Great Thoughts. I agree with your position. I bought a car. A very cool car. I had no idea what that car was but I had to have it. It made me a car guy in more than just a term because I changed front and rear suspension ; changed the engine and transmission ; changed the fuel system and a bunch more. It taught me to think a lot like you Thanks
Hey @J.Ukrop In regards to what you wrote, its simple. When you have literally handled every nut and bolt and lock washer and spring, and have, fought the gremlins of something too tight and the engine wont spin, and then you solved that particular problem ! Then at that point of where the car is road worthy and you are behind the wheel, and feeling the conversation the car is having with your ass and brain and heart, it makes the element of truly knowing your car, a very real experience ! Because you know where everything is that you have torqued and tightened and adjusted and modified! You already have the schematic, phantom view diagram, of how the car was built in your head, as you drive it! "Perfection, cannot be rushed" Keep at it kid, and be surprised at what appears in your mailbox !
you said it in your text, you know that which you spend time with, if you pay attention of course. whether you know how it is to operate or how it goes together, that is what you know. you have a very intimate knowledge of yours. I would say I have a carnal knowledge of my car, there is not one part I haven't fucked with
I consider myself a car guy, but there are people here who probably own at least a few times as many cars at this moment as I have in my lifetime. Quality over quantity? Not really. The cars and trucks I have owned (daily drivers and toys) are not super remarkable or elite- they've all been accessible and not uncommon. Still, they have been special to me, even the daily drivers. Ok, maybe a little quality in the fact that I've never taken on a full "back from the dead" restoration or baseketcase reassembly. Maybe when I'm retired... I tend to keep things a while and make changes slowly. In that time I end up becoming pretty familiar with them, out of necessity from having to work on them or wanting to modify them, and out of fandom and purely just wanting to know as much about them as I can. I logged enough miles with the 3 speed in my truck and got to know it well enough that I don't feel like I missed out any of that experience by upgrading later on. I haven't known any of them completely in and out. The truck in my avatar has been the simplest of all that I've owned, and I've been more intimately familiar with it than anything prior. There are fewer things to get to know. I know I have forgotten a lot of the specifics I used to know about the previous couple of toys... They've been different enough from each other that there's little overlap besides just general automotive knowledge. Each toy has had a plan and so far none of mine have reached the end of the plan for various reasons including the fact that I don't have time/money/attention span (or space these days) for more than one toy at a time. I miss the ones I've sold but don't regret any of the sales; each time it was obvious it was time to sell. I don't know what I'd do if I actually got one completed to the end of the plan in my head. Just keep it for years and drive it, fixing things as they need it, like the daily drivers? Sometimes I feel like having that plan and vision to look forward to is part of the appeal of having it, for me at least. Maybe I'd get bored with it if it was "done"..? Maybe I'd just find more things to do to it. Maybe I'd get another one and actually manage having two toys if one didn't have a to-do list on it. I hope you enjoyed this little excursion through my mind. Exit through the gift shop.
Good little window into your evening. @drdave and I touched on a similar conversation the other day. We were talking about fixing the car and keeping on the road more or less. I’ve rebuilt every single piece of that car, often half a dozen times at this point. So if I’m in the middle of Oklahoma and need to tear it apart in a gas station parking lot as long as I have replacement parts handy I generally don’t have any hesitation to do it. I suppose I’m also a tight ass, when I think $1500 and two days to drag it home or $100 and a couple hour delay I’m always going to opt for getting my hands dirty…. Figuratively, all my friends would give me shit for saying that, I’ve always got gloves packed lol
Great writeup, but this needs to be expanded into a full article or book. You touch on the physical touch of components and gaining understanding of how they work together, but you also gain another data point on looking at the overall and the individual questions of; Is it suited for the job, What finish or lubrication is required, Where does the part get stressed, How could they have made it better, stronger, lighter, cheaper, more ornate, easier to service, longer lasting? When you pay attention, you gain the ability to look at something you have never seen before and use your experience to judge many of these facets. This informs each rodder's subjective and objective tastes. You learn that aluminum parts have different cross section thickness compared to steel, and 'know' that it requires more material to achieve the same strength without reading this. You figure out that some materials are only or never used in some applications. You may learn how to spot cast VS forged and what is used to ID each. The designers of these components imparted their wisdom and experience to each one. They can whisper some of that if you listen. You can apply that understanding to each part of the car. A good engineer will be able to look at a draft and often spot a stress point. A good machinist can feel and hear when a bit is starting to dull. A good rodder is capable of amazing things that are often only appreciated by other rodders. The general public just sees an outdated strange vehicle and wonder what the point is. The point is to make it an accumulation of your knowledge and experience to be the reflection of the compromises each machine contains to exhibit the ones you have chosen.
Hey @J.Ukrop Hey dude, check your mailbox, a cool surprise package showed up at your mailbox today at 11:20 AM. Enjoy, spread mirth and joy, where ever you go ! You are very welcome from Dennis.
