"Traditional" rods and kustoms???

i just dont understand...i go to shows and see these cars in primer, and well basically junks, and everyone is like oh wow look at the traditional hor rod, or kustom...this just dosent make any sense to me...i just dont beleive that in the 40's 50's and 60's people put together cars and primed them and said, wow kool heres my done car...paint existed didnt it???, hell im sure even buckets of water, sponges and soap even existed didnt they????...people built cars and primed them, and probably intended to paint them, but ran out of money, but im sure when they got money, their cars were painted...now people build cars and prime them and call them finished cars, and and everyone thinks they look great, im sick of the whole rat rod ****, its getting rediculous, and outragous...i look at old car show footage, and see maybe one car in primer, now more than half of the cars i see are primed,and "finshed", whats the deal with this???....i look at all these so called "traditional" magazines, and basically every car in the magazine is a rat and or primed....my car is painted, and imo is a very nice traditional car and for some reason never gets any coverage, but i bet if it was primed and had liscense plates for floors it would be in nemerous magazines, now dont take this the wrong way, really i could care less about magazine coverage, but its the point...i was actually told that my car wouldnt be put in a magazine because it is painted, how ****ing rediculous is that?????

 

So you're into this for magazine coverage?

 

Does it really matter what condition a person's car is in?

Paint. Primer. Rust. Whatever...

All that matters is that its someone's old car and they're out having fun with it.

Who cares?

 

The same reason there is vanilla, chocolate and strawberry....There's a flavor for everyone......

 

mike dont worry about it. Right now primer is the in thing along with all the other trends. The sad part is people are paying over $15,000 for a primer car that is going to take more then that to make it look decent with paint and windows maybe even some carpet.


I just cant wait till this ends and most people that paid for a car realize they could have bought a decent car for 17 and just primed it. when the time comes they could just paint it and have something worth it

 

Got any tips for keeping bug guts off the front end of a tow vehicle?

lol

I'm with ya man. Traditionally, people wanted to finish their cars out with shiny paint and tuck and roll. But there was also the times when the cars would get driven in a less presentable state. That style is much easier and cheaper to duplicate.

My car has too much rust to fix, so it's going as a bomber. Kudos to you for having a complete, well detailed hot rod. I hope you win some trophies this summer.

 

Its all about the fun............

 

you are making ***umptions about the 50's... haha

who cares?

dont be so uptight... get more sleep or try yoga, it works wonders on the sphinkter.

 

Ah, this OLD whinge again.......is there a count for how many times we've gone over this kinda ****?

Where's that padlock?

Move along people, nothing to see here.....

 

Back again...but Ill take another stab at it....

I think the word "traditional" can be taken in several angle's.

As mentioned before, cars should be built to the owners taste...what he/she likes or not. If the person likes satin finish, then so be it.

I have alot of books of the old customs in the 50's. Some were in primer stages for a long time, others painted right away....either way...both before and after looked good.

I prefer Satin or Semi-gloss finishes. I think it looks clean and its simple to replace if you want or have to do more modifications.

Look at the bright side, at least these "hunks of junk" aren't rusting away in the fields.....???would that be like a 'field' car???.....but rather are getting wrenched on and seeing the road, as it once did.

You say 'tomato', I say 'tomato'!

 

This post is gay.

 

I understand what your saying man...it is the fad that's going around right now, and if you dont follow the current popular trend you are most likely not going to boost magazine sales and thus mag owners will turn you down.

I also realize it is not about coverage, you were just emphasizing the importance that some people place on going with the flow of popular thought, and how it is restricting the quality and diversity of the rods that receive coverage/praise. I agree that it is a bit out of hand, but the only thing you can do really is build your car the way you think it should be and let them notice your ride once the fad p***es and in the meantime, take it with a grain of salt.

rjb

 

I know I can't believe what people are paying right now for stuff. It's crazy! I'm in the wrong business.

 

Are you jealus or just pissed that you wasted your money on a "Trailer Queen"?I'm sorry they dont give out awards for the most towed cars at shows,or for the least amount of work done by the owner.I feel for ya...

