Cookie cutter cars

Ive been going around to several cruise-ins and car shows around and I have this one question. Where did the originality go in hot rodding? I know that there is alot of originality out there but there are also alot of cookie cutter cars out there too.

Case in point the last 3 weeks I have been going around to different shows and have seen atleast 20 different 30's ford roadsters (one show I went to had 4 in a row) and with the exception of the paint jobs all the cars were basically identical. What I mean by that is each car had a 350/350 combo with a 4bbl carb and every one I have seen has a 3-5" chop.

I love hot rods I love traditional hot rods more but when I see cars that are getting stamped out looking more or less identical is just disheartening and depressing.

I guess what my question for you is am I the only one that sees this and gets sick of it? I have several cars and trucks one 56 I have I am sectioning the cab,doors, and hood 2" boxing the frame custom 5" chop with full sized back window on air bag suspension pieced together disc brake conversion from 3 different manufacturers and a 427 ford block that is stroked to be a 454 the engine is going to be chevy orange even though it is a ford just to confuse people when I say I have a 454 in it. You know have some originality is what I am saying i guess but the more and more I look at alot of cars and trucks all I see is cookie cutter cars.

 

Most of us here are sick of it too, which is why we try to build traditional, TIMELESS cars.

Lots and lots of builders out there following the "popular" recipe because cars built in that style are easy to sell. Kind of a blank canvas, if you will. Just paint it resale red and the new owner can choose his own wheels/pinstriping/steering wheel etc. to make it his "own" after the fact. Sounds silly to us, but that's why they're out there.

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I get bored with the same old thing also and just usually walk on by unless it's a chopped channeled Model a coupe.....most of the street rods that used to get my attention I find that I ignore now too

 

Hell I hate it, but find myself becoming a "HAMB snob" if you will and pick a car apart if it has mixed billet parts and old stuff on it!!

I feel like a hypocrite having disk brakes and block huggers on my 32 even

 

Probably a few reasons for that. First off, there are only so many things you can do to a car that someone else hasn't already thought of and done. Then there is the factor of wanting your car to be "safe" in the respect that it doesn't have elements about it that might make it come off as not nice looking to others.

While we all say we want our cars to be our own and to reflect our personality, a lot of times we build them so others will appreciate them too. For example, how many times to you see posts where someone it criticized for wanting to do something that isn't considered correct by others ? Wheels are a big one here , if you don't have wheels that are a certain color or style others will tell you to change them out for something they consider more desirable.

It is just human nature, we have certain things we like and don't like and sometimes that leads to cars that follow a certain trend or style.

Don

 

Thus the reason I like Kustoms

 

that, and certain parts have I good balance and overall look to them and a lot of people are going to want them. if the part is a good repop of something old, your going to see a lot of them. i'm guilty of that with my rodmaster wheels. in the long run, the car is for me only.

 

I take one of those shows was the Bar B Q Ranch cruise in? I know one of our local churches just had a cruise in as well.

Wow is it good to see a fellow Harrisnonburg guy!

I have not been to a cruise in in years and when I used to go a lot of them were 40s and 50s to muscle cars. I used to see a few T's around but have not seen one in town in a long time.

 

Too bad Henry isn't still alive. Maybe he could offer an explanation as to why he made his A's all the same right down to the color.

 

I enjoy cruise nights and car shows in general. I think the fact that there are so many fine and not so fine rides on display makes the essence
of individual cars fade a bit. Remember you are in the presence of several to a great number of similar cars at that particular moment. However what I really enjoy is seeing or being in a distinct car sitting at a red light surrounded by hundreds of typical transportation units. A Model A or a Deuce or what ever vintage rod it may be just sitting there rumbling
away while waiting to move out and down the road is where its really at for me! while a rod may be "cookie cutter" at a cruise night, it really takes on its distinction when out in the m***es of transportation.

 

Anymore, I only get excited when I see a car driving!

 

you don't like it when you just sit around a car? in a lawn chair?

 

If they all look the same, maybe you're not looking close enough. Slow down, and LOOK, instead of glancing, ***uming and walking on. Not saying that's what you do, but a lot of people do it.

I've met some cool people, just by noticing they changed out gauges.

 

only if it has one of those cry baby dolls in front of it.

 

In a sea of new Mustangs, Camaro's, Challengers, Vettes, etc....I welcome the sight of ANY kind of pre-war car.

 

I feel that way when I see chevelles and tri-5 Chevys. Thats all I see at car shows. It gets kinda boring. I'm also tired of seeing trailered (perfect) cars. I prefer to look at cars that are driven and maintained and restored.

 

It's a killer I went to volo car museum two weeks ago and had more fun in the antique store next store. What your talking about is the reason hot rods appeal to me and why I chose to build one instead of a muscle car. This is also why truly building a car takes along time. But you get out what you put into it. That's why I build every single price with love. When it's done it's done. No garbage just pure hot rod art.


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Individually and out on the road they're all neat tho!

 

There's a reason why so many cars have '32 grille shells, juice brakes, bias plys on steelies, and a flathead or early small block with three twos. They just look RIGHT. Then there are the cars that are obviously different just for differents sake. There is only so much you can do to be different when it comes to traditional cars. Deviate too much and it is no longer a traditional car. Maybe you need a different car related genre to go after?

 

Ever hear the expression " Damned if you Do ,and Damned if you Don't"? Certainly applies here .

 

I still see those stupid things at shows! I just want to run up and punt them into the woods!

 

I'm with Richard. Everything seems to be done already. Maybe those cars are just following a tried and true recipe. There's a reason three to four inches of chop is always done more than two inches, or five. It just looks right. We've seen it before and we know it works.

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This post has just about described the entire car show scene to a tee........hard to get excited about most of it at all.

 

There is building a car and then there is ***embling one.

 

I once heard a local "bragging" about a magazine cover car being exactly like his. I guess having the "in thing" is what some people want. Personally, I happen to have my own likes and dislikes. If paying money to show off your car for someone else to make money on while you get a chezzy trophy for your entry fee is your thing, do it.

 

If a guy want's a gl*** 32 with a 350/350 then let him have it. I don't nderstand why people get so offended by this stuff. So many people do nothing but knock other peoples cars down and half of them don't have a car themselves. I personally like traditional cars but I can still appreciate the other stuff too.

 

All the cars I've owned looked good to me.

 

I'm sure the first person to build a "rat rod" was being different. See where that went. Build what you want with your money and time.

 

That's why I like H.A.M.B get togethers!
Different folks- different strokes

 

A man as creative and resourceful as you should raise the bar. Let's see what you can come up with that hasn't been done before. Let's see something truly original! Your car with a new combination of old tricks just doesn't cut it. I'll bet you can do better than that!

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