When you look at pics from old rod magazines it seems like all the hot rodders back then were long haired party animals. The chicks wore platform shoes, tight shorts and tube tops. It seems like a lot of beer was drunk, I'm sure a lot of drugs were ingested too, hence the paint jobs. I wasn't there, I'm asking a serious question. I know the shows that the (ahem) younger guys put on today can be pretty rowdy, was it crazy back then too? I know that VLV can result in many STDs being flung around like Mardi Gras beads. Nowadays NSRA events have morphed into sedate lawn chair events that have neither the ability to quicken the pulse nor give you a chance to get laid, say it wasn't always so, in the days before AIDS? Whilst we're on the subject I imagine that when Custom Vans were all the rage I'm sure those Van Ins were a pit of non stop debauchery, right? Please enlighten me, those of you that were there.
<font color="green">I've been wondering about this also. I mean, it had to be fun at one time. Didn't it? Cuz it sho ain't no mo. The last NSRA event I went to was the one in Tampa where I met NADS, the rest of the Disney crew and the Tampons. If it weren't for them, I would have swore that I was abducted by aliens, **** probed, and dropped on another planet. AGAIN. RASHY </font>
I was an impressionable youngster of 12 when we started going to NSRA (and other) events in '73 -- my folks would've been in their early '30s. And yeah, it was like that. Lots of folks in their 20s-30s, nice-looking gals, the hotels at night were one big party til dawn, and the events themselves had DRIVING EVENTS! Gymkhanas, go-whoa contests, blind driver contests, and more. There were compe***ive drinking events at some of the smaller events -- beer chugging relays and such. I've also heard stories of well-known industry types streaking the HQ hotel and diving naked into pools from balconies. "Street rodders" back then were a much less cl***y -- and much more fun -- bunch. I think it started to turn in the mid-to- late '80s. The Big Olds Burnout at Billetproof gives me hope though! Steve.
My friend One-eye was building cars and attending those shows, He says the weirder the better when it came to hats and cars. politically incorrect themes like outhouses mounted on trailers, Jack Daniels and Early Times kegs, br***, "show us your ***s" signs, C-cabs, murals, br***, Big blocks and V-6s. Imagine 500 Norm Grabowski's in one place. Boogie til you puke Maybe I'll dress my crying kid up with a crocheted beer can hat and knee-high lace-up mocc***ins and wait for the next wave of nostalgia to wash over. Like Just Steve said, there driving events, Slow drags, Weeny bites, the car was going to be driven home, so there was no fear of a rock chip or dust getting on it during the "show".
i was little,but i remember thinking that my parents went nuts everytime we went to one...LOTS of drinking and drinking related games....put a bungee cord around yourselves and see who the first person to stretch it enough to reach a beer on the other end ...i still laugh at some of our old photos
I wore a bandana to hold my long hair out of my eyes at my first Nats in 1974. Now I wear a hat to prevent sunburn on the top of my head! The "events" then were couple/family oriented as stated. Driving blindfolded while your significant other guided you; p***enger spearing a potato on a rope, etc. I think insurance costs blew those games away. I remember a ****** being "rebuilt" in a motel bathtub in the early 80's. I guess the maid thought rodders sweated 90 weight oil! Owners that drove to the Nats considered themselves lucky if they made it. Now if the A/C or cruise control **** out the cars stay home! There were a lot less high buck cars then and a lot more guys that worked factory jobs and spent their beer money to finish the car. The event was smaller and it didn't take four days to see only 15% of the cars attending. Someone would ask if you saw the *****in' yellow car and the reply was "sure" and you could remember the details of the car. Now, with CRS, I have trouble finding MY car!
I can remember York in the early eighties being pretty wild. I was only 15 and camped with friends of my father at York. The drinking and wife swapping went on to the early hours of the morning(my father's friends were'nt swapping wives but other wives were p***ed around). Last year at York our crew was having a good time and just after midnight I looked down the row of campers from us and there wasn't a person out. We were the only ones partying. Hell my father and his crew usually cooked and had a good time through the day. They told them not to bring the grills back. Clark
I rode along with a friend to several mid to late 70's Nat's and we were the team to beat in the street sweeper, etc. Put REALLY tall gears in the quickchange and have at it! Now a day at the Nat's and I've enjoyed all I can stand. Ah...the good ole' days!
This exactly why shows like BilletProof and HunnertCarPilup are becoming so popular and attracting the younger crowd that knows how to have fun. Don't get me wrong, I like attending GG and NSRA shows but I go for the people not necessarily for the cars or "planned events" there. Nothing like a good flame throwing contest or burnout contest to get attendee excited.
