend you for your professionalism in answering some of these "attacks". I'm just blown away by some of the comments made by guys who I know to normally be intelliegent individuals but for whatever reason are attacking an orgainization that does so much for this hobby. I'm currently shaking my head in disbelief.

Choprods, you will pay what $20 to enter the HCP in two weeks for what 9 hours at a venue? You get a place to park your car, some live music, some vendors and a flamethrower contest right? Heaven forbid you should want to cruz around...ya can't, fairgrounds too small and the cars are packed in too tight. I think they "banned" cruzn two years ago. Yet, you...and I, will go and enjoy ourselves.

No cruzn a race track at 70MPH or an autocross track thats for sure. Liability insurance would kill the Czars, or so I've been told. THANKFULLY the GG organization is large enough to cover such an expense or THOUSANDS of hot rodders all over the country would never know the pleasure of cruzn around a banked track. Hell I'd pay $60 JUST FOR THOSE LAPS and then leave a happy camper.

I know of a HAMB guy that is paying $160 for ONE DAY of autocrossing the Saturday of HCP at a track in Grand Rapids Michigan. He's NOT going to Morris cuz he would rather DRIVE his car then look at it sit. His choice. MOST guys like to drive their cars and put them thru the "paces" and the GG events gives these guys the opportunity to do this at a reasonable cost.

YOU might find $60 too muuch but thousands of other folks that attend their events don't and are having fun OR they wouldn't return.

Shit, I can't even believe where this post headed.........

 

Were you out at the Chicagoland event? I didn't see you.

 

Can anyone on here that knows Zach with the modular motored pick up get us in touch with each other please!I have a 4.6 mod motor i would like to swap into an early rod and could really use his help with information on this swap
thankyou

 

I'd PM one of the guys who said they knew him. I think many of them gave up on this thread because of the complainers.

 

I PMed Leon this morning and will be getting him in contact with Zack tonight....

Malcolm

 

Cool. Thanks! I wish I had video of him driving that thing. Brandon and I were cheering him on.

 

Kirk, At the very least a Goodguys HAMB auction would not hurt here and there. They DO benefit from you (an employee) being able to post here BEFORE and after each show. I'm convinced my little halfassed $10 shows have done O.K. mostly because of HAMBers and having a forum to let them know about it. That is why I always do an auction of show junk for the HAMB. I'm way late on this exciting post and dont really give a poop either way. I also really dont believe a reduced admission would be a "nightmare" to figure out. It is $50-60...whatever until 12 P.M. (or whatever time) Sunday...then it is $XXX amount. Easy to me. Please nobody yell at me, I cant take the pressure
Sorry I pushed along off the original topic of the post. I like the autocross idea...remember to never SIT at a show!!

 

I talked to Zack tonight (owner of the Cobra powered unibody) and told him about this thread (only regarding his truck). Funny thing is he doesn't even own a computer!

I have to say that it is rather refreshing to see the cars that he and his dad have built on their own without the internet as a resource or influence.

Malcolm

 

Kirk, I only made Indy and Nashville this year. I'm planning to be at Nashville again next year as the club competition heats up. By the way, I rode in the Air Ride 6 cyl Chevy pickup, that thing kicked most of the V8's asses.

 

I'm definitely not knocking the possibility of Goodguys contributing to the HAMB. I'd rather see them as an Alliance Vendor than just post auctions, but after I didn't even receive an answer to my offer to have Billetproof be one, I'm a little hesitant to ask again.

As for reduced rates after certain times. It seems easy from the outside, but even things as easy as discount tickets (that Goodguys does with NAPA) create a lot of problems logistically. It's like fast food joints that determine drink sales by counting the cups left in inventory. The same thing is done with the discount tickets, and it rarely balances out, for various reasons. Offering a discount by arrival time would present problems like guys who would arrive at 11:00 waiting until noon to go in, and as dumb as it sounds, some of them would bitch that there weren't enough cars when they arrived at 2:00pm and they want a refund or that now there is a line at noon that took too long. Believe me, more rediculous requests happen all the time. One other issue would be switching over the ticketing and registration process at a certain time. Registration on the Goodguys scale is a big production. Throwing a wrench in that works would be potential disaster. Longer lines, confused temporary help (which is often the case even in simple situations), confused (and then angry) customers.

Believe me, Goodguys constantly looks at ways to improve all of their processes, and many of those improvements come straight from the brains of customers. All of them are made with the customer as the most important element. I see it from the inside. I see how it works. Like I said, I'm not going to get on here and put my reputation on the line to defend something I don't believe in. There is no evil agenda. Happy customers means more business. That's business 101.

