so..who started the trend of putting unfinished cars in car shows?

I always thought you should at least paint them first..maybe I'm wrong?

and don't use the "RR" word..its not allowed in my 'freds either.

 

I would venture to guess that Jim "Jake" Jacobs had a heavy hand in it when he brush painted his tub at the Nats. (I think it was the NSRA Nats, wasn't it?) Then went on to "Jakeopage" the thing with little pages.

 

Some of us like to see some of these amazing works af art in bare metal sometimes. Then you can really get a feel for the craftsmanship that is in the car.

 

I guess I can give you that one..
I also love's me some good craftsmanship but some of these things look like they just got drug out of the woods.

 

Its Jim Jacobs

 

I also agree with you Pete. But the reality is that people are starting to get kinda lazy. There are too many unfinished projects showing up to these shows. Maybe there should be an investment in progress pictures in an album or something. Just my opinion.

 

I think it's a good thing, in general. When I was building my Olds, in the early 80's, it was OK for me to bring it into outdoor car shows, and rod runs. It was in primer, and changed yearly, until I finished it. It kept my interest in it, while giving others a running live documentary of building a custom, and my workmanship. But I did keep on improving it until it was finished.
So to keep the younger guys, or guys with limited budgets involved in the hobby, I think it's OK.
About the guys who purposely build crap, and keep it crappy....well they'll eventually go to another "fashion statement" eventually....

 

None of us want to see unsafe, thrown together junk. But we all have different ideas of what a hot rod should look like, (thank god they all dont look the same), and different budgets. Id rather see a daily that isnt finished show up at a show than a trailored in car thats just there to collect a trophy.

 

i agree 120percent. thats like the 27 t i built 2 years ago no paint just clear i got so sickof people around here sayin so and sos cars full of putty so is so and sos, that way when they seen mine there wasnt that stupid question how much putty ya got in that? ALL and i stress ALL my cars are bondo free,i will admit my 38 has some of that other dirty word init (fiberglass). i myself do enjoy these bare bones rides kinda lets ya know hey i didnt just buy a kit and pay joe blow to build me a trailer queen.

 

i think the trend was started by car show organizers that were desperate for an entry fee that they let anything in to collect a buck. and i can't get over this class called special interest...that's a category for trophy whores if i ever did see one.

 

This is a hard one! Hopefully I have stood tall in my limited posts and valiantly fought against all of Ratdom, but I do like to see unfinished cars at shows. Maybe because my imagination gets to finish it, and it actually seems better in my mind than it really is. I especially like photos from the early dry lakes days and many of those cars aren't what I would consider car-show finished. That said, I love to see cars that recreate or accurately represent that era at car shows. And I still remember the first all-primer custom I ever saw, it was very impressive to me. BUT don't be mislead, I am true blue anti Halloween hotrod. I can't stand the scrubline-offending super stretch limo chassis rust rods, nor do I get a big kick out of spiderweb nightmare machines that are all about the 'tude, not made by real car dudes. While I puke when I see a "bobber truck" (what IS that??) confused as a hotrod with on-purpose rust, I still like to see a roadster or coupe with some old cracked up lacquer or even...do I dare say it...flat paint. But not red wheels...

Also, no tolerance for unsafe junk rods with the crazy rakes and scrapy frames. Shouldn't be in a show advertising that it is OK to build a death trap. Just my opinion- don't worry, my cars are all clunkers.

 

Some people are proud to have what they have, wether it is old beat up jalopy or a high polished custom. Same as some people are proud of thier swuave modern hair do's, and some are still rockin the mullet like it's 1985.

 

Dont know who started it, but i like the idea of it.
always enjoy seeing a project in the making. even if its not my taste, I still like looking at the process.

 

So if it's not painted, it's not finished? I thought the hot rod community got over that one a long time ago...

 

If I waited until my car was finished to put it in a show, I'd never put it in a show.

 

I am not sure where it started but it has been going on for a long time that I know of. I have been going to car shows of various types (hot rod, vw, mini truck) and all of them have had unfinished cars in them since the 80's that I know of. Granted...it seems the hot rod shows in this area have seen a shift from the pastel colors to the flat black to unfinished in the last five years but there has always been unfinished ones in the smaller shows. About the only place I do not remember seeing unfinished vehicles would be the world of wheels shows.

I know that when I was into vw/mini trucks in the 80's we would take our vehicles to shows finished or unfinished. We were just happy it was on the road.

