It's been good for some time. Dave Freiburger really has his hand on the pulse of this hobby of ours. It's the only subscription I maintain. I really think it's even better than Rod & Custom on a whole. I do like Rod Kulture Illustrated and Rolls & Pleats too
Keep this in mind. While DF's trying to appease us true rodders....there's a certain amount of bonehead readers he needs to unwillingly cater to as well. It's the morons that dwell on the horrible onslaught of reality TV that also contribute to subscribership he needs ta address
I'll have to flip through an issue and see if there is anything in it, I do buy every issue of Hot Rod Deluxe.
Just got the new one today. Pretty cool black/white cover shot. I think its back to good, although Hotrodon brought up some bad recent memories.
Should they just report on the current scene or shape it with their reporting of it? If they are shaping it, the focus is questionable.
I've been a subscriber for 30 years but had to cancell after they had an article about using two leaf blower as blowers. Hey Hot Rod leave that shit to u tube!
I totally gave up on them in the hot pink street rod days. I just couldn't stand seeing another perfectly good 39 Chevy tudor being F'd all to hell by a gold-chainer. (monochrome paint, billet engine components, teal paint, big radials, etc) I should've known they were loosing their minds when they got into the #%@$@ pro-street #$%!@@#$ garbage, but I hung with them and then they got into street rods and that was it for me. I may have to look at it again. I've heard they're doing the traditional stuff. I was raised on traditional rods and it's the only type that have ever interested me. They recently painted a falcon with Rustoleum and roller brushes and it actually came out pretty nice. It's a 4 or 5 footer paint job, but way better than the flat primer I would be forced to leave my car in otherwise (budget is shot for a while).
You guys that cry baby about auto magazine content crack me up!!.......Buy the book or don't buy it, I personally subscribe to them all, I mean why not?...Is fifteen dollars a year going to make you or break you?....As if so Cars should not be your hobby. Plus if they suck!, they make good kindle'n if you need to start a fire....LOL. The magazine companys are not stupid, they print what sells, I will tell you what is really funny too me, Is everyone seems to be following the new trend, (which seems to be rusted all to shit! or flat black and white walls!) instead of doing your own thing. Not to mention purposely painting your car to look like shit! I mean I am not a big fan of billet stuff, but at least it is what it is, And does not try to pose as something it is not. another thing that I find funny as hell is guys with billet parts on there car, but then they paint them flat black and try to hide them. all this is just my rant, but just build what you want to build and quit worrying about what guys are going to say about it when you get it done. as far as the original topic of this post, Hot rod mag has alot of cool shit in it, Most of it is not for me, As I am into pre 48 stuff, But I still take it every month and give it a look.
There lyrics from the Electric Prunes right? Or......no man,.......... maybe...... Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band .........or......um........ Strawberry Alarm Clock..................... Man I think 'I had too much to dream last night.....' Doc.
It's purely a perception thing, notice how every post that mentions 'I read it in the 60's' think its crap and the majority that never saw the mag until the 70's-80's think it's not too bad or getting better? Think about it, the mag of the 60's Then the 70's UGH! Then the 80's The pastel horror! Then the 90-s With no actual direction. Now into the 2000-2010 decades, there is a little direction. Trad car's, but they still have to unload the repugnance of previous years. May take some time. Doc.
What makes me laugh is all the guys here on the HAMB who swear that they have been true blue traditional guys their whole lives....B.S. On most of them. I guarantee you that most of them drooled over some steam roller equipped slammed Pro Street car as little as 10 years ago because that was what was cool then. Now it seems that everyone has been planning to build their current gasser for 20 years now.... More B.S!!!
Hot Rod magazine brought out the Deluxe version to jump on the nostalgia bandwagon just to make a profit! But I love it and it shows us traditionalist still have some pull!!
You know i think it is pretty cool and all, that alot of people dig the style of car that I build. but when it comes down to it..... The only tradition I follow is my own! example, this is a pic of my dads model A that Him, myself and 2 brothers built, We were at a car show enjoying ourselfs and a fellow and his wife walked up, And he was saying how much he liked it, And how it was so traditional, Until he saw the XKE Jag rearend under it, I heard him tell his wife, that he could not understand why anyone would put a jag rearend under a hot rod like this. His dumb ass mouth just hit me wrong and I told him, That It has a Jag rearend under it because that is what we FU*KING!! wanted under it, And if we wanted a pink and blue easter egg on the door, It would have one of those as well. I don't know maybe it is just me, But I wasn't aware I needed to ask your permission about how I build my cars.....And he just walked away, (his wife called me a asshole) anyhow what was really funny was they walked out to the parking area and got into a 97-01 F150......!#$%ing assclown has the nerve to say something about something I built, and don't even have a hot rod?.....Geez I wish they would wear a sign,
Hate to tell you this but every single magazine that is on the newstand is there to make a profit. No profit=no magazine.
This thread was supposed to be about hotrod magazine. It seems we've ventured off into the ever-familiar "I'm a badass" territory. I may give HR a second chance....as long as they have some traditional stuff and I do like stuff done on a budget....even if its quirky. And yes...I'm one of those "liars" who claims to have been into traditional stuff for the last 30 years....except I have the photos to prove it.
I personally think that they are giving more ink to tech and historical issues, which in my book is always a plus. The writing seems better as well. Some of the columnists in the past sounded like they barely graduated 5th grade. Sure, they follow the trends, but I think Freiburger will always have a thing for traditional rods and muscle cars, so even when the trend shifts my guess is that it will still remain true to it's roots.
No, but thanks for the stereotype. Everything worth reading is on their website. Even articles from way back. No need to buy the magazine. Street rodder is the same. http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/
You're probably right....that rustoleum Falcon article was on the web....photos and all. However, I know it takes money to keep things going. I may throw them a bone sometime soon.
So are you saying that your hotrod was sporting a flathead, early caddilac, buick , or Olds motor in the 80's and 90's??......As I think that is really cool,. If so please post pics of it, preferably at a show in the 80's. Your traditional car should be easy to spot.
Don't really do car shows....they piss me off. I may break that rule for the LSRU next year though. Some of these photos show their age though. I've always gotten my car-fix from driving the crap out of my stuff....or drag racing it. PM me your email address. I'll send you all kinds of photos. This thread is about HR mag after all. However, just for giggles.....here's my daily driver from high school...1985 (that my idiot brother totaled) a 54 Chevy that I bought with the original straight six, a velour (yes...velour) interior with bucket seats and awful mag wheels that stuck out past the fenders. I dropped a late 50's 283 in it and an aluminum power glide transmission....did a bunch of work on the heads of the 283.....ran like stink. I also put the steelies and bias plus on it....yes....in 85 when everyone was running stinkin Centerlines or something like that, and put a bench seat back in it and ditched the velour. Second one is the 40 that my dad and I started on from a rusted out hulk the year I got out of the service....1991. We finished it around 1993. Yes....it's got a built flathead....obviously making enough horsepower to burn out in front of the house (neighbors told me to knock it off). Oh...and just to cement my "traditional-street-cred" I destroyed the OT Mustang. I took the very nice, almost cherry, OT fastback Mustang....put a roll cage in it, ripped the interior out of it.....and drag raced it.....yes....as a high school student. That's my 54 tudor in the garage in that photo. The one I'm finishing a build on now that I started in 2006. There's a truly badass 63 Galaxie XL sitting next to the Mustang. The little roadster I started building in 2002 and finished in 2005.
I liked Hot Rod Magazine again when "Freiburger" done the article on my T-Bucket, after that not so much again.
The Jalopy Journal
