Taking The Stand...

I have a new found respect for defense attorneys now. Having served on Jury Duty once, I clearly remember watching the process with great interest, and being a part of it was stimulating and educational. The case in question was a sexual harrassment one, with charges being brought against a local doctor by a former aide.

The doctor's attorney made a simple, but lasting opening statement, and it speaks the Whole of what his job was all about. The meat and potatoes of it being to the effect of :

"I need do nothing here. I am under no obligation to say a word in my client's defense. The facts of the case will show him to be innocent, and these charges to be falsely brought forth by a spitefull and vindictive former employee.

I could say nothing, and simply let the case rest in your hands, and trust that you will see these accusations for exactly what they are, and dismiss the charges against my client.

But...life, and my job, are not so simple. In the hours and days to follow, I will be forced to present to you facts which will support my case, and in so doing will hurt the credibility of the Plantiff and call to attention facts and circumstances which will support my notion that these are malicious and ungrounded claims. In so doing, I will be forced to call out the Plantiff on several accounts of the truth, and present evidence to clearly dispute her account of what happened..."

Of course, he went on into some details more relavant to that particular case than to what I'm going to be driving towards here, but you get the idea. In a Perfect World, we would all be free to go about our lives and to make choices to take us in the direction(s) we wish to be headed. We would be given the freedom to do so without having to justify our actions and decisions to anyone but to those of us to which it is important, namely family, friends and close relations...people affected by or directly involved with the progression of our lives.

But, as the nameless lawyer pointed out, Life is not so simple. There are going to be instances where one party will make it a point to cast stones at another, and though the defendant is under no obligation to speak in his defense, sometimes lines have to be drawn in the sand, and one must fight to defend one's self...like it or not. This is NOT a perfect world.

As hot rodders, people who, by deffinition, take it upon themselves to modify and alter motor vehicles from factory specifications to suit our own needs, desires, persona tastes or performance goals, we often take for granted the weight of what we elect to do once we make alterations to an existing vehicle, or create new vehicles from scratch.

The automakers spend millions of dollars engineering their products as a whole, and spend many more millions of dollars insuring themselves against liability claims and hiring counsel to represent them in large scale, class action lawsuits, and in per-case specific allegations. They design, engineer, test, build then sell their vehicles to the public, and we hold them accountable for any real or imagined defects in said vehicles that represent real or imagined risks to consumer or public safety.

It's staggering, when you actually stop and think about it.

Given that these global manufacturing giants put forth so much effort into the design and execution of products that they feel at least reasonably confident will stand up to public scrutiny, it's almost inconcievable that any single individual would ever take it upon themselves to alter a production vehicle in any way. Tampering with what the engineers worked so hard to package as a whole, functioning automobile and making changes that will allow the vehicle to accelrate quicker, attain higher speeds, and corner harder seems to be an open invitation to disaster! It would propose to set ONE individual up to handle the brunt of attack should his or her automobile create a real or imagined risk to public or individual safety, wouldn't it?

But, we seldom think of it like that.

Instead, we justify what we do by citing the right to individual self expression when we alter a vehicle's appearance, and we often justify the modifications we make to the mechanical aspect of our cars by boasting that such changes, which often incorporate the addition of newer parts and/or technology, actually enhnace our vehicles and make them safer, as well as faster or better handling. In many cases, such logic carries a ring of truth to it, and serves well to provide a reasonable basis for the decisions we've made when deviating from stock.

I mean, it's hard to find anyone who will dispute the fact that a 1931 Model A Ford with a boxed frame, small block Chevy, disc/drum hydraulic brakes, new tires and 'modern' suspension will easily stop, steer and accelerate better than a bone stock 1931 Model A will with it's original four cylinder, mechanical brakes, ancient tires and 1920s suspension, right?!

In cases such as the one cited above, there is very little room for argument. Sure, the resulting "hot rod" will be capable of speeds a stock Model A would never attain, but it also will function better as a commuter vehicle on a modern public roadway in concert with a multitude of much newer vehicles. It could easily keep up with traffic, and...in the hands of a capable driver...it would also be able to stop safely and offer the driver and passenger(s) a reasonable chance of survival should the Unexpected happen out there on the road.

