The HAMB: Where did it all begin? Give us a history lesson

No, no, no, he invented the internal combustion engine....

I was here long before Aaron showed everyone his pecker, before mud got banned including his jaffas and mercins, back when germ posted about cars powered by 223's and before hellfire was trademarked, before spudz' nuts dropped, when randaddy lurked, before Marcus went insane, when magazine writers got outed for being lurkers, Jason keeper of the gate, secret messages...

I just stumbled in from The Big Blue Car, I don't think that even exists anymore. I selected jalopyjournal in the links purely by chance and it changed how I viewed the internet ever since. I have been here like 6 years, never have I had a record like that at any website, the only one that comes close is eBay.

I have met many cool people here, made friends, this place is just the best.

 

I actually did not find out about the HAMB until I visited Per, Daemon, Halle, etc in Stockholm Sweden around Nov. '02 which shows on my profile thing to the left. Thanks to them, I have added another addiction, which am proud to say I frequest this place everyday. Per (RPW) was surprised I haven't heard of the HAMB so as soon as I got back home stateside I had to immediately join! Thanks to you guys!

 

you forgot the muffler bearings and blinker fluid and 4x4 cameros elc

 

I loved the pokeymon version, it ruled.....

I do not remember exactly what year it was (I was one of the first 100 - used to say in the profile in one of the early versions), but it was small and at times slow, but always fun .. I remember the TSR times and the period of jumping from provider to provider (pokemon version was one). changed names once early on and finally became Boones.... Not much drama and mostly on-topic post back then. you could post a note and it would stay on the first page for a day, not 5 minutes.

Man times flys....

 

Got here in '99 thanks Killer! I've been through all the versions of this place, changed my name once or twice, I miss the 4X4 Camaros, the mullets, MUD, ah the good ol' days

 

Interesting...always wondered...never thought to ask.

 

I guess I am like Skip and many others that found this board AFTER CKD came out and mentioned the place. But I didnt find it through CKD, I wasnt that savvy. I stumbled on the HAMB Christmas 99.

Where are the original fencepost, Hemikat, Justin, Chip and Greasergirl now?

 

I found out about this place during the flame wars with the RRT, it was about WWW's i believe. Seemed real serious at the time but is funny as hell looking back at it. I joined after the "war" died out but didn't post much after a while; too much ball busting and not enough car stuff for a while. I started building a more trad style truck in '99 and started lurkin' again then. My old screen name wouldn't work then so i finally signed up with this name recently. Some of the old stuff was too funny, but not real productive, this board is so much better now.

 

I stumbled in in 2000 I think

found a link while looking for David Perry pictures

came on asked if anybody knew where I might find some early Olds part or something.

I never saw such a torrent of verbal abuse in my life, directed at me!
I thought, fuck that, all them fuckers are insane!

but I did get an email with Aaron's phone number, called him in the middle of the day in the middle of the week and woke him and his girlfriend up, no parts but seemed like a cool guy.

went back out to the shop for a year or so, built a hot rod or two and stumbled back in again, have been here ever since.

so Ryan, you must have been what, 19 when you first started this in college?

 

Hey Ryan. You confused me with your timeline. The date under my name says 2001 but I remember Jason being in cahoots and a moderator, Aaron Von Penis and all of that mess. I was on before Hot Rod Deluxe etc. Did our dates all get jacked when we moved servers? It seems like I have been here much longer but I keep telling myself that my memory is failing.....

 

for me it is cool to see all of this as "collective thinking"
around the time Ryan started the HAMB was about the time I started warming up to the idea of trad.built cars. then as it progressed, alot of us progressed in time, but not neccecarily with the benifit of knowing what was goin' on here. I have been reading the HAMB for about 2 years now (mostly when I get to hang out with my buddy HRH) and only signed up this year. but Ironically enough, I know a whole buttload of Hambers across the nation that never mentioned that this was where they spent thier meager amount of free time.
Most of them are builders, all of them are buddies, and with the exception of the occasional drama, thier posts are awesome.
and now, it makes it so much easier to bust them stealing my ideas.I just ask 'em for pics!!