Lots of drinking. Many driving activities that the cars competed ( Go/Whoa,etc ...). Interesting combination. I still have my entry pin from Memphis in 1975. Norm was there with the Henway and he was drinking. First time I talked to him. Vendors were selling cams and other parts to build engines and parts to make cars go fast. I do not remember any billet vendors or much stuff for the gold chaniners.
The shows in the 70s were kinda like that...but it wasn't all hippies' beer and drugs, either! From what I remember as a youngster, the emphasis was on FUN...and families were almost always involved! There was alwys something to DO at these gigs...kids could compete against each other in sack races, spark plug changing contests and other similar games...and there was usually a dunk tank (often to generate proceeds for a charity) and sometimes simple amu*****t park games such as a ring toss or ballonns & darts. Adults competed in some of these games, too...but the CARS were also involved in many compe***ions as well. There's be courses set up where you'd have to drive your rod through hay bales or something and your p***enger would have to spear targets or pick up objects along the way. It was fun to watch, and it promoted close teamwork between driver and p***enger, and required that your car be able to drive, stop, and steer well without overheating or falling apart! There was always a band, too...I never went to any show where there WASN'T one back then...mostly cover bands singing Doobie Brothers and BTO songs...and the odd country-western (as it was called then!) act in the mix occasionally as well. They were fun times...you could take your wife or girlfriend, and the kids and usually the family dog, too! Everyone had a good time and bar-b-que was the order of the day for grub. There may have been lawn chairs back then...but for the most part, there was too much going on to actually sit down and USE them most of the time! (Except for impromptu games of "Musical Chairs" for the kids, of course! ) And Denise is right...being at Detroit Billetproof Sunday was something like a step back towards those times...I barely sat down all day...and there was that familiar atmosphere of FUN abounding...I'm sure, that as the success of these shows continues to grow, we'll see lots more of that "70's Flavor" seeping back into what we do with our rods at these shows...the burnout contest was killer, but I'd love to see "steer & spear" events and stuff for the kids to do get worked back into these gigs in the near future, too! Ha Ha Ha...call me an outta date Disco FREAK...but y'all are slowly comin' around to where I've always been....ha ha ha..."Just Like The 70's, Bro!!!"
I was going to the Model A (restored) events in the 70's... and even those guys had a blast... beer, wine... gymkana events... we went to a "roundup" in Kansas one year (1977?) and they even had DRAG RACES!! Personally, I don't think the younger guys of today (me included) could hold a candle to what they did in the 70's... people laugh... but they had a good time. I think the reason they sit around at events now a days is that they're just plain worn out from the 70's! Hank Jr.s "All my rowdy friends have settled down" was a "song of the times" in the 80's... it rang true with the entire nation... and especially a**** hot rodders. Sam.
[ QUOTE ] When you look at pics from old rod magazines it seems like all the hot rodders back then were long haired party animals. The chicks wore platform shoes, tight shorts and tube tops. It seems like a lot of beer was drunk, I'm sure a lot of drugs were ingested too, hence the paint jobs. I wasn't there, I'm asking a serious question. I know the shows that the (ahem) younger guys put on today can be pretty rowdy, was it crazy back then too? I know that VLV can result in many STDs being flung around like Mardi Gras beads. Nowadays NSRA events have morphed into sedate lawn chair events that have neither the ability to quicken the pulse nor give you a chance to get laid, say it wasn't always so, in the days before AIDS? Whilst we're on the subject I imagine that when Custom Vans were all the rage I'm sure those Van Ins were a pit of non stop debauchery, right? Please enlighten me, those of you that were there. [/ QUOTE ] Custom Vans were called "Stabin Cabins" not for Homicides but for the amount of "Gurley action" hence forth the old saying..., "If you see this van a rockin..., don't bother knockin"...! As far as the paint jobs..., they were wild and a lot of paint experiments were shortly after a lot of drug experiments...! I've had to re-shoot a couple of my friends experiments gone Bad! (yes I used to paint drunk but not on drugs!!) I wasn't into drugs so I spent a lot of my money into racing and usually to broke to play with the Hippies except for the car shows...!!!! (But stay away from their Freebies) From the shows I can remember..., they were fun...! Mark
You mentioned the Hippy styled vans. Back then everyone wanted one. Some even more than the muscle cars. They had Van shows at various campgrounds back then, Typically converted, wildly painted, **** infested rug interior vans of all types. I was only in my late teens then but it all came down to *** and booze and drugs. Depanding on your flavor. I think it all changed with the age of the attendees. We were all young hoodlums back then. You rarely seen anyone over 30 yrs old. Now during these shows most are over 45. I think they should have a blindfolded wheelchair race for the shows now. That would liven things up.,
I know several guys that have been to almost every Street Rod nationals since the first one. Sure, they are older, but they stay out and drink just as much as I do. They also run the kiddie games on Saturday afternoon too. Yes, they still have those. I actually met all those guys 3 years ago when I took my wife there on our honeymoon. I say that if you don't have a good time at the Nationals, you are going out of your way not to have fun. I equate it to when your girlfriend/wife wants to be mad at you. Out of 12,000 cars, all of them can't be bad. Granted there is an increasing number of the ***hole contingency, but nothing pisses them off more than seeing some young broke guy having more fun than them. One of the guys I run with down there has his car loaded with a bag of tricks, he has a talking dog that he always screws with people with, and all kinds of those other goofy things mentioned. He breaks out some of the old pictures and I don't think much has changed in his mind, but the world has around him has a bit.
