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

When I got here, Ryan was still in college, Warpigg was working at a liquor store and Hot Rod Deluxe wasn't even born yet. Steve and Mud were at it daily, Germ was writing poetry and The Dirty Shirt Company was still in business.

So when was that? It makes me feel better knowing that I am not losing my mind......well sort of.

 

Came in at around Hamb 2.0.

Can’t remember how I found it. But when I stumbled in, and my first immediate impression was it was some scary underground group of Cali boys and burned out hotrodders. Further lurking found that this is exactly where I belong. : )

My interest has always been along traditional influences but not until I began following along with the logic and hot rod history here did I know how much I am a part of this mess.

Then I realize, although I am never enamored with notoriety, I find that influential traditional historic entities reside and lurk here. At that point I knew I’d never Show my face for fear of not being able to contribute. I realized later that everyone has their own little niche and I had more to learn here than share. So in I jumped…

Yes, I too like Denise actually thought Germ was an alter ego of Ryan.

And need I say it again. Ryan, thanks! This place could have made you a rich man and because of your kind heart and kindred spirit you have fulfilled your dream and spread the word worldwide. The rest of you guys are burnt out gay Cali boys.
pj

 

I found the HAMB while searching for really cool PT Cruisers.

I'd like to see a Pro Touring version that's lowered four inches, sectioned three inches and chopped four, with a sectioned '37 Ford grille, '37-'39 Ford headlight lenses and surrounds, single-stage black paint, Tommy Otis flames, a chrome-moly tube chassis with Indycar-inspired suspension, and a hand-wheeled aluminum gullwing cargo door that swings up to reveal the 12-point roll cage and the Hilborn-injected 340 mounted to the ZF transaxle. The wheels would probably be new Halibrands, but I can't decide between the ones made in Mexico or the ones made in China.

Dave
http://www.roadsters.com/

 

Now THAT'S traditional !

 

Thanks to everyone, this thread is a great read.

And more thanks to Ryan for this great place to follow what the real world is doing with traditional hot rods. Oh, how is the new little HAMBer doing?

I found this place by doing a Google search looking for something for my RPU project. They had some thread that was tech about what I wanted to do. That tech thread was great! I went back to the home page and I've been hooked ever since. That was early 2005. I know I am part of the great unwashed who have joined this year, but all of you have made me feel right at home.

Thank you.

 

I was familiar with the Jalopy Journal site, but never saw much happening there. I seem to remember a link to the HAMB and I think it was mentioned in Rod & Custom, but Message Boards are Hokey and the word Ass offends me so I never even looked at the HAMB. Until one day... I'm doing a search for "rat rods" and run across pics of the 1st HAMB drags at MO-KAN, I log in and love it. And here I am.

 

I too thought message boards were for weirdos. My buddies Abomber30, Randy D, and irritant kept talking about it so I started lurking around for about a year before I joined. I never really felt like posting because I knew Jack Shit about cars and didn't want to feel like a dumbass. I took a better position at work that left me with some time to kill, so I figured what the hell.

After my intro, my first post was on how I was going to build a weird ass truck and everyone told me I was stupid, it would look like shit, and it would never happen. I miss those days. Ha Ha Ha

 

dude, I think yopu got me by about a year or more. ?

 

Yeah, I think the oldest date it shows for anyone is March 2001 because everyone's stuff got wiped out for version 2.0- Aaron Von Pee Pee was the best entertainment ever! Liked his letter in the new CKD giving them props for "keeping his vision alive" and "when he started Hot Rod Deluxe". Truth be known he wasn't involved when that deal started and was a suit wearing ad salesman that came in at the very end and started his own cottage industry selling HRD merchandise out of his office after the title was already dead and cold. Anybody else care to re-write history??? It's just like when I was the first one to pull the fenders off a '32 Ford....

 

come on redondoRodder we know you ran out and used a pump to change your oil on your car after that tech piece.

 

In '96 I was working as an art director driving my Model T truck to work everyday (same flat gray paint but had red steelies). One day at work I found the Dirty Shirt Company while I was looking for vintage porn. Junebug was suddenly a design God to me and I started designing a website in the same vain but with more cars. While searching for content I hit the Jalopy Journal link and realized I should give up then because I had just found what I was trying to build. I remember emailing Ryan at the time and harrassed him for putting cars of this caliber out in public for the masses to see and how totally wrong it was and exactly how much I loved it.

Sometime after that the Hamb started. Everyone used there real names and a dozen posts a week was a HUGE deal and ya'll know the rest. I've never posted lots but I've read it all and I still love it.

Tman, I remember when you started posting on the T-Bucket board and how screwed up everyone thought you were and then when you showed up on the Hamb I knew how screwed up you were.

 

I never got "outed"...Ryan knew who I was from the get-go. Although, some little prick had the nerve to call me a pompous ass, but I took care of him! Anyone remember "dumass" or "Asshole"? The days of IP private detectives? Internet Nostalgia

 

I signed up way early on and didn't post, found it through the big blue car and just kind of lurked for while.... LMAO when someone would post something silly and get chewed. So I was a sponge and sat back. Met Aaron at VLV in 2000 (i think it was 2k) and he pretty much was an ass because I had long hair at the time. Fuck that.... when I started posting it wasn't so bad, I miss those days...

