I had an epiphamy of sorts today. As I was reading the HAMB about Buckrodders something finally clicked, and fairly loudly. Seems like many folks are becoming stale in this hobby/lifestyle of ours. IT costs alot to build something popular or mainstream. '28-57' Ford anything, 40 and below everything else pretty much, and post war sleds are well out of the range for alot if not most folks. The term Rat Rod is viewed with distain by some, myself included and in other parts of the country as a badge. I find it totally amusing when somebody says I'm going to build a Rat Rod, when in their innocence they just mean anything from a '72 Pinto to a T something. That's all well and good and they mean well. That's a positive for me because it means they are infected with the disease we all incubate deep inside and just want to play. Most RR crowd is always smiling and has a nice cold beer for a hot day. After a while I have actually grown leniant on the term as it allows me to meet more people if I don't vomit at the mere mention of the Rodent. The other side is the period correct only crowd. They are just as bad. If your cars just "almost" you can be cast out like a Leper. I was once headed well into this pit of judgement but was saved by a completely non car guy who questioned my very distain. Thank god for him, his simple question of "what makes a car period correct when the parts are re-made or can be bought now?" Even the old vintage stuff we all crave can still be bought. This guys a fellow Surfer and a fairly cool Dude in his own right. I find myself more and more engaged with the broadness of our hobby. I'll admit I have never sought to own a '32 anything just because they are belly button cars that allow you into the "club". I love 'em but I'm not that narrow. If you are great for you, no harm intended. I own things like Model A's, '54 Chevy's, F-1's, Sportsters and Shovels. While I think these are really Bitchin'. I think the masses think of '55-57, 32'-34', Panheads and Knuckles as the ultimates. I'm one year off and boy am I ok with that. All mine were built from Bastard piles I either traded for or sold some of my stash to get the carcass of. To me the only real period pieces are the actual cars that were there and have survived. It's ok to love a style like say Pre-War, Post-War, Custom, Street Rod, Gasser, Pro Street, or even yes the lowly Rat Rod. I have always had a very open and laid back attitude and just generally like people. It takes alot to make me not want to be in somebodies company. But the whole reason for this long post is that I see more and more people losing interest, feeling left out, discriminated against, or moving onto the next Rockabilly phase of their lives. This is all natural and human in nature for sure, there will always be the trend followers who have no idea who they are as people and the world needs them to keep the wheels rolling. But if you are a genuine Gearhead with no help of ever coming out of it stick around. I am starting to notice and see tons of sheetmetal and parts showing up at swap meets and papers. C-list is a great one but you have to be quick. Also make friends with your local metal recycler if you haven't already. E-bay is still a solid way to get what you need. E-bay just makes you crazy though so I avoid it. It's pretty funny to me how people feel everything is out of their price range. I am and have always been cheap. Hoarding comes to mind here. I look at some of the Hoarders with distain, others with pity. Most of the piles hoarded will never be put to use and will never go to a person who will no doubt love and cherish each piece. HOARDERS YOU ALL SUCK! Go through your collections of crap and separate the cherry stuff from the Bastard stuff please. It's perfectly fine you keep the cream of the crop stuff you'll get to, we all do that. But please release the less than or Bastard stuff to people who will use it or enjoy it. I can say this with a free plate as I was also close to being a Hoarder of stuff. I have cleared my garage of most of the stuff I will never get to. In my daily non hot rod life I'm an Appraiser and daily I see 2 car garages full of stuff these people will never get to. SO SPREAD THE JOY OF THE BASTARD PROJECT and give somebody else a chance. You might just make a friend, have more garage space, and also put some cash in your pocket. Tim
I think it is funny that people say they can't afford to start the hobby. If you wait and do most of it yourself you can get started fairly cheap. It took awhile but I got my '42 Chevy Aerosedan for $400 and have less than $4000 into it and it runs, drives and is safe. It just took awhile, a couple hundred dollars at a time. I am poor and I did it by scrounging and trading and doing most of my own work. I will always have my '42 , my wife would kill me if I sold it. When it is more finished she is going to daily drive it, she used to a few years ago.
Hell we built my pickup from scratch and it was running, driving and safe for about $2300. But it takes alot of buying selling and trading thru out the 6 month time frame. But it was sure fun searching for the right deal and thrashing to get parts by the time they were needed.
Tim, glad to read you and I think alike. I applause your commentary and can agree with all your points. It's unfortunate that hot rod shows are like school playgrounds sometimes. I'm never been one to play the game, I don't think I'll ever need a tattoo. Unlike middle school, I'm doing alright. It's probably because I works so hard on my cars. I see rat rods at local show. Typically they are built by younger guys who really cannot afford much better, but still have the itch to build. I like to talk to them as well, they usually have great opinions, and they usually faun over my hot rod --that makes me feel good too.
I didn't build my Jalopys for anybody but me. If I were into 'preserving' something for future generations to enjoy, (which I ain't) it seems the best option would be to hoard it.
Well said! My depression era grandfather once asked me about my piles of british bike crap I had stuffed in my small garage in Seattle. Keep in mind I borrowed his truck to haul this stuff every time I moved. Do you need all this stuff to be involved in the hobby? No, I guess I really only need one or two bikes. Then whats the rest of it? Well some of it is old parts the were replaced, some of it is from old projects and some "package" deals. Why are you keeping it? I might need it for the next project. Aren't you happy with the BSA and the Triumph? Yeah but its fun to dream about the next project. So you need stuff to dream about whats next? Well no, but I really like some of the pieces. Why not get rid of the rest and spend your time on the bikes and the few pieces that matter most? Damn that older generation!
