Folks Of Interest The Changing Scene of our hobby

Hobby? Scene? Shit, man. It's just old cars. You either dig THEM or you don't. Best thing you can do is head out to the garage and build something. Others may find you and if they don't, keep wrenching. Make your own "scene".

Gawd I hate that word. Sounds too much like.... "FAD".

 

I'm sure the scene has changed, and that's OK. I would hope it would. If it didn't it would probably die out entirely!
many weekly cruises have gone away but you can buy a brand new '32 ford 5 window now.
Swings and roundabouts I guess.

 

There is a group that meets on Sat mornings (Pismo Derelicts) that still draws a good crowd. I make my own cruises with my furry friends to the beach a few days a week of retirement - man do they appreciate that! Get lots of thumbs up and conversations about 'old cars' when out and about. Thank God there are still old cars around that will keep up with traffic and never show a 'check engine light'

 

My senior year in high school we had a "car club day". Everyone in a club was allowed to wear their club jackets to school. 4000 kids in that school and a very large percentage of the guys were wearing jackets. I'll bet today you'd be hard pressed to find 20 guys in that school who know how to change a tire. The times they done changed.

 

In 1970-71, I built a '37 Chevy Coupe, with a 283, it was a lonely place for a Hotrodder, not really any events or gatherings around here at that time. Now from April through October, it's impossible to attend all of the events. It's sad loosing friends I have met through the hobby, along with the loss of the knowledge they take with them. Time moves on, and change is on the way, but until then, I am going to make the best of it, get my projects completed and enjoy them !

 

I've been a car nut for over 60 years. I built my first car from junkyard junk by necessity. I couldn't afford a good car. I loved the old Fords but I'll confess to being a traitor. In '63 I defected and bought a shiny new 427 Ford. In '70 I bought a Torino Cobra. The writing was on the wall for the muscle cars though and shortly thereafter I rejoined the ranks of hot rodders. They informed me that they were now street rods. I didn't like the name and called my ride a hot rod. In my time I've seen the market shift radically. I've junked a million bucks worth of cars that I couldn't imagine ever being desirable. I see this same thread on the Model T forum. All the restorer types are dying off and they don't see any new interest in stock T's. Like someone said, enjoy it for yourself in your time and don't worry about what will come after you're gone.

 

I have been enjoying reading the posts here on this post. Being a car nut for around 50 years(since 1968),belonging to two car clubs(Christian Rod and Custom, High Desert Roadsters) and not participating in either one much at all. It seems that time changes things including my priorities. Some of my past friends haved moved,passed away and I tend to spend more time with family. I still have passion for old cars,hot rods,and etc.I try to instill my passion for cars to my grand children and great grand children.Because I know my time here on earth can end anytime, so i enjoy my 40 ford pickup and 41 ply conv at my convenience (store,restuarant,lowes,cruise night...etc). Also I attend GNRS,LA Roadster Show and others.I enjoy my life and I hope you do too.

 

I drive my cars. I enjoy them. I'm fixing to turn 58 in a couple of months, and there are still a few guys around here close to my age that are into cars, too. There's even a few younger guys that have 60's and 70's stuff, but that's what they can afford. Anything decent that was built prior to 1960 has a price tag that is out of the reach of the young guys, and if it's got a good price, is usually beyond their skills to fix. Just like some of you over 65 guys have said you built your first cars from junk, the younger guys are doing that too, it's just newer junk, the pre 1960 stuff has all disappeared for the most part around here. So, they take what they can get if they don't want the newest 4 door 4 banger with the fart pipe. It's true, the older guys are leaving us too fast, taking their knowledge with them in many cases, but one day it will be our time for the dirt nap. Take life one day at a time, for we're not promised tomorrow.

 

the Southeast Gassers are doing their part to keep the hot rods alive. There are several 20 something guys either racing or building period correct gassers. They get it that the old days were the best days.
That group is not just for old farts.

 

Hey Chuck,
Back in the early high school days, there was a section of the curriculum specifically laid out for classes like Metal Shop, Auto Shop, Jewelry/Crafts, and Wood Shop. Over the years, the curriculum changed over to "all academic college bound." One by one, in order to meet the goals set out by the state education curriculum, those cool classes started to drop out. Today, in So Cal, anyone would be hard pressed to go to a school that has an Auto Shop class. There are some still surviving, but most schools changed those classes back to academic classrooms.
The thought behind this move back in the 80-90's was that academic instead of technical was the way to go. This one fact was responsible for many to not pursue being a car guy/girl. The only way to learn these days is to find that one high school that has an Automotive Class curriculum or go to technical school outside of the regular neighborhood high school.

Junji
Or the option is to have a dad or grandfather that shows the next generation the hot rod culture. But, still, it may not be enough. "Times they are a changing..." Bob Dylan's lyrics still ring true to this day. They can be applied here for sure.