Does Goodguys benefit from me posting on the HAMB, a little. The HAMB crowd is a small percentage of the total business. Obviously I'd love it to be more. I post to benefit the HAMB with cool content...period. Just like I do after I attend any other car show. So then it follows that those shows benefit from my posts too. Who benefits more? In my opinion, the HAMB. The HAMB benefits when anyone posts cool content. Hot rodders come here to look at and talk about hot rods. After each Goodguys show there are at least 3-5 other posts besides mine. Should Goodguys be guilted into paying for that exposure too? Lots of people get on here when they have a good experience with company or at an event and post accordingly. All of those companies benefit - so does the HAMB.

Like I said, I'd push to see Goodguys become an Alliance Vendor. The decision would not be mine alone, but I would champion the HAMB when I was involved in the decision. Trying to pre-think the whiners, they may then cry even more that Goodguys was involved with the HAMB in an official capacity. Then anything swon or said about Goodguys would look like the big evil corporation came in and took over the HAMB and paid to make themselves look good. I think many people here would be even less receptive. I'd be more than happy to get Goodguys officially involved with the HAMB, but I don't know if it would be a good or bad thing. If the concensus is positive, I'll take on the challenge.

The bottom line is that some people here have a grudge against Goodguys. That's hard to change, but I try everyday behind the scenes to address their concerns (when they are something tangible). "Goodguys sucks because they are successful" is not a tangible cmplaint. No matter what Goodguys does to accomodate them or give them more for their money, they will complain. It is proven on here over and over again. I like posting photos that I think people will like (also from every show I go to that is not Goodguys). I go to a lot of Goodguys events, so that is what my camera is filled with most often. I never say "Join Goodguys", "Buy the Gazette" or "Got to this show". There is usually a "Who's Going To Goodguys" thread, but I (nor anyone from Goodguys) have ever started one. My threads always just say what event the photos were taken at, and end with "This is some of what I saw..." No sales job, no promotion. If the content is appealing to HAMBers, that's cool (most still hate Goodguys anyway), but it sure isn't a sales job.

Hopefully that helps clarify. If not ask me again or send me a PM. Thanks for asking an intelligent question. Hell, I'm just glad it was actually a question and not just "Goodguys sucks because...Goodguys sucks."

 

Yeah, that truck is wicked!

 

KIRK! - make that two keyboards ruined from your walking comment. Good stuff!

 

kirk I have an idea sell "staff "shirts on the hamb !
at a alliance member discount .
and make up the difference on golf cart rental

 

WOW! this thread rocks!... See you this weekend KIRK.

 

One thing I have learned on the HAMB is to keep my figurative mouth shut and just listen. I usually don't "listen" too much to threads like this though. I would however like to voice my opinion regarding the handfull of posts i have read here.

Like any show I have heard good and bad things. I usually decide to go to an event based on the pictures and what my good friends have to say. Despite the few bad things ive heard from my GOOD friends, I will probably go to a Goodguys event in the future.

Im not pointing fingers just to defend Kirk, but I have never saw his posts/threads as cheap promotion, plug, or advertisement for Goodguys. That has never ever crossed my mind when I look at his threads, even this one. They always seem to have neat (for lack of better word) contributions to the HAMB. Mostly contributing with pictures. His photographs are one of the many reasons I visit here. I learn not only about building cars, but photography too.

As for the real subject matter here. I think what Goodguys is doing with offering the (basically) free autocross is awesome. I would love to get my car in that course! Not to mention around the circle track!

 

Thanks for the support in this thread and the flood of positive PMs and emails. I wasn't looking for "support", just posting more neat stuff, but it's nice to know that you guys dig my contributions.

I'm heading for Texas first thing in the morning...

See you guys there.

 

Man, why you always hatin' on the hubcaps?

 

They touched me in my naughty area.

 

Well Kirk, you've ben much more patient with this thread than I could have been. My hats off to ya!
I went to GGs Indy about 5 years straight. I haven't been for several years but not because of any gripe with GGs.

 

man I`m glad my axel broke today? and not tomorow when I`m auto crossing .

 

Sounds like a blast! I'd go, but I'm stuck in Florida with an engineless car. Not sure you guys would want me pushing my car around the cones.

 

made 25 or so ? laps today I think the best time was with kirk riding with me ! at a 24.37 ! way to mutch fun !
see y`all tomorow !

 

Yeah bring it to California, thats looks like fun. Actually it looks like a Saturday night (minus the cones).