Hot Rods So now what do you do with it?

My point exactly.
With all the info easily available on a basic hot rod, almost anyone can build one.

Not much info about building creature comforts into a hot rod. How may guys have a wife that will ride along in those bare bones hot rods? Most pictures I see have one or two guys in them.

 

Roadsters are great for doing chores and picking up parts . As said drive them while you can as we are only care takers of them for a bit…

 

While I enjoy the build, I enjoy driving more. I don't know where you are in BC, but BC has a ton of great roads to enjoy and explore.

I love taking my stuff out for a drive in my local area and finding new roads or new attractions, and just drive. It seems like we forget these things were made to drive, not just drive to a car show.

Heck, most of the time if I show up at my local cruise night at 6:30, many people are already leaving. Sometimes I go for 15-20 minutes then take a creative route home.

Enjoy the journey, that's what we drive this old junk for.

 

Yup, I drive mine. I don’t purposefully go out in bad weather with them, but if I get caught in some rain, so what. Neither of our cars would be drag strip terrors, I’m over wanting to have the fastest thing in town. All those years spent truck driving made me more cautious, I knew if I lost my license that I’d also lose my source of income, so I had to play accordingly to Johnny Law’s rules. My stuff looks decent and sounds good, and is decently quick off a stop, but what I enjoy is traveling a two lane that was built in the 30’s or 40’s, curves and hills, and thinking about how it was when my stuff was new.
I can get my stuff out almost all year. We don’t have Chamber of Commerce weather like the west coast, but almost never have to deal with frozen stuff. Even a gray winter day is better in an old ride than just sitting and looking at it in the garage!

 

We have back roads, which is what I built/am building the car for... Have not been to even one show. But I am a miserable old man, I'm sure nobody would want me there

 

So you're saying it's because of the help. Available & not a persons natural ability that makes it possible for anyone to build hot rods .

 

Thanks for the reply’s gentleman.
I drive my 34 pick up a lot. It’s useful and fun.
I live on the Vancouver island we don’t have much for loop type roads. We have one drag strip that runs sometimes and is 4 hours north of me. It’s just not very old car friendly unless you want to go to shows.

 

I do a bit of that, it’s fun.

Dude I’m 50 not 80. There was no cruising the strip, burger joints etc.

 

I agree. I drove old cars exclusively for 53 years. My only modern car was the 66 Chrysler Convertible I inherited from my parents and I didnt drive it often. Its been in the family for 52 years. Now I am old and had heart surgery and I got a 2004 Silverado for the comfort of heat and A/C. I will continue driving old cars when its not too hot or cold

 

I'm building mine as a daily. A seasonal daily to be sure but back forth to the shop, parts chaser, out to lunch, everything. I'll just have to learn to leave earlier for the longer rides. I have one place that's an hour in a regular ol regular, so this might take me an extra 20-30 min. Lucky me, right? Shows and cruises are just a bonus, better than showing up in a diesel dually.

 

In order to be "period correct", your hot rod ( or whatever you call it) needs to be your only car, because that is the way it was in general. You drove it regardless of conditions, because you had no options... it wasn't a pampered toy.

 

Daily driver. Drive it to work. Drive it to the store. Drive it wherever you're going.

 

I , for one , am eternally grateful I was able to get past that stage !

 

there was usually something else I could drive, but not nearly as fun as the go fast one.

 

Im a person thats like driving old cars so my answer is, just daily drive
it.
It puts a smile on my face driving them and sometimes you put a smile on other people.
Back in the days all these cars were dailys and if they could be used then they can be used now.
For me biggest issue is the weather, thats why I take every chance during the summer, for example when i need to take some trash to the dump i hook the trailer to the hitch of the Chevy, im pretty alone doin that, but why not, thats make the trip a lot more fun
Ofcourse if the cars are to extreme its a bit more difficult to daily them.

 

Exactly ^^^^^^

Never forget driving my son's first car. It was a white 57 Chevy Hardtop. The owner had been killed in the Viet Nam war and it had sat for awhile. Paint had a little bit of pearl in it that kinda made it glow, but there were a lot of little things that needed attention..........but it looked great from 50 feet. I went to pick up a Pizza and as I drove around the back of the building to leave, the back door opened and a young woman came out .....I guess for her break.
She took one look at the car which was about 50 feet from her and at the top of her voice she yelled, " Hey Mister......NICE CAR" and gave me a big thumbs up. We still have that car. It needs to be gone thru again, but I don't think it will ever be sold and it will never be a show queen.

 

I stack them Like firewood! To me the fun is all in the build. They are like mig model cars to me.