Right on Until I started fooling with this old truck I'd been away from beating and hammering on old cars for well over 20 years and coming back to it has been a trip to say the least. Until very recently,I had never even heard the term "rat rod" or some of the other descriptions I'm hearing these days. When I started in on this thing, people I know online and in real life started asking "what are you going to do with it? Is it going to be a resto-mod, rat rod, pro touring, street rod , a period piece....?" And blah blah blah. I though about it for a while and now when someone asks "what are you going to do with it" my answer is "I'm gonna fix it up best I know how, as best I can afford to and have a good time driving it. I'm gonna put what I like on it and paint it how I like and I'm going to call it *my truck*, you figure out what you want to call it, I really don't care"
I agree........ I have a great time with my hotrods and I try to tolerate the local Ratrodders...... This past year I have been selling off alot of extra stuff that I have accumulated over the years and I now have more space in the garage..... I guess I finally realized that I had more shit then I could every use and more projects then I could every get done before I die....
First, I'm not a hoarder. You were going great with the "we are all car nuts, open your mind" part, until you dumped on a narrow group. I too would like it if some people let loose with some stuff they will never use, but these are the 1st-5th generation of the people that held on to the stuff through the war drives, moves and attrition that any large amount of stuff goes through. A lot of the stuff you can find now is due to someone somewhere hoarding it for at least part of the decades from when it was made until now. I won't throw stones at their houses either.
build it safe and something that you can enjoy who gives a shit what anyone thinks as long as it's well done
My best friend from college, was like a brother to me, we used to always work on our cars and trucks together . He came up with a kind of motto for us "because we can". I could cut and fit real good and he was a hell of a welder so we made a good team. The first time I remember him using the "because we can" bit, he had scored a mopar 440 six pack and we were in the process of stuffing it and a 727 Torqueflite into his '56 Ford pickup. My dad came along and asked "why in the hell are you boys doing that?" he just grinned at dad and said "because we can" It just kinda stuck after that. He developed a fast moving case of pancreatic cancer and died a week shy of his 25th birthday. I still miss that crazy bastard. The prospect of building something without him is probably why I stayed away from messing with these old cars for so long.
Exactly Actually I'm just here to steal ideas But seriously, I am in awe of the talent I see here in the build threads and learn something every time I come here.
hey tim, you forgot an important detail... most hoarders think their parts (even the shitty ones) are worth top dollar. how 'bout you do YOUR part and buy some of my stuff!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=523291
Thats what Ive been doing for 2 years now maybe 3 ,Selling stuff and getting stuff for my build .Plus hoarding the better stuff for me .....
I understand and in no way meant any disrespect to the Greatest Generation. They are the very reason we enjoy the freedom we do today. Hoarders are a narrow band you are right. But I did mean what I wrote. Just because it is doesn't mean it can't change and anything to excess is to be questioned. Most people arent't Hoarders they are just overly optimistic about their timeline and abilities. That's Hot Rodding at its finest. Although the post is not aimed at Hoarding specifically it is a catalyst in my mind for alot of things being crushed, tossed out, or just plain returning to the earth. My daily pursuit of mortgage payment exposes me to alot of things most people can't fathom in regards to collecting. The Post is in general poking fun at myself and the rest of us iron junkies and the joy to be had within. Have a great day, Tim
Well said, guitar man. Terpu, what a refreshing post! I like your attitude. I've been thinking lately that I need to turn loose of some of the stuff I may never use and let it go to someone who will use it and appreciate it. It could also be a source of cash to keep the project going. My old truck demands money tributes and blood sacrifice on a regular basis.
Without hoarders we wouldn't have all of these pre-war parts we cherish now. I praise the hoarders...as many of their collections are becoming available as of late...feeding our need for these period parts...so we can hoard them in our collections. Especially all of that belly button 32 crap. Neal
For those of you that don't know Neal and I clearly debate this quietly at family functions. Neal, you should see the stash that set me off about this. But I can't tell you because it's a secret... As for praising the Hoarders, I'll save that for the Lord. The piles are becoming available because they are dying and not able to enjoy them anymore. I find this sad, not admirable. Life is short and to be enjoyed, just seems sad to lock all this cool stuff up and never let it out until you're dead! Besides I was talking about the less than primo stuff not the Cherry prized stuff. That's keeping treasure for future use, not Hoarding. Tim
I like people who hoard stuff, it's cool to find some old guy who 'just happens to have' whatever part that fits your vehicle, sitting in a corner of the shed for the last 20 years. The thing that worry's me is when these old guys pass away, and their family cleans up the estate and it all goes for scrap metal. Also, I agree with the guys who say 'call it what you want, I built it for me'. In my mind the guy who puts a fuel injected big block in an 80's car is just as much a hot-rodder as the guy who builds a 34 Ford with a 50's Olds engine. That's the 'Tradition' of hot-rodding, to make your car go faster, perform better, and most of all make it yours. Building with certain era parts isn't traditional, it's 'Period Correct'.
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