The state of traditional hot rodding at end of decade?

G'Day Guys

It's been a while since I logged on to the HAMB - but I have lurked a bit over the last coupla years. I'm currently working on the interior of my 27 roadster project which I've built from scratch over the last 5 years. I received a lot of help and encouragement from Hambers over that period so thanks to you all.

I used to buy literally stacks of mags and DVD's - Mad Fabricators, Rolls and pleats etc but kinda lost interest after several years.

The last Rod I remeber really sticking in my mind was the Back Seat Betty - very cool.

Can any one out there fill me in on whats been the main trends and more interesting cars over the last 2-3 years?

Cheers

Steve

 

I'm hoping more quality and less rat rods in the new decade. I think it's cool to have affordable old cars, but not junk with trendy doo-dads added on. I think there is still room for affordable cars to be built if you have the skills, ingenuity, creativity and some good connections.

 

Nicely put. Lets hope some of the crap from the past decade disappears...

 

I totally agree

 

The less rat rods and stupidly low channeled A Tudors there are in the future the better.
As for traditional Hot Rodding? Its easily in th best shape its been in since it was simply just 'Hot Rodding'.

Doc.

 

How ya doin' Flattiesteve! Good to have you back! Nothin' has changed that much. As far as "trends" go, most of the guys here don't follow 'em. '40s, '50s, and early '60s traditional styles still rule...just maybe even more so now. Comet is right...the gimmick-laden cars have kinda fallen out of favor...you know...the "R-rods". Skulls, German crosses, spiders, and such are not seen quite as much as ten years ago. Channeling a car to death is also not as common or cool. Do some more searching and look at some of the rides the guys have been building recently...you'll see. Good luck - Rick

 

I can't stand the thought of how many decent sedans and truck cabs have been destroyed in the last five years.

 

I'm hoping the next decade brings a trend of 'rescuing' old,abandoned rat rods (as that trend dies). Every time I see a potential hot rod all goobered up with skulls and spider webs, my first thought is 'How could this be saved?'

 

Come to Australia.....it's still on the up I'm afraid. Just fat street rodders that think swapping tyres or building a shitbox with a crap paintjob to be in the "in crowd". I'm still trying to figure out why they think looking cool (and I use that term loosely) MAKES them cool.

 

I dont know if this is a trend or not, but cars built in the "sinister" as Ryan puts it 30's and early 40's style really does it for me. See attached build from a (then) 23 year old...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379651&highlight=sinister

I would LOVE to see more cars build in this style and period.

 

Yep
Lars

 

I'm seeing more and more speedsters that look more like street driven county fair racers. I built the yellow one 15 years ago and I'm gathering parts for another one.

 

I agree

 

The end of this decade is at the end of 2010. Ask this question again in twelve months. 2000 was the LAST year of the 20th Century! The year 2010 is the last year of the first decade of the 21st Century.

BTW, R*tR*ds will become more scarce, since the people "building" these abominations will turn their attention towards things they are good at, like building meth labs and such.

 

I don’t even understand what the idea of ruining a car and turning it into a r rod is all about. I go to tons of car show, cruises, meets, etc. and when I see one of these disasters I grab my son by the tshirt, turn off my camera and walk away. Fortunately I have met people like Dirtyest Devil out here in Jersey who are not only building traditional rides but are also studying the history. Thanks HAMB. Slim

 

My favorite car from the last couple years was stripers lakes modified. very good and picture heavy build thread. turned out pretty awesome. its worth the 24 page read.



http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282490&highlight=lakes+modified+downunder

 

From what I am seeing, there's much to look forward to.

Gone are the days of the Boydster, swoopy stuff

Gone are the paint jobs from the 80's and 90's, all re-done by now.

"Street Rodder" magazine has waaaay fewer high $ chainer stuff.

The "used to be mini-trucker" guys have moved beyond the r-rods and are starting to "get it".

Indoor car shows are slowly coming back (!!!!!!)

Lots of younger guys can be seen attending events such as El Mirage and Bonneville. Enthusiasm mixed with respect is always a perfect recipe.

The big ghetto wheels are now, well, going back to the ghetto or the neighborhoods of the terminally dumb.

The stupid-billy "scene" will slowly go away with the cost of pomade going up and aging "hooligans" looking increasingly stupid when they turn 40 and they still are sporting tattoos of skulls eating pistons.

The Orca-Betties will go away, too. Either ill with weight related health issues, no longer looking cool in wheelchairs with oxygen tanks attached, or no longer being invited to events due to their constantly being mistaken for Rosie O' Donnel.

Things are looking up!
I believe that the next decade will be one of the best.
Culture will be replaced with respect and craftsmanship. That trend is already in full-swing.

