Traditional Hot Rod's Trailer Queens and Door Slammers

Ok I am sure this will embarrass the other Iowans in here. I am not hip to the scene and from what I have seen from my fellow Iowans I look like a poser. I don't claim to be anything but I am into these machines. I have been reading and I see a bunch about traditional versus non traditional versus Billet rides. I am confused with all this. I get the difference between Billet and all the rest. The Billet rides are blinged out pieces of artwork no longer driven they just look pretty and cost big cash. Now for traditional versus the new Rods. I was taught that traditional rods were built back in the day when all this started. They used the parts they had lying around to build faster machines that fit their own style. The goal was to keep it cheap. Now this is what was taught to me. As I am young I was never around during this time. So I could have been taught wrong. Now what is confusing is that people are all like thats not traditional it sucks yada yada. Well as times change the overall goal remains the same. Something you build out of a pile of cheap parts a.k.a junk that fits your style and goes fast or knocks the reflectors off the highway. So if a guy picks up a ratty ass old Model A and throws a fuel injected 5 liter into it then a EAOD trans and then a BMW 5 series rear end in it he has one hell of a asskicker great mileage power and reliablity and it can stop. This is just a imaginary car for my case point. Now it is not a traditional rod but its cool and its own right. However here is what I am thinking if this car's components were all picked up for next to nothing or free then this would too should be considered a traditional rod. It was built with what was lying around to fit a persons style and to go fast. It is not nostalgic like a 32 ford that was built in the 50's. However it sticks to what I was told was the goal when building. Is this wrong?

 

Here we go

 

I took a traditional shit once....
brown and stinky, just like back in the day!
HC

 

is it that time of the month again?

 

i think the "art" of building the car is somewhat lost in your "hypethical" car.


Even though they're build on a budget, you still want some sort of flow to them. the MTV general of bolt anything on is killing the scene. Just cuz it's free, don't mean it's cool.

Wait till you find a free motor that fits the era, model, type of build.

 

HOLY COW - Hankcash is back!!??



oh and as an Iowan please read a lot and you will soon get the difference.

 

Thanks for the info but where do I go to read up on this stuff?

 

Go for it dude.... Sounds like a great Hot rod.

You can maybe score a plow, I'm sure lots of guys have those laying around in Iowa, as long as it's cheap it's traditional you know,
anyway with a plow you could you could plow corn fields with that fucker as well...

That way you could earn some extra cash to score those hot Iowa Betties.

Dual purpose. In the old days, a hot rod was sometimes the dudes only car.

Better yet, why don't you just find a tractor and paint it flat black?

 

Just about every post here.

 

"that's hot"
hc

 

Traditionaly speaking, who really gives a rat ass.

 

Hankcash is Von Dutch's nephew.

Who's got the winter blues?

If you search, there are tons of threads on what is "traditional". If you run a hood on that hypothetical car, and it looks otherwise trad, then it could be considered trad inspired. Traditional means recreating the look of the day with the parts of the day. A hard core trad car uses nothing newer than the era the car is being built to portray. The "rules" are much looser for a trad inspired car. There's all kinds of gray areas. A billet rod can be driven just as much as a trad car. That doesn't make it trad.

My coupe will fit into the trad inspired category. I've got disc brakes on my axle and a 4 link in the back with a 302/c4. It takes some of what I feel are high points of various eras and wraps it in a package that is trad inspired. My cabriolet on the other hand, will be built with all the old parts, flathead, juice brakes, etc, with the only modern amenity being a T5 cause it's more practical and cheaper than a columbia rear end. These two cars represent what I view as trad and trad inspired. I'm sure others will jump and this thread is probably jumped into it's 2nd page just since I started typing...

 

best post ever.

 

hahaha, Minneapolis Moline's already come with the prerequisit RED wheels.

 

Unfortunatley this will probably go on for 4 pages.

 

I used to know a door slammer.
We called her "Screen Door Patty"
In & out, don't let the door hit you on the ass, NEXT!
She wasn't a trailer queen tho.
Mostly Motels.
She could be traditional, or just about any style you wanted...