But, as we all know, there are cases that may not seem so cut and dried on the surface. With all the possible combinations of newer mechanicals into older production vehicles, the potential resulting creations are quite nearly limitless and without boundary. This is where things can get murky, and it will fall upon the indiividual to evaluate his or her creation and make the decision as to whether or not it is indeed safe enough to operate upon a public roadway.

We all look forward to that first, often clandestine test drive...the initial ride around the block after the days, weeks, months or years of building, tinkering, and creating come to fruition in the guise of a modified or built-from-scratch vehicle of our own design! These preliminary journeys are many times made somewhat hastily, with a few things overlooked in the interest of finally taking the controls for the first time.

That's understandable, and nearly all of us can relate to such a scenario. And...if we do so honestly, we will often admit to the mechanical shortcomings we paid no heed to on that first test drive. After all, such outings or normally short, and done with no or very little vehicle or pedestrian traffic around. In rural areas, such drives can often be conducted entirely upon private property, so the risks to public safety are effectively nill.

But, there comes a time, when one must make the decision as to whether or not what we have created is indeed, truly 'safe' for use upon public roadways. Thinking back to the magnitude of what each automaker must go through to get to that point with their offerings, it comes as no surprise that it is not a decision that should be made lightly.

So, we expand our test drives to take us further and further from home as we work out the bugs, make improvements, refine our design and upgrade parts as neccessary. Many times, we ride the edge of compromise, taking risks and tempering them with added care and vigilance behind the wheel as we go about this. It is soley up to the individual hot rodder to determine whether or not they feel that their creation is fit for use upon a public roadway, and whether or not they posess the skill and restraint to operate it safely as it sits at any given moment in time.

You can see the big can of worms that this topic can open up. It litterally calls into question EVERY hot rod EVER built by ANY individual or gorup of individuals, and places upon them the same incredible burden of responsibility that we place upon the automakers! Once we deviate from stock, we, in effect, relieve the automaker of all responsibility, and place that weight upon our own shoulders! After all...if you take what GM, Ford, Chrysler or any other manufacturer designed, engineered, tested and built...and you make changes to that vehicle's mechanicals, you have taken what they started with...a vehicle that they deemed safe at the time of production, and altered it to where it no longer performs as they intended. In so doing, you have taken it upon yourself to guarantee your own safety, as well as the safety of others whenever you choose to get behind the wheel of said vehicle.

That's a really awesome responsibility when you stop to think about it, right?

Add to all of this, the fact that what you do may very well come into question down the road, and it can put a damper on your enthusiasm for this hobby we call hot rodding. There are going to be individuals, both qualified and unqualified, who will take it upon themselves to cast doubts upon your integrity, workmanship and engineering...and they will seek to call you and your vehicle out as risks to public or individual safety. These individuals often carry an air of superiority about them, and may or may not have any grounds upon which to stand...but once they voice their accusations of recklessness or disregard for safety, you will find yourself on the defensive side of the coin as it is cast out into the street before a 'jury' of your peers.

It will come down to YOU, the individual hot rodder, to take the stand and to defend your actions and decisions whether you want to or not. You may no longer even OWN the vehicle in question, and the new owner may well be going about the task of taking what you've done and changing or altering it to better suit HIS individual needs and personal boundaries of safety...but, rest assured, there will always be those who feel the need to sit back and cast stones at you. You can take a few hits and shrug it off as ignorance, malicious rant or random acts of lashing out at anyone to elevate the accusor's status...but trust me, you will grow tired of such jabs, and will...however reluctantly, find yourself forced out into the open to stand up for what you know to be Right.

This is where I find myself now. Having built many 'hot rods' and driven them across countless thousands of miles amid other motorists, I feel fairly confident in my ability to put together a reasonably safe machine and operate it responsibily. I say this after 22 years of driving expereince with a clean record. Not ONCE have I EVER been involved in an accident that was the result of a mechanical shortcoming on my part, nor has any one of my 'hot rods' ever experienced a failure as a result of my modifications that lead to an incident resulting in personal injury or death to ANYONE. Sure, ther have been random glitches and inevitable quirks, but they often resulted only in inconvenience to ME...a part or system that needs to be fixed and/or upgraded to get back on the road.

