Genuine suggestions please. What you'd like to see the magazines do in their articles. Not so much what the article's are about, I think the mag guys can get all the hints they need from the HAMB and similar boards. The same questions pop up again and again so it would be obvious what the public is interested in. Anyhoo ... my suggestion is to bring back the little sidebar box that went along with the featured cars. The one that listed all the specs. It would be more than handy to know what the tire sizes are, how much drop in the axle - if any - where the seats come from etc. The main part of the article would have the expanded information that would be too much for the sidebar. Like all the details that went into the engine. My other suggestion would be to get some of the home-built cars up on a rack and get some pics from the underside. The mags are doing a good job on posting pics of a frame up build, but they also feature a lot of finished cars and that's where the under-chassis shots would be welcome.
Back in the 80s, HOTROD had a whole article devoted to wheel interchanges. Size, bolt pattern etc. It covered everything up into late model stuff. Must have been a tough job compiling all of it but it was worth it. How about some profiles on average Rodders? SRM does it with their Garage scene, but those always seem to be 1.4 page stories. I know guys that could open a pro-shop that do nothing more than build their own stuff and help buddies. How about a story on tracking down and buying an old hot rod or race car? I know some of these have been doen, just not recently.
When Freiburger was running Car Craft, they had exact prices for all parts listed. They even listed stuff that they wound up not using. It was cool to see that magazine types wasted as much money on mistakes as I do
C9, I totally agree. I remember bitchen about the same thing on coverage of a car I was very intrested in, but there was no real info/specs, and then the following month another mag had most of the specs and some build up pictures. I'm not sure why they all can't do it. I know where visual creatures here, but I'd like to know what parts they used to build them as well, when there something I really like.
I believe the reason that more information (tire size, parts used and the like) is not listed is that it increases the risk for mistakes. If you do nothing or list nothing.....you cannot be wrong.
DR, You've hit on something. The Lawyers have everyone running scared. If you state something, you're liable for it in todays "lets sue the bastard" mind set. As this goes on you aren't going to be able to get reliable information anywhere on any subject, which will put us right back where we were in the beginning, "TRIAL AND ERROR". Have you noticed lately there is a disclamer on almost everything you come in contact with? Frank
Better Photography! imagine if car magazines hired photographers that had david perry quality. More 'artistic' photography, just look at some of the magazines that people DON'T bitch about; Rodders Journal and Garage Magazine why? because of the photography. Also more white space. Looking at car magazines now is like looking at a phone book. Also wouldn't be great if a Magazine did a story on some of the greats every month, builders, drivers , designers. I know that we have those stories now but how bout somthing different like, what made them in to what the are, and what were those influences, more Biographical in a sense.
Technical information is as meaningless to a lot of the owners, as it is to most of the readers... Because they dont build their own cars.
That is true to some extent Metalshapes. HOWEVER, what I can say from working in a shop that builds turnkeys for the type of rodder you describe is that they can be more interested in the little details than even builders. One of my customers didnt know a thing about the build process (until he started this car). He is so into how this car looks that he does pay attention to the small detail in pictures. Anyway, another suggestion. Real road trips! Remember the Cheese Whiz 55 that HRM drove across country? It had either Motor Wheel Flys or Monocoque(Singlepeni ) wheels that let loos witht he race only front runners they had on it? Real road stories guys! Like a couple years back when Burger picked up that Ranch Wagon in Texas and blew out the mouse piss then drove it back to Florida.
Real project cars! Complete build-ups, from purchasing of a battered car until its a neat one in better condition (lets say a 41 Merc Tudor in sun-battered Arizona-condition turning into a 3 inch sectioned Lochaven Green dream with a flair of Valley Customs). All done with several articles that covers the tear-down and build up, written with good grammar as well as good knowledge. Things that might go hand-in-hand with it can be how to keep the parts in order, and a lot of restoring hints by reuse of old parts, also history of the car as well as of the engine and the background of the car´s design. I also want to hear about all the struggles that the restorer/rod-builder/customizer went trough and all the happy memories he got along the way. Please no bolt-on by using so-and-so parts with mail-order info in the end of the features. That is just hidden advertising! In the magazine I would also like to see a good layout, most car-magazines are very poor in that area, and good black and white photos.