 

I quit going to car shows some time ago so my time is spent in the garage and then my cars are drivers. Had a 30 pickup with a warmed over banger that got moved outside and became a daily driver for almost 20 years before I sold it to a friend. My 30 Sport Coupe is a driver, run errands and get it out because I enjoy it. Most of my cars are traditional, the 30 pickup with the banger, 30 Sport Coupe with flathead, a couple of mild customs and building a Gow Job 29 roadster pick up now.

 

Over the past 50 years I have found that there are two kinds of car people when it comes to street driven hot rods or customs.

Those who come up with a long list of lame ass reasons as to why they don't or can't drive the car including my late buddy's "I don't want to get it dirty because I don't want to have get it wet washing it". That is when I knew he had been hanging around the high dollar street rodders too much. Other nonsense from others was they didn't want to put miles on it because it would ruin the value. We all have had or have that one buddy with the radical should be race only engine in his hot rod that is so tempermental that it is a pain in the butt to drive on the street even 50 miles from home.

Then we have those who come up with more reasons to drive the hot rod or Custom than leave it at home. Not just go to the area rod trots or cruise night but jump in it to run to the coffee gathering, Run to the store on an errand, drive to dinner out of town a ways. A local club in the area does hit a lot of rod trots but in the summer you meet the whole club on the road quite often in the middle of the week headed to a burger joint or other eating place to have dinner together. They show up at Dad's burgers two miles up the road once or twice a summer or drive further to some other spot. "More of a Hey lets go to ______ on Wednesday night" thing where those who want to go meet somewhere and travel together.

I understand the local rod trot burnout. You go to the same park, year after year and see the same folks and same cars and the same spectators show up. What about checking the rod trot calender for an event in a cool little town 150 miles or so away and going there instead and make the drive part or most of the fun.
A little town 45 something road miles from me has an event on the Saturday of Laborday weekend. It usually draws a mix of maybe 100 cars but the locals also have their community day, the women's club has a pie by the slice sale, Another outfit serves a full meal as a fund raiser or you can eat in the cafe that is on the list of oldest Tavern's in the state. Some times I drive out the other way and end up in a town 50 miles south of me where I go to one of my favorite bars with great food for a late lunch and then drive over the pass 50 miles to my house making it a 130 mile loop.
The "Run to Roslyn" is one of the long running car shows in the PNW, Started by Paul Harper and his buddys in the early 80's it is still going. Open run for the most part. The real attraction isn't the car show but poking around in the town of Roslyn, Wa for the day. Having a beer or two at the Brick and maybe one of their burgers, Having breakfast in the cafe with the sign on the sign that was the lead immage for the show Northern exposure. It's an event wives like to go to and usually a group of wives heads off to town and you don't see them for several hours. Lots to do beside sit in a lawn chair and try to visit with folks over the loud music.

 

I drive my old pickups and Rambler wagon to work everyday since my daughter got her license and latched onto my Buick. Had a guy say to me, I wish I had the money you spent on old cars.... He didn't realize I didn't pay more than $650 for any of them and have just had them since I was a teenager.

 

If it isn’t crappy weather I regularly drive an old car because it’s what I enjoy. Not into shows or events. Every drive is an event I appreciate and driving an o/t car is just going A to B. I learned that excessive engines and show quality paint can take the fun out of just using it as a vehicle.

 

How about looking at things from the other side of the lawn chair. Lots of people come out to a show to see a car like yours, or have a conversation with a guy that built their own ride. How about sharing with the rest of us.

 

^ I hate car shows.
For a variety of reasons. I don’t bring a lawn chair. They are not fun.
But neither is most of what has been described in this thread.
Except maybe Squirrels idea of driving a drag car several thousand miles and beating it then driving home.

 

Even a trip to Costco is an excuse to get the roadster out if the sun is shining. You can really stuff a model A trunk when needed

 

If you don't like driving , sell & build another , or give it up all together .

 

I'm getting the idea that you like "Scotty B's"

 

I got board with driving around on the street that's why I am building this for vintage oval track racing.

It's funny you say the closest drag strip is an hour away, my weekly home track Fonda is an hour from and is the closest oval track.

The club I race with has back to back shows Friday and Saturday night 2 and a half hours from home and one show over 3 hours from home.







I do sometimes forget how many racetracks I have within a two drive from home...


...and how many are within an hour and a half.

 

Take it to church, Wally world, the beach, your friends, or just anywhere you are going. Old cars are just More Fun to drive than new cars. So I'll never have another brand new car. We do have an old PT cruiser conv. that we drive in bad weather.

 

I drive mine to work a few days a week, weather permitting (got some more work to do to get the windshield to quit leaking and to have wipers)
It is also perfect for taking the wife out on dates. Grab a couple friends and make it a double date! Just cruising around town, going nowhere, restaurant to bar, to cigar shop, and back in an old car filled with friends is a total blast.