I'm not saying that I haven't taken certain risks behind the wheel. Anyone who is even remotley HONEST with themselves will admit that they, too have operated a car above the posted speed limit, done burnouts on public streets, engaged in an impromptu 'drag race' here and there, or followed too closely to the car in front of them. It's Human Nature to sometimes take calcualted risks, and of that, we are ALL guilty at one time or another.

But, as responsible hot rodders, we owe it to ourselves and to others to engage in our hobby in such a way that the risks to self and to others are kept to a bare minumum. Should we choose to operate vintage cars upon modern public roadways, we should do so with all due care and respect for the vehicle's age, condition and mechanical limits. This is where safety becomes the responsibility of the driver. Once you have determined that your car is indeed fit for travel upon the various rodaways you elect to drive it upon, you take on the burden of responsibility when it comes to keeping it under control at all times. Cars are but machines, and as such, are subject to user input. The safest car in the world is still a deadly weapon in the hands of a careless, stupid or irresponsible driver, and cars of outdated vintage can be safely driven without incident by competent, alert and resposnible drivers. It is, in the end, a 'team effort' between hot rodder and hot rod...and neither half or the equation can accomplish safety upon the roadways...it must be the result of a decent car in the hands of a capable driver.

No matter how grand your efforts, or how good your intentions, though, you may find yourself taking fire from armchair 'experts' and individuals who have little or no grasp as to what it takes to build or manitain a car, and who themselves have personal shortcomings to eclipse by casting the spotlight upon you and your efforts. We engage in this hobby because we love it, because it is fun, and because we WANT to do it. It is indeed sad when what we do comes into question, and in some cases it rightly ought to. When a street racer veers out of control and kills a bystander, or when an overlooked component or system fails and results in injury or death, the case probably SHOULD be made public. Such instances remind us of the burden we carry whenever we build, modify or drive our vehicles, and should serve as constructive reminders as to what we must strive for.

In a Perfect World, the right to individual Self Expression and the Pursuit of Happiness would be unincumbered by the efforts of the Uninformed or Unqualified to squelch it, and we would be free to buil dand enjoy our cars as we wish. Life is NOT perfect, however, and sometimes you will just have to plant your feet and take a stand. You'll make enemies, and set yourself up for insult and ridicule, but to stand down and let such individuals take root and cast unwarranted accusations your way is to open the door for the vast and unsympathetic Public At Large to step in and attempt to destroy the way of life we hold so dear. If we allow ridiculous accusations and allegations to fly from within our very ranks, the inner turmoil only serves to strengthen the case for those who aould gladly seek to see hot rodding as a whole abolished completely.

Just like the 'class wars' between the "Street Rodders" and "Hot Rodders", or the conflict between musclecars and street machines and the more traditional world of rods and kustoms, this internal bickering only weakens our character as a whole.

So, I say to you...to all of you...think about what you're doing, consider the risks you are willing to take, and go about your way responsibly and enjoy this hobby we cherrish so much. Do so, however, with all due care and caution, and be honest with yousreslves about the limits of you and your machine(s). I didn't live this long and come this far through sheer dumb luck, and I am not able to stand here with all limbs intact, secure in the knowledge that my street machines have never hurt or killed anyone as a result of my tinkering or recklessness behind the wheel, but still, there are those who seek to call my personal freedoms and decisions out. I hope that you don't find yourself on the end of such petty and vindictive juvenile assaults, but should you be standing in a similar spot down the road, know that you sometimes have to speak up and defend yourself. If not for the sake of your OWN dignity and self pride, then for the good of all who seek to pick up a wrench and Dream.

We are hot rodders, we are a unique sub-culture which stems from the desire for creative self-expression, and yet, since the canvas of our particular 'art' happens to be functional automobiles, our pursuits carry with them a far greater responsibility than some picture hanging on a wall in some gallery. We must not only please ourselves with what we create, but we must enjoy our passion safely amongst the rank and file who have little to no sympathy for our way of life. Fighting for the right to enjoy that passion isn't always pretty, and it isn't always nice...but it is, unfortunately...neccessary.

