Hot Rods There are no rules in building Hot Rods

After seeing some of the crap people build and try to pass off as a hot rod, maybe there should be some rules.

 

Bullshit Jeff! Everything you build defines the rules that a lot of others should take heed of.

 

...and it's the RIGHT COLOR too

 

Do this.....don't do that.....More rules......less rules.......you better follow the rules......Get slammed ....then yer banned....Yikes!......hmmm,...maybe bikes......Mine is better!.....no you ain't....I spent more money.......What!.....you built that?.......sorry ....you didn't follow the fucking rules.....Thats the best lookin' 1932/2021 fordrolet I ever seen......technology has no place here ......way to think outside the box....I only like flatheads and old axles......I spent a thousand dollars on this shift knob getting my self back to the way they usta do it....................the soap box should be used to store old magneto parts, yet we're consumed with climbing up on it.

 

@HOTRODPRIMER , the concept you are putting forward regarding 'no rules' is undoubtedly correct. This is the reason we have the offshoot variations, such as 'street rod' and 'rat rod' (definately no rules there). We don't identify with these here on the HAMB. Our focus is on a 'traditional' direction with our cars, and is what we consider to be 'hot rodding'. That is all ok, so long as we remember that it is only what we choose to do. I wouldn't consider them 'rules' as such, but our perceived direction in building certainly has self-imposed ideas and preferences that we follow. This doesn't mean that we are 'right ' in what we do. It just means that what we do makes us happy, and that's what it should all be about...............

By the way @MeanGene427 , maybe it's time to give it a rest. I don't think anyone is going to bite.

 

Just be glad the HAMB doesn't hold elections!
I respect the rules, I just don't always follow them. That goes for speed limits, "never double down on a losing hand", a few in the good book and even the dietary guidelines my doctor lays down. The Show Rod thread is several pages long, filled with rule breakers and I thank God for (nearly) all of them. HRP says there are no rules, I catch his drift. I say there are always rules and I am thankful for the dudes that break them from the time to time and "refresh the tree". I am also thankful that it is not my job to enforce them.

 

I agree with HOTRODPRIMER there are no rules ( written at least), or nobody would have ventured to replace a Ford with a Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler etc.

I'm old enough to remember the 70's gas crises and V8 being replaced with economy four cylinder engines.
Living in the UK where US tin and motors has been imported over the years, and comands a premium price over it's USA cost due to taxes postage, sceene tax , etc. From experience I realise that since the advent of the internet, parts etc are much easier to obtain here and at a more realistic cost. (Please note that I am not running down any of the UK specialist suppliers / importers who on the whole provide an excellent service.)
We mere mortals have budgets, cars are an expensive hobby. So does it really matter if you have modern four cylinder ot even a diesel hidden away under the hood. I personally would love to have a built 60's style small block Chevrolet in my truck, but for now have to make do with a four cylinder that I can afford to run.
I realise that this is a Traditional Hot Rod site which I love and respect. but,engines can be disguised to look older or more American as many inventive builder has done over the years, the UK favorite was to fit a four barrel in place of twin SU carbs and small block rocker covers on adaptors to our Rover / Buick 215 V8.
It's as much about the look and building your dream as it is the challenge and enjoyment of finding, adapting and rebuilding old parts, fabricating pieces to create that ideal "era specific" machine.
The site covers traditional Rods and Customs from the dawn of motoring to a mid 60's cut off point, so a multitude or range of build styles are covered each as innovative in it's day as it was modern as technology progressed through the decades. Today we have different sub groups of Rods and Customs, but we must keep it in the spirit of those pioneers who went before us, they innovated and used scrap yard parts (recycling), these old parts are dwindling, yard clearances, redevelopment wear and tear and demand due to increased popularity in some quarters, the pioneers did not have an industry that supports Rod and Custom building in the way we have today, many of these "modern " or "replica" parts assist us to build in the traditional style that would otherwise be even more difficult to build.

