Is old age creeping up on us???

Not creeping to me,it`s in high gear with the pedal to the metal.

 

If I can't take it with me, I'm not going...
At 81 I drive my hot rod several times a week chasing parts and sometimes blast it to 140 or so because it will do it. And don't give me a bunch of shit about reading the heat gauge.
This engine pushed the FlatCad coupe to 152 at Bonneville last year.

 

Growing old sucks, but it certainly beats the alternative

 

hey you are only as old as you feel , well heck then i must be 90 atleast acording how my lovely arthrites has treated me but im just turning 31 and to my opinion all cars made after my birth are crap and ugly to

 

Im 56. Went to a cruise in last night. Walked up on a bunch of guy's with there wive's all sitting around knitting.I turned to my girlfriend and told her if she ever start's knitting at a car show I'm gone . She said not to worry about that but that if I ever start wearing shoe's with velcro strap's she would be gone.Old age is definatly creeping in . I know one thing for sure though. I gonna fight it kicking and screaming to the very end LOL

 

At 41 I am still one of the kids at our local cruise-in. Most of the guys there have known me since I was 4 or 5 so that helps. I did notice at the Nats North last season that my brother and I were out numbered by the gray hairs 40 to 1, but that is fine because the hot rods make us all feel like we are 18 again.
i know how people feel about the RAT ROD crowd but I think some of those guys will be the next generation. They will grow-up, start earning a few more bucks, and decide they want a car that doesn't use a STOP sign for a floor.

 

June 9th is Saturday Night Nitro at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield (Fri night too).
Nitro cars at 8pm, 10pm & midnight.
Midnight?
How the fuck am I going to stay up that late?
I'm in bed by 9pm

 

Its the cost of a build. I'm 48 and when I was 16 I rode a moped to work on a Farm 1 mile away for the summer. I saved evough money to buy to buy a 69 chevelle for $250.00 with no engine. It was a little ruff and needed a passenger side door. But back then out in the backwoods of Western N.Y. there were junk yards everywhere. You could go anywhere with $100.00 and come home with a pick-up truck full of cool parts. Now that the DEC has forced many of these yards to close for enviromental reasons, as well as scrap prices being so high. Now when the kids of these old scrap yards parents die off they sell out. Usually because there neighbor who just bought the property next door just moved out from the city and has more money for lawyers. These people move out to the country and think they have more rights and entitlements than the locals.
And how about that "Cash for Clunkers" that made the used car and parts that much harder. Try and buy a bumper,grill,or any other replacement part for your driver from a salvage yard now for under $500.00.
Just saying......it was alot easier, cheaper, and the Government wasn't involved in some way. There are not after school jobs for a kid who does want to work. Most kids are getting pretty lazy, not all though. Now if a kid wants to have a job he needs working papers and is a huge liability to the employer. This generation got scewed in the "fun with a car dept.". They only know what they see, rice burners and bora pipes. Try and buy them parts with a job you can't find after school. And if they are lucky enough to get a part time job what will $40.00 buy.

 

I'm coming off a second knee replacement and seriously considering not going back to work but it's a choice between having enough money to fool around with cars and having enough time to fool around with cars. I used to come home from work and work on projects until at least midnight. Now I get home from work and think about working on projects.

 

Funny shit there. My wife started looking at other houses yesterday when she found out one of the neighbor kids may have climbed over her yard fence.

 

ya gotta live for the day. Took me a long time to get there, lots of worrying if we had enough to live on, worry about the kids and all. Now I will be 70 next January, kids are married and have their own kids. Had cancer surgery last July and lung surgery last month. Hell I could have my ticket punched at any time so gonna play with cars until that happens. And yes, things are more expensive. My first hot rod was a '47 tudor sedan complete with adaptor to chevy V8 and some motor mounts made from angle iron to accept early chev mounts. Car was used by local welding shop to break in motors for their NASCAR coupe. I got it for $50, spent a couple of hundred rebuilding a 283" and was on top of the world! Course that was 1961 when you could buy a house for $10K and a new Chevy loaded impala for $3k. I'm rebuilding an 8BA right now for my chopped shoebox and it is expensive to say the least but who cares? It makes me happy, makes me forget my issues, and keeps my young at heart. That is what is important.
My buddy (the D in DJ's Louver Service) reminds me that twenty years ago I remarked it would make it all worth it if I was still cruising in my 70s and by golly I may make it. This was prompted by a Hot Rod mag cover pic of a 70+ farmer in CA who had just put a cammer in his Mustang convertible to cruise.