 

Ben, I didnt post on a T bucket board . I got my first computer and found the HAMB at the same time. Thanks for thinking of me though

I do remember being an asshole to enjenjoe and kustomd before I got the fact they knew what they were talking about!

 

I've read a lot of stuff that made me spit coffee on the keyboard here over the years, but that one takes the cake.

Takes guts to admit to something like that on here.

 

How about babysitting the infamous "mule"?

I still have the Ver 1.0 work shirt, as well as an "antique" Atomic Industry t-shirt.

 

I wish Ryan still did editorials on a regular basis. One of my favorites was "These editorials aren't for sale........."

Was that the weekend at the garage when you got inked by McPhail?

 

Whatever happened to the Go Away Garage? I heard the city shut em down because of zoning ordianances?

 

Despite the bad rap McPhail gave Wichita, the Go Away erased all my visions of mullets and monster trucks...until McPhail started hanging out there, and his elder son became a guitar tech for Deadbolt.

Oh, and I almost forgot about Ryan getting tattooed there! Whiteboy was lookin mighty white that night!

 

My two cents, Been here about five years give or take. Stumbled onto the JJ and sent Ryan a sketch of my vision for my "63 Grand Prix. He told me I should check out the HAMB. To which I replied , HUH? So he schooled me on where to look on the JJ and the rest is history.

Why does the song "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" keep running through my head? lol Met a lot of great folks, in person and on line. I think if this place is for you, once you arrive it's like finding home again after being gone for a long time.

Thanks Ryan

 

I can't remember how I found the Jalopy Journal, probably looking for car pics or old pin-ups. I found the JJ around 98-99 I checked back a few times before those four letters (H.A.M.B.) got my curiosity up and I clicked the link.
I went through a couple usernames before (LEED, SST56Ts1) before I signed on as Oldtin, I probably have the lowest post count for the amount of time I've been here, but I have laughed and learned a lot over the years. I always check the board at least twice a day, and post when my gray matter recalls something of use.

 

I was on another message board and I thought I was talking to a police officer... turns out it was a 14 year old girl pretending to be a police officer... Man, was I pissed!*

That's when I signed up on the HAMB... Hardly any 14 year girls.

I was looking for Roth stuff back about 2000, and found the Jalopy Journal. I actually came to know the HAMB from RRT, I didn't know they were connected before that... I go back to RRT when I have questions about disc brakes.

*click here

 

Seems there are alot of you guys with Mar 2001 start dates. Leads me to believe that was some sort of default date. Maybe a version change?


I stumbled across the JJ while doing some graphics work in a former life. I think it was late 99. Checked it for a while. Lost my job and my computer.

Got a new job and computer early 2000. Got a divorce. Lost my computer.

Got another one and started checking the JJ again.

Then MONKEY told me about the HAMB early 01. I checked it a bit but my computer was slow, the board was slow, my internet was slow so I checked in rarely. I do remember the RRT flame wars or were they the SPS? I remember when HLRC came over with some dickhead dogging her every move.

I lurked a bit, then finally got a laptop and with nothing else to do on my business travels, logged in. Got ass-raped by DrJ right of the bat. Attempted the typical newbie internet bravado and got ass-raped some more. Then looked back at my lurking years and wondered why I didn't learn.

I received a PM from someone, pretty sure it was Sailor who straightened out my head and was off to the races. Kinda miss the newby bashing days, too bad there weren't more that could take it and learn from it.

The rest is history...

 

First long trip I took with my Roadster was to a Goodguys show in Scotsdale.
Couple of days later my buddy Ron ( Hot Rod Ron ) called me.

" There are pics of your car on the HAMB..."


"What is the HAMB?"


"It's a Website I'm on..."


"What's a Website? "


He came over and showed me on my Girlfriends Computer.
Since then I bought my own Computer, which has now been replaced by a faster Computer...

I never thought that would happen.
I spent about 15 minutes on a Comodore 64 when it was current, and I thought it was a useless piece of shit.
Turned me off Computers in a big way...

 

I think my old Vic20 is still at my folks place. Only thing it was good for was crude games. I didnt know what a message board was until I found the HAMB.

 

Are you sure you didn't think you were talking to a 14 year old girl and found out she was a police officer? I think it happens that way alot more than vice versa.

I found out about this place when someone posted a HAMB link on Club Hot Rod. That's also how I found out about Forwardlook.net. I've never been back to CHR but thanks to whoever it was that posted the link.

This is one of the most interesting threads I've read in a while. I had no idea.

 

I used to read the "Journal" back in the mid/late 90's...then my hard drive crashed and I was computer-less for a couple years.

I kinda forgot about the whole deal until about 1 1/2 years ago when I suddenly remembered the "Journal'...and I've been posting stupid stuff since then...