Stand up for yourself, or lose all for which you have struggled to acheive.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.........what?

 

Fat Hack, the words you wrote are so true. I sure hope that I do not get jury duty and get that deep in thought about this though.

I guess this is one of the few freedoms that we have left, the right to take a car that was once deemed safe and modify it to suit our own needs, and hopefully keep it safe. I know that mine is as safe as I am, but several people ahve made the comment"that guy is crazy as hell to drive that". It's been on the road for four years and have never had a problem with it.
Thanks for the thought that went into the above post.

 

"I guess this is one of the few freedoms that we have left"


..and don't count on THAT forever....
watch what they're doing with bikes!

 

Me gots a car.

 

I didn't write that much in an entire semester!

 

Hack, I like all your post's... Except this one.

 

As always, well said!

 

Very true hack...............today were all ambassadors to this culture called hot rodding and thus we must through our individual actions take it apond ourselves to protected it with our conduct on and off the streets.
Hate to see tomorrows generation miss out on such a rich passionate treasure as this due to lawmakers, politicians, insurance companies and so called concern citizen's wanting to introduce legislature to control us and our rides!

 

Very true words.

I'm working overseas right now, but last time I was at home I got my hot rod as damn near finished as it will ever get, mechanically wise. I even rode it round the block a few times. But the truth is I was just too scared to drive it the 10 mile trip for inspection!!! (as you guys call it in the USA)

All I could think of was whether some weld would crack, some bracket fracture, some forgotten and overlooked steering system fastener unwind itself at a key moment and plunge my death car hot rod killer machine head on into an oncoming bus full of small children.

Paranoia??? Or a healthy respect for mechanisms and their myriad possible failings. Or a mix of both?

Who is wiser; the guy who drives happily into the sunset the moment his motor will fire up, with nary a spanner in his vehicle? Or the guy who spends days, or weeks, checking and checking every last possible issue, and packs every tool he possesses into his car?

But at the end of it all, the REAL question is:




Did the doctor fuck the bitch or not????

 

Ha Ha Ha, no...the Doctor was aquitted on all counts! The woman's own HUSBAND shot holes in her testimony when he took the stand as a witness, and her lawyer just shook his head and KNEW it was all over...the slim case he'd tried to build for her with circumstancial evidence was completely blown away when the husband answered the defense attorneys questions truthfully, unaware that he had just countered nearly everything the woman had said under oath the day before.

The judge even fought back a snicker at it all!

(She never accused him of fucking her, she was fired for improper conduct after repeatedly making crude remarks to patients, and she sought to 'even the score' by lobbing false charges of secxual harrassment at the doctor rather than moving on with her own life. Man, was she FURIOUS when the verdict was read, too! The doctor humbly thanked all of us afterwards!)

 

So Hack, is someone calling you out on your car crafting skills? Inquiring minds want (no, NEED) to know.


Frank

 

Yea, I think HRLC did.


Hack, you continually amaze me with your writing skills. When I first joined here I thought you were a self-depricating dork, but you have moved SO beyond that. You are an auto mechanic, right? I think you need to think about moonlighting as a journalist. 'Course that may be a step down on the pay scale, though.

I don't always agree with everything (or even most things) you say, but I appreciate that you say them.




.

 

Hack,
One of the things that prompted me to join The H.A.M.B. was the way you write about things. Keep writing.

 

I found myself condemned, yet again, for the way I built and drove my 49 with what the accusor felt were unsafe brakes. This, of course, coming from one who posted hours later about plowing into the back of an innocent motorist in a borrowed car, blaming total brake failure for the incident.

I would have bet my life on my Fleetline's ability to stop, and...in fact, I did...everytime I got behind the wheel. The car was my daily driver for months without incident or even a close call.

My cars aren't always pretty, and don't gain favor in the Elite Realm of Street Rodders, but I stand by my work and have faith in my ability to operate my vehicles safely. As I said, my record speaks for itself.

The idea that a car I no longer even OWN gets trashed, along with my abilities as a mechanic just finally wore on my last nerve, and I felt I needed to speak out on it.

