History car clubs?

**** you Michael Acri ! ...I'm a cancer-fighter!
I'm like an anti-oxidant...or chemo...

 

We started our club for like minded guys in our area. We work on and drive our cars and make sure we get together once a month for our monthly meeting! We do like to party our ***es off though! haha!

 

Now I get it...chemo

I thought you were just a trouble maker!!!

 

I'm intimidated to join a club in my area- I've asked around and I get basically everything that's already been mentioned here.

We had a 'club' called the Unholy Swarm in Baltimore- it started as a bunch of guys with morotcylces that worked on their own bikes, had garages- I now share the shop that was one of our wrenching spots with a few other 'Swarm' members- and it was cool.

Then we got way too organized, let people in that were total gaylords, and let a non-rider organize our last ride and show. That was the last straw. Punk rock died in a day- The Swarm died in an afternoon.

I don't understand why people want to organize something that's born out of the love of disorganization. I like what some of you have going on- you meet to wrench and have a few beers in A GARAGE. I should be so lucky. Right now the downstairs of my motorcycle shop is empty, and I use that area at night to do work. It'd be nice to share the experience with some friends.

-Screws

 

I couldn't agree more. I've been wanting to join a club, but all the clubs I've seen around here are way too organized. So much so that some of them have made meetings mandatory and seem only interested in winning trophies. Now I have no problem with car shows,they can be a lot of fun, but shouldn't the love of cars come first. That is after all the reason we're all here in the first place, not to win some piece of plastic to help us feel validated. Also, I'm married so I have enough mandatory things I need to do. I shouldn't be punished because I may want to spend time with my immediate family, rather than my car family.

It would be really nice to find some guys around here that just like to work on and drive their cars and don't really care about how many cheap gold trophies they have on their mantle.

So if there is anyone in the Central Georgia area that feels the way I do, and just want to get together to shoot the ****, turn some wrenches and maybe drink a few beers, shoot me a message because I would like to find more people like this, and not the one's that only think about polishing their chrome to win another meaningless trophy.

 

In my opinion this is part of a bigger, and sadder, picture, and for what i can see is an international problem.Still in my modest opinion i think is a trend related thing, as in, many of these so called clubs and "hot rodders" will go as soon as the craze fades.We can divide the people that fill "the scene" in 2 main categories:1- Gearheads/Motorheads and basically guys that cant live w/out their motorized toys as much as a crackhead cant live w/out crack.This kinda people spend all day thinkin what they should do next to make some progress on their ride and/or making the actual progress. For those lucky enuff to work on cars this will be happening while workin on something kool,for the less fortunate, like me, this period of the day will be p***ed doin a job they hate daydreaming and planning their daily fix.2- The "Sub-Culture" guys. Now dont get me wrong, i dont wanna start a bashing here, its just that i noticed that all the people that tend to ***ociate this "lifestyle" to a cultural phenomenon tend to feel so kool they can hardly speak w/ you unless you have the right look for the part they're playing. Im not gonna make any example to avoid being boring, but im sure the most of you get my point.For the dont get me wrong i meant this: i know there is a good slice of guys, also some from here, that have a very 50s/60s oriented lifestyle,they have period correct clothes, furniture,houses, they listen to the right music and all. Im NOT talkin about you guys, as for you its all about the cars, the rest was a consequence for a strong p***ion for 50s hot rods and customs, which gets me right back to my point. While for the true p***ion driven guys everything they do is a consequence of their love for cars, the drive for these new comers is the will to be diffrent, and unfortunatly for us, this time around is the turn of "car culture"...I could possibly go on for hours on this matter, but i'll stop here saying one last thing:Unless you dont already have a real group of good friends w/ the same p***ion driving them its not worth joining any club, regardless of how kool or important its name is, brotherhood aint something you can buy w/ a club jacket and a s***ched up name, is something thats built over years of sharing the same experiences togheter and compensating for eachother dos and donts, like real brothers should do, and only time and dedication can get you to that point.IMHO, my 0.2 eurocents, bonez.

 

When it comes to clubs it's harder to get rid of the guy who can't build anything than it is to get rid of the guy who can... But it's also hard to turn your back on a friend just cause he can't rebuild a motor...

I respect anyone who tries...

Not everyone was born with a silver wrench in their mouth, but if you have the enthusiasm to learn, and have the desire to one day be able to build something, then I'm right there helping you, trying to p*** on whatever I know...

...but if you want to wear a "cool" jacket so you can hit on girls then I don't care about you, or your opinions.

 

With all that you wrote I agree...But in some case people join a club and take total unfair advantage of club rights and the skills an knowlage of other members...and never recipicate anything back..That is the cancer that killed my involvement in any club for the rest of my life

 

Totally, those are the people that aren't willing to learn... They just want to stand around with a rag in their back pocket and a drink in their hand while YOU work on THEIR car.

That usually backfires though, cause I start to help and they don't lift a finger, then I get fed up and stop helping. Now they're left with their car in pieces and no idea how to put it back together.

 

I would never join a club that would have someone like me as a member.

 

Personally I think hot rodding is about misspelling.

 

It happens way too many times and by the time you figure them out they have created their own clique within the club...So it really was just easyer to leave and do my own thing....Sadly when you leave you have to leave the good people too..so it dont cause any riffs ..I like it better now that I Lonewolf...Cause I dont have to hate anyone anymore

 

I'm very lucky, my car club has been around since 1956, and my Dad was a founding member, Intercepters Edgewood was a club of hot rodders from Edgewood av. in Pewaukee Wisconsin. I remember the 6 guys that were in the club comming over to our house ( I was 8 yrs. old in 1956 ) to work on cars. It was the best of times and the worst of times. I was offically made a member when I was 12 in 1960, I had a 54 merc. 2 door I bought with paper route money, did'nt run but it was mine and the guys in the club helped me get it together and running. All the members in that club are gone now and I still have my Dads club plaque. That is still my "Club" and it's very hard to get into, (the membership hasn't changed, it's down to one, me.) I know that if I try to bring it back it won't be like it was so I just enjoy the memmories and keep the plaque on the front of my 29 Roadster. Clubs were a really neat place to be in the early years, I guess I'll stay here and enjoy all the friends I've made over the past 40 some years in hot rodding. We all help each other out when we can and get together monday nights at Dairy Queen, as far as joining a club, no thanks I'm already in the best one that ever was. I guess what I'm saying is if you get a chance to join a club, Do It, just make it the one that "fits" for you. Different clubs have different ways of doing things, it does'nt make one right or wrong, just different, find yours, it's a big part of keeping this all alive.