I miss Garage Scene and Artist's Sketchpad ideas. Look at what interests this board. Photochopping a car to show options work is one I'd like to see. With the current interest in one off cars there's a lot that could be done to pique interest. Drake is working on a '40 Ford, but why stick to stock panels everywhere? You won't miss the stock replacement trunk lid business of the few original coupes out there. The '36 Ford had a better looking trunk, broken only by the square opening. Stick it on. PPG gave away a roadster several years ago that had '34 rear quarters on a '32. Vanishing Point Race Cars was building a 5/8 scale '41 Willys for a customer who opted for a '63 Corvette. But a 5/8 scale Willys! The wheels are already turning. It's hard to do a spread of an existing car with the detailed close ups everyone wants, and like showing the bare metal so you can see the chop, it's not going to appeal to the masses. But I saw a nostalgic one last month with roadster rear quarters on a 5 window coupe because they had a flair over the wheel well. Body mix and match will be the next push. Individuality in engines is another one, but you show me a half dozen engines on one page and I zone out, again mass appeal is low. Individual lights like PIAA or V Rod is next. And while a lot of these things are maybe too much for one off, the 'glass guys should look this way instead of just copying Rat's Glass and tilting the grilles ever more and smoothing the roof. We complain when a new car comes out if it looks like the factory did no engineering or market survey before, like the Aztek. But we do not even expect the rod aftermarket to do any. While I do not expect an excellent article like El P's MII how to to ever grace a mag, an in depth on other factors is worthwhile. Even though one mag did alignment specs, etc. a few months ago, they let Fatman dance around the caster angle question without answering. Get a car, try a couple settings, and put it through the paces. Also I have made blisters by cutting it out of a 5" turndown from the truck supply, but limeworksspeedshop.com has then in 18 ga. for $30 each. I'm getting 3, 1 which will have to have a skirt added to enlarge it enough to cover a blower through the side of the hood (inline 4) Look at the next tech week as our own mini mag and see what the winner represents, lots of hard work or ingenuity. The answer is ingenuity. PPE struck my interest not for th eoutrageous engine, but the simple use of a sedan rear panel on a coupe. And someone should be getting Jeem under contract and making arrangements for the other details like the curved megaphone headers.
What I would love to see again is a build series like the one Lil John Buttera did for Hot Rod Magazine! One of the things thats burned into my brain is how he was shrinking a curve into a couple of self made frame rails, in his drive way with a torch and a garden hose. Reading things like that made it all seem possible.
[ QUOTE ] Real project cars! [/ QUOTE ] How about good old fashioned How To articles,instead of the now more common How To Follow The Instructions That Came With The Kit The Manufacturer GAVE Us infomercials. If you can show people what it takes to do their own stuff correctly,they will appreciate why the aftermarket parts are so expensive,and there will be more cars actually finished.People are still going to spend the same amount of money on their cars,they will just spend it on things they can't do for themselves.Some of them will spend the money to save time,others will spend the time to save money.
More vehicle info. The orange Caprice in CR this month has the seats finished up similiar to my Buicks but there is no info stated on what they were. Before and after pics included in feature articles.
I'd like to see more owner built rods (real world drivers) w/ plenty of tech articles (paint, metel work, wiring, welding, etc.). I think I'm going to hurl if I have to read another article about a pro built $100K repla-rod. Boyd Coddingbuck, Chip Foosbucks and the rest of their ilk just piss me off. Is that really what hot rodding is all about? This new fake patina shit is really getting my BP up. Anyway.....enough ranting. My Dad always told me to work on things that can be changed & not to get spun up with things that you have no control over.......it'll just wreck your day!.
let frieberger run all the magazines. everyone just step back and get out of his way. he acually put in the stuff people ask for, what a concept. i also miss the side bar boxes that give you the quick info. as far as tech articles go, just read streetrod builder and superrod and copy exactly what they do.
