Is it required to have specific definition of hot rodder? I look at it as more of the attitude and the fun with the cars. A hot rodder is a person that is not satisfied with stock, wanting increased performance and modified appearance. While many so called hot rodders are build it themselves, some out of financial necessity, some because they enjoy it; there are some that don't have the time or skills to do it all. But everyone of those can end up with a modified car that they can drive around, hanging out with similar hot rods and friends.
If you gotta axe.......ya ain't !! (just kidd'in.....Of course you are. I haven't welded for a living in YEARS but I can still say "i'm a f'ing welder". Same difference!) 6sally6
it all depends on an individuals definition of Hot Rodder. also depends on what you consider a Hot Rod.
Hot rodder, street rodder? Just titles. What matters is are you happy doing whichever makes you happy. Simple to me...
NO, you are no longer a Hot Rodder! You lost that title the very 1st time you couldn't do something on your car yourself..... OH Wait.. Very few guys can do everything themselves. If they can't perform the modifications on their vehicles themselves for whatever reason, does that make them non-hot rodders? Being a hot rodder is, by definition, a person that desires to improve the power, braking, handling, or speed of their car or truck from its original state. No where have I ever heard that it matters who does the actual modifications on a hot rodder's vehicle, only that the vehicle owner desires the modifications to be done. A Hot Rodder is not restrained by the model year, or the power source of the vehicle he chooses to modify, contrary to what some want you to believe. It is the desire to improve the original vehicle that is the identification of the Hot Rodder. Time, money, skills, physical ability, equipment, and a place to work, often have an effect on who is performing the modifications on the vehicle. Even the guys that may be really good use more skilled people to reach the next level. Those things do not effect who a hot rodder is, its his (or her) desire that drives the modifications. If the gleam of vehicle modification to improve its performance exists in your eye, you are a Hot Rodder.
It's a state of mind, and like Gene just said, not many can do everything themselves. I like to think that I raised my son as a hot rodder, even though he didn't have a car, he lived the lifestyle. The true, OG hot rod guys are all getting some years behind them now, you guys paved the way for the rest of us, the same route the young men will be taking for years to come.
I can build a turnkey car from ground up doing every aspect except engine machining and chrome plating. and glass cutting, I can do the machine work and have access to my friend's machine shop. I straighten. repair or modify the bumpers and trim on all my projects. Anything in stainless I can finish and buff to chrome like finish. I can also cut and finish glass. but what my glass guy charges there is no reason for me to mess with it.,but I install all of it and make all the patterns and as a son of a cabinet maker and carpenter I could build a woody to if I wanted. I am 68 and have been learning and doing this for over 50 years, so yeah, I call myself a hot rodder. But I have also built or restored almost every conceivable style of car, truck and motorcycle for myself and countless customers. And it's those customers, whether they were successful businessmen or working class dudes who busted their ass in some factory. when they came to me, they had a dream. a vision and a plan for the car they wanted. They could not do the work, but they could direct the plan. So as far as I am concerned, they are hot rodders/car enthusiast just like the rest of us. So, to answer your question Krylon, of course you are! And oh yeah a lot of the cars I built for myself were bought by guys who decide my vision was the same as their vison, and they took then and cruised and enjoyed the hell out of them and became a part of the hot rodder family too. Larry
I think hot rodder is a mentality. Do you drive a hot rod? You're a hot rodder. Do you not currently drive a hot rod, but talk, dream, and drool over hot rods? You're a hot rodder. I am working to improve my fab skills because I find building things myself and figuring out mechanical and fabrication problems rewarding. If others don't have the patience, time, or whatever to be able to do it themselves, they're still a hot rodder in my eyes. A person isn't better or worse than others because they can do more on their car. I really think the definition of hot rodder is someone with an interest in hot rods. But in the end, who really cares?
Gary, you are a real hot rodder, you have built a lot of cars for yourself and others, you have been in the business to supply all the basic parts to many of us. As we get older we still enjoy the hobby but due to other interest/age we don't spend the night in the garage nowadays, In my book you are a real hot rodder and a heck of a nice guy, you have helped me many times in the past. HRP
I would question why you think a 14 or 15 second car isn't fast. Say it's a 15-second Model A. I've personally seen a stock model A do the quarter mile consistently at 28.40. That 15 second Model A Hot Rod is fast! Not compared to a new uber-horspower muscle car, but it's fast for what it is, a 92+ year old car. The measuring stick of fast has changed with technology, but that doesn't mean a 15-second hot rod isn't fast, it wasn't even meant to go 60 mph when it was new! Isn't hot rodding improving on the original? Basically anything from a Flathead on up usually does that.
