Weird/Strange becomes common?

I have noticed a whole lot of cars being built around truck cabs. LOTS of 'em. I realize that doing a car on the cheap is a good thing, but we sure are stretching the concept of what's "Traditional". I'll be 62 next month, been messing with modified cars in one form or another since Jr High school. There were stripped down trucks built from '20s & '30s Fords but not many. There were never any made from big ***ed round trucks from the late 30s up. Another thing I've noticed is that those same trucks, I'm guess I'll call them Bobber Trucks, seem to enshrine rust, dents and body panels of different colors. That stuff is sure not what I remember seeing on the street, drag strip or magazines. And I find it depressing that the Bobber Trucks are beginning to outnumber the cl***ic style of new hot rod builds. And, even worse, I've heard them refered to as: HAMB style cars.

Are Rat Rods taking over the HAMB? Do we encourage the dilution of the word: Tradition? Does doing it on the cheap trump balance, propoprtion, finish and, yes, tradition these days? Can we continue to poke fun at Boyd while embracing these piles of ****? I think it makes some of us look stupid.

Today is Jan 2. Starting a new year always causes me to reflect on the past and think about the coming year. I sure hope we HAMBers can set the bar a little higher on quality and realize that Cool is a timeless concept.

I know that what defines the HAMB isn't up to me, but ENOUGH with the Rat Rodz, already.

Chili

 

amen

 

I'm with you man, but people just seem to be drawn to doing those kinds of builds, along with "plowboy" builds...it seems these days "traditional" and "fad" are interchangable...

 

whatever

 

I think the guys building them are posting them up here, JUST to irritate people like... well, like you, Phil.

 

I think there is a rather large group of rat rod sympathizers and uneducated new folks that perpetuate the trend...along with the great post quality we have here, there's also a LOT of ugly **** floating to the surface...

 

Chili, thanks for the reflections, your contributions...always worthwhile. Just thinkin' out loud here...
The HAMB:
Source of wisdom shared? Brianangus, many others, Yep.
Community? HAMB Andy, Denise, Breeder...Yep!
Inspiration? Plowboy, SUHR, Metalshapes...Yep!
Images? Royalshifter, Groucho and the Drag thread, Yep.
Tradition? Best to be flexible, we're defined by our tolerance, of many kindred views. At least the O/T conversations are allowed, and help many "potential" members out, and I'm glad for this feature too. So thanks bud, I hear ya.
Best wishes for '08

 

Rat rods will be gone in 2 years. All of those types will move on to the next fad or craze. They will all be lined up getting their PBR ink changed to a Hummer tat.

With the internet becoming mainstream in almost every home, the fads seem to be accelerated to me. That coupled with reality tv and hot DIY rod shows.......makes for supercharging fads.

The hamb has the highest concentration of talented builders I have seen in one place.

Tradition will survive.

 

I totally concour chili, and its about time someone said it!!! THERE IS A GOD!

 

Uncle Phil,

I promise that i've got our pickup truck about 5 feet from the spray booth!! Just got her running good, and am painting & lowering this month. No Rat Rod here, no sirrrrie.

This gal is intended to tow around and push the mid 40's styled Roaster (that i'll build one of these days) on the salt at Bonneville. Just a nice work truck.



Happy New Year, by the way

-scott noteboom

 

Actually I respect anyone who makes the effort to put something together, even if it looks like ****.

 

Kevin, I didn't mean to imply that those things are HAMB style, just repeating comments made by friends who know I'm a proud HAMBer. As far as teaching goes, it seems like people throw encourgement to people for thinking "Outside the Box". And for doing it cheaply. I believe that there is a "Inside the Box, traditional" style that's very worth while. And hot rods and customs have never been cheap.

Gotgas, yup. Someday I'm gonna learn not to take the bait.

Pitman, I totally agree with all your points. The HAMB is a great resource. I get a lot of good from being here. That's why I'm an Alliance member.

Scott, I love your truck. It will look even better when you paint it to match the race car.

 

actually, one of the things that makes me happy is the fact that i think the primer / rusted / ****ting looking custom fad is starting to die down.

i can understand hot rods, and work vehicles.... main intent is going fast. paint not important on the salt.

but..... a custom is all about looking good. and good paint is one of the key points of looking good. i love a nice paint job.

enough of the "complete" customs that both run like **** and look like ****.

-scott noteboom

 

I was talking with a old time friend the other day ( @ a cruise night ) and there was a POS rat style rod there. Lots of folks were looking at it ...

I made the comment about so many folks looking at it and my friend said ...

Yes, a lot of folks stop and look at a train wreck or a car wreck but that does not mean they want to be in it ...

 

and Don't forget Rikster!

 

They are called trolls and they come to just stir the pot.

 

...hafta agree with you phil for the most part...I'd also like to see Model A's brought back up from the ground.

 

No Z frame for my A

 

I talked to aguy just the other day who told me he quit checking the HAMB because of all the "Rat Rods" I was blown away. I really don't see how people can see this place as a rat rod site.

Then again, I have a friend at work who started checking the HAMB because he loves RAT RODS.

The biggest part of the problem is that people have to keep putting labels on everything that isn't stock. Oh, wait, I guess even they are called "stockers"


I still don't know what a "rat rod" is. I guess cuz I don't watch the idiot box with the idiotic shows.

I bet if people quit using the term it would go away.

I feel sorry for the dudes who signed up with "rat" in their usernames. I foresee a lot of username changes in Ryan's near future....

 

DOH! No offense!

 

And now all you guys need to do is come out with a black and white definition of what a traditional rod or custom is. It seems by these post that it got lost somewhere.

So, what is it? Remember, black and white. No grey area to cause confusion or back peddeling. I think when that happens, some hearts are going to get broken.

 

Not this one again...

More than someone needing to identify "in black and white" what a Traditional rod and custom is we need everyone else to buy up every little pages from the 50's and 60's they can find and do some learning.

It always cracks me up when some dude posts some car built with a truck cab, tractor grill, and and EFI SBC hanging out of it with a muctang rack in a fenderless rig and then they demand a definition of what "traditional" is when everyone starts being honest.



There is really no way to identify it. I know some guys gonna pop up with "tradition was using whatever was at your disposal to make a faster car."

Yawn.

I guess I don't get why people have to push the focus of the site just so they can "fit in". Most people don't know it but I'm a fan of MG's and Landcruisers but you don't see me insisting we discuss them here...

 

All the dictionary's I checked said this.....
jalopy

Main Entry: ja·lopy Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ja·lop·ies Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1928 : a dilapidated old vehicle (as an automobile)
Hmmmmmm?
Fitysix
MHO is that Wikipedia is a joke.

 

That could be it, but sometimes I get the feeling some people need a clear/ hard set of Rules so they know what they have to do to push the envelope.

" Just Post some Good Stuff " are much harder instructions, and what can a Rebel do with those?

 

Ahh, the word Tradition is awfully vague. A turquose and pink '47 Packard with the chrome painted over and Prostreeted is a Traditional late 80s car. I prefer the term Era Specific. And even then, the regional differences are huge. I'm doing my Olds specific to the early to mid fifties west coast mild-custom style. That means it's shaved, dropped, painted and will have a full interior. I think Suhr pretty much nails the late forties roadster. I think 3WLarry's coupe defines the same era as my Olds will, but in a duece coupe. And I think the bent frame, rusty, skull encrusted stuff is era specific to the early twenty first century. I shudder to think that in 50 years people will be building them and saying "Just like the Oughts, man".

 

I noticed that the number of rat roddy art cars at the Pileup was down this year. Yay!