For crying out loud, my ten year old niece rode in the car, and never ONCE was she in danger of anything more serious than possibly getting her clothes dirty! (But she's into that...an excellent garage helper who actually laid out the wiring and switch for the electric fan on the old Fleetline! To her credit, the fan always worked flawlessly as well!).

 

No ZZZZZZZs!
Just;

Except for the particulars of the case those are close to the exact words the PD used in the opening statement of the last trial I almost had to sit on.
Must be a standard opening statement for defense?

Except "we" deal with cars that, (according to Nader,) didn't have all that much care and safety design thought put into them. "Safety" wasn't an issue or something designed into cars until the middle 60's so, short of scraping them because the muffler rusted away and the factory discontinued the OEM part, isn't anything we do to improve the older cars in fact an improvement?

They are "locking" engine compartments on some cars so "we" can't tamper with them in this legal battle you are describing. Probably intensifying the threat to us in court to disprove a case against us...
I don't think anyone is fooled by that innocent till proven guilty myth...
More and more cars are being leased, call a pig a pig, people are renting cars from the factory, they come with X amount of included maintenance service in the lease package. This trend will eventually become a requirement and all cars will be "handled" by the manufacturers, and as soon as the manufacturers get enough fuckingpoliticians (that's one word) in their pocket, all other older cars will get their licenses pulled.
Enjoy our hobby while you can!
Soon you may just have a great big smelly coffee table trinket with four wheels.

Probably a good "for instance" to use in court as long as you don't have a bunch of "ban all dangerous cars for the sake of the children and Bambi" people on the jury.

I remember reading somewhere that John Buttera quit building race cars because drivers had been hurt or killed in some of them and he was loosing sleep over it.
No law suit necessary...


Interesting read...
Just this past Sunday I was thinking about if or how I would list or explain all my truck's idiosyncrasies and tricks to keep it alive or which parts came from what donor car to a potential buyer if I was to sell it. It could be a two day seminar!


How about an essay on the psychological character or even the typical political differences between "racer/hotrodders" and "cruiser/customizers"?

 

Its one of the things prompting me to leave...

 

Actually, we have the privilage to modify our cars, not the right. The only rights we have are outlined in the constitution. All else is at the mercy of the ruling class. (yes, the ol' USA has exactly that due to a lack of participation in American politics by the citizens) Maybe we should all join with SEMA to secure the automotive hobbies future. The passed over the years has been we would all just go racing. Race tracks are an endangered speiceis though. People not involved want us to stop. No other alternative, just stop. We are a hated tribe. No one outside of this interest has ever defended it without some sort of back scratching. The recent situation concening the titleing of self built motorcycles in Ca. should be very alarming to all of us. I don't know how those chips will fall, but such rules could be very restrictive.
Should this privilage be revoked, I happen to like old sports cars also, but it's not as fun.

 

"You use your tongue purtier than a twenty dollar whore."

 

We as a people need to start becoming something other than sheep again. Stop banning everything and use your common sense. You ban my cigarrettes, I ban your booze, the bambi lovers ban our cars. It feeds on itself and changes the culture. We all become PC sheep afraid to stand for anything. Here's a thought. Next time somebody wants to ban something, throw his ass out of the country to some rock in the middle of the ocean where he'll be happy.

The only people I fear are those who know what's best for me.

200 years ago our forefathers fought a war to free us from what we've become!
We've lost some more in the years between too.

Hack, lawyers are proffesionally trained people who take pride in convincing you the sky is green if it makes them a buck. What you need to do is reflect a bit then make the brakes on the next car better.

 

I guess you haven't been to Las Vegas lately

 

Everyone has their own opinions on what is safe in any given car and what is not. My opinion that "Hacks" '49 is/was unsafe to drive on the road with no front brakes at all is just that, my opinion and I'll stick to it. I'm also in the same camp that seatbelts are a must. I'm sure Hack's neice had hers on on her ride up to McDonalds.