 

Oldsmobile v8 would be my first choice

 

Hello,

As teenagers, we had little money, little time and lots of cool stuff to do as time permitted. Most of us bought old cars and hot rods in various stages of builds. No one wanted to go out and find a rusty bucket and start from scratch. High school parking areas and Friday night cruising were two things that kept teenagers involved. We had to have something to arrive and depart with class. On Friday/Saturday nights, the cars were our forms of expression. The way we thought hot rods/drag race cars should look and drive and in the back of our minds, along with impressing our friends.

As we were learning the basics of auto mechanics, the Chevy sedans and old Fords were ripe for the picking. Most of the ones for sale had work done on them, but that gave all of us the chance to change things to our own tastes and pocketbooks. It just happened to be that Chevy sedans were the top choice of all of our friends. The speed parts and accessories could be interchanged between a B/W 55 2 door post, a 56 silver 2 door post sedan as well as a 57 Bel Air Hardtop and even my oddball 58 Impala. The rest of the cars we saw on a daily basis were family 4 door sedans and station wagons. So, there was some individuality.

When we gathered and went to Lion’s Dragstrip for a Saturday night fun place, it was all about going fast and look cool doing that. The hot rods and drag racing vehicles did not let anyone down. It was adrenaline running up into our little brains when we saw the race cars with the loud exhaust headers and pipes making their runs down the track. I am sure we all thought we should build a race car and be the guy behind the wheel enjoying what drag racing had to offer… thrills and chills while going extremely fast.

Jnaki

One friend decided to do just that, build something that looks like a drag race car, but allow him to drive it on the street for going to and from school/work, etc. since we all had Chevy sedans, one guy with a 4o Ford sedan with a Buick motor and one simple 1940 Flathead powered sedan delivery, he wanted something different. We looked at a lot of Model A Coupes, other 50s sedans and even the newer, fast, factory high horsepower sedans as his daily driver/weekend cruiser.

But, as individual as we all think we like to be, he took one step beyond our ideas and decided to build a mild looking Henry J sedan. A WHAT? We all chuckled at the sight of a Henry J. We all thought those little cars had a face like a squeeky mouse waiting for a chunk of cheese. They were very under powered from the dealers, had no previous builds to showcase its features in magazines, so it was definitely a dark horse on the scene. But, after going to the dragstrip, he got the idea that a lightweight car with a bunch of horsepower would be virtually unstoppable on the street. He was right in that sense. A HENRY J???

The old saying goes… “to each his own…” and to our friend, it was his own. He had the only Henry J in all of Long Beach and the whole South Coast Coastal Area. We guessed that no one wanted to be caught dead driving around in one of those odd-looking sedans. A mini Cad taillight, a pointy nose that looked like a squinty mouse face, and so underpowered that it would make my Flathead sedan delivery the “King of The Road” in drag races at the Cherry Avenue Drags.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-1-31-20.1182495/#post-13429599

We watched his progress, helped in any way we could, (stifling our smiles and chuckles,) to help him complete his dream build. Build, he did. He used a big 409 Chevy motor, a 4 speed transmission, aluminum inside panels, a couple of bucket seats and had a slight Cal Rake to give it some attitude, So Cal style. Actually, when he fired it up, it was very impressive. So Cal style it had, with plenty of accolades and slaps on the back, too. It was a wonderful hot rod, with sounds to back up any challenges, despite being an odd-looking Henry J.


So, the rule goes… “There are no rules for building any hot rod, any style, for any purpose.” YRMV.


Yes, acceleration of the big 409 motor and lightweight car made it move quite fast anywhere it went. But, he never took it to the Lion’s Dragstrip for an all-out competitive race or races. “To each his own…” rings true. It was a neck snapper on acceleration and shifts through the gears. Power plus, as well as a little rough in the comfort riding scene.

 

Waders?? By the time you get to the end of this thread it's over your head and you need diving gear

 

well, there is ONE rule that can't ever be broken if you don't want to be a HOT ROD moron.

the big tires go on the rear.

 

There's more " unspoken , unwritten , etc" rules around here than in the military ..

 

Time's are a changing! Like it or not this type of rod is not going away.....

 

I must admit the more I looked at the electric power the less it bothered me. Some day far in the future there won't be gas. Maybe these cars will still be flying around on the road with electric motors. It beats them all being gone...

 

The Electric Hotroders!