Event Coverage Street Rodders are getting old...

Yeah Rocky I couldn't keep my dad quiet. He was ragging on all the old guys and their carts....they were all just looking at him. I guess when you retire, you can say whatever you want.....

He was saying " Look at all these old farts and their stupid carts.....". I kept elbowing him, but to no avail.

 

McKee, your right! The new guard WILL replace the old guard, and this "Street Rod" show as you call it may be replaced with a showdown or a pile up...but are you sure? Like Tommy said "most people have no idea what goes into putting on a show" of any kind. If they can't get any of the younger guys involved now why do you thing they would get involved in the fiuture? They should.....they should get involved now...now when they have a chance to learn from the "old guard" who can pass on their experience and make the transition form a "strret rod" thing to a "trditional thing", but the problem is younger guys don't want to get involved with anything that requires their time if it doesn't benefit them. "Why should I work at the show?" "I want to show-up an enjoy it, I don't want to work." I know I'm making a generalization and not all younger guys are like that, but it does seem like it. It's much easier to quarterback from the armchair than it is to quarterback on the field.

I guess my point is that street rod guys, as you call us, have a lot to offer in the way of information and experience when it comes to putting on a show. Why not tap into it?

Sorry for the rant. Am I the only one who thought it's a shame to loose another long running show? A show the older guys have put their heart and soul in for all these years....and not it's gone. We loose.

DD

 

The main problems are as I see them

1 ) These shows are put on my clubs.
Almost every club has a core of doers and workers.
The nondoers and bitchers complain, bitch and wear down the good folks ... and often break up the club. So no show

Most everyone here can tell of a good club they were in ... or knew about that got broken up ... by Group A having problems/issues with Group B.

2 ) Age ... after years of doing this stuff. It gets old going to the same old same old. I am tired of going to Louisville KY.

3 ) Money $$$

Most of the younger guys do not have it. Family, kids, no place to work on the old car and being not established in their career/job ... all lead to the lack of money. FACT it ... cars cost a LOT of money now ... compared to the past. 35 years ago ... I bought a very nice, up and running all steel 32 Ford roadster for less than a NEW well equipped Ford/Chevy/Mopar. Now they are twice a new car or more

4 ) Desire ...
Most do not want a what we call a old car. If you are 25 ... a 80 something car is a old car. I was born in the late 40's ... so to me a old car is in the 30's. They want Hondas and tuner cars.

.

 

Hey the custom shows are suffering to not just the street rod shows. I was just commenting to a friend of mine about a kkoa show that used to be around this time of year in ft. smith arkansas called the hangin dice. Boy I miss that show but it had lost its audience also so it went the way of all the other shows eventually do. There used to be several shows a year I loved going to that were somewhat close and most of them are gone. So I just drive my cars to work and screw around here with em. I'm not that old either I'm just 30.

 

For an activity that basically started 70 to 80 years ago it would be a logical current state of affairs..........hence the reference that a lot of the "Gods" are passing away.... in another thread.....

 

I think you hit this point on the head....... my son is 25 years old and he won't work on a damn thing that I have in the barn... 30 model a sedan, 34 ford truck or a 48 ford truck....... he is into 2001 to 2010 mustangs He will drive my 33 pickup but thats about all...........

 

Relix Car Club are doing a show there on Sept 26!

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RELIX RIOT - Traditional Hot Rods, Customs and Pre-1965 Motorcycles Show"<!-- ~~ -->​

</TD></TR><TR height=25><TD>September 26th 2010 ( Sunday )<!-- ~~ --> | 9:00 pm - 6:00pm<!-- ~~ -->

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2nd Annual
RELIX RIOT
9 am - 6 pm​

Join us for the 2nd Annual "Traditional Hot Rods, Customs and Pre-1965 Motorcycles Show" on Sunday September 26, 2010.​

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Everything changes, whether you like it or not. That's life. All I can speak for is myself but I'll keep on getting together with like minded folks, driving, racing, swapping lies, etc. It might not be a mega show and to be honest, I enjoy the smaller get togethers more myself anyway. Regardless, I'll be doing the Hot Rod thing till God calls me home.

On a different note, the selfish attitude of folks today does discourage me. For example, at the HAMB drags hotel this year there were plenty of folks "reserving" parking spaces with chairs. That screams to me that they think they are more important than anybody else. What happened to first come first served". I personally moved somebody's old pylon Saturday evening so Zman could park. If I offended one of you by doing this... to bad. Our group didn't used to do crap like that.