 

I think the whole primer and rust angle is a by product of the 'punk rock' at***ude expressed by the "traditional rodder" of today...as far as what you're seeing in magazines as being labeled "traditional".

All the greybeards I talk to say that you couldn't score a chick ANYWHERE 'back in the day' if you motored around in a primered old wreck, so the rodders of that time pushed to make their jalopies look GOOD...if not for self pride, than for the sake of their *** lives!!! Ha Ha...I swear, I've heard that many times from different old guys, so I gather that there's some truth to it!!

Of course, there's always been low dollar bums like me who think painting a car means rattle cans and a pile of newspaper...and we go for making our stuff mechanically sound over looking pretty, but we woulda been goofball outcasts back then from what I'm told!

Not that I care, of course...but since you brought it up, I just thought I'd share the insight I've been given through many local older dudes who were there when it all happened. To me, I just like to put together low dollar heaps I can drive and enjoy.

(I can always count on my winning personality to get me laid!!! )

Looking around at "the scene" today and hearing what guys say as I go to cruise nights in my old rusty, spray-painted Chevy...I conclude that the whole primer, rust and booger-weld look is a MODERN interpretation of the whole "traditional" car building movement...not a strict re-creation of how it used to be.

It matters not, really...I just build cars the way I've always done it...which, by some sad and silly twist of fate just happens to be COOL at the moment. No big deal, I was spray painting old clunkers with freshly swapped drivetrains fifteen years ago, and I'll be doing it till I drop. No regard to current fads or styles...just a penny-pinching car guy having fun with old tin!

Build 'em how YOU want 'em...and screw what's in the magazines!

 

I think that labels like "Traditional" "rat rod", "old school"....etc...are very loose defenitions of what an individual chooses to describe the style of their car or the era they used to influence them when building it. Cars from different eras all were styled very differently but we tend to put the same labels on them because they dont conform with the modern styling (whatever that is). I think that if you get too hung up on labels then your doing it for all the wrong reasons. You have to do what makes you happy and take everything else (both positive and negative) thats thrown at you and use it costructively. And if your looking at someone elses car, try and appreciate the talent and creativity that went into building it because im sure they didn't build it to make you happy. I personally dont care for modern billet rides but I look them over pretty good at the shows and am usually impressed with some small bracket or do dad that was hand fabbed and looks pretty cool. And a really *****en paint job sure is impresive but damn, some of those rust buckets sure are cool looking.

 

Wow... that's a good idea... never thought of that before.... how about vintage road signs? I've got a whole bunch buried in the dirt... hmmmm... i'll have to think about this one... thanx hotrod29!

 

You're being totally revisionist Hotrod29, look at Dean Batchelor's book The American Hot Rod, look at Cool Cars and Square Roll Bars, there isn't a lick of difference between then and now, right down to the clothes.....well not so many tattoos back then. Even the little books had primered cars in them as features.

There's a reason this **** happened again, because the period before this produced some of the most godawful cars in the history of hot rodding, soulless pastel colored comfort boxes were the order of the day.

Do you really want to go back to a time when the only people who cared about hot rods were old men who'd totally forgotten what it was that got them here in the first place?

 

I demand that you un-install the cruise control in the Packford...

 

I kinda had this question a while ago http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29270 but I was just wondering when rodders took pride in making something not nice (traditionally) but Im into body and paint work so primer rust and dents needs to be fixed in my world ( yes I have my own world I think the paint fumes got to me ) BUT I have seen alot of cars with rust, dents, primer, bullet holes and so on that I would love to own I just cant figure out when all that became traditional. Ive heard Ryan say his car isnt traditional, but on the outside I think it looks it and WOW does it shine thats the way my grandpas cars look in the old pics and Id consider him a traditional hot rodder my dad still has grandpas 36 5 window . BTW Ryan Im not saying you have a grandpa car

 

So am I- got a problem with that?
Gay is traditional like James Dean, Liberache, Paul Lind and Charles Nelson Riley! Gay is the new black primer- GET USED TO IT!!! Screw all you BREEDERS- Bring on the GAY!!!

