Hot Rods The Utilitarian Hot Rod, stone chips, beaters,.. what happened ???

I'm 73 years young. Today, I was working on my '57 GMC. Tomorrow, I'll drive my '74 AMC Gremlin with a built AMC 360, 727 tranny, and a 3.50 Ford 8 inch seventy miles one way to Kaukauna, WI. The Gremlin has an e.t. in the quarter mile this year of 12.74 seconds. Drivers who wish pitch in a five dollar bill on the second practice run, and the one with the fastest reaction time wins the pot. I've won twice this year. On Sunday, I'll drive my '35 Plymouth coupe I built fourteen years ago with a Ford 302 in it. That coupe, by the way, is sitting next to a '47 Ford pickup truck I hot rodded for my older grandson. In another part of my 2500 sq. ft. garage is a '39 Dodge I'm rodding for my younger grandson. Getting old isn't bad at all. It's dying young that's really unfortunate.

 

No, but it is life's biggest mystery. Bob

 

What is all the way through? If it's done enough to drive, then fuck it, drive it !!!

 

Once it gets registered, people will know you have it, somehow that bothers me. Bob

 

It seems like the heavy exposure, given street rods, put them on a luxury list. A lot of folks, me for one, had gotten to believe a hot rod had to have all the chrome and candy paint that was shown in the magazine rides. Most of which were fair day drivers. If that!

I kept that thought until I started checking out the HAMB. I drive my T everyday except rain and I freaking love it. Chipped frame paint and all. It just seems like a normal thing to do. There's a guy not far from me and he only takes his car out 3 or 4 times a year. Seems like a waste.

 

Lol Scott, I read your post and thought about you. Then looked at who posted it.sure enough it was you.getting the buick goin finally. She runs. Need a water pump. I plan on driving it till I give it to my son david

 

My 36 p/u is my driver, been so for thirteen years, working on a 29 chrysler three window that may never get done. Spring, summer, fall is for driving, winter is for building, got lotsa chips in the old girl, makes for good conversation to those who notice. I live ten miles from town, my 36 takes me everywhere.

 

I'm with you on that, Dad's Roadster hasn't seen the street since '83 when he passed away, and my '12 T plates ran out 14 years ago and I never renewed them. I did take them out back in April and washed them, figured the car turned 100 and needed a cleaning. Bob

 

It's all about management of an illness. I think of it as a gearhead variety of shingles. Starts out at an early age like chickenpox, then erupts at various times in your life like shingles. You get the itch to spend more time and money on it, then it fades for awhile. It doesn't go away. Keep as many cars as you can, drive them, share the rest with others. Everyone should be infected.

 

Hey there Mr. H-W,
I thought your collection was just sold off!
This WAS a collection, many Lincoln-Zephers, woodies...too much.
As a 99%-er, I Hoover-flagged it and went to the preview.
http://www.rmauctions.com/auction-results-overview.cfm?SaleCode=DM12

 

im young and i think about this. but i am still trying to actually get a career and just a job. but i have several projects already in the works. time and money are the problems. if i had more of those two things i could get alot more done. i have other projects that i want to build. way to many, but i can dream. i live close to family so i tell myslef that since i cant drive them all at once i can let me drive them. we shall see what happens. in the mean time i will be happy when i get my 58 back on the road. then it would be nice to change the diffs, then it would be nice to have heat and air, then it would be....

 

What a great and inspiring thread. As we get old and grey and the world starts slipping by us its refreshing to get into an old "jalopy" and feel the sights, sounds and smells of the old days. The show cars are nice but the ones too nice to drive have gone a bridge too far IMHO.

 

I'd love to see the, "Who me?" look, some of you would have, if the "Hoarder's" film crew was to come a knockin'.

 

in about a month I'll be 65, and I have been the last 8 years in my spare time building my driver 30 coupe highboy, and I am about 3 weeks from painting it. Then its a mad thrash to get it assembled by first of August to drive it without a chase car but tagging along with another car to Bonnevile Speed week . I believe its possible and am proceeding on that course. Buiding it to drive ...long distances. I love to see cars out on the road, and thats where this one is gonna live for the rest of my days.

 

The one you are driving.
And the one you are building.

