"Welcome to the H.A.M.B." the e-mail says. Well, I'm glad to be here... I remember when "rat rods" were the new fashion in mags like Street Rodder. I thought the glamorous and glitzy street rods were the **** until I saw my first "rat rod". I went on a mad search for anything I could find to tell me more about these primitive beasts, and the best resource one the net was one little website called the Jalopy Journal. I read every page and viewed every picture. I was hooked. That was what, eight years ago? I love cars. I love motorcycles. But to be completely honest with you, I love airplanes the most. I've read Ryan's posts about worshiping all things old and cool. It's the same for me. New stuff is fun, but the old stuff just feels better. It feels right. For me, a vintage airplane, built of wood wings and a 4130 chromoly fuselage, covered in fabric and dope, is home. It's like your favorite recliner on a warm spring afternoon. When I strap myself into the ****pit of an old airplane, I just feel complete. I'm sure most of you guys feel the same way when you're thundering down the road in your roadster or sled. Why did I join the HAMB? Even though I don't own any cool cars today, I have my plans. I'm tired of lurking and not being able to interact on the boards. I'm really into the dirtiest of the dirty cars. The ones that look impossible to drive, and not even a little bit legal. I like a stripped-down bare-bones machine, whether it be on two wheels, four wheels, or a set of wings and wires. I hope to learn as much as possible from the HAMB, and give back when able. My past is varied. My first car was a 1985 Camaro with the weenie 2.8L V-6. It was fun as hell to drive and got me through High School. I paid for it by selling hot dogs at the local outdoor mall when I was 14. My next car was a '96 S-10 which I blew up at 60,000 miles. I told Dad I should have gotten the V-6! I've had a 1962 Chevy II which sat in the garage plagued by carburetor issues and a severe lack of cash. I have also owned a 2000 Harley-Davidson XL1200C Sportster Custom that I absolutely loved. I bought the Harley while I was working at a little-known shop called Daytona Harley-Davidson. I was a parts monkey and rental guy. Best job ever. Somewhere along the line I picked up a 1987 CBR600 Hurricane that was literally in boxes. My current ride is a 1994 Isuzu pickup, and in true beater fashion, it doesn't sport fancy wheels or a nice paint job. I do all the work on it myself, or with the help of family and friends. My current bike is a '95 Ducati Monster 900. The D&D pipes are loud as ****, and the bike is killer fun to ride. Leaning over the tank really kills your nuts after about an hour, though. I hope that's enough of an introduction. My fingers are tired of typing. I'll try to get some pics uploaded in a minute. Thanks for having me, -Wayne Bressler (TaildraggersInc) www.taildraggersinc.com
I don't where you got the idea that this is the place for "rat rods", I think you are mistaken. There are nice, well built traditional rods and customs here. The rat rods are at ruffroders, osr, and ratrodsrule. I think you may want to check those out... You're killing me here... dirty, impossible, "not even a little bit legal"? You better look around...
I think maybe I wasn't completely clear. I don't think this is the place for "rat rods", and I'm not into "rat rods". I hate that term. What gets me excited are the traditional styled cars that are basic, stripped-down, pure car. No billet knobs and wheels, no imported leather interiors, etc. Just a body, a frame, and some running gear. Simple. Consider it similar to the motorcycle equivelant of a bobber. Any idiot can bolt a ****load of chrome onto a bike, but it takes serious talent to build something from the ground up that not only runs like hell, but also looks cool as ****. I understand and respect the quality of many of the cars and builders on this board. It isn't easy to put together a car that maintains a traditional bare-bones look, but is 100% quality. I also get it that not everything traditional has to be bare-bones. But that's the side of it that I'm into. I also really love the customs, and they're not even a little bare-bones most of the time. ****, there are customs that members here own with upholstered wheel wells! What I said about cars looking dirty, impossible to drive, and not even legal - that's about a look. That mean, chopped and channeled look. Again, it's about the look, not the quality of workmanship. To sum it all up, I'm glad you pointed these things out. The qualities you've pointed to are the same qualities that kept bringing me back to the Jalopy Journal all these years. Maintaining a style, while at the same time building top-notch quality cars is what makes this site and all the people here so great. -Wayne
I keep putting "rat rod" in quotes like that because that's the trendy name that magazines like Street Rodder gave the traditional cars before they really regained any popularity in the more mainstream publications and shows. I promise to stop saying that now.
Welcome to the HAMB. I think Zman doesnt understand that virginia is horrid on vehicles, you can almost breath wrong and the vehicle is illegal, so a bare bones car here does look impossible to drive, without a ticket that is.
Another NoVA HAMBer! Woooo Hooo!! That makes two of us... Welcome to the HAMB. Do you fly out of Man***as or Leesburg? I sold my Duc (a 900 SS/CR) to make a down payment on a house here in Chantilly...
Hey, guys! Thanks for the welcome. I did most of my flying out of Warrenton, but I have flown out of both Man***as and Leesburg. Warrenton has a great bunch of guys, and I worked there for a summer as a dispatcher, so I know way more people there. Sorry to hear you had to sell the 'Duc. I bought mine from a flying buddy. I think he used the money to buy instruments for his RV-8. The wife and I have been looking at houses around Bristow/Braemer, so we'd be right down the road! Thanks again for the welcome. I hope to contribute as best I can. -Wayne
Welcome from the Philly area! Don't let let narrow minds scare you, I like dirty barely legal cars and cycles too. Frank
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