 

Let me revise my statement. I don't like seeing these so called hot rods either. But if someone like Bass wants to bring a sweet custom that is in progress or if Rusty Dirty31 wants to bring his 32 inprogress then I'm cool with it.. As long as the car is "in progress" and not just a piece of crap. I like seeing car in different stages of the build.

 

I am a picture whore and plan on making a photo album of my truck to toss in the cab for if and when I finally make it to a show in my truck.

one other trend I am seeing at shows is high dollar trailer vehicles that once used to be pastels/purples/lime green etc...now being painted suede black...that is pretty comical too.

 

So I guess you can't show a car show if your car isn't finished. Me personally I wouldn't enter a car show, but I'll show it and go to cruises. I've heard derogatory comments about my car at a cruise, as it's an unfinished flat black cruiser, but hey... it's on the road.

 

keeping the dream alive involves showing up with unfinished projects.

I have as much trust in painters around here as a fiance would a New York Governor. Yes, someday I will have to learn how prep to paint.

 

Here is a pic of Jack Stewart's Ayala / Barris 41 coupe from the early 50s at a show with the windows blocked out, cuz there was no interior.

 

I think Jake's tub was meant to convey a message: that a neat hot rod could be built from recycled parts and finished inexpensively. His taste and talent assured that its proportions were great, it was absolutely authentic, and it didn't take him years or megabucks to complete it. His example was followed by (too) many, and now there's a whole culture of unpainted/primered/mexiblanket hot rods. That's OK with me.

When a '50 Chevy shows up at the GNRS or other major shows with no grille, no bumper, unfilled trim holes everywhere, primer spots, what's the point? I can't believe that anyone, even the owner, thinks it's interesting to look at. Drivers (even unfinished) have a place in shows, but beaters don't.

 

I think its really good that kids can get there cars in to shows with hard work and not alot of money. As for everyone that lumps a flat colored car in to the "rat" catagory try to remember back when you was broke and putting your shaggen wagon together on heart and bloody knuckels. I would rather they were wrenching with there buddys or old man and spending there money on the heads they want then doing drugs and killing people. I would also rather see a primer or unfinnished car at a show then a bass boat with wheels "fiber glass"
nothing worst then sticking your head in a car and smelling what its made out of.
"Its not a rat because its flat"

 

I would imagine that alot of people get burnt out on their project and by bringing out what they have done to the public helps out alot to get the ambition going again. Among many other valid reasons which have been mentioned already.

 

I can remember back in the late 70s in local car shows they would give trophys out for unfinished cars. I would see people take there interior out before the show so they had a better shot at a trophy. talk about trophy whores so I know its been going on for so time

 

trophy whores show the simplest of problems here..... they want a trophy to put in their garage because they have the garage space or wall space because they havent collected enough parts to hang on the wall or stack in the corner.

I like unfinished cars as long as they are being progressed towards finishing. But if you pull up in a 50s caddy and its got original paint all worn down and the frame is freaking all custom and bagged and the chrome is pitted, yeah dont expect a freakin trophy but ill be over there droolin cause I can only imagine the history and future of the car.

Part of the shows is the imagination I have when I look at cars, its like a woman who is all dressed up, yeah she is totally gettin undressed by my eyes and stuff because I want her to look how my imagination wants her to look.

Its not the paint that makes a car what it is. Its the time and effort spent on the car by the guy who built it or modified it to his liking that makes the car.

 

I just like driving my car. Every spring it comes out of the garage with more progress done. It's nice to have folks come up to you and remember what it looked like last time they saw it. That, and it's hard to keep it in the garage when we only get 5-6 months of "not winter"

 

quite a few years back... 1994....early wood thingy...

Primered Hotrod on a MAG COVER?... in the 90's?

in a couple of other mags too..lol.. and yes it was finished

 

truest, most well stated, perfect fucking answer! kudo's to this guy, i couldnt have said it any better my self. screw all this flat black, red wheels on wide whites, with spider webbed bull shit and all your rockabilly/psychobilly rat rod scenester bull shit! keep it out of the REAL hot rod and custom culture... makes me fuckin sick.

 

different people have different taste, it gets tiring for me going from one sea foam billet to the next... Even if it is a great show there is bound to be cars that I think are boring (finished, unfinished, fiberglass whatever) isn't it nice to have variety? I agree that a lot of unfinished cars aren't that exciting, but many finished cars aren't either. When passion enters the equation you will have people who claim there is only one thing or the other that is worthy, a group of wealthy middle aged guys are gonna like a whole range of cars, that shoestring budget twenty somethings will hate and so on. Just like everything else, if you don't like car X, move on, if your craftsmanship and budget is so much better, they won't be much competition right? This ad was approved by me.