With all the posts about John Q Public making stupid or at best in uninformed comments about the old cars we drive, I thought I'd share a positive one from about an hour ago. I needed to pick up the wife at work for her dinner break. I hadn't had the T out at night yet and the evening was brisk but not cold so I took it. She was walking across the lot to get a sweater out of her car when a fellow walked up, probably mid 30's and said "nice car". I said "thanks". Then he say's, "Is it a 409 or 348". I think, Cool he's has some idea of how neat the old W motors are. We exchange a couple of other comments as my wife comes back, and as wer'e getting back in the car he is still standing there... "Gotta here it run!, he says, I smile, nod and oblige him by hitting the starter. He grins, I back out an head off for pizza. GV
It's a very pleasant experience,when that happens.Thanks for sharing that with us.We need to hear more of these,to balance out all the"rants"about the unknowledgable public.
Anytime we were out with that car it was surprising how many actually recognized the W motor... Then again there were plenty of incorrect guesses as well...
trying to continue THE POSITIVE NOTE (btw....NOT my specialty), So many other threads on here talk about "I didnt know jack **** about old cars, but one night at my work in BackWater DeMoines, A gal from work's greaser guy came buy to take her out for a pizza in a 30 5W sedan with a big hemi init....." Ofcourse the instant newbie will get details wrong.....but that image (even if not entirely accurate) will make ANOTHER ONE OF US!!! and buy your half done rusting project....... and god-forbid, he may even start buying those terrible, evil "rod magazines", and,...............
348 bored .060, so I guess it's a 358. ***uming I still remember how to figure the volume of a cylinder. lol
last comment i got , after walking thru the auto parts door....a older gentleman quietly says that i ruined a perfectly good car....from the other side of the store i have to tell him that it wasn't a complete car and its lucky its not still laying in the field..... when i am in my 61 (the painted car) i get good comments ....the crusty car , just shaking heads.... brandon
Hell, I know someone that actually owns and works on alot of older cars..............and they do not even get it.....they think they do..but do not...so it goes both ways. Littleman
Its always cool when you run across someone who knows their stuff. A guy, probably in his late 20s made a bee line to me cruise in recently, and said "Thank You!" I looked at him kinda puzzled, wondering what I did, and he says "Finally a traditional roadster, nothing around her but billet and 22" rims!" He began to point out the little details that most people never notice, or even have a clue about. kinda cool when your work is appreciated.
That's cool! I get the " I want to hear it run" thing a fair amount. I always feel I'm cheating them without pulling the caps off the headers.
At cruises all the middle age ladies would say, "you actually drive that thing." Just as they say that all of the older folk would say, "Don't change a thing, IT IS just how it's suppose to be, don't mess it up."
As I was driving the '51 Panel today, someone was staring at me in front of my house. The background, there is something seriously wrong with the straight six in that truck, and it sounds like it has a blower on it... so pops and I don't fix it. When it really breaks, well then, I guess we have to. And the guy runs up my drive way and says. "Hey man, do you have a blower in there?!" I was shocked that someone actually thought there was a blower, in a 51 1Ton panel truck that can't cruise over 40 MPH. He knew his stuff, he had an old 55 chevy, gave me everydetail possible, but then he complimented on my '49 ford, and the work he has seen me do to it, (hes building a house across the street from mine.) Good to know real people are still out there.
To me... the people who don't "get it" are usually the hot rodders that can't understand why John Q public doesn't know that much about what we do... and the Hot Rodders who don't understand why some people like street rods, and other "non-traditional" hot rods... I mean... would it be a better world if everybody liked what we like? Lets see some pics of your pride and joy Gee Vee Gordon! Sam.
I'll just be happy when people stop calling my project a rat rod...it'll be cool to have someone appreciate my work, enjoy your moment man...
<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Young people that "get it" keep the torch burning! THANKS!! </TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
A lot of this stems from us rodders being a pretty unapproachable lot. We tend to stay a****st ourselves and work mostly alone in our shops. We do very little outreach or education. Car shows tend to be more about posturing than information. We dont try very hard to inform the general population about what we do. The whole deal is pretty intimidating to an outsider.
Chaz I agree with you. I rreally don't want a car so nice that I have to yell at a kid if he gets too close. I would rather let him sit in it and make Vroom Vroom noises. I'll wipe the candy residue off the steering wheel later. Sam, pics of the car have been on the HAMB a lot in the past. It's Tmans old tub. Now residing in Oklahoma.
i drive my 25 model t roadster pickup all the time, it is bone stock and many times i get a odd look as to how did you get that here? well i drove it others say it should be cleaned up and fix a few tatters and tears, i tell them the same thing , the big let down is how many people don't even know FORD built one of those "things" , i say FORD built about 17 million of these things
I had one of my teachers tell me the other day that i was in the process of ruining a good car, I was showing a friend progress pics, and he came over looked at them, made funny noises, and said"What a shame, that would have been a cool old car, but you ruined it." I said "It's actually 3 not so good cars in one with a 2 inch chop, it took 3 horrible cars to make one that still needs work, but if i had one good one i'd do the same thing" Then he says, " well i just don't understand why some one would ruin a plymouth sedan....I corrected him by saying "It's a '29 model A Sedan, so it's ok." After that he asked me all kinds of things about it, was suprised i'm using a 303 instead of an LS series engine, and didn't understand much about it at all. But I get that alot, exspecially when most of my friends are into ricers, and donks. oh well.......
Driving down the street in my 40 p/u the other day and I hear someone yell "HEY", I turned and he finished by saying "that thing is perfect". I could barely get my head in the garage door when I got home.
My lil bro told me about this post........I missed it.......it makes me happy.............Spreading the Gospel man!
At a gas station this summer I was driving my '57 and a guy told me "I hope you never fix it up". I thought that was a cool comment. I rarely get negative comments. Seems most people either love it, or stay away from me because they think I might abduct their kids.
The Jalopy Journal