 

I thought the A in JimA stood for ****intruder....

 

I met Bob Bleed at the Roundup- I said, "Hi- I'm JimA and I'm Gay"- he didn't seem to have a problem with it. The intenet brings out the real side of everyone Right?

 

Ol Skool Gay- BIATCHES! Straight up HOMO-DAWG!

 

It's so much easier to define gay as opposed to "traditional". I mean gay means GAY! Traditional to one guy might be 1-800-STREET ROD to me.

 

No man Jim's moved on, he's an ****gladiator.

PS, Jim, I got the new R&C, good issue.

 

Since this post was obviously aimed at me and the events that occurred Last Sunday at Mel's, I'll emphasize my point a little further. First off, your car is nice. Its very well done and finished in a traditional style. It has biased plys and all the right stuff. However, when the choice is between the Fuzzbomb, Mel's old truck, and yours, for TRK mind you, my choice was made. I'm sorry man, but your car is way too nice! However, I would love to shoot your car for Speed and Chrome or the host of others I freelance for. Hell, I would even call it a traditional car! But I made it a point that, this year, if at all possible, I wouldn't shoot too many SBC powered cars. But before everyone gets thier ******* in a bunch about that comment, let me say that its my preference not to shoot as many SBC powered cars. It has nothing to do with the magazine. They didn't tell me not to. Hell, I need to shoot more customs, but I'm even pickier about them! Its just sooooo easy to screw one up! So if you're pissed that I think your car is too nice, I'm sorry. But when the choices are- a) A channeled, Buick powered roadster, built by the FAMOUS BOB Bleed.. ha ha OR- b) A flatty powered truck that has a ton of cool little details OR even C) A barn fresh Hot Rod that hasn't changed in 50+ years and has just been fired again...? Come on man..... Did I mention I love your car? Oh, and incidently, In Issue 2 of TRK I shot three of the feature cars. Not ONE had primer on it. They were all shiny. But also note, not ONE had an SBC in it. One had an Olds J2, One had a straight six, the other had a Desoto Hemi. So ami I going to p*** on a car just because it has an SBC? Hell no! But it has to be the right car. What makes it right? I have no idea. Its just a gut feeling. Don't get your feelings hurt if I don't shoot your car. Maybe I'm just not feeling it. But I DO like your car.

Spike.
Hope that clears things up..

 

Well I kinda agree with ya Mike about this primered cars stuff that it got way too common, but there is a few people that are taking there time with there body work and want it perfect before paint and the other people that cant really afford it,and more but im sure a majority of people just do it because they see it in the mags and thinks its traditional, and some people purposly leaves there cars rusty I guess so it looks "ratty" or something. The worst is that black 32 at Rutts Hut, i dont know what hes thinking leaving it prime for 10 years or w/e.

And for the people that say they cant afford paint atleast prime your car with a regular paint gun so its atleast consistant instead of everyone using rattle cans

I dont know the greatest amount about the fifties, but im sure back then people didnt purposly make there car look aged, so if you want to make a "rat rod" go ahead its a good business, people are paying good money for them, but I wouldnt call it a traditional 50's style hot rod[/QUOTE]

And for you yuppies saying hotrod29 is disappointed about not getting any coverage, hes not he dont care if he does or not, hes just mad because we went to a car show and this guy took a photo of a primered car I forgot what and asked why dont ya take any pics of these cars with paint on them since there were some nicely done traditional kustoms there that had paint and the guy said because this is traditional rod, and i guess the guy dont believe a painted car can be traditional or something, i think thats why he brough it up

 

LMFAO!

Hey man- You can be in my magazine...
as long as you can find a half naked girl to pose with your car in every pic
but I'd ask that of any car, primered or not
naked girlie flesh is a great equalizer.

 

Realistically, the way i remembered it back in the late fifties/early sixties was original paint with primer and the red "Nitrostain" red putty spots where emblems, mouldings, etc. were removed.......

Haven't seen that come back "yet"