I would have to agree, i believe that when guys buy hotrods they have no idea what to expect. they see a beautiful body a color that screams at them, a motor that makes your stomach drop at the sound of the low rumble. Enjoyable ride something to stare at then a month or two goes by something breaks guy or gals have no idea what's going on with it. I learned this once as a young kid. I knew that each car I decided i was going to find rebuild or even build i was not going to put my self with out knowing the different moods of my rides. My 1951 Chevy 31 for instance my truck when driving with my wife sputters, as her name is La Sancha ! with out my wife or any other women in this case drives and purse like a champ. 383 stoker with a 700R4 2500 stall. My 1930 ford roadster from every single bolt and drive pattern the do's, and don'ts, no hard left not wide rights, it glides in the wind that it was meant to be driven in. Late night belt replacements using elastic from your buddies buckle belt.. dumbing the timing down to prevent foul plugs on long distant drives. I once heard a line from the Gone in 60 Seconds, "you must drive it like its yours get to know the car and let the car get to know you" you learn this from experiences as every car is different
Because I can’t afford (or don’t really want) a “done” car, everything I’ve ever had has been a project. Making the car run, drive, and be safe, is where it’s at for me. I’m limited in tools,space, and some skills, but I always seem to make it happen. To me, it’s all about making it mine. I haven’t had a car yet that I haven’t had to do a ton of work to. When I sell them, they are ready to drive. I only keep them a couple of years, then I have to try something else…
"I thought about pushing in the clutch, dropping the transmission into first gear for the first time, and then heading down the road. It’s a dream that I know I can make happen (with the help of my friends)." "Even though my project has a long way to go, it felt good to get out there last night. One day the car will be finished, and I’ll be glad I took the time to get to know it a little better." —Joey Ukrop Hello, It has been a while, but, we were spending a lot of time in our backyard garage. Our Willys Coupe was sitting outside on the concrete patio under a canvas tarp stretched out to provide a shaded area underneath, it dawned on me almost about the same thing… “What a bunch of little parts we need to get together, so it can be installed in the prepped motor compartment.” In front of me sitting on a bench looking at the bare block next to the small table, the little parts sitting on the white towel on the table all looked back at me, challenging me to get to work putting everything in its correct place. The camshaft, the lifters, crank, the pistons/rods, etc. There was a list and as we moved along at a snail’s pace, each item was checked off. My brother was a stickler for lists and the proper order he wanted everything to be assembled. When I was finished with the assigned assembly part group, my brother came over to check things out. At first, he gave me the minimal assembly stuff. But, then as I got better, he left me alone to do more infinite assembly of parts that went into parts, that went into the motor. Bearings, rods, pistons, rings, pins, etc. He already had one motor assembly and several cams/heads/rockers under his belt with his older friends. No one in my group was doing any kind of motor/parts assembly of any kind. So, it was an experienced guy leading a young kid into the realm of the unknown, but simple assembly line stuff. Jnaki When I was in the backyard garage by myself, I had been given a list, just for me to work on while my brother was at his afterschool job. It started with different small portions of some organization, then assembly of just a certain part of the motor. Then as I got better, the list was longer and I had to scramble to make sure I was doing the right thing at the right assembly process and strength. By the time the first 283 SBC motor with 6 Strombergs was completely assembled and ready to fire up it was a well deserved pat on the back for both of us. One, grateful for my older brother to show me the way, show me the proper tools and just enough strength to click the torque wrench to complete the job. Turning the key was outstanding, but it was the feeling of accomplishment that stayed inside for a long time. (until several months later when we started all over again.) This time, we took the 283 apart to separate out the parts for resale or give away so, we could go bigger and build a more powerful motor with a supercharger. YRMV
I enjoy the storys, of each hotrodder*,in part do too being one *and , they are each unique* and same* ,all at one time!* Even pre teen, being car nuts, gave most some ideas, likes ,don't likes ,with an with out fully knowing why at first. Like many, who knew or was told ,no one is going to buy you a car!. Having tiny savings from paper root,mow lawns or what ever,was the real" Not going have it fall out of the sky". Nearly every kid in my hood,wanted a car,the cooler the better. For me,my custom drawings an plastic car models was mostly wishful thinking,not the spot on blue print,for later. My first real car, was really from a collection of free junk/dumped cars,that were the parts,I could find in the woods an left on dead end dirt roads. If it looked like it was usable and fit the picture in my head, I'd find away to drag it home. Dad let me keep stuff out of site, in the weeds out back. Ture some of the parts I never used ,and others shaped my ideas ,as I went. Took better part of 3 years of Jr high ,before I had a rod,that I drove *around the block. Just before starting high school. That first ride was MAGIC. Even though she was not clean an shiny yet*. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year Ho Ho Ho
Built my Repli(car) from scratch. Called MacSteel for material. Drew up, welded and altered the chassis as we (my welder and I) went along. Clever selected suspension part lengths, welded up. The chosen steering rack defined suspension mount positions. Wheelbase and track was known. Front upright is stock, rear cast ally and machined. Wheels and hubs supplied. Had a body made by a local craftsman, after finding a body buck maker. So I supplied a buck. Selected and fitted (rebuild myself) drivetrain based on space (packaging) constraints, exhaust, tank, passenger tub, seats, and, and, and... Windshield? Don't ask... Cracked a few which could have worked, made template instead, had my own made up-country. Came out very well. Handles well. Gets hardly any recognition. Oh, you built a replica of a 50s Coupé? Yes, like the SAME job a whole small company did in the 50s. In fact, more. Back then the chassis and most components were supplied.
The Jalopy Journal
