Flat black, Rusty, Unfinished!!

Fitzeeeeeeeee
I kinda like them Flat, low and fast
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Back in the day as you Quote cars were driven ,but almost all-ways they were in constant upgrade..No one would leave ther car rusty any longer than they had to. They would paint ther cars as quickly as they could with paint brush,,or there mothers sweeper as an air source..Money and time have all-ways been the problem, as it is today. Pride in what you drive has lost alot in recent years.

 

This is fantastic. Can I Borrow it???

 

Hey I painted a car with a Kirby when I was young. Hell I painted a motor cycle with a bug sprayer because we wanted to paint it and could borrow a compressor that weekend.

I know a little off course for the post but I had complete forgotten painting with a vacuum sweeper.

 

Interesting sidelight here. The first car I built was a Super Red Ram powered "T" bucket "T". It ended up registered as a 1966 "Homebuilt", so I think I have been doing this long enough. Anyway, after collecting parts over the years, I decided to build myself a "T" tub. One of the things I collected over the years was a 38,000 mile '50 Ford sedan that had had a tree fall on it in 1954, and had been sitting in a garage since then. When I put the drive train from the '50 into the tub, I did what I would have done in the '60's; I added cross members to the frame to pick up the engine and transmission mounts for the stock '50. Virtually everyone who has seen the car is not happy with that. I'm constantly being told that I should get some truck water pumps and run one wide belt, because that was how it was done "back in the day". I was there, and I will tell you that if I had scored a complete drive train out of a low mileage car back then, the last thing I would have done is go to the junkyard and wasted my money on truck pumps. Ford went to the two narrow belts in 1950 for for very good reasons, and I wouldn't think of wasting my hard-earned coin going backwards, then or now. So, even though I get a lot more criticism than I ever expected because of my decision, I'm doing what I considered best then and now. Build 'em the way you think best.

 

I agree with you Fitzee you nailed it there.

 

I have been thinking about this topic a lot since I saw my first Rat Rod in person. From what I have been reading here it seems the main question is what is traditional? I think there are a lot of machines being built that may not be considered "traditional" by some, but are built in such a way that they replicate a vintage look. More of a nostalgic tribute to history/Time. Flat versus shiny, wide whites versus black bias plies, heavy weathered patina versus a perfect new car shine. We define history by recalling decades past; therefore, by this limited perception how can anyone argue that it was any one way? Yes there were well built beautifully finished cars, Yes there were well built not so well finished cars, and as always there were probably poorly constructed deathtraps, which we would all do better to forget (except as an example of what not to do). I have no problem with a heavy Patina on a car as long as the thing is well built. A danger to others on the road is never cool. Would I call it traditional? That all depends who's tradition are you talking about? Some of these machines emulate folk art more than replicate a period in time. Just my two cents, and yes I know I am a long winded bastard.

 

There is an underling tone here. Build what you want ! paint it how you want ! But build it safely and with good components. Don't risk your life or the lives of others with crappy welds or end wrenches for steering components!!!

 

no one should be bashed for what your vision of your car is.. shiny,, flat,,or satin... that's just like saying that chevy,, dodge,, ford,, edsel,,, they are all different cars and all have a fallowing... my avatar is proof of that... some love it,, some says it looks too much like a big-rig... it's mine and i love it...

 

When I was a kid my Mom's Kirby had the paint sprayer attachment but nobody ever used it. I remember my sister dragging the old Kirby out under the Oak tree to vacuum out Mom's 57 Bel Air. No such thing as a shop vac then, guess we should only use old Kirby's and Hoovers to vacuum our cars since that would be truly traditional.......

 

Jeez, and I bet you think anyone with shiny paint is a gold-chainer too. You think us shiny guys don't get fed up with that?
Paul.

 

I do. Well the Kirby's for house carpet, I've got a couple royalaire bullet style vacuums I use for vacuuming vehicles. But my great grandpa used to be a vacuum dealer out of his farm, mainly Kirby's, so I've got quite a few working and parts vacuums laying around.

Oh but what were we talking about. Ya build what you like blah blah blah. I'm getting to the point where I don't care. I don't really want to be lumped in with some of the people I know who are out to build a "rat rod". I don't have the money to make my car all nice and not have chunks of rust falling off of it, but I keep it running good, it's safe to drive on the road, and I have a blast driving it. I don't care what anyone thinks anymore.

 

And traditional wasn't about cell phones and computers. so i guess we should all be writing letters to each other. Not bashing you, but move on and do what pleases you. Thats all that really matters.

 

I get clumped in with the Rat Rodders at car shows all the time. People think because it has some rust that I haven't had the time, and scratch to fix, that it must be a rat. They don't look at the fact I have power breaks, power steering, and all electrical needed for safety, (not to mention no Rat-Rigged components made from wrenches) My ride just isn't as shiny as the checkbook-Crowd likes.

I don't really mind though. The Rat Rodders are far cooler, and accepting Kats than the Klydes lookin' down on me. I don't consider myself a Rat Rodder, but I don't mind parking with 'em and thumbin' my nose at people who don't like my car. Besides, one day, my car will be all shiny, then I'll have to deal with being grouped in with the arrogant pricks.
-Build your car for you, the way you want it. If you're building it to be liked, you're building it for the wrong reason anyway!