@krylon32 ...here's my take Gary...I've bought at least one part from you and you sent me the tracking number indicating that it was shipped even before I got the money order in the mail to you, I've sent you a catalogue that you were seeking and I asked only the price of the shipping and you sent me more money than I requested to cover the cost of the catalogue as well as the shipping anyway, I've reached out to you on a number of occasions seeking your expert advice or opinion and you've offered great advice every time, quickly and without remuneration. You're an asset on the HAMB, so, I'll call you anything you want to be called with respect and appreciation...including a HAMB/internet friend even though we've never met. But (and this is 'cause friends get on each other just a bit)...you need to learn how to post pictures on the HAMB!
If you have a vision of what a car/truck could be and are willing to put that creation in motion regardless of who does it or what it costs, you are most certainly affected/infected with the Hot Rod Bug.
I do everything myself besides serious machine work on heads/engines.... I mostly do that because I'm a cheap ass but theres also something about finishing a car and knowing you did every single thing to it....That said, I dont see that as a requirement to being a hot rodder at all
The old basicaly stock motor in my coupe puts out 30 more HP then a very hot modified flathead 6 the car came with ever could have. The upgraded suspension out handles any car of the era my car was built in. The brakes are far superior that anything 20 years newer then the production year of my car. That makes it a hot rod by any traditional standard. I built it, so that makes me a hot rodder. Does it compare with the fastest thing on the road? No. Does it outhandle the best road race hot rod? No. Does it out brake the best modern brake system on the market these days? No. Do I drag race the car? No. Do I have time slips that give you impressive numbers? No. Can I beat your car? Probably not, I'm not even going to try. So what makes me think its a hot rod, and what makes me think I'm a hot rodder? Read the 1st paragraph. Do I have to keep building hot rods to keep calling myself a hot rodder? No. I still have mine, but even if I didn't, if I was able to build another, I'd do the same thing. Hot rodding is in my blood. OH Look! The motor in the truck I just built has 60 more HP then any motor option available when it was new. The upgraded suspension handles better, and carries more load then the truck ever could when it was new. The brakes are better then anything build 20 years after my truck was originally built. Let me look...Damn, still a hot rod by any traditional standard. Guess I'm still a hot rodder. How I build, maintain, or drive my hot rod does not have to meet your standards, it has to meet my standards. The good news is, your hot rod doesn't have to meet my standards either, and its not my problem if your car (or mine) doesn't meet your own standards.
Sure you are! In my old age I'm busier than ever with all kinds of things going on. I happen to know a lot of talented younger guys and I'm happy to pay them to work on my cars. I get my cars the way I'd like them and they get a little reward for their work. It's a win, win and I don't feel the least bit guilty.
Now that you ask that question Gary, I find it very hard to define a hot rodder. But one guy that comes to my mind is a fellow by the name of Fred Hyde. He has been working on cars his whole life, can do everything. But what separates him from most of us is that he doesn't drive a stock old car, his cars are all hot rodded and he drives them all the time. He pulls trailers cross country and uses an old car to pull with. I've lived here over 44 years and I never seen him driving anything newer than a 30's car. His wife drove a 32 sedan to school everyday until she retired. I've built one car and own two that I consider a hot rod. I love old cars and drive them all the time too but I consider myself just a street rodder or a street scene guy. Hard question to answer Gary but you are on my bucket list of people I would love to visit someday.
Year or so back I bought an engine from a fellow HAMBr. As we were BSing about things, I mentioned if I could afford to have every done, I would. He said naw, I’d still do it myself. What’s better for a guy/gal… spend 10 years on something even if you have the $$, or find a reputable place and be behind the wheel in a year or so? I bought my current project about 25 years ago, got started on it, then life got in the way. I got serious about it again maybe 6-7 years ago, then a new job, lotsa of hours, pays well, and on a night shift for the past 3-1/2 years. I’m not getting any younger, I don’t have the drive to work on something at 4am when I get home. I’m way beyond the weekend thrashes. And damned, now I find it colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. If I had the $$ in the bank just needing to be blown on something, I’d have to find a goldchainers website. Until then I can still live vicariously through the threads on the HAMB.
Good question/context (oh shit, what is he gonna say). Creativity and seat-of-the-pants designing is the 2 prime factors in doing what we do. Built a more powerful engine for it; did you have to torque every fastener and modify the ports? Design a more custom interior with appearance and durability in mind; did you have to do all the cut/fit/sewing? Stance and chassis components; this was/is your gig so you probably would be more hands on but maybe you could now choose to manage it more. If the day you took that 1st sip of coffee and said "...and I want it to be..." and it was not a total OEM restoration then yeah, you're a rodder. Your look, design, function, performance, accessibility, all you. Just because you're now in a spot to cherry pick what you want to actually do doesn't remove your input. Vision is more than simple eyeballs. I can't think of a sarcastic, funny or snarky remark to finish with. Is that the same conundrum?
Gary if you do not qualify as a hot rodder many of us fall short also. Your legacy in hot rods is solid.
Once a hot rodder, always a hot rodder. Hell, I was a hot rodder when I was 10 years old reading Hot Rod Magazine, only dreaming of building a hot rod back then. You are going to die a hot rodder.... note the number of times I used the term hot rodder in this post.
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