Well... I was born in 72. My parents have always been car people and I practically grew up at "Rod Runs". I probably missed half of what ACTUALLY went on, but I can ***ure you that the booze always ran freely and there was always plenty of debauchery. As a kid I always liked watching the adult games like "pack a rod", "the pudding drop", tug of war, rod jousting, etc. The adults got together and had fun! They also always had tons of games scheduled for kids so there was always something to do. I'm convinced that the kid games started to give the parents time to party... What really happened is that all those young folks grew up and became grandparents. I think the high dollar billet trend of the 80's and 90's made the hobby unappealing and unaffordable to lots of young folks so we have an aging core rodding crowd running things and the new blood isn't significant enough to keep the party action going at the NSRA events. I think traditional rodding is attracting a much younger crowd cause it gets back to the spirit of the early rodding movement... Cars built by hand and for speed... with what you could afford. Paired that with good music and some true rebel spirit and you have something. As long as this trend continues, you'll see more events catering to a younger crowd. I don't think we can ever expect the NSRA events to get any livelier (Unless you're attending a fringe event like FSNRA like minded folks.) but you never know. The way I see it is I'd rather drive a little farther to go to an event that "fits" my interest a little better. I think that as long as events like Jalopy Showdown, Mobtown Greaseball, etc continue to grow, the culture will improve and there will be more for us to do! BTW... I looked into camping at the Western Maryland Street Rod Roundup this summer. I went there every year until I was about 16 or so and though now that I have my own ride it would be fun to go back... (got my first hickey there!) The thing that really sux is my 51 is 2 years too new to register which translates to $160 extra fee for me to camp there and I'd still need to park outside of the event... Needless to say, I won't be camping there. I've noticed that the trad rodding events I've been to haven't had the pre '48 rule which excludes all the 50's customs and sleds. (which is REALLY what I want to see!) Stacey
The NSRA gigs were much more fun back then. Now they're a little stiff and restrained. Bummer, huh? Re: Van-ins. Does anyone recall the White Port Emporeum?? Can't post here with revealing who you are, so we probably won't here many stories about that one.
I attended some Nats North shows in Detroit in the mid/late '70s. A thousand or so cars seemed like a lot back then. You rarely saw a car in primer or unfinished. Yep, lots of long hair and not just on the girls! Hot pants were in style...just don't let your wife catch ya starrin'. I remember seeing this big crowd of people and when we got up where we could see, they were looking at a red (of course) '32 roadster with TWO V8S end for end!! WOW!! How many heads would that turn today? Local events were great family outings. Our club used to put on a show and we had a few hundred cars, some from as far away as Canada and Indiana. Back then that was quite a feat. Kids games, food vendors, handmade tropheys, a local guy did pinstripping and I usually DJ'd. But every show was like that. Today the shows are pretty diverse. You can pick and choose what you like.
A great thing missing from the earlier nationals are guys actually peeling out and revving motors, that was all over the nats throught the seventies, it got toned down quick when the NSRA started making more money, I've known people that got thrown out in the eighties and the **** Licks through my buddy out saturday at york because he had his car on a trailer because it broke in the pouring rain, they told him if he didn't get it out of there they were going to have him arrested, THE NSRA ****'s
The next time you go to a NSRA event, look around real good. Those are the same people that were there in the '70's. And all the cars were red.
[ QUOTE ] Aha, just as I thought!!!! I wonder what VLV 35 will be like? [/ QUOTE ] Funny, I was thinking pretty much the same thing. Wonder how we'll all act when we're older, down in our backs and just happy to have a pulse in the mornings. Maybe all them old guys sitting around in chairs are talking about the old days when they had the energy to do all that ****.