 

Roothawg....I know you said "no joke", but you HAVE to be kidding....geez...how's a guy that might be interested in a Hover'round even get himself to a rod meet?

dj

 

I have noticed that most of my customers with rods are "older",late 60's,i can remmember going to the northeast rod runs as a young teenager in the late 1980's and camping in tents for the weekend with your hotrods,having a band at night,car games during the day,(stealing beer out of there coolers with the other teenagers,,,and thinking how old some of the guys and gals where,
,,now that i am 36 i bet none of them can sleep in a tent in a sleeping bag,,,,i love rods ,but the next generation after the hotrodders are muscle car guys,,i get allot of customers in my shop that dont like rods but like there chevelles,mustangs,camaros,,,sad,,wondering what the hotrod world will be like in another 20 years?,after the originals are gone,,,

 

not to get ot but did that elvis have a camel toe or do i need glasses?

 

Why were you looking there

 

I have spent the last 30 or so years Off Roading and Off Road Racing.
All the while I was playing in the dirt, I was spectating at car shows and I always noticed that most of the participants were significantlly older than me. Not sure what the hell happened, but now all of sudden they all seem to be about my age.
Since I became a partcipant in old car events I have spoke to many others who have spent the last 30 or so years Drag Racing, Stock Car Racing, MX racing etc. and still want to be Gearheads, but not compete anymore and they have put together an old car to cruise around in.
Comments I have heard (or made) run from "Tired of breaking $hit" "Tired of getting hurt", "Can't take the Grand Kids (Wife/ Kids) on the Bike","Tired of the Travel","Got too expensive", "Needed something new", "Always wanted a old car. but never got around to it" "Too damn old for that shit anymore" "I can do this on MY schedule" and many other reason they now choose to cruise old cars.
The future old car nuts may just be out there right now at a drifting or import drag race.
By no means do I mean to discount you Whippersnappers out there right now doing the old car thing. Without you, there will be no foundation for the guys your age that that will come on board later.

 

Tortelvis and Dread Zepplin everyone.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LI4TUucW4

 

I guess some rodders feel they are "reserved" and not wild like the rest of us...

 

Eating gold what the hell is this thread about.My wife walks in and hands me my glasses Says its about getting old .First its always the eyes .Show car ,Showcar ,showcar .brushpainted car .Lifes vicious cycle.

 

Some more thoughts on this show...

Even tho it's been going on 25 years (I was actually pretty surprised to learn that!) I think I've only been 4 or 5 times. It's 2 miles from my house, but, since I work every other weekend, I can't go to everything. Part of me would like to feel regret at seeing it dissapear, but, I've only been a handful of times, things change, life goes on. Plus, I think the whole "Elvis" thing is so cheesy that I really cringe at it, and I'm actually embarrassed for the impersonators (how good do you think an Elvis impersonator from Battle Creek, MI, who's a real estate salesman, is?) and the audience alike. I mean, really.

I did mention to our friends that I really wouldn't miss the show, if only for the bad 50's music constantly played by the DJ. I didn't listen to that stuff when I was young, it's not part of "street rodding" that I'm nostalgic for, enough already.

It's the same weekend as the Dream Cruise (I've only been there once), so it's hard to compete with that. There were at least three other local shows people were talking about as well. It's a saturated market.

There wasn't a Hoveround vendor, but there WERE people riding 'em around. We used to have physical games at rod runs, creeper races, obstacle course, pull the roadster contests, you know FEATS of STRENGTH! Now, lifting a Bud Light is all lots of the people can manage.

There were people saving spaces (like they needed to!) with lawn chairs. We sort of saved ours, but then, we were sleeping in the trailer. I've thought for years that show promotors should go around at night and toss lawn chairs in a pile. Come on, NSRA, Goodguys, and other show promoters/host clubs, grow a pair and stop that shit. If you ain't sleeping in it, it ain't bein' saved!

For contrast, the Relix show has not one, not two, but three bands lined up, (I'm guessing I won't suffer thru a bad Bill Haley cover...), pin up girls, bikes, tattoo's, and a little attitude. I'm not kidding myself, I don't look as good in a tight white T shirt as I used to, but I'm not ready for a Hoveround! There's an enthusiasm in shows like this, the Pileup, Viva Las Vegas, that is missing from the same old events. I have to admit, in the 70's and 80's I thought lots of the Rod Runs we went to sort of boring, they're even more so now.

That's enough of my opinion (from one old Street Rodder trying to see the light),

Brian

 

I think someone else said it , Age is just a number on a piece of paper. You have to keep busy and not sit around, the longer you sit the harder it is to get up. Working on my car don't go as easy as it use to but I still enjoy doing it. I'm 74 and still have some buddys that are older and younger then me, working on their rides. Us old farts have to show the young one where the fun is not just talk about it.

Get out your rod and play with it.

 

Yep my older brother has always kept me in check. When he and his buddies were in their 30s I was a teenager and thought those guys were old I hung out and helped them work on their street rods. Now I am 50 and those old guys they just keep building cars and talking shit !! These 5 or 6 guys have health issues and they get up every day and do something on their cars. Most of them are lifetime NSRA members and are pissed about the late models. Last year my brother came to the Round Up it was great fun !! Remember all those good parts came from the older guys !! {Knowledge a well that can run dry !!]