 

For sure Junji. I have 2 grandsons, 2 sons in law and 2 nephews nearby. The best I can get is 1 nephew that likes diesel pickups but can't work on his.

 

You gotta do it first and foremost for yourself. You don't need a club or an organized event if you love old cars. As a teenager in a small upstate NY farming community, my '47 tudor with a 283" was built with little books and dreams, not with anything more than advice from a NASCAR guy who owned a welding shop. I didn't care, I had the "bug" and it is a lifelong addiction. Some of my best times these days, I am 74, are driving the coupe to the grocery store and talking with folks who tell me they rode in one, came home from hospital in one, or honeymooned in one back in the day. Our "cruise nights" now are the going for an ice cream or maybe chili dogs for lunch. Maybe we'll see other cars, maybe not, doesn't matter. I don't drive my '40 to show it, but rather from the enjoyment of being at a stage of my life that I can own and drive anytime I want a hot rod like those I saw in the magazines at the cigar store in the 50s. The Good Lord has blessed me with that.
Just enjoy what you have and if posting pics on FB of how it "used to was" is your thing, well good for you. Some of those people may be like me, being a caretaker for a loved one, and can't get out and go to events. And yeah, my grandsons won't be hot rodders. One is into Dragons and Dungeons, one is into dreaming of Lamborginis, and the third feels a car is just a conveyance. Their world, they are entitled. My father wasn't a car guy, but he felt if that was what I wanted it was fine. My mother always thought it was great because she knew where to find me on a Saturday night, all greasy in the shed out back.
So to end this "sermonette", let me emphasize what a lot of said on this thread. Enjoy what you have today in any way that pleases you and to hell with moaning about what tomorrow will bring. We can't manage time or change, only manage how we respond or don't respond to it.
Things have changed in the last 70+ years since the greatest generation came home from war and built the first wave of hot rods. But I know some young people here in NH, onekoolcat for example, who still carry the torch. Is it like American Graffiti out there in 2017? Probably not but then for some of us, where we grew up in the 50s,
it wasn't back then either.

 

I was convinced that the hobby had gone down the drain by 1970 and then when I was stationed at Fort Holabird MD. we went into

 

You OK Lou? Looks like you stopped there in mid-thought?

 

KiwiJeff Wrote:
This may make me sound like a prick, but I'm only interested in what I like, I've no interest in how the car scene will change after I'm dead, or who will carry it on.
I don't care if anyone likes my Hot Rod, it's cool to me.
I like that I can find like minded people here though.
Most of the guys in my old club are more street rodders, so I don't hang with many of them.

I've never understood the dislike on here toward Street Rodders. I've tried to figure out the difference in interpreting how one views a rod and it's difference between a Hot Rod and a Street Rod. Is it it's paint, the amount of chrome, or how much money you have in it. NHRA is drag racing, NSRA is Street Rodding. I'm sure the moderators will pull this post also, because they don't like drama on here, so I guess I'll never really get a grasp of how people think on here. But until this gets pulled, I'd love your thoughts as to what makes them different.

 

I don't know guys, my experience around So Cal is that the hot rodding spirit is alive and well with younger folks. Sure there are those into the import car scene, but I think there is a strong and growing interest in hot rods and customs among those in their 20's and 30's. Maybe it's a trend that hasn't reached your area yet, or maybe you just aren't seeing it because you're keeping your eyes closed. Don't expect them to be sporting pompadours, white t-shirts and cuffed blues jeans though, or gold chains and sitting around in lawn chairs. That kid in the Pendelton and baseball cap with earrings and tats, that's the next generation of hot rodders, accept it and offer him a hand shake and friend ship, and start helping him learn about traditional rods and customs.

 

I'm 75 and still building (see 49 Buick and 33 Dodge coupe here on the HAMB) All I can do is keep working on the projects and help younger guys whenever I can. I can't control whether the generation behind me is interested but, if you look at the posts on HAMB there still must be plenty of them. Yes, the Friday and Saturday night cruise centered at a local drive in is a thing of the past, but events such as the Stray Kat 500 or the Torque Fest run by the young guys continue to grow.

 

o deliver the

The cat was helping me type and he is not that good/Thanks....

 

I think that street rods - traditional hot rods - and rat rods share DNA, but are not exactly the same species.

Like homo neanderthals, homo erectus and homo sapiens, they do come from a common ancestor.

Also like these subspecies, over millennia the lines were blurred, as they cross bred, so many individuals did not fall cleanly into a single category.

Some street rods ARE traditional hot rods, so are some rat rods

Some are not


So YOU tell ME;
Was this indeed the first traditional hot rod?

And if THIS guy tells you to "look but don't touch" his '32 Ford coupe at a car show.....what are you going to do?

 

Clunker, been watching the National Geographic channel again?
First low rider?

 

You beat me to it, I have the same cartoon posted on my wall !