I remember Leisure suits being big and ALOT of brown cars. Alot more focus was put on muscle cars, then, too. They were still "fresh". It was the birth of the "Street Rod". Mail order T-buckets with ribbon paint and those Jackie Stewert driving caps got you some blonde arm candy... usually with white bell-bottom sailor pants and a big ol' camel toe. You could still get good (cheap) chrome back then, too. So EVERYTHING was shiny... and that's where the chrome lightning-holed Elvis gl***es come in. I guess I'm glad some things change and some things stat the same. [ QUOTE ] Nothing like a good flame throwing contest or burnout contest to get attendee excited. [/ QUOTE ] I agree, Denise. There used to be alot more fun "car" games. The "Go-Whoa", where you left a line from a dead stop and had to get your front wheels between two lines a hundred feet away. Lotsa tore-up ****! U-joints were a big comodity. Ring and pinion gears, too. The "Bite the weenie" game was always a good one. One drunk would hang out the p***enger side and another drunk would drive under hotdogs on a string. I love seeing guys get run over by an open back wheel. VLV won't change, till someone gets sued. That's usually when the fun stops... JOE
oh my the 70's alot of drinking even in the pits and paddock ,girls ,girls ,girls, most teams carried cash no checks around ,paying up front fees for tech and fuel and the locals that would , um you know ,anyhow way more open ,you could help the guy to the next round if half his crew didnt show,changed some slicks for a big name guy back them ,cause he needed the help ,i liked the diferences of construction in the ch***is's,the pitch men were really in everyone 's face getting the name out the new product ,the buzz was really there ,today ,seems so much corporate stuffiness,,too much to write ,but i am glad to have been around my dad was a chevy dealer and i would travel around using guys he knew t oget freebies from the tracks and racers , know grumpy ,back from when he was really grumpy,i guess it is like anything they have to focus on the businees way much more than wondering where the nxt motor is coming from,oh and yeah the cam in my 409 is from grumpy's shelf ,nice little grind from 64,hahaha,god i miss the 70's
>I've also heard stories of well-known industry types streaking the HQ hotel and diving naked into pools from balconies. It's true - I was there when he did it in Memphis '75. That was the same year they set off a smoke bomb by the "in" vent to the hotel and the whole Memphis fire department showed up at the same time the Phillis Diller concert (at the hotel) was letting out - man what a horror show that was. How about an 18 wheeler going by with mooners on the roof, or a certain famous LA Roadster dude streaking thru the parking lot at the Raddison in '74, 29 half kegs downed at the Nor***** run, 15 guys and girls shooting a group moon 20 years ago in the same building that the Road Agents use for the East Hartford Rumble? I could go on and on as others have before me in this string. I can't remember how many times I saw the sun come up after drinking all night but this year at York the over packed parking lot was half empty by 9:30 All the party hardy folks are still around but they just don't have the stamina they had when they were kids. Time to turn it over to the next generation........ Dennis
I think the reason they sit around at events now a days is that they're just plain worn out from the 70's! [/ QUOTE ] We were in Detroit in '72 and Tulsa in '73 with a T Bucket (long drive from Canada) and I ain't say'n nuth'n! My wife and I went to Tulsa in '73 in my T Bucket and it was pretty
oldchevyseller They said NSRA not NHRA, but you're right. Drag racing went downhill right after the corporations took over. Hehe I remember Garlits saying "You going to help or just stand there?" I helped.
oh god i was in the 70's i fer sure thought it said NHRA, as far as the NSRA goes, well too much chrome spokes and litle white walls, and purple red wierd colors with fish eye scallops painted special,oh man i was there also,is there a treatment center i can check into?
Buick wires on everything. Lots of cowl lamps, geegaws and spare tires on the back. Resto-Rods. Jag rear ends. Corvair steering. Reliability runs on the way to events. Cars never saw the light of day or hit the road till the paint was rubbed out and everything was back from the chrome shop. Primer was covered as soon as it dried.
I missed the 1st one.......... But I went to Memphis............saw Elvis riding around in a 40 Ford coupe. Saint Paul, Detroit, OKC all were great. It was even still pretty jumping in Columbus Ohio. BUT the NSRA Nationals were kinda tame compared to Gatlinburg... There was no Aids, Jack Daniels was everywhere and a lot of the folks smoked "funny smelling cigarettes" Our car club had 27 members.........sadly over 10 of them are dead. Cancer, heart attacks and diabetes have thinned the guys out. If you were 40 in 1972...(32 years ago) ....you are 72 now. Age and illness have taken their toll. Car wrecks (DUI) too. ****s getting OLD...........but it beats the alternative. .
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