It kinda surprises me the age group in here. I dont know how many years Ive been looking in on the HAMB, my avatar says its 16 years !! back then it was all builds and buzz and it was the place to be .. But for me I lost interest as one does and wandered off course for a bit, building a VW camper having sold all the vintage ford junk I collected over the previous 40 years . Over the last 40 years ive ducked out a few times but its in the blood you cant leave it for long. I have to admit to getting busy helping other folks achieve there hot rod goals while actively abandoning my own desire to have another proper hot rod.. Have to say I did enjoy building and****isting as it cost me nothing but lost time .. Ive since come to realise at 54, time is all we have .. so best use it to achieve your goals and objectives.. I finished the VW nd it now sits out under a cover having toured Scotland several times.. We would have been away this week but my 80 year old mother in law has taken unwell so the wife has chosen to take care of her untill she recovers.. BUT last night we slept in the van ..lol.. Over the last couple of years, I have rekindled my desire to drive another hot rod, so currently building a 28 coupe from period junk.. DESPITE the hoops I will need to jump through to get it registered.. and not to be stagnant, Ive collected enough junk to build a 30 coupe too, what the hell, I have no kids, so just time and enthusiasm to achieve a personal goal.. Even the thought of getting out on the road again in an old school hot rod pushes me on .. what else is there to look forward to? Im still young enough to enjoy it and not old enough to have forgotten what a great achivement it was to complete the project and buzz around in an old jalopy.. A frind of mine lost his wife to a long trm ilness, he come over to mine with a few oher friends a few months afer she passed.. We spoke about cars, girls, the hobby, what other folk were doing, then we had a run in my old 30 coupe before I parked it n a corner of the garage .. He rode shot gun while the other fellas rode in the rumble, We took off down the road all laughing our socks off as the the old coupe bounced and chugged its way down the street.. when we got back he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes, shook my hand and said he hadnt had so much fun in an old car for a long time .. and it had fairly cheered him up.. Cant put a price on that.. Earlier this year I went with a buddy on a 1200 mile trip ii his 34 .. without going into every detail I new we wuld never make it, but it was going to be an ADVENTURE.. after 3 roadside breakdowns in under 200 miles He decided to throw in the towel.. He was happy for e to ride with another buddy, Unfortunately the ther car had a rumble but with no seat ( 35 cabriolet) . We shifted a few things around and creaed a seating space, using a bag of clothes as a seat base and a sleeping bag roll as a backrest, I travelled the next 500 miles in the trunk.. LOL Those are memories and actions that keep an interest and a body alive..
The "Now" is the only thing that is real. Enjoy each day to the max. Sounds like you guys had a freakin' blast in those old Fords.... Some countries "across the pond" by you don't even allow modified cars Here is a Professor from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, that I kept bumping into around town this spring/summer. He was on a 3 month work-study here at the local University. Here we are ready to leave to go to a cruise night, as he had emailed me asking if we could go with my hotrod. I picked him up at his rented house owned by the school on a dirt road on campus. He was so stoked to ride in an old time hotrod here in the USA, as they are not allowed in his country. He also restores VW campers & vans there. .
On a odd note .... I just realized our local car club has never invited me to join. I must drive my ride too much
I have a friend and mentor who has helped me fabricate my '29AA suspension who was a local hotrod guru in the '60s and '70s. He's not a HAMBer (not into the Internet thing), but is old-school nonetheless. For the past 20 years or so, he's more into ultralight aircraft. In his late 70s now, he flies all over the country, barnstorming to national events. He still works on hotrods at his shop, but he's now the center of a community of ultralight builders and enthusiasts. Evolution, I guess.
..but..yours are finished cars...can I send you one of my early 30s project convertibles to tinker with? ...let me know when it's done, i'm cutting firewood today. .
I tend to lose interest toward the end of a project but then when it's done I'm bored and have to get another one. Also lose interest somewhat when they are all done and finished. I enjoy the build. On the hunt now for the next one.
I am a 38 year member of the Slo Poks Hot Rod Club here in Vancouver, Wa. Our Hot Rod club was founded in 1952, we celebrated 66 years this year. The Slo Poks Club is among the oldest active Hot Rod clubs in the U.S. We continue to meet every Friday evening. We have over 75 active members and the age ranges from late 20's to mid 80's. We have 3rd generation members from the same family. It is very difficult to join, it takes over 2 years (extreme vetting) and you must fit in with the group, family member or not. But once your in , your in for life. We have club activites during the year that are co-ed, but Fri. meetings are guys only, no exceptions! We have no dues and hold one annual business and finance meeting each year where we decide our schedule of activites for the coming year. Our cars are mostly pre 70's Hot Rods, Race Cars and American Muscle Cars. Absolutely NO Tuner stuff! We host Billet Proof in Washington and put on a local charity car show in Vancouver every Summer. And yes we have lost many members over the years, and a few have lost interest and drifted away, it just comes with the territory. But for the most part we are all really********** Rodders and Racers. We are all really proud of our heritage of racing history, having held many National records over the years in Drag Racing and Land Speed Racing. It is tough to find young blood that is interested in the hobby, but they are out there and we usually have one or two pledged in per year. Most of us make it a point to stay really active and are hands on guys, we network and are nearly 100% self sufficent when it comes to building our projects. With us it is more about the Slo Poks brotherhood and the common interest in all things Hot Rod and not deluting it with cars and people that don't fit!