 

damn I must have got here around 99...The thing I remember most is that since I work nites I missed most of the fun....there were like 40 registered members...McPhail,VonFranco and some other names I can't remember used to post on here regularly...anyway like I said I work nights and it never failed all the good posts happened sometime after all the bars closed...maybe 2 in the morning. I would come home from workand sit and read all the fun stuff....guys just having fun...it really has grown up and out (just like me!)

 

Wow-in 95', I was a rave dj in Houston doing way too much X!
-there, I never thought I got sufficiently flamed!

I found out about the HAMB through Hami, strangely enough. I had emailed him about The Chupacabras, asking about membership, and he pointed me in ya'll's direction. I think I asked about a repair and Outlaw wrote me back and told me about Crushproof, which had just moved to it's current location. I've been learning and embarassing myself ever since!

 

I found the place by accident while searching for hot rod info....kept coming across shiney gawdy streetrod crap....then I found the JJ (allelujiah!!).........a year or so later, I found the forum. It musta gone soft by then 'cos I didn't get flamed/reamed/roasted or nothin'!

 

when i first read about the round up in trj, i looked up the hamb. at the time, i was using 'free' versions of ISP's, bluelight from k-mart, and excite's free service when that folded. when i got hurt, i had more time for computers, so i got a laptop and dsl, so i spend waaaaaaay more time here than i should.

the neat thing is meeting people that i've seen on the road and in magazines, mark's memory is better than mine (for some things),and he pointed out that we'd seen denise before, when her chevy convertible was attacked by a deer/ when was that?

i've also got pictures that i took of hamber cars at the first americruise in peoria. that weekend we went to the street nats in duquoin, too! a long and car filled weekend that cemented my feelings about the street nats, Special Events, and the hillbilly circus of Duquoin.

i sold my (very nice) chevelle and my 67 catalina mild custom and bought my 60 chevy. i've always been into big GMs, and my focus has really been narrowed, due to age, changing taste, TRJ (could still use more 60's era cars, tho ) and the H.A.M.B..

even my family vacation had a sidetrip to meet nads and draglinks mike. that was worth the trip itself! denise, rudy, grumpy (tim), jerry, scarliner, choprods, plowboy, frizby, mel, nick, joel (PPOC), cliffy, squablow, squigy, okiecockfighter...everyone i've met, talked to or dealt with through the hamb has been outstanding! thanks ryan, i'm glad i found this great place you made possible.

 

Root, after the crash and the Pokemon board,or sometime there after we all got March 2001 as our join date. That deal Boones mentioned about our "numbers" came at that point as well. I think I am 23 even though I came here 5 years after the first guys.

 

I found my way to HAMB via all these other elements-

-co-founded and co-ran Billet Proof from 1997 - 2002. Through that show I met a ton of traditional car guys from all over:
I met Aaron von Knuckles when he came up to cover the show in 99.
Got on his website and saw links to Jalopy Journal and TSR web page.

-Sent Ryan a mail in 99 also inviting him to the show. He couldn't make it but offered artwork and even sponsorship-- Stand up guy right off the bat. We became friends and finally met in KC in 02', I believe.

-Met Jason/Killer at Paso (I think?) and sent him an article on my 49 Lincoln for TSR #2 (1999?)

-Justin is a good friend of mine and was suggesting I actually sign up instead of lurking- This was in mid 2001 when the board was pretty much already going strong since the March re-do. I've been here ever since.
Dr Knobcheeze, Fecels the Clown, and so many more...

 

It's funny how I had booked marked the Jalopy Journal years before I knew about the Message board stuff. I remember checking in from time to time but nothing changed much, all the while the HAMB was a growing inigma.


Finaly, Mr Gasser told me about the "Hokey ass message board" one night at my shop. He told me how it was a link on the JJ site and I might like what the people were talking about. I didint' even know what a "Message board" was It's been down hill for me ever since , I'll get you back someday Randy

Thanks for all the effort Ryan.