I'd like to see the PERFORMANCE SPECS of all the cars they feature. They always say "he paid this shop to build the chassis, this shop to do the interior, and this shop to build this super bad ass looking motor" But shit... the insides of the chrome exhaust tips aren't even black... When they say "this car goes 12.80..." or whatever, you know it has at least been driven. Or show the car doing a smoky burnout.... Something to show it's a real car... I could give a shit less how pretty it is. If it actually does, How does it run???
I have to agree with virtually everything that has been said in this post. But think about this, probably everyone here has the information and knowledge to produce an article for any magazine that is currently in the market place. I have seen the posts and information we share in here much of it is suitable. Many of us know people involved in the magazines or perhaps know some who knows someone. It only takes the effort to talk to magazine people direct or submit something you think appropriate. These are just my thoughts, thanks for listening! Oh and yes I have done articles for magazines here in Aust.
Id like to see no more car features where thay bunch together three to five kinda lame cars and give almost no info on them. Id rather see fewer features on better stuff with a lot more history and photos. Advertising on the same page with the featured car totaly sucks I hate that. One last thing Id love to see HOP UP turn big ya big like TRJ size. I know thats not how it was "in the day" but I can't see as good as I did and I dont need to hide it so why not?
I am with metalshapes and iceburg. Let's see a car feature on a car like Metalshapes's car. That car will run circles around any street rod on the plant. the problem I see is the magazines see a car like what we build here on the hamb or featured in kar kulture deluxe, and assume that it was poorley put together. These are as good if not better than pro built beucause it was for a labor of love by the owner not a check writer. Not that check writers are bad because they put food on the table for the guys like metalshapes who build their cars for them. I feel that when the magazine see's surface rust or greasey engine they feel it has no merit or has any new idea. Again the only car that I can think of is Metalshapes car, not because he is my best friend, but because how many unibody roadster have you seen with a 28 cowl and a 30 firewall in it. I am not going to give all the details on his car, that is the mags job. Or how about the guy who finds a car that has been passed over by everybody and their brother, and rod shops who have been in the magazine becuase it was "to rough" and the one person with vision and good friends to lend a helping hand put the car back on the road safely. This is only my two cents. When do you move to AZ?
This is just an observation from the Midwest-[there's no hot rods here ya know] ........Mabey the magazines should consider moving out of Califoria -So they could say and do a few more lawsuit free things...... I always liked the old garage scene articles and think maybe the "how to stuff"[if there is any] should be more than how to install a new billit steerin wheel or a column drop -etc- I mean ,REAL chassis and drivetrain and BODY MOD stuff that the readership is pleading for.......I wrote a couple of articles in the early '80s for Tex Smith[HRMechanix] .......I think that mag was heading in the right direction, but it failed- maybe as a result of the lack of kissing the legends of the hobbys asses too little....... I know ads are important- but why in the hell cant they include a few more pages of something else to allow the printing of these types articles as well as the ads? The last St Rodder I looked at was more of a catalogue than a magazine......If they moved out of the high rent /high lawsuit-liability-/"workmans comp heaven" areas they are currently located in maybe they could realize a higher profit margin and could do some of the things we have suggested.
Biggest gripe! With the advent of increased amount of advertisements, the magazines have gone to smaller text sizes to reduce the expanding number of pages. I've had the greatest set of eyes, never had to wear glasses and so forth. But (telling on myself) can't read more than 15 to twenty minutes of my Street Rodder without getting fuzzy. I think it's Street Rodder's fault, it couldn't be because I'm getting older. Hey Street Rodder since you have increased the number of traditional rides in your magazine can you please increase your font size!
at least three pages for featured cars, NO LESS. the tech specs are a must too, they don't take that much space at all. R&C kicked ass with theirs. only other thing i can think of offhand is to round out the car with photos. there was a 60 ford starliner i think it was in R&C, and it really struck me even though it wasn't traditional at all. i'd liked to have seen a side shot of it.