 

In your OP you hit the nail on the head when you spoke about what you had back when you loved it the most and got the most out of it. For anyone that has done something for a long time eventually you come to what I call the point of diminishing returns. You have more and more stuff and enjoy it less and less.
I am at that place myself and I have done two big down sizings already. Seems like every where I look I see a project that is waiting in line, and I can't seem to get to excited to finish any of them because the line seems endless.
I like many members here on the HAMB have owned many "cool cars" but at this point in my life it is going to be down to the one I drive daily(1950 GMC Panel) and a project that has yet to reveal itself. Most likely something with a Nailhead as that is what is currently on my engine stand.
And that will still be two more than most people have.
Do what you need to do to make yourself happy.
Peace brother.

 

My wife and I took her Dart (6 years OT) to a small show in a neighboring town today, then went grocery shopping. It has 333k miles on it....she's been driving it since she got it in 1980, but the car got some time off when she bought a new truck in 1998, and has only been driven sporadically since then. It needs work, the interior is shredding again, paint is still mostly shiny but has a lot of chips, engine still works ok. I redid most of this stuff about 20 years ago. It needs it all again.

sometimes the same old car gets old....motivation gets low...you know....

 

Well,.....

I had formulated a "rock solid,..written in stone" plan of attack,.. I will be forging ahead with that plan soon.......... Unfortunately !,... I also got a lead on something kind of cool....... ( I need help )

 

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I hope my friends lower me through the roof, on a mat, just so you can "touch" me........
I now know what to do.

 

Well guys,....

I spent some time on the phone with my new friend Paula Negley tonight talking about her Dads Roadster and life in general,...... Her Dad Hank and his special Roadster were the inspiration for this thread,.... And thinking about that, brought this thread back to mind.

Still would like to see more input on this thread...... So feel free to sound off about your opinion.....

 

My roadster was built to a really high standard of fit and finish, and now, nearly four years later, and 20,000 miles later,my favorite parts are the stonechips, and the clean, bright numbers coming around on the odometer that havent seen daylight for years and years..

I painted the car in nitrocellulose laquer so that it will age over time..I cant wait until it starts crows footing!
I maintain it, love getting it dirty, then clean again.. but its slow,subtle deterioration is my greatest joy.



Photo by Luke ray, on a Tasmanian trip a few years back..

 

Very Cool !
​

 

I drive my T-Bucket every day. Except rain and sometimes it can't be helped. The body is still in white gelcoat and it has a few scratches, but nothing offensive to the eye. The windshield has a chip and a crack in a corner. It gets dirty and I clean it. Cars are meant to be driven. I wouldn't own something I'm affraid to drive because it might get a rock chip. One day, I'll build something with a roof and that will be my daily.

 

Well mine isn't a hot rod but my reason for building it is along you guys thinking, I'm 55 and last year decided I wanted to race a dragster again ,I think the last time i drove one was 30 or so years ago, but I wanted to also do one in the style they raced when I was born, So this is what I've been building, and having the time of my life building it It started as a 1958 Chassis Research TE440 type car, but my daugthers insisted I have a cage over my head, Not sure why , nothing up there to protect anymore Tim Jones

 

Right there with you man. Gotta have a car to drive. The original car posted was only a few years old when the war started, yet was beign built by a young man with aspirations. After the war it was finished and driven for a long time.

Take a 9 year old car today and modify and rebuild it? No way in hell. They suck.

But the theory stands. Most of the cars I have driven lots of miles in over the years have been HAMB friendly. I've had a beater Honda for about 2 years now, it's 18 years old and gonna get given away to a friend as soon as I finish a 283 for my 64 Camino.

Show cars that are too special to drive take the fun out of it. I hate detailing, and even when I've been able to drive my old junk regularly, it's still dirty. Makes them easy to care for.

Devin

 

I had a 64 El Camino that was my only transportation for almost 3 years.... loved it !,... But this old "Camino" worked like a Mule. (this pic was taken the day I decided to sell it in the mid 90's)

 

To me, the only difference between a driver (daily or otherwise) and a limited use "show" car is whether or not you clean and wax the undersides, or the insides of the wheels for that matter! I do those things, but perhaps only every 1-2 years, and mostly just to tidy things up, make adjustments, and check for loose or dripping stuff.

If you are proud of it, why not keep it all gussied up and drive the hell out of it, rain or shine? Just use some touch up paint on the stone chips and clean / detail it like you would any of your newer, daily use passenger cars or trucks. Who the **** details the back sides of their wheels or waxes the bottoms of their everyday vehicles?

I'd also hazzard a guess that the car will depreciate about the same amount over the first 5 years, however far you drive it, as long as you take care of it, but quite a bit less than that if you don't take care of it at all. Gravel roads, salt spray, and fording creeks, aside. Gary