RANT: Low buck junk vs. traditional hot rods...

Guy shows up at the shop today, I greet him and start shooting the shit... seems like a cool guy, then he says 'come outside and see my hot rod'. Figuring it would be a slammed 60's cruiser or 50's rod.... I was in for a shock.

Outside in the sun sat a 1978 Monte Carlo in gray primer, huge black iron crosses on the quarters, spider webs everywhere and general lee turbine wheels with raised letter tires.

He proceeded talking about the plans he had for it.

Thank you to TV and Old skool Rods for making me endure 45 minutes with this guy.



When he left I then ran back to my computer and went through the Hamb like a madman to get those awfull images out of my head. One thing I love about this place is we all have somewhat of the same tastes and styles... some people don't get it and never will. Thanks guys.

 

God I think I'm gonna barf. Did you ever get your mailbox cleaned out so I could send you that 10mb of pics?

 

Pics?

 

Ya I did... thanks!

 

I'm gonna have that put on my headstone. Or was it tattooed on my ass? I forget, but either way, I hear ya!!

 

I get sick of the same ol crap, too. One local guy has a 'hot rod' Astro van. Tubbed, bbc, cage, really well done flames (ugly but well done), the works. He's Mr. Hot Rod...just ask him.
Well, any way, he's got his 'hot rod' for sale so he can buy a rat rod! The van is and has been for sale for $42,000! That'll buy a Boyd rat rod!
God, I hate people sometimes.
That's right...the hood scoop (thanks Tingler). A cut down Warren Johnson Pro-stock scoop. On an Astro van! Sweet!

 

That's funny. I had a guy come out to my shop the other day, he has a "pimped out" '89 S-10 for sale and he wants an old car to build up. He told me that if I gave him my '40 Chrysler AND my chopped '53 Ford, he'd trade me his awesome S-10. I coulda kicked him in the balls for saying such blasphemy.

 

Sad thing is, there are some cool low buck custom ideas you can do with a '78 Monte... low key lowrider/boulevard cruiser, late 70s mullet musclecar, etc., but any post-1959 model car slathered in "rat rod" comes off every bit as stupid as riced-up 40 Ford with 22" spinners.

 

One of the members of my club has a Monte Cantgo, black suede and Cragars makes it look like a mob car....

 

i had a guy come up to me at a show asking me about my flamethrowers. the guy seemed to know half of a little so i talked to him. after explaining myself about my setup he tells me what there going to go on. some kinda 70s malibu wagon sort of thing. he then shows me pictures of it... grey prime w/ skirts wide whites and lakes and spots and all that happy horse shit. i puked in his face and walked away. i love how he thought he was "just like me"

 

yes thats true maybe i should clarify i didnt laugh his face but it brought my excitement down. here i thought this guy was building something cool and it was a late 70s station wagon. while my car not be a perfect example of a period correct car car and yours may not be either, they are both what we enjoy doing and enjoy building.

 

Note to self.....Do not build 78 Monte Carlo....

 

Hmm...

was 'splainin' the latest project to a kid with an '02 T/A...

'I don't get it.'

Some folks just dont - 'sokay.

Sittin' on the curb at WDC '05...

30's something guy with messed-up teeth starts up a conversation:

'Yup - got the V-10 out tonite. S'got 4.10 gears...

I swivel my head around. it's a gray Ford panel van.

'Yup. My dad let me take it out. I got a friend with a hot rod - he sez he might let me drive it in the Cruise this year!'

He was all excited - like he'd just touched hisself.

I felt sorry for the guy.

Folks can be goofy as hell - but the feelin's are honest, no matter how whacked out the ride may be.

'aint no UFO gonna catch my diesel...'
-some country song heard inna dirt bar I can't remember.

 

Tingler single handedly defending your right to have bad taste.