 

this is getting us nowhere

 

He didn't spell anything incorrectly, spell checker wouldn't help. Grammar checker on the other hand might. You could benefit from an "unnecessary cussing checker" though. You don't have to get mad, just share your opinions, that's what this board is for.

 

That funny...STOP

Maybe we should send a wire back and forth...STOP

See what happens when I get snowed in...STOP

 

...

 

who cares..... why are people pissed at other peoples opinions? they have a right to have them. i like anyone who likes cars. dont give a damn about what kind, could be a bad ass 32 or a lsx in a 2000 trans am., I just like the inovation and thought some people put into there rides no matter what it it. you can take there idea and make and adapt them to you own tastes. NOW rad rod to me means thrown together unsafe poorly engeneered death traps and these people need help. who cares if you have shinny paint or not. flat black looks sinister an evil on some cars. shinny cars can look very sexy. its all in the builders tastes and thats where it should be. I think people should shut the fuck up and quit moaning and build what they like and not worry about anybody else.

 

Diegochero I like your point of view. Seems to me to be too many people trying to determine what is "traditional" for the rest of us. As far as bashing goes, it seems there's plenty of it onthis site and it goes both ways. God forbid you would have a straight body, shiny paint and a sbc, gettin' close to being called a gold chainer. Rusty, torn up interior, etc., could be a pos rat rod. I was around as a kid in the 50's and 60's. There were high schoolers with their tattered rigs that were having a ball, there were guys like my uncle stuffing a Caddy and a Hydramatic into a beautifully painted '57 Chev pu. Traditional covers a broad area. Why can't we enjoy each others' interpretation of "back in the day" instead of criticizing and arguing? I'm all about the car being safe enough to be on the road, thats #1. If your build is something I wouldn't own, guess what, I don't have to own it or even like it. But I will try to appreciate your vision and effort.
It appears I too am a long winded bastard.

 

It was unnecessary until until my head is to about to explode from thread after thread like this. Every now and then i will post with cuss to maybe help get the point across. Threads like this serve no real purpose and it's like being in a row boat with one oar. You don't have to get mad to cuss by the way and the word new with a "K" in front would be more correct grammar notwithstanding. I read these posts to see if anything new or enlightening will appear but am sorely disappointed. I promise not to cuss anymore today.

 

Back in the so called “day” the goal was never to have a rusty unfinished pile ( according to my dad that was there)

The photos everybody’s going by are in progress cars that where no doubt the young owners only car.

Sure roll it in primer or whatever but don’t stop there.

 

You are correct in the differences in the ages of the vehicles and the condition of the bodys. A lot of the younger guys tend to forget that in 1952 a 32 ford was 20 years old. That would make it equal to a 1990 now in age then an I doubt like hell that any of the young kids building a Honda today would dig out a crusty rusty 1990 anything when the selection of pretty damned nice and cheap bodys is pretty wide. In the late 40's and through the 50's prime hotrod material was cheap and often sitting in the back row of the local used car lot ready to be driven home with maybe having to jump the battery to get it going. This was often for well less than 100 bucks which would be like buying a 1000 desirable 90 model now.

In 1974 I paid 100 bucks for a 1934 Ford tudor body and frame in the Waco area with a title that a lot of guys had passed over because it had rust on it although that same body would probably bring 6K sitting behind that same Speegleville Texas Gas station now. My friends thought I was nuts for giving 100 bucks for a rusted but otherwise perfect body and frame in 1974 so you can visualize what the opinions of building a rusty anything would have been in the late 40's or early 50's. It just wasn't done, at least that I never saw and I could spot any kind of hotrod from a quarter mile away from the time I was old enough to know what they were.

A number of those cars shown in the first sets of photos were race cars purposely built to run at the lakes and probably had a free or very cheap body with every dime that was spent on the car going into the engine and drivetrain.

Sure guys ran cars with primer in the old days but it was almost always because they were constantly working on the bodies. It was the days of the pay as you go plan and you rode around with primer or primer spots until you could save up enough to have the next step done. Frenched headlights this month and save up for a couple of months to have it nosed and decked and then save again for a few months to have the tail lights changed. No plastic to throw on the counter and the only payment plan was cash in full now or you don't get the car back.

I don't follow the guys on here who say that they don't have their car smooth enough for shiny paint because it is so expensive to get it smooth. A long board and batch of sandpaper for the same isn't very expensive and time spent in the evenings or on weekends getting it done right isn't expensive at all if you do it yourself and you have earned the right to run with primer spots until you hit it again.

 

Maybe some of those shiny paint arrogant prick Klydes are thumbin' their noses at people who don't like their cars. Spread the love.

 

I impose no goal on others, except to have fun, and my hope is that safety is taken into account in the pursuit of that goal.

 

I wonder if the paint companys have made a special additive for there paints, that actually brain wash people into thinking that all cars must be shiny? I feel a conspiracy has been uncovered...

 

I believe that there is such a thing as the spirit of traditional rodding... building what you can afford with what you have, and making it fast. Do you think the guys on the salt flats and dirt tracks in the 40s cared if their car was shiny???

 

You bet they did! When they figured out that shiny went faster, they polished the crap out of their vehicles!

 

Special Ed,something tells me you will never have a flat black,rusty or unfinshed project.I can tell by you toys. Some fine machines there.Nice.

 

Hahahaha....Thanks (I think). I have a '65 El Camino project that is unfinished, and in primer! But it's grey primer, and the rust has been fixed...