 

what was the question again?

 

old age creeps up on everbody, if you're lucky enough

 

Around here it's also usually the older guys trophying. Why? Because that's what they built their shit for. The younger guys build em to drive and enjoy (as it should be). The old guys find huge pleasure in backing the car in and out of the trailer and countless hours wiping instant detailer all over. Listen to some of the conversations.

"Yeah, Ed built me one bad ass motor for my car....been in in my car for 9 trouble free years"

Spectator leans in the window of that car and says, it's only showing 72 miles. Must be one tuff motor

 

Fail

 

Did it occur to you that some of those the old fellas don't like to be talked about this way? It's the reason we don't invite many of you kids into the garage or tell you where the good shit is to be found. And how come a guy named Carnuba is bitching about someone wiping on their car? You keep on driving and enjoying, kid. With the window down, so you can get dry behind the ears.

 

now that there is funny!!!! and true lol good one chili phil. score one for the aged and the wicked!!!

 

Ah... broad statements about Old Guys as trophy whores is neither wise nor accurate. The Old Guys that I know built and drove their cars long before a lot of the younger complainers were in diapers. They, like me, don't care about Trophies or for the most part Car Shows either. "En Hop Up Veritas" means what it says, for us "it's about the Iron".

 

We went to see the Beach Boys in concert Tuesday night....instead of beer and burgers, the concession stand sold prune juice and Depends. When they sang, many got up and tried to dance....not a pretty sight. Fortunately, the Beach Boys had hired younger backup singers to hit the high notes....the original group couldnt hit a high note IF you had their twins in a squeeze.
It is a neat observation in this thread, older generation is building hot rods. For the restorers, there are fewer cars being done (so it appears). As a restorer dies off, his car is sold (by his heirs) to a rodder.

 

I generally don't get involved with threads like this but this guy doesn't have a clue and clumping all us old farts into one category don't cut it!

If someone want's a trophy that's fine,,I know a lot of young kids that live for trophys,,but that is a small percentage around here.

A lot of old guys around this area put between 400 & 600 miles on our Deuce Run in one day,no trophy's just a bunch of guys and gals doing what your supposed to do with hot rods,,,drive them. HRP

In reference to part of your intro,,,

 

I'm almost 60 yrs old. And I'll call em as I see em. And what I wrote is what I've seen.....over and over. As` far as Carnuba, I grabbed that name out of a hat as Carnut was already taken. So, as I eliminated a letter at a time from Carnut....Carnuba was easy.....and I did not want to waste a bunch of time worrying about a screen name. If I knew who to ask, I'b probly change it

 

Hey, don't shoot the messenger (BTW I'm almost 60). If the high majority of older guys I actually see with my own 2 eyes weren't as I wrote, I wouldn't have wrote it. They'll all be power parked tonite at Bob's in Toluca Lake (Hell ,they're probly there already-LOL) wiping their shit 40 times with their "cry babies" neatly tucked in gay formation.................Never leaving the car's side as to make sure no-one gets too close instead of walking around and admiring other cars

 

I "finished " the roadster in my avatar last November... 3 days before my 70th birthday...been driving the snot out of it since then...leaving in about 10 mins for the local Fri night cruise-in ...may just stay till 9:00 PM if I feel sporty...Hell , last night I did a bolt check on it in my shop til' almost 10:45!!!! Love these young whippersnappers , that aren't even as old as the underwear I got on, trying to look like we did back in the day... Make s me proud the hotrod lifestyles gonna live on!!!

 

First of all this place isn't your local cruise night. (which I suspect is where your negative attitude is coming from). The HAMB is populated with some of the most experienced car people you will ever hope to meet. By generalizing and painting us all as trophy hounds or lawn chair pilots is an insult. Next time you feel the need to spout off............ don't.

 

Hey Carnuba,
How do you keep the pipes in your avatar from blueing.
Larry T

 

I'm putting this up before the youngsters do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqXDm18QdMY&feature=share',)

 

Can you show me where my words were directed at HAMB folk?

I've merely reflected on what I've seen in my travels. I'm pretty sure that can't be changed

 

So, what kinda trailer do you use to haul your ride to cruise nite?

 

Re-read my post #164. Pretty sure that's the one that got feathers ruffled. NO MENTION OF HAMB MEMBERS! The 1st 2 words I wrote, and I quote "Around here". I think the HAMB's great, so please read my words a bit more carefully in the future. For this I will be in your debt. Thank you

 

I don't see how your words apply the my words that you quoted