 

lmao...good visual

 

I have to agree that it's not cool to be a dick to someone who has a "hot rod" that you don't agree with. I see cars all the time I think are ugly as shit, but someone out there loves it, just like a whole lot of people probably think a chopped flat black, red wheeled, ect. '52 chevy is ugly or a rpu with patina or what ever you drive. Everyone should build what they want for themselves, not to be cool. I hate "art cars", but they are still better than a beige Toyota Corolla, because to someone thats a "c(k)ustom car and some thought and time was put into it.

 

Besides, you can't be part of the elite, unless you have someone to look down on.

 

now we're starting to get this figured out

 

Ya know I don't care wether it's old shit, not so old shit, or new shit. Shit is shit and it stinks.... I'm tired of crappy ass rat rods, guido fucked monte carlos, or any of the other crap I have to talk to people about because I'm a "car guy"... fuck the bullshit....

 

I love this post. This guy makes me laugh every time I see him out on the road or a show, but you know I have to look back at some of the crap boxes I built in the eighties that I thought were cool and sypathise. Ill give him a minute for liking what ive got.

 

once someone sees that you have something cool you're automatically lumped in as a "car guy" and you have to listen to alot of bullshit from either people that don't know a thing (your classic gold chainer) or from someone who thinks what they have is the cats ass...

 

whats the "Rudy truck"?

 

Now, He has the idea.
I had a bunch of low buck junk that I was proud of for many years. Hell, I still have low buck junk, only now its OLD low buck junk. I'm still proud of it too. Probably a bunch of guys with money think my old junk shouldn't be running down the road either. To them I say, "Tough shit." Money does not give them a right to judge me or my junk, and me having old junk does not give me a right to judge guys with "newer" junk. I see all types in my shop almost every day. The guys I like to hang with don't pass judgement, they try to educate and guide those that may be misguided. After all, we are all in persuit of happiness. If a guy is going for what makes him happy, what gives me the right to rain on his parade? If he's happy and smiling, I can smile along with him, even if I'm laughing inside. I like to think I treat everyone as I would like to be treated. Until he proves otherwise, he deserves my respect, even if I think his car is junk. Gene

 

Lesse now a 78 Monte is 27 years old. When I was a kid in 57 a 27 year old car was a 1930 and I never did care for Model A's much then either. Heck they didnt even make good circle track cars. You couldnt steer them, couldnt stop them and flatheads were no longer considered usefull. How times have changed!

I'd much rather have a guy come up to me with a 70-80's American V8 that is most probably all he can afford plus did his own "work" than some asshole in a ricer or goddamn VW.

 

Originally Posted by graverobber63

some people don't get it and never will.

LOL! Can you imagine people trying to figure out what the hell that meant? I bet most people would think you married some gold diggin' broad that had you knocked off for inheritance and decided to add a little insult to your demise on your headstone!

 

The word dweeb comes to mind. Who do you think I'm thinking of?

 

I remember very well, painting the stock air cleaner housing on my 72 Plymouth Valiant with a slant 6 engine. I painted it "chrome" with K-Mart 88 cent a can paint. I thought it was cool.

Now, 17 years later, I can actually build some cool shit. I've had cars in magazines and all that. I think I'm pretty close to my goals of where I wanted to be.

But, it all started with that 4 door Plymount Valiant with a 225 and a "chrome" air cleaner. If some assholes had shit on me back then, I may have taken up stamp collecting or something like that. I'm greatful that all of the cool guys back then just smiled and didn't make fun of me.

I think we all owe that to the next generation of guys coming along. At least they're trying. that's better than most of the people now days.

 

So how do you convince someone that it isn't cool.
I have a good friend who used to built lowrider cars and nice ones at that. Now for some gawd awful reason he gets an 80 something fullsize blazer paints it flat black with black wheels and wants to build some iron cross grill crap. And he loves that crap Why?
What's wrong the whole thing is the shit on TV and in some magazine that I forget the name. Maybe we should start a reality show about Real Hot Rod interventions.Maybe not?

 

LOL!!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE!!!!