Did that answer your questions?

 

Well Bob to be honest I got a Minnie I am going to paint flat black and put flames on

 

Perfect. You are well on your way then...

I diddn't think Iowa Betties would fit in a Mini?

 

oy vey!



G.

 

Yes but did it have corn in it? Now that makes a real difference.
Glad to see you here HC.

Now onto bigger and better things.

The biggest fault of the whole traditional theory from our new found friend is that rods were never built a cheaply as possible. The old fathers spent what they could afford. Often it was all that could be spared, borrowed, stolen and/or begged that went into a ride.
The reason that junkyard mills and brakes and etc were used is that there was no 1 800 Beingkewl that you could call to get your pieces. The pieces had to be either custom fabricated or adapted from something.

Today Trad Rods are not at all cheap to build, on the contrary those parts that were onced used by our fathers and grandfathers are now as good as gold. A rattled out old T that I used to buy for 15.00 is now 1,500.00, a Muncie tranny that could be had from a buddy for half a hundred will cost you 5 or more today. But you must bear in mind cost is realitive. When I was buying vintage bodies for 15-30 dollars that was a lot of cash for me, 50 bucks for a tranny was a big deal also.

I think to everyone here Trad means something a little different, its part of where we came from or for the really young guys not raised in a gearhead family it has a lot to do with what books they read or who influenced them the most. But it all comes down to one simple thing for all of us, its about doing it the way that we know to be Traditional.

Now you take that same car you wanna build, and loose the electronic injection for an old Hilborn setup or an adapted an mechanical injection for an old Mercedes, or perhaps a pair of Enderle Barn Doors. Loosse the Beemer rear and replace it with a '57 Ford or Poncho, big drums, and forget the OD and do it the way it should be gear it to do what you want it to do (airplane gears for the hway or tractor gears for the strip), or rustle up an old quickchange (they can still be had). It'll be a little more work and take a little more patience but you will be well on your way to traditional and once you get behind the wheel of a well built Trad Ride you will really understand what it is that we live and breath.

They can be so fast that it scares you every time you stab the gas, and it will stop if you take the time to make the brakes work. they can even be made to handle.

Now all that said, you should be aware that I don't really care what you build and a certainly don't give a damn about the rules.

I just wanted to say that Trad and cheap have never had anything in common. As the Ol' Man always said, "Speed costs money, how fast to you wanna go?"

 

Fuel injection is not traditonal or old skool, so that wouldn't work to well for the overall look of a rat rod.

thanks,

Paul

 

I like CHEESE!

Traditional slices are the best... although I see the advantages of the modern cheese stick.

 

Well Bob I am talking about a Mini Moline and trust me Bob I can only fit on the drivers seat but she will pull a cattle trailer I can haul up to three Iowa betties in a 35foot cattle trailer so I am good to roll bob good to roll

 

Sounds bitchin'. I think Coker has some tiny wide white walls for your tiny red steelies. Just like the fifties, bro.

Aye Chinga!

 

Oh shit, your talking about a tractor. Now I get it. That would be much better then.

Que Lindo?

 

traditional old skool (redundant maybe?) rat rods and their overall look... we have an expert in our midst fellas.

 

Hilborn isnt traditional? or "old skool"?

 

I think if Iowa ever had any chance of overcoming our hick reputation, Fatty just flushed it for us.

 

I think your right. Every body go home now Fatty just ruined it for everyone.

 

Listen folks this guy has done nothing but badger me. Lets see I like a band I hear awhile ago the website where I got it is gone I figured some of you had to like some rock and roll so I ask. he says don't embarass us iowans by asking those kind of questions then I have what I feel is a serious question. And he rips on me again. This dude is crap acts like because we come from somewhere you guys think less of us. If thats the case I will be gone thats plain crap. And as far as alchemy dude drop your too cool for school crap. Yes I grew up on a farm yes I learned how to work on things from implement equipment however I am no hick and take serious offense to that if anything I am a hillbilly. So drop your poser trying to be a californian when you come from where the tall corn grows get over yourself and leave me be.