Projects BUILD WHAT YOU'VE GOT or listen to others

I disagree. "back just before or just after WWII", and on into the early 50s nothing was cheap and easy. Very few people put down other people's cars, like today. More popular than Ford motors, were Caddy, Olds, Lincoln, Packard, Hudson, etc. Hot Rod mags featured swapping the Ford motor OUT, for something more vibrant. A belly ****on was something that girls showed to get us excited, and 'knock' was half of the word, "knockedup".

SBCs have been traditional since 1955.

 

remember small block Chevy stuff has been around a long time, I think if it has period speed parts it can be just as traditional as anything else. Now if it's covered in modern bolt on catalog parts,that's a different animal. And aluminum parts have been around a long time too, just not made in china stamped out by the thousands ones. making a part out of aluminum by hand is as traditional as you can get,

 

I've got nothing against SBC's! What I was reffering to is,when you go to a typical "Streetrod" show what do you usually see?
40 Ford-SBC
32 Ford-SBC
33 Ford-SBC
Model A-SBC
etc
etc
etc...That's what i'm talking about!

 

I don't care what you or anyone else puts in a car they build. Anyone who wrenches on a car long enough to see it through and get it complete and on the road deserves respect. Whatever engine stuffed in whatever car will be asticking point for some people forever. That being said, I'm a Ford guy and wouldn'.t ever put a chevy engine in a Ford. Small blocks are great engines and popular for a reason but for my car, I think it looks gay, traditional or not.

 

I kind of like it when backyard or even formal engineering bleeds over into hot rodding.

What I mean is, those Detroit engineer's personal cars or test mules that sometimes made their way onto Woodward Avenue for a little field testing? The ones that looked like they were cobbled together from some factory's parts dump, but ran harder than the hot rods?
Very cool.

One guy picked a hot Olds engine and Lasalle trans, but adapted it to a Nash overdrive, running back to a '50s Lincoln rear, all installed in a '50 Ford frame and covered with a kind of crude sheetmetal roadster body. Ak Miller called it a sports car and ran it in the Carrera Panamericana.

What about the '57 Studebaker Hawk with a ruined 259 that got replaced by a Chrysler 392 and Torqueflite from a New Yorker, all swapped in complete with the AC? And outside it still looked pretty much stock?

How about the Dragmasters shop truck, a mid-'60s El Camino, which received a Mopar 440 when the big block Chevy wore out?

Or Charles Mayenschein's awesome tub that got lengthened, widened and built up with Packard V8 engine, trans and longitudinal torsion bars?

I think a couple of these examples may shed an unexpected light on the mind of the traditional hot rodder. Some of those guys (the ones that really knew what they were doing) were not always real specific about what parts they used.

 

nothing wrong with small blocks chev motors in any brand. some of my best friends run them.
I got a 55 331 Cad motor with 120,000 original miles for FREE from a guy that put a Chev in his Cad.
My 54 Lincoln 317 (from a real hot rod lincoln) Free from a friend that put a chev in a 54 lincoln. Both had Identical Hydros included.
So this cross breeding with small blocks has a trickle down effect for us poor boy whoarders

 

this might be my new screen saver

 

pretty much how I feel! I can also relate to other opinions. My problem comes from people screaming from the roof tops. "You can't Do that" "sell it to a restorer and find a rust bucket to cut up" kind of comments. hell if I hit the powerball my next chopped hot rod would start with a winner at Forrest Grove Concours.

 

My opinion does'nt count either... but I grew up in the height of the "Muscle Car" era and saw a few Hot Rodders hanging onto the HP vs Weight theory and I tend to agree with the Hot Rodders.

My car is barely accepted on the HAMB because it "Spanks Hemi's" and Squeak's into the Hunnert because I got aluminum heads!

That's why I Built a Big Block 468 Oldsmobile Roadster!

 

Exactly, cool stuff. nothing new, it only seems that way because everyone has forgotten when it was done last.

 

Once you get over the hurdle of realizing Chevy, or Ford, or Dodge etc. doesn't give a **** about you, then there is a world of fun to be had building some bad*** ****.

Im not going to remain loyal to companies that nowadays build **** I wouldn't buy.

 

You're wrong here! Building a light car with the biggest motor you can afford,is a Hotrod,just NOT a Traditional Hotrod!
A Traditional Hotrod is built with parts from the period or style you want to represent,40's,50's,or 60's. Many of the guys on the HAMB try to be as accurate as they can with their builds. Seems to me that you just want to build whatever you want. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't expect it to be excepted on the HAMB. There's lots of guys here with traditional "appearing" cars,with updated drivelines,etc. My Merc being one of them. If I had a choice it would be ALL stock,but it's the way it came.
Build whatever you want,with the stuff you have and don't worry about what anybody says. Just like everybody else on here does. Just don't try to force the HAMB to except it.[/QUOTE]

Bob, didn't start this as a ******* match. I'm liking all the opinions.
what I get from you is the HAMB is not a Hot Rod Forum, We are not Hot Rodders. more like restorers of early cars (and trucks) built to the standards of builders in the 50's
I'm O.K. with that, I never left the 50's. but again I don't count I'm Old, Different and biased I do appreciate all the opinions. no one roasting other posts.

