Ok I am the ultimate first timer. This is my first time posting and also my first time trying to build a Rod. Or is it a Kustom? I don't know for sure. So that is my first question. Can you tell me the difference between a Rod and a Kustom? Second question, more specific, I love the mid 60's GM sedans, but I'm torn between an Impala or a Riviera, '65 or later. What I want to know is which of these vehicles would be an easeier build for a first time? I'm looking to do something low and fast and mean looking as Hell Covered in Flaming Tar! and NO, i'm not building no lowrider with Dayton's and Dingle Balls. I'll leave that to the Gangsta's. Ok, can you help a brutha out with his quandry? Thanks.
ALrighty then, here is my take on the whole thing. I am sure some will disagree. There really isn't mush difference in my book outside of body work. An old skiz-ool hot rod (Think bare bones duece) was stripped down and built for speed. An old skiz-ool custom wasn't meant to go fast but to look sleek, evil and mysterious. In my mind there is deffinately an area where the two can cross. I have seen many customs that flat out haul ass. It always come back to this statement, build what you like. If you want a full custom with stock running gear, than do it. If you want a rip ass hot rod without the "shine" do it. I must reiterate that there is a happy medium. As far as what type of vehicle you should build...how the hell should I know? Pick one of those and build it. Riv's are cool, Imp's are cool. Both can make make really sweet custom rods. Whatever you dig is what you should build in my book. If this is your first attempt at building something like this, do yourself a favor and don't get ahead of yourself. you will never accomplish anyhting worthwhile if you rush it. Spend some time learning and it will pay off big time down the road. I know where you are coming from because I was in the same boat. Just don't put a visor on it.... BTW, welcome abroad. you will get many good answers to future questions. just be prepared for a beating right now. It is part of initiation. Thin skinned div's don't last long here.
This is the way I feel about it. A Hot Rod is basic, purpose built, and fast. It may have nice paint and lots of shiny parts, or it may have old crusty paint and cobwebs here and there. One way or the other, it's meant to GO! When I think of Kustoms, I think Kandy paints, handmade parts and accessories that increase the design and visual appeal of the vehicle, chopped, channeled, lowered, raked, reworked body panels. In other words, something that looks really unique and COOL. It may not be able to get out of its own way when the light turns green, but it looks aweful cool cruising the streets. Just my two cents. As far as what car to build, I can't really help you. It depends on what kinds of skills you have or what kinds of skills your friends have. Good luck in whatever you end up doing. Oh, and a word of warning - better do an intro before you get caught up in a shit storm. Just tell us all a little about yourself.
[ QUOTE ] Oh, and a word of warning - better do an intro before you get caught up in a shit storm. Just tell us all a little about yourself. [/ QUOTE ] Ok, not sure if this is WHERE I'm supposed to put this intro, but here goes... Hi, I'm Dave! I'm in Sunny So-Cal, an Art Director by trade, working on a strangely popular late-model muscle car mag. It's good work, but I'm not that into the subject matter. I'm much more into cars from the 60's personally. My first car was a 66 Beetle that I paid someone else to build an engine and trani. It kicked some serious ass. Dare I say that I even ate some of the V8's up to 1/8th-mile. I ended up blowing that engine from too much abuse. Now I'm looking for a mid to late 60's GM sedan, as you might have guessed by my question above. I know a couple of the folks in here, but only by face. If Eric or Anthony read this, When's Lunch? What else? 30-something Medium build Engaged Not Gay, but has a thing for new sneakers Work out regularly but only because my eating habits suck Thick Skinned and can handle my own with the Master Debators in any forum. Coffee Drinker Liquor Drinker, not big into beer or wine, though Don't Smoke Do Curse too much Do Pray, but not enough and not only when I've done something stupid Do stupid things often (remind myself to pray for forgiveness more) Like women. Think Strippers are people too. Have a few tattoos. Want more. My girl thinks I have enough I know for a fact that she's wrong. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head. So I'll figure it out as I go along, I guess. Nice to meet you folks. D.