Take a look at the british old car rags like Practical Classics or that Retro and Classics (may have that name wrong). I would like to see an American rod magazine formatted in a similar fashion, maybe with the huge classified section removed. Those mags are full of tech stuff, restoration, modifcatoin and DRIVING the things!!!! No, I don't mean articles about putting an Alfa twin cam into a morris minor, well, maybe that IS cool, but how about swapping a T-Bird Super Coupe irs into a 50s Ford, then driviving the thing. I dunno, just my thoughts.
Reduce the number of featured cars per issue to two or three and expand the coverage, both copy & art, of those. Double the pages allotted per car to at least six with extensive imagery of front, back, sides with suspension/drivetrain/detail closeups. Include more pics of cars on the road with the owner behind the wheel. Include extensive copy/art of any unusual or oddball aspects of the car's build-up. Make sure any babes in the images don't obscure a car's lines. For each featured car include at least one "portrait" shot on high-quality medium-format film and relegate the detail shots to crap digital cameras. Don't print black type, or reversed-out type either, on dark freakin' backgrounds. Burn all copies of Wired Magazine on the premises.
I like Darwin's ideas. The only problem with shooting high quality images is that you have to have them printed high quality as well. Medium format does no good if not printed well. That brings up another problem. Cost. TRJ isn't cheap to print I'm sure. Not that printing is everything (Steve Coonan rules..) To cover the costs you must have advertisers..its a vicious circle. I have to agree about tech articles. I've heard some people talk about another magazine that they didn't like most of, but loved the tech article they did. That alone can sell a few more magazines to someone who may not have bought one otherwise. Just my .02 Spike
While it is true that good quality printing will make the most of a high-quality original image it is equally true that regardless of printing quality the better the original image is the better the finished printed product will be. I work in the electronic imaging department of a newspaper and, although there's hardly a lower quality printing method around, the difference in final print quality between good film originals and the general run of electronic images is always noticeable and is frequently extreme. If this is true of newsprint I wouldn't expect the situation to be any different on any other printing process. It's hard to enumerate the differences in terms of techno-esoterica like pixel counts and bit-depth. It is however easier to explain in terms of color richness, tonal smoothness and the much more lifelike visual "feel" of good film images. Our photogs use the very best high-zoot pro cameras from Nikon and Canon costing multi-thousands of bucks and not one of them can match the base image quality of a six dollar disposable film camera straight off the shelf at Wal-Mart. Acceptable quality on the Web--digital works fine. Absolute best quality for print--any type of print--film rules big time.
I like to see cars in their construction phase, not just a pile of bubble wrap and boxes, but pieces being welded together. I also like the circles with the numbers in them matching a picture to a caption. I agree with the under car chassis pictures, some people spend as much under the car as on top, might as well show it to us. Besides where else are you going to find the Cole Foster super throw down exhaust hanger type stuff. I don't like having to read part one of an article, then flip ten pages to the back to finish reading it. Something with rock chips and a worn drivers seat wouldn't break my heart. TZ
I wanna see REAL product evaluations...not just glorified, six page ads in the guise of product reviews! It used to be that if something sucked, they'd TELL you...but in this day and age none of these media monopolies wanna piss off their advertisers, so everything gets a glowing review! Remember when they'd do things like intake manifold or camshaft shootouts and tell ya who ruled and who drooled? THAT'S what I wanna see again! If they're just gonna take free shit from advertisers and write them glowing words of praise...then GIVE the magazine away...as it only amounts to an infomercial in print at that point! I liked reading about PROBLEMS that installers encountered while wrangling the given products into place...like "what the hell were they THINKING? These headers won't fit this car in a million years!" Let's shuck the PC bullshit and get back to telling it like it IS!!
I know they're harder to take pictures of, but interior shots...that's where I plan to spend my time, I'd like to know what others did! I also like, I think it's Street Rod Builder's, doing random shots of things they saw and thought were cool...taillight treatment, neat hose/wire routing trick, exhaust tip, mirror, etc., all on one page. Steve
The Jalopy Journal
