Hello, my name is Mark and I'm a Norcal native. I've been driving the same 60's muscle car since 1977. I've visited HAMB many times over the years but did not join because my love is the mid-60s; cars, surfing, mini bikes, music, and so on. As such, my period of interest is a bit after most HAMB members. Hot rods are part of my interest, it's just that I lean more towards full fendered competition coupes rather than dry lakes racers. I wanted to join, however, so I could start a discussion on event "cut-off years." Back in the 70s, the split was at 48/49. Pre-49's were hot rod and/or street rods and 49-on were street machines. There was not a difference among the participants, only the age of the cars. We all dressed the same, we all listened to the same music, etc. as this was pre-retro/nostalgia. Many guys were into both (mostly it was if you could afford more than one car). Coolest guys had a bad rod and a fixed up truck/elco/ranchero to haul surfboards and motorcycles. Anyway, in the modern-retro world we now have pre-63 (Viva Las Vegas), pre-65 (HAMB drags), pre-68 (car kulture DeLuxe), pre-73 (various nostalgia drag events), and so on. This is not just based on the cars but because the event sponsers are trying to capture the feeling of a certain era. I just wanted to get people talking about these "cut-off" dates. Me, I like pre-68 for both automotive and cultural reasons. Gassers were still pretty much American coupes, pro-stock did not yet exist (small guys could still win), big federally mandated smog and safety equipment came in at 68, pre-MLK and Bobby K. assasinations, pre-Tet offensive and all that came with it, etc. As far as domestic cars, I liked when muscle cars had full trunks (look at any pre-68 GTO, Chevelle, Fairlane, Nova, etc then look at their roof lines and trunks from 68 on). 68-on was the marketing-driven cartoon era for muscle cars w/ Roadrunners, Bosses, Judges, Super Bees etc. Lastly, the greatest American car manufacturer, Shelby American, became Shelby Automotive in 68, killing off the Cobra and marking the start of Ford making the GT350s/GT500s. I love pit photos from the major 65, 66, and 67 drag events. You know the ones in the shopping center parking lots where front engined rails, full fendered gassers, altered wheel base "stockers", and modified sports cars abound. What era floats your boat and why?
im new to HAMB too 60 catch my fancy too im 17 and drive a 65 chevy c10 long bed as a daily driver to school and back
Mark...welcome aboard....my best advice to you is to slow down...your first paragraph completely belongs in this intro area.... you can start a new thread for each of your other discussion points if they havent been beaten into the ground already...do a search on the topics you want to raise to see...good luck!
Welcome Mark, to the H.A.M.B. Please remember, the Main Man...........RYAN COCHRAN owns this site, and he is the one that ultimately calls the shots. There is nothing wrong with these date guidelines, but I would be willing to bet that your attitude and interests will serve you well here on the H.A.M.B...................&, I would also be willing to bet that you soon will be finding yourself a new interest as well...............Hot Rods and Kustoms, not Just muscle cars. Good Luck, firstnomad www.angelfire.com/jazz/flatlandstudio
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