Sooo... I've always loved cars and always wanted to build "hot-rods". Mostly I've only ever been an armchair builder, you know, read the magazines, watch the shows, and dream. I've started a couple but circumstances kept me from finishing. Recently some things in my life have changed and I have the opportunity build for a living. I've got the skills, I grew up in an industrial environment. My tastes are pretty varied but I'll be "loving and leaving" building to a market (I hope) but still doing something I enjoy. I'm a fan of traditional hot-rods as defined here at the H.A.M.B. but I'm also a fan of more modern hot-rodding (resto-modding) and I'm a big fan of something that is harder to define. Obviously this is a great place for my traditional hot-rod projects and not my resto-mod projects. The question is can this be a descent place for my, lets call them, non-resto-mod projects. About 15 years ago I came across a 1940 ford deluxe coupe. This one was different from others I had seen however. It looked like some one had just drug it out of a barn, hopped in it and took off. The colors were amazing, subtle changes from top to bottom, full of cracks, chips and imperfections. The glass in the vent windows was slightly discolored around the edges with some slight separation here and there with some real interesting bubble patterns. It seemed that every inch of this car held some fascinating texture and surprise detail. The interior however was restored/modified for comfort and it sat on a mustang II front suspension and was powered by a small block Chevy and auto trans. I've been enamored by the finish and character that can only be produced by time and use ever since. Finishes that are earned truly one of a kind and impossible for an artisan to duplicate. To me they are as beautiful as anything found in nature. I plan to put some back on the road where their uniqueness and character can be shared and viewed up close. Most of the great details are impossible to make out from the highway as you drive past the field they are sitting in. Sometimes this will follow traditional hot-rod methods and sometimes more modern methods. While I appreciate the history behind the rat-rod, these are NOT rat-rods particularly in light of the monstrosities that are currently bearing that moniker. Also I have no intention of producing fauxtina finishes. The question is will they be out of place here at the H.A.M.B.? If so where is the right place for them?
You're writing a lot of high minded prose to describe a barn find body plonked on a street rod chassis. It's not a new idea. There's an outfit in CA that do that as a business and make a big deal about what they do. Their market is not the traditional hot rod market, HAMB or otherwise.
Name's Raymond, I grew up in eastern Utah and now live in the Salt Lake City area. Spent my youth working in my father's shop, mechanic, machinist, welder, equipment operator jack of many trades master of few. Welded my way through college in the campus fab shop while earning a degree in anthropology. Traveled and photographed India, China, Taiwan and Cambodia. Worked in manufacturing and industrial sales. Recently returned to school and earned my MBA. Married with four kids.
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