 

Im not gettin old if I have anything to do with it.

 

Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

 

hey - flyinbrian - do the Relix have a website where people can go and find out info about the show on the 26th?

 

If you want to look young, Hang out with people older than you. Model A club is a start.
I belong, it works. Doesn't make getting up any easier though.

 

We just had our 21st Cruise here in Vernon last weekend..Car count was way down from the 1500 entries we normally have. There were good cars here, but most just didn't enter and sat it out on the side in a parking lot. It was 106 plus degrees, and the heat just was too much, especially for the older guys. And unfortunatley the kids just don't relate to a 50 Merc or a 32 Highboy. They want a Honda with a big wing and a fat muffler on it..The cost is so high now days, compared to going to the Junkyard like my dad did when I was a kid, and there is nothing in those places that anybody would want to hot rod anyway.. Too many just can't afford it, so we have 4 door 68 Buicks or a Pickup with rusted out rocker panels "cruising". I don't know the answer to keeping it going, but I guess it will all fade away one day...too bad..

 

Wait a minute.
Back in the day would any of us have gone to a "show"!? HELL NO we were working on our cars or driving them someplace to hang out, and/or check out the babes and bitching about how there was nothing to do... until somebody would come up with an idea of something to do. Then we'd tear-ass down the road in a cloud of smoke (hopefully without gettin killed or caught (...JJW)) to see if the grass was greener somewhere else.

Fast forward to today...
Sure, shows are Lame but they beat most of the other options these days.

What's needed is 1) a place to gather, hang out, shoot the breeze, turn a wrench, whatever. and 2) some places to go to mix it up when 1) gets old. Someplace with a town park, a burger joint with a juke-box, some open roads, and get a circuit going so anybody can go to one of the stops on the circuit and in a short time pick up the vibe and make the rounds... like bees pollinating flowers.... throw in some babes, donuts and coffee and you got it. (remember the cafe racers?) Where you gonna find that today!? Bring back the sixties!

 

.". Too many just can't afford it, so we have 4 door 68 Buicks or a Pickup with rusted out rocker panels "cruising". I don't know the answer to keeping it going, but I guess it will all fade away one day...too bad"

I believe that as the older rodders fade into the sunset the supply of cool old iron will surpass the demand and prices will drop. As this occurs the guy cruising a rusted out pick up will have an empty nest and more disposable income and the cycle will continue. Remember they said roddding was dead when the Muscle Cars came out....

 

When I was a kid my Dad and Mom belonged to the Elks. The Elks and other service organizations are fading away it seems like. This seems to parallel some of the things mentioned about the car clubs and the streetrod shows. I'm an old fossil but I enjoy observing the "Kulture" scene. Thanks to the young guys and gals for picking up the torch, when they saw something that piqued their interests more than mini trucks and such. Even some of them are starting to get a little gray around the edges. I mean I'm reading the post from the Shifters about pulling out of "Viva Las Vegas," it seems to be as much about politics as anything but these guys have families and seem to be torn for time. Some are just loosing the obsession as they get a little older. I know that I like Rockabilly and twangy surf guitar more than DooWop, Paso better than Pismo Fathers Day, and Pin-up contests, lowbrow art and striped panels, better than...well there isn't any comparison for that, (I haven't seen bikini contests at streetrod shows, but maybe there are some.) Anyway I like the concept of designing the ride that you want, mostly in your head, building it, then driving the car that you built. I just can't identify with the guys that just pull out the checkbook. I guess I got a little OT, but seeing some of the rides on this forum makes me think that I should try to build something out of what I have lying around regardless what someone else thinks. That's the only way I'm ever gonna get it now.

 

Awwww. That just ain't right. and just down right insulting.

 

Our Pair A Dice cruiser show had an normal turn out of 250 cars on Aug 14th.
But as noted we are not getting any younger, this year we let an outside vendor handle the food as we were getting to old to get there a 6:00am to set up and get out of there at 5:00pm after cleaning up.
So what did the kitchen crew do? we went out and mingled with the entrants and promoted memberships to younger people. We see what happens in the next few months.

jim h

 

i'm not getting older i'm getting more ..............................hmmm forgetful

i remember who owes me money but i forget who i owe it to

wanna go to a show do it while ya can .. drivin your hot rod will still be okay just hafta find some other destinations

' bonneville,out for coofee ., breakfast , your own buds touring around town....heck a saturday afternoon junkyard run... just heading over to fellow builders garage on a given nite .....
lets all stay youthful hotrodders at heart...

age is a state of mind or rust

and yes 32 fords will get cheaper by the year 2050 .. remember i said it first