Riviera: I think of these as Bellflower/pompadour cars, because that was where & what I saw in the late '60s. They're really good-looking, but if you do a mild custom, it looks like lots of other cars, and I haven't seen a radical one that was an improvement over stock. '65 Impala? Go for it. Beautiful lines, but rarely done by the custom fraternity -- don't know why. Low and fast? Great. Flaming tar? Sounds more like a 2003 version of traditional -- in the '60s it would have had candy/lace/flake/maybe scallops. I'd like to see one in the weeds in a solid dark color like Cobalt Blue or Candy Brandywine.
I wouldn't exactly call a 66 Impala or Riviera a "muscle car". In fact, there were two Riv's featured on the cover of last months Custom Rodder magazine, if I'm not mistaken. What I got from the first two responses to my question is that it's "Rod" or "Kustom" is more about how you aproach the design of the vehicle rather than the vehicle itself.
[ QUOTE ] Riviera: I think of these as Bellflower/pompadour cars, because that was where & what I saw in the late '60s. They're really good-looking, but if you do a mild custom, it looks like lots of other cars, and I haven't seen a radical one that was an improvement over stock. '65 Impala? Go for it. Beautiful lines, but rarely done by the custom fraternity -- don't know why. Low and fast? Great. Flaming tar? Sounds more like a 2003 version of traditional -- in the '60s it would have had candy/lace/flake/maybe scallops. I'd like to see one in the weeds in a solid dark color like Cobalt Blue or Candy Brandywine. [/ QUOTE ] I saw a picture recently of a 65 Impala in this really deep and warm copper color. It was hard to tell exactly, but the thing looked insane, totally slammed. The only thing I would have changed is the wheels. I'm not into the lowrider Daytons. I'd rather have 5 spoke mags instead.
OK DesignGuy...here's the scoop (& viewpoint)from the old fart...a hot rod was loud, low, chopped and fenderless...most "hot rods" are up to and including 1936 AND did not exceeed the year of 1948...however some of these are also known as street rods...laden with billet...this board is not for that ilk. Hot rods usually did not have paint...primer only...nor billet wheels. A kustom is a car (from 1936 forward to no more than 1965...no later than 1966!!! and generally most 1950's cars were/are kustoms), usually lowered severely, has wide whites, fender skirts, hubcaps, R & P interior...a "kustom rod" (no such thing) is a sick term some magazine made up so they could blur the lines... Anything later than 1966 IS NOT a Kustom, and anything later than 1948 is not a hot rod in the truest sense of the word and has no place on this board...neither do VW's for that matter! Obviously there are those, even on this board, that will dispute MY descriptions of hot rods/kustoms, but that's what I grew up with...those were the definitions we lived with during the late '50's and 60's...matter of fact, a "shoebox" WAS a '49-'51 FORD...nothing else! Hope this helps in your quest...as has been said before, build what you want...but, if you want a hot rod/kustom and to fit in on this board...think earlier! FWIW, welcome. R-
Build a Vintage Nascar style hot rod... I have something like this in mind for my next Kustom/rod... I kind of think they bridge the gap between "Kustom" and "Hot Rod" although they are clearly Hot.
Although I too am an old fart, I agree more with Link's and Knucklebuster's distinctions than with StudeDude's. The difference is about attitude rather than age: a hot rod is rude and powerful, a custom is a sleek cruiser. Many of the same cars can be built to fit either genre, and many cars have elements of both. If I had to set a boundary in time, I'd be inclined to say that hot rods are pre-war and customs are post-war, but there are certainly many exceptions: '36 and '40 Fords make great customs, and a racy '50 Olds or '55 Chev is more hot rod than custom in my view. I think the generalizations that hot rods must be fenderless, or finished in primer, are absurd. The primered cars I grew up around just weren't finished yet, and fender laws put fenderless cars out of the picture for a couple of decades. I can't speak for the entire population of this board, but I oppose a narrow interpretation of what it's about. Although the '60s are not my favorite decade, there's certainly a tradition associated with that era, and I'm fine with a newbie who is attracted to it. In my view, if his interest is genuine, he is welcome.
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