Are you kidding. You should know they are never done. I am getting ready to pull the rear and drive shaft out again on the coupe! Need to make another drive shaft. After that the gas tank on the roadster has to come out for some repair. The plow truck needs lots of work, and you know the rest of the story.
I just finished a 46 Chevy pickup for a customer who has become a friend. I drove it for the first time today. Later model 235, split exhaust, T5, open drive rear. It has power disc brakes on the front with six lug 16" wheels. Original interior, original exterior, no lowering, he wanted it back to what it was when he got it from his grandfather who bought it new in 1946. It does have the power brakes and hidden AC for modern conveniences. I did this truck from the frame up. I am 71, I think this was the last frame up I will do for someone else. If I do more it will be for me. I have a couple OT cars, one on the road, and a second one that is only a few days from being done. I have not touched the second one in over three years. The first one I have drove, but not much this year. I have to take it for a long drive in the next week or so, so I can get some fresh fuel into it. Next year will be different.
The fire burned deep and hot for many years. Decided a number of years ago I enjoyed the hunt for cars and parts more than driving one. Parting out cars at a junkyard or the shop was as good as it gets. Finding stuff for people was not a job,it was too much fun to be a job. Now after a couple severe back injuries I can no longer part out anything. 5 minutes bent over a fender and I’m done. 5,000 square foot warehouse filled with parts and I just limp around in it. Could be depressed about it but I’m not. Every time I start feeling low I think there are people in way worse shape than me. Just need to reboot and redefine what I’m going to do. I will admit there are times I lose interest as the chair or couch can get too comfortable but the fire for hot rods still burns hot and deep. The next chapter starts every day and tomorrow I’m going to be talking to a guy about a huge parts stash. I’ll have to hire help to move it and call me crazy but it’s what I do and I’ll be danged if I’ll quit it.
All my parts and all my projects. There's no saving me...but I can push anyway. Which is the primary one? (I have a few...) Back, hips, and right knee. 76 on the 19th, now my Vortek attempted to leave the engine bay of my '55 F100 daily! Ripped the mount pedestals clean out of the thinwall mount (dropped tube .035" accessory mount!!!) Coulda sworn I'd be good for the 'long haul'... Crap! HATE unexpected repairs on D.D.s, F100 is mine. Front sheet metal comes off, (all of it) then I clean out the front rails...hole saw thru each, box for 20", sew it all up. Engine 1K miles fresh, Comp cam, other go-fast stuff...young wife worked with me in my shop, so I am 'saved'. Only then can I****emble my NEW 406, and plug it into my white '54 FORD Cp.! My '27 tub has been 'patient', been awhile...Have new Joe Hunt Vertex magneto for the '56 Chrysler hemi, along with the 2 X 4 Carter 500 Comp. Plus carbs, and other 'goodies'... but I have time, I've always been younger. Darn my F100, and that 'conduit' tube! Make it right... My friend, Bonneville Butch says, "We can make it better"! I always laughed when he told some 'newby' that... LOL (am I the newby again??? It's been years...about 60 of 'em. )
It's probably your signature. "I hit cars with hammers" would make me think twice about letting you get close to MY ride.
When I start a project, I set a timeline that I think I can adhere to-usually not too far off. I never start one without all the funds in hand to complete it. What is very frustrating and makes me not want to do another one is relying on others that do portions of the work needed (paint,uph, etc) Most never do what they commit to do. They drag their feet and give multiple excuses-this is the biggest drawback for me. If you commit to do something then DO IT!! Also the price of parts keep climbing at an alarming rate. A 40 today will cost me $6-8K more than 3-4 years ago.
Life can throw distractions, but I always say my cars will be there waiting for me to get back. Whether it is to get one out of the garage and drive it, or to do some work on a project. Most of the time I miss the garage time, but priority for the other stuff takes the garage time away. I do know that every time I drive one of my old cars it puts a big smile on my face and improves my attitude!
I hear a lot of my old man's buddies talk about a general lack of enthusiasm for hot rods among young guys. There's some truth to that. I'm a young guy and most of my peers don't have any interest in old cars. In my eyes, it seems that this is because the culture of low-budget speed and hooliganism has largely become detached from the hot rod world. Most old guys don't drive their cars hard. In turn, young guys direct their testosterone-fueled enthusiasm toward late-model muscle cars and tuners. This is exacerbated by the fact that old cars and hop up parts cost a fortune. To fully appreciate hot rods, one must understand their history and original purpose, which was to go fast and have fun not by spending an exorbitant amount of money, but by making do with what was available to the everyman. It's inspiring to any redblooded Ameican young man to see traditional hot rods rip down a drag strip or do big, smokey burnouts. It's not entirely their fault they haven't bought the trappings of a hot rod or joined your club. They just feel like outsiders because this***** is so damned expensive and (I really don't mean to offend) most of the geriatric hot rod crowd spends more time sitting next to their parked hoopties at car shows than thrashing them at speed. I don't mean to be derogatory, I'm just saying it how I see it. I'm 23 and I love hot rods. My closest friends love hot rods, and some of us are lucky enough to have them. I don't want these cars and the culture around them to die. I'm not going to pretend that I have any answers, but I believe that if hot rodding goes back to its roots, its mass appeal would be restored.
If you ever get to Buffalo,Ny and I'm still alive I can let you see that not all of us old guys putt around and sit behind their cars. Plus I've always wanted a knowledgeable shoe behind the wheel of my hot little roadster so I could see how it would do against my blown big block 41.
The Jalopy Journal