I would like to see my dumpster full of Mig's, Tig's, Plasma's (I could use them) there is nothing more traditional than lumpy bubble gum Arc Welds

 

things did change in the 60's for sure. you can see it in the Magazines. less "do it your self" article and more "add more to your muscle car or Camaro's." it was all about Fads. I even had a Gl*** T-bucket (not that anythings wrong with that!)

 

I built the cammed, big inch small block Dodge that i always dreamed of in my youth, then i put it in a lightweight 2 door coupe (61 Falcon), along with the Mopar trans, rear axle and a Chevy solid front axle.

I can't afford new engines, trans, rears, and parts because i spent my money on tools, education, and experience. The latter seems to work better than the former.

I like traditional, but i love HotRods, and HotRods (traditionally) are about building what you need to get The Job done. For me The Job is all about speed, at***ude, and fun.

 

Big Olds has more torque and less weight than a Chev. good choice!

 

Like to disagree with that,,as you go onto say ,,about period correct

Someone with a 40's hot rod the dumped a Hemi or Caddy motor in in the 50's was doing just that.. as they have said ( no subs***ute for cubic inches )

So his statement was correct,,its about going faster..or in teh custom world ,,modifications to looks

 

I've never caught up with the cost of living. but scrouging and building what others throw away has let me build many Hot Rods for Under $2500.
My GMC shop truck build is almost complete and I'm buried in this money pit almost $1300 all ready

 

I enjoy seeing different mills in different rides, but as a builder I would use what I have/can get on the cheap unless it was a show rod. At the time I was building my '49 I had no engines "in stock" or laying around. I made a decision, and built it. If someone wants to build a smokin '29 and stuff a SBC in it, that's the builders choice. Buying a crate engine is the builders choice. I don't dog on anyone for choices in their build. It may not be my cup of tea, but it is not my place to look down on someone elses work.

 

this is great i have not been on hamb looking at board but 4 to 5 months ago my friend posted some pictures of my ride you would not believe the B S that was said we still dont know what trad. means and really dont care my ride 33 terraplane, 392 hemi, 33 packard trunk, 33 studebaker headlights ( which they really dont like ) but verry rare, 47 pontiac radiator, 38 plymouth tail lights etc etc etc you all know what i mean and i can keep going but who cares see all you traditionalist down the road

 

Bob, didn't start this as a ******* match. I'm liking all the opinions.
what I get from you is the HAMB is not a Hot Rod Forum, We are not Hot Rodders. more like restorers of early cars (and trucks) built to the standards of builders in the 50's
I'm O.K. with that, I never left the 50's. but again I don't count I'm Old, Different and biased I do appreciate all the opinions. no one roasting other posts.

I would like to see my dumpster full of Mig's, Tig's, Plasma's (I could use them) there is nothing more traditional than lumpy bubble gum Arc Welds[/QUOTE]

Woooo! I think you took what I was saying all wrong! The point I was trying to make was...There are lots of non-traditional cars on here,but most of them are period correct Hotrods or Customs. There's always gonna be "Ford in a Ford",Flatheads Rule!,etc guys. It all boils down to what YOU want to build. I'm a die-hard Mercury guy and I love all types of builds,but prefer the 50's style Customs.
No ******* going on here buddy....

 

I guess one could say that I'm brand loyal. I like Mopars, always have. That's what I'm interested in, so that is what I want to build.

That being said, if I had a 350/350 combo laying around, I would probably put it in my Dodge just to get it on the road, eventhough I would hate having that SBC in there for ever second it was in the engine bay. But at least I'd be able to drive it and enjoy it, while I save for the Mopar Big Block/727 that I want.

The only reason I haven't done that is because I don't have a 350/350 combo or any combo for that matter lying around. So if I'm going to save up for an engine/****** combo, I'd rather wait a bit and buy the one I want, rather then settling for the SBC.

 

I have no brand loyalty, everything goes.

 

just gets boring huh! I go to a car show and don't even slow down to look at a nice 32 roadster. see one on the road and my jaw drops. love anything that rolls

 

Woooo! I think you took what I was saying all wrong! The point I was trying to make was...There are lots of non-traditional cars on here,but most of them are period correct Hotrods or Customs. There's always gonna be "Ford in a Ford",Flatheads Rule!,etc guys. It all boils down to what YOU want to build. I'm a die-hard Mercury guy and I love all types of builds,but prefer the 50's style Customs.
No ******* going on here buddy....[/QUOTE]

the ******* was probably the wrong word. I meant I didn't to offend you. you're on track.
just because you have one of the coolest Merc's on the planet. with a style of it's own (not really traditional ) doesn't mean your a Merc guy. you'd still be cool in a Yugo