I sure hope that wasn't the same ride up to McDonalds that you used a piece of wire as the throttle for the 4 block ride there and 4 blocks back. Did you at least crazy glue that piece of wood in the footwell so it didn't slip out from underneath her foot like it did on me?? Of course since she had her seatbelt on I'm sure she had no chance of falling thru the gaping hole in the floor. But if she did happen to slip through I'm sure she wouldn't have gotten hurt by the frame hitting her in the head as you rolled over her cuz it would have discinergrated once it hit her. (all stated sarcasticly cuz we certainly wouldn't want her to get hurt)

Yeah Hack, you car had issues, you even admit it over and over all summer long in your posts about actually getting wet through the floor when your driving in the rain, having to stick your head out the window to see, (what no rainX?), mysterious trans problems, etc. Everyone got good laughs at your posts but when you start to call folks on the HAMB "fools", your word not mine, for not wanting to purchase your pile, well, it just doesn't seem right.

In my opinion all cars should be built the safest possible and not having front brakes on a '49 is just not safe, again, my opinion and lots of others here. You are lucky nothing happened. Nothing happened or "your record speaks for itself", doesn't mean your car was safe. No front brakes at all is a whole lot different then just no duel master.

I really had no intention of making a comment on this thread but since it seems you wanted to single me out from all the others that also stated no front brakes are unsafe, well, I felt I wanted to again state my views. I also had no intention on "calling you out" on the other "issues" that '49 had but when you started in on that holier then thou streetrod bullshit well I came out with both guns blazing so to speak.

And that brings up another issue, you made a comment about me never designing a brake system or my own drivetrain, well guess what bud, you don't weld, use a plasma cutter or do bodywork so there. Everyone has their realm of comfort in regards to working on their cars and there is nothing wrong with buying a halfway completed project and finishing it from there. Everyone needs help doing things now and then, after all you did have help cutting out motor mounts and welding them up, right

You and I certainly have differences when it comes to our "builds" Does not mean one is "better" then the other or that one person is a better mechanic (you) and one is a better bodyperson (me) It just means that they are different and should be treated as such. If me "picking" on you bothered you so much I wish you would have said something, cuz I certainly would have stopped, and I will now. Not another word about your old '49. BUT if you ever do another car without front brakes I will call you out on it.

 

Amen, brother.

 

Hear Hear!!! I agree.

I don't smoke but I don't care if you do. You're an adult and you make your choices.

I don't drink anymore but I don't care if you do. Just use common sense and don't operate machinery when your drunk.

I don't use marijuana but I don't really care if anybody does so long as their not operating heavy machinery or trying to rewire my house while under the influence.

I don't own a gun but I'll NEVER try to infringe on your rights to own one. Less of course you're a drunk dope smoking felon.

I agree with Hack (even if it took me ten minutes to read it!) and Smoking Joe. Too much interference from forces that want to mold the lives of others to suit their personal preferences.

Who wants to go hunting?? (Yes you have to eat it if you kill it... it's only fair.)

 

This fits...

 

Thats one hell of a mantra. Aspects of that are relevant in our daily lives.
STICKY!

 

I think the title of this post says it all. I also know not all of us have the same resources to do what we would like to do. That being said from what I've seen on the Hamb Hack has taken advantage of what resources hes had and made them work...

He built a car on a budget.

My grandma used to say "you can only back so far"...

I think Hacks stand had nothing to do with brakes and more to do with an implicaton... and for that he was put on trail.

It was an more of a BLIND INSULT.

I think its bullshit. I like hack, I like what he stands for. He sits on the PURE side of hot rodding. Its a small town religion that the city slickers just wont get... and NEVER will...

I think everything the hamb stands for has less to do with safety and seatbelts and MONEY than building something yourself with the resources you have... for that hack RULES.

I got hooked to this place because I didnt have the money to ship my car off to a body shop much less buy a nice starter project. I wanted to learn how to do it... and DO IT myself.

Everyone has access to different resources, personality, money, friends, time, education, genetics, health, parents, etc etc etc...

The fact is... for some of us that are lucky enough to even have a garage there are 50 hambers who dont have one... building my shop I was reminded of this- its easy to be BLINDED by what you have... and spill your blindness on others in BLIND WORDS.

CANT YOU SEE?

 

Each car you build, modify or buy is a step on the ladder of your life. It's up to you to decide wether to go up or down that ladder or just sit there like a buzzard on a branch.

Confuzus has spoken!

 

I come from the background of, "if you have nothing nice to say, do not say anything."