And buy the way, I have met some great people here and some life long friends.

Rudy.

 

Me and Fraz found it in 2001. We were running a small puter store on Old Route 66 in Waynesville.

Will says "Found this cool site and forum for old cars" He was workin on a 48 Frazer at the time, and I had a 41 chev PU. We signed on and immediately started having fun.

The Frazer is in the back yard with the dog the PU is gone like Mud Germ and some others

EL C, Root, 48 Hemi, C9, Nads, and of course Germ and Mud made for some hilarious reads as well as Fecals the clown, the Vietnam guy, Long Dong john or something like that.

Sometimes my sides would hurt.
I don't have moochoe posts, but have read at least weekly. Different job now. Not as much puter time.

Anyway its still the best. Met many great people, Denise the queen of the HAMB, Kenny Choprods gave me my first roadster ride, and just hanging out and being with alla you guys and gals for many years.. The best

Remember

What iz yur dream ride? The thread that would not die..

Posers handed their asses and real people still here and loving it.

Better go
Best to all
Bill
VonDad

 

I showed up during the RRT/HAMB conflict. I was a member of the RRT and I keep hearing about the HAMB. I remember Ryan and Sam were in on the banter but I do not remember much more. We seem to all get along well today. One day I searched it out. Signed up some time after that. I usually check in a few times a day but I do not post often.

I have met so many great people through the HAMB and the RRT. Greatest shock was meeting Germ at Bonneville in 2002. Both boards have made building hot rods a lot easier for me. I try to pay back and help others when I can.

 

I was bouncing around the internet looking for old Buick shit. I've always been into old shit, and could never afford the nicer stuff...so everything got primered. When I started searching the 'net, I found the Sacred Karts, the Blue car one (where I linked up to the HAMB) and a bunch of other stuff...I was in heaven. I ALSO thought message boards were stupid as shit..for cruisin' for kids or homos something like that.

On this silly board, I've met soem really cool folks...started a car club with some locals that I probably woulda never met, bought a couple of cars, built a coupla cars I couldn't have without help, met some dumbasses from out of town that I met at some car shows and thought were some great folks, got into it with Warholian famous people, met germ, sold stuff, got old, blah blah blah.

Thanks, Ryan. Seriously.

 

I think it was 99-2000 when i found it, the board was white, with red or black text, very simple layout. Pretty slow moving, but interesting. I didn't post much, I just read a lot. I was at the RRT at the time, oddly enough white with red text too? Anyhow, it was so surreal when they had the blow-out, talk about 6 degrees of seperation. Seemed like the board was more about personalities then, now it's about hard-core information

 

just for you skip I found MUD in his 4x4 camero:

 

and ricky racer and his rockerific pomp in vegas:

 

and without further ado the mullet of the week:

 

HOLY SHIT! I owe you one bro, that is some funny shit and takes me back a few years!

 

So do they have to smuggle crystal into prison in some guys ass, or do they just cook it up right there?

 

was surfing around, looking for custom and hot rod sites, I found the Jalopy Journal thru some link, I forget where.
looked like a cool place, and they haven't thrown me out yet!

 

.........I was just late night "surfing," looking for cool car links. I wasn't into "chat rooms" & "message boards," but when I saw the little flipping bird gif. on the old HAMB, I thought this MUST be a cool place. I read a little and signed on. The "Intro-Police" were a tad mellower back then. They just asked for photos of my ride and a little about myself. I proudly posted photos of my PT Cruiser with wide whites and Moons (I was "Cool PT" back then) and the ass humping began. I humbly apologized and swore never to fuck up that bad again and have thankfully been allowed to hang out since.
Were I wealthy, I could never repay Ryan for all I have learned, the friends I have made and the fun I have had using this forum. I can only say THANK YOU and God bless you and your family..........(......and thanks to ALL of you!)

 

Being a rookie HAMB visitor, I have to say thanks to everyone for the good reading...
Being a newbie isn't a bad thing, is it?
Jeff