 

at the start of 2000 i saw the younger crowd building thrown together rusted out junk, and loving it with a passion that i had not seen in many years. as i watched the older crowd cringe at the thought of their sport going in a different direction i thought to myself, with some direction, these guys will grow into some really good hot rod builders in a few years. i hate to say it, but i was right. as a builder i have trained my self to watch what is going on in my industry, and what i see coming up is exciting. every day here on the HAMB i see raw talent pouring out of small town shops and garages. i have no doubt the world of hot rodding is in good hands. we, the younger generation, need to keep one eye on the past while allways moving towards the future of our sport.

like has been stated before, rat rods are going away, and in their place are tradional hot rods and customs being built with the same passion that drove the forefathers of our sport. now that is exciting!

i wish all of you a blessed new year.

NOW GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND BUILD SOME HOT RODS!

-danny

 

Mazooma I sure hope you're right. I'm in my 50s and from what I see hotrods have gone the way of the 60s muscle cars. Only affordable to people who are well off or old timers who built them back in the day and still own them. Egay & Barrett/Jackson, etc have caused "investors" to get involved and driven the prices through the roof. Look on Craigslist. Unless it's a local thing here on the east coast, you'll find all kinds of stupid ads for crap like 74 Maverick 4 door "hot rod" project $4000. Anything that actually does have hotrod potential is so overpriced they can't be bought by the average Joe. I'm sorry to say it but the days of finding an old car cheap and building it up yourself on a low budget are pretty much gone around here.

 

I think we all need to be very concerned for the next decade that this hobby is not legislated out of existence - just look at what is about to happen in California. And as we all know many trends start in California.

I am happy to see the proliferation and inspiration of the type of traditional hot rod - and variations on a theme - much of it inspired by the HAMB. personally I tend to be a bit of a resto rodder - don't get me wrong here - not the '70s style two tone metallic with every factory doodad and dingleberry hanging off it, but the car that looks almost stock with updated driveline and suspension.

I am happy to see the decline of the gaudy Pro Fairgrounds billet laden look-at me rod. I would like to see the demise of air bags and 'laying of the frame' - to me it just looks plain stupid and it has no basis in sound suspension engineering practice.

For those of you who still think that the last millenium and this decade ended/end on Dec 31st 1999 and 2009, just count to ten on your fingers.

 

Mazooma1- funny stuff, gave me a good chuckle this am.

 

Mazooma1
Come on man don't sugar coat it so much !

 

I agree. I think that the "wow" factor is starting to where off with these R*tR*ods. People are starting to blend coolness and over the top with pratical and something that can be driven. This site proves it everyday. There are some kick ass cars that are coming out of the neighborhood back yard gargages. I for one see that as I build mine to be a daily, I am making a mental list for the next one. I have learned a lot from this site and found inspiration from you guys. I think it is cool to see people push the envelope, hower as a quote from Bob Marley "In this great future you can't forget your past". Keep the hot rod traditon alive use this site for your guidance.

 

I think the hobby is big enough for all kinds of rods.........With more and more steel bodies being reproduced and every conceivable type of fiberglass bodies, there can be traditonal,rat,80's, kustoms, or types not even thought of yet. For those who want to build old cars, there will always be ways to do it............INGENUITY, that's what makes this hobby great.................

 

I think hot rodding is in great shape. But as we spend the last year of the decade, how is the future shaping up? I agree with the previous posters that the rat rods will disappear but not so much because the kids don't like 'em but because the junk cars are just about gone. Hot rodders will take the rat rods and fix them. Kids will move on to something they can afford.

But I think the biggest change in hot rodding will be the inclusion in this genre of restoring stock automobiles. As challenging as it has been in the last 70 years to modify and make better, I think that same challenge is there to go back and save some of the history in that vein. Don't get me wrong, Customs and Hot Rods will still rule, but I find more and more of us talking about going stock. I think it's a good thing and will require the same skills and talent we've developed and used to go fast.

Or maybe not. Happy New Year.

 

The fear I have is the old bodies will run out. What will the young guys with no money work with? It won't be old Fords, it will be Hondas and such. I tried for a long time to find an old body to work with and never found anything affordable. You have to be rich to buy a Brookville and fiberglass sucks. I'm itching just thinking about it.

 

When will these rat rodders understand that a simple rod Doesn't mean it has to be a cobbled up piece of sh#%. Hopefully the days of the Rat rod are past us and the clean simple traditional rods will prevail

 

Decent bodies are getting harder and harder to find in the Northern regions, so I understand the price increases. What I don't understand is seeing RR's for sale in the $8500-9000 range, which to me is kinda scary in itself.

What has me concerned is the next decade.

 

BTW, R*tR*ds will become more scarce, since the people "building" these abominations will turn their attention towards things they are good at, like building meth labs and such.[/QUOTE]

This would make a great signature. That's why I'm so bitter sounding,,,these people are everywhere here.