 

i was thinking about this very topic recently:

1) The first thing is that i believe the SBC is not THE engine anymore. Ok, if you still look at it in sheer numbers, it still is the most popular engine out there in hotrodding. However, from a current standpoint, the "go-to"/most popular engine for swapping these days seems to be the LS engine. Nothing inherently wrong with this.

a) Also, for the younger guys (and i would define "younger" for the purposes of this discussion say under 30) seem to be more into hondas/imports. Nothing really wrong with this.
i used to work with a few teens and they seemed more focused towards imports and one of them didn't even know what a Pontiac was. And even then, they weren't really hard-core about it; That is to say, i don't think the younger crowd is really that much into cars regardless........

With both of those above engines, you are dealing more with fuel injection/computers. You generally are not going to bolt a holley to either of those engines (although technically you could). Instead, you are going to get the laptop out and noodle with the engine that way. It's just not the same.

2) i feel the SBC really made hotrodding what it is. So, IF the SBC becomes less and less popular, so then will hotrodding become greatly diminished.

Then again the SBC may enjoy a resurgence----if newcomers realize how simple/universal and adaptable it is.

Who knows?
More later...

 

I just turned 81 and live outside Allentown, PA. I belong to the Over The Hill Gang of PA. We have around 25 members and about 85% still drive street rods.Still a lot of rodders around this area. I lucky.

 

Cool Hotrod Dick...Happy Birthday. May there be many more...share a bigger pic of that Terraplane with us...such a cool name for a car.

 

When I look at the hobby, I see some conflict. The guys/gals who like to build do not usually enjoy setting at a show and talking for hours to people who say they want but don't do. Yes, it's fun for a while but those dreamers don't put forth the effort to learn the basic skills, tools and knowledge. I can take a unique car only to have someone come up and tell me about his buddy, family member or neighbor that had one just like it. We just stand there and agree as our wives roll their eyes. It is refreshing when you meet new talent or can help someone who is really trying but needs some guidance or tools. It remains to be seen if the gameboy crowd ever develops the perseverance to see an idea through the drudgery that goes along with completion of a task. The hours spent perfecting the sheet metal or tuning out a flat spot or finding a squeak doesn't lend itself to the instant gratification they thrive on.

 

My future son in law is a Hot Rodder/street Machiner. He's early 30's.
He can do pretty much anything I can do, and we kind of compliment each other with the things each of us might find a bit more difficult.
In addition he can cruise thru EFI and computerized wiring systems like hes hooking up a couple of stereo speakers. Thats a language I don't speak.
He has a close bunch of friends who are also into various styles of cars, not necessarily Hot Rods, and they all co-exist together while helping each other out.
I'm so much reminded of my friends and I back in the 80's that its scary.

My little corner of North America is surprisingly rich in car enthusiasts (and vehicles!) of all sorts, as it seems are most, if not all of the Atlantic provinces. EVERY weekend during the summer is a show weekend...sometimes multiple shows on the go.
Regular cruise nights during the week, and any time you're out for a drive you will get waves from other enthusiasts in their vehicles as they cruise around too.

Reading this thread has me realizing just how lucky we are around here!
Come on summer! LoL

 

I was convinced that the hobby was over until I was stationed at Fort Holabird MD. and while escorting the payroll from a bank in Dundalk noticed the first Street Rodder magazine for sale in the window of Dundalk Rexall and realized that the game was back on....

 

The other thing that is not helping is that most car shows (TV, not physical shows at venues) are SHIT. (Although, come to think of it, the venue shows are shit too, but that's a whole 'nother topic.......)

The shows are only concerned about stupid music, flash, the hosts trying to act funny/witty (and they aren't funny OR witty). Only glossing over things and NEVER getting into any detail whatsover.

See, i think there needs to be a car show on PBS, much like "This Old House." If you are familiar with that show, it's 4 guys who really know their stuff and they get into home improvement projects and really EXPLAIN in detail how/what/why they are doing.

If the younger crowd (or anyone for that matter) sees how something is done, they would be more apt to try it themselves? Wouldn't you agree?

 

I agree with you. Less drama is better. A PBS style show would be awesome. I would pay for it on itunes.

Roadkill and Hot Rod Garage and some others on Hot Rod Network are pretty good and closer to what you are talking about than watching some half-simians arguing about how to sawzall sheet metal, or some mouth breather posting videos on youtube of his car idling for 10 minutes without saying a word.

I rarely get to watch tv that's not for the kids, but when I do I'll sneak in some Hot Rod Garage, Roadkill, or GOT, maybe some Walking Dead......


Give it a shot (. www.hotrod.com/videos/. )

If you are taking about Freiburger trying to be funny and flashy, I kinda agree with you, but I also kinda think he is funny.

 

^ Try and catch "Ultimate Restorations" that's on some PBS stations.....good stuff.