Have you always been into Rods?

Before Rods i was into 57 Chevys. Here's my old one.

 

another

 

My first car was a 31 Model A coupe. That was 1958. I've had the bug ever since.

 

Before rods I was into rodded VWs. Heres one from 1993

 

before rods i was all about minitrucks... then i met my destiny in an old barn!

 

I don't know doc, I'd be willing to count those two '57s as rods. I mean, I might change the wheels but they look pretty tough to me.

But to answer your question, yes (at least in one way or another). My dad and grandfather had a hot rod and racing shop in Tulsa in the '50s/'60s so I guess I have never known any different. Now I do have to say that most hot rods seemed similar to me, regardless of year, until the 'street rod' craze a number of years ago because until then my ***umption was that everyone shared my family's pursuit of speed and performance as a predominant goal in building a car. The way those 'street rod' cars were built (with little or no regard for high performance in most cases) caused me to really examine what it was that attracted me to rodded cars and caused me to see a clear difference in 'hot rods' and other auto driven hobbies. So I guess it was at that point that my interests became significantly focused on what I consider 'real' hot rods and what seems to now be termed as traditional hot rodding.

I would love it if my dad and grandfather were still around so I could ask them this same question now that places like the HAMB have brought this topic into sharp focus again.

Damn I'm long winded tonight. lol

 

i've been into cars as far back as i can remember. weird though cause no one in my family was realy into them. i have an uncle who is about 10 years older than me who used to mess with cars a little but never anything you'd consider a hot rod.
i used to realy be into concept cars. i wanted to design cars for the longest time. i might have too, except that i hated school.
my first car (when i was 13) was a Beetle but i was into hot rods long before that. i was just recently going through a couple boxes of my old junk and in it were a bunch of my old sketch pads from junior high. i drew, old cars, futuristic cars, futuristic semi trucks, futuristic combat vehicles and Batmobile type cars too (the Michael Keaton Batman movie came out some time around junior high or early high school for me).
i've often wondered what i'd be doing if i was'nt into cars. i guess i've always liked architecture and landscape design. i like airplanes too, i wanted to be a pilot for the longest time. funny thing is i've only been on an airplane once that i can remember,and i LOVED it.

i guess i've ALWAYS been into cars, they just get my blood flowin.

 

Well I was into models (who wasn't) but I've been into rods for the last 35 years or so.

 

No, I used to be into girls.

.....
Hot rods seem to give me a better return on my dollar.

 

I was into lowriders, till I got burned out on that scene. Funny thing is all my cars were alwaye primered black with supremes or truespokes and buffed out 5.20s.62 impala, 64 grandprix, 65 impala

 

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No, I used to be into girls.


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That will get you 10-20...LOL Stick to women!

 

Jim i'm thinking cars like that is what they invented wheelie bars for.

 

I drew cars from elementary school on. I had my Schwinn lowered by heating and bending the forks at Gil Ayala's shop on Olympic Blvd in east LA in 1958. I had to put a crank from a little kids bike because Gil's guy got it too low. I've almost always had some kind of old car.

 

I like your bike story! I used to cut a set of forks off another bike and slide them over the forks on my bike and leave the front fender off to make a chopper then take some clothes pins to clip some cards on the rear spokes to make it sound like a chopper. It might have looked silly but i felt cool riding it around the neighborhood. LOL