Would You Consider A Component "Traditional"...

I joined the HAMB in February approx. 110 posts ago. I have messed with cars all my life, starting with model cars and graduating to the real things
as I neared driving age. I've had muscle cars,Volkswagons, Volvos (the one that looks like a 46 Ford) lots of Chevies and Fords, motorcycles, boats, I even have a couple of vintage Schwinns, I have never heard the term "Traditional" used as much as its used here. I've been accused here of not being "traditional" enough................whats that mean? When my car needs a mechanical component I purchase the best I can afford, when I look for accessories for the car I go to swap meets not catalogs. I try to keep the car to a theme, my theme usually being what the car would look like if it was handed down to you from dad or mom and you make the best of what you have. So anyways my statement being "screw traditional" build what you can and keep it simple.

 

I saw a nice traditional looking ride the other day.. WWWs, baby moons and trim rings, what had been a 2-door wagon turned into a panel with the windows filled, two-tone 50s styled paint with white and I think a coral color.

Of course, it was an AMC Pacer, but still....

 

When I went to the Bellflower Blvd car show 2 years ago, I met an old fella who brought his 3 window '32 Ford. It had Caddy power, deep channel, chopped grill shell, chopped top. It also had some modern aluminum front wheels, tilt column, and modern stuff like that. He told me he owned the car for like 55 years. Just kept updating and changing things as they broke or when I thought he could make the car better. He ran that car on the lakes and at the digs. IMO, the purest definitation of a traditional hot rod is one that has evolved over time. When some of the "Dress Up Kids" said his car wasn't as cool as the Rockabilly Wrecks, I had to laugh.

 

Thanks pal. I spit coffee on my keyboard at that.^^^

 

Thanks, Alcan AV8

Phil, I dig the "Rockabilly Wrecks" comment but I hate the Rats and gawdy gold chained street rodders equally with both sides claiming to be hot rodders. Its all relative but there is a difference between a real hot rod and the fringe derivitives of one.
That is the funny thing about all this, the guys that had "the good old stuff" often grew out of it and moved on to the next thing in style. While I'd much rather see a vintage build preserved through time, it was his car and he did what he wanted with it. Cool in my book under the cir***stance but, in or not modern anything just looks out of place on a old car.

Its like this, some of the nicer heavily customised street cars locally were built by an older shop teacher in a small garage. He does everything himself fab,paint,interior all of it except for sending out for major machine work and always has. Most every part from the ground up is custom made or a boneyard part that finds a new home. One of his newer builds is a 48 Hudson extended cab pickup at first glance it looks like a late 60's to early 70's street machine sitting on wide Crager SS, it started life as a discarded coupe a friend had bought for parts that only does Hudson restorations. Left for dead for " being too rough" its on a lengthened G-body frame, has home made air ride, a 500 Cad motor, 700R, hand sculpted flamed guts, and power everything. This is a hot rod guy if there ever was one, done it since he could walk, but he shows only the slightest interest in the new vintage craze side of things. Been there done that for him and now it is nice to have some updates. I respect that, different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. Not for me, but you can respect a man's ride even if it not what you are into.

Its the large amount of modern street rod minded posts lately that surprise me. I mean I thought the thing here was to discuss and preserve the old stuff cars, parts, history all of it. What you find if you build cars for money, is the guys that say you have to have this, this and this new part or your car is unsafe rarely ever drive a car to a point the difference matters. Seriously every person has broke the speed limit, taken a sharp corner fast or had to stop quick for something unexpected, it happens. Generally if you thumb a Speedway catalog, or if you have a ch***is back ground you can make a 32 handle and stop a lot better than stock, as well as any old car for that matter its a fact. Whether it is necessary is an opinion, what is needed reflects the driver as much as the parts of the build... Now I can't wait for the popularity to die down, and the next craze to draw off the me too folks but for the people young and old that really live cars with the styles that once were and stick with it, I hope these people are not scared into thinking this way. If you want updates that is cool, do it because you want them, its your car, make it suit you, just don't buy into ignorance. You don't need Wilwoods to stop a an A with a Banger, and bias work just as well now as they did when the car was new if not better. Its all been done before in some way, if you need input look to the guy who is doing the closest thing to your goal.

 

You know I have also seen 4-bar suspension used on race cars in the pictures from the late 40s and 50s. It seems like there is always a jury out on these topics. I wonder how many oppions are actually valid? I suppose it boils down to who cares what somebody might say... build your own car.

 

Traditional ? Well now, if only truly traditonal cars were allowed to remain here in the HAMB, there'd only be a few of you left. And most likely you'd be *****ing about something untraditional.
That's just part of the tradition !
Remember all componants must be pre-65. That means those catalog parts made last week gotta go.

 

It's all according. Do you have a theme, are you trying to create a certain style? When you look at it, does one part jar you?

Years ago I saw at a show, the most beautiful shiny black 29 roadster, flathead powered, with a track nose. This was about the first "trad style" car I had seen, built in the eighties but looking like the early fifties.

The only jarring note was the electric fan between the rad and engine. I can see why he did it, and I don't blame him, but it seemed a shame to spoil a car he worked so hard on for a two bit part.