It seems that every few years another car year or model becomes the darling of the car world. Like tri 5 chevys or 32 fords.For the last few years 32 fords have been the big thing,but now it sounds like the gear heads are getting tired of them,or they have just been to many ,and we are ready for something else.I have noticed alot of talk about 49-54 chevys lately.What do you think will be the next must have ?
There will always be diversity of what people value in older cars. Examples would be the mid 50s chevys ,the late 60& early 70s cameros,&mustangs over the years, but from a standpoint of whats available to build into a (as we like to think about it ) hot rod once you leave the era of the late 20s & early 30s cars it becomes harder to build & almost impossible to find cars to do this with but. it should always be fun with wheels.
skulls may be the big fad now but I predict fibias and tibias will be the next big bones to really hit it off you can't rewrite history, there will always only be one first for the Ford V8 and one for the Chevy V8
i have been seeing more and more wagons. believe it or not. more guys are getting their families into it and customizing the wagons. i have been watching the prices on wagons and they have really been going up fast.
Seems like I have been seeing alot more 49-54 sleds and custom station wagons.......hell with it though, they way things are going here in California I am pretty sure we'll see alot more road warrior type vehicles and other things like that to protect the hobby!!!!!! JOKER JASON.
61-64 Impalas will get more popular than they already are.Classic looks determine what will be "the" car to have.Good 30-50s cars are getting too scarce so I think that the 60s cars like Impalas,Galaxies will get more collectible.57-58 Fords will get as popular as tri five Chevies.Thats my psychic prognostications.
Hahhahahhahahah....ahhhh....hahahahahhahhaaa...!!! That's some funny shit right there. I got tired of '32's waaa-aaaaaaaay back in 1980...before most of you were born... R-
Anything cheap enough for people like us to build! 32 fords have become cost prohibitive a crap shell will set you back a few thousand, even A's are getting there but luckily there's still a lot out there. Late 50's and early 60's "mild" customs are my prediction. Slab sides, panel paint, lace, cobwebbing, heavy flake, pearls. Easier to find good bodies and simple mods go a long way with a good paint job.
I've noticed that cars and trucks from the early to mid 60's are coming up in popularity; i.e. Buicks, Lincolns, Chryslers, Cadillacs, etc. Probably due mostly to the fact that for the average guy, you can still get into a relatively decent one for a reasonable price. Most dont require much more than a little lowering and a shave to look real nice.
What took you so long? While I can appreciate very few of them - and it really is just a handful, had two '32 RPUs (the only '32 Fords I have ever owned), sold 'em both because I decided they were butt ugly trucks and don't want a '32 Ford ever again. 1928 Wartmobiles are gonna be big!
I personally believe the '32 fords, 55 / 57 chevys, etc will continue in their popularity with model A's growing. I think over the next decade we'll continue to unearth significant numbers of good fodder which are currently tucked away in garages and barns by the baby boomer generation and older. As these individuals retire and pass away, their beloved collections will once again see the light of day, perhaps driving prices down...higher supply and dwindling demand. I've been to and seen advertised numerous auctions where vast collections of cars and parts have been revealed. Despite the Barret Jackson phenomenon, many I've seen in this part of the country have yielded low prices on great pieces, especially Model A's, T's, and less popular body styles. Maybe it's because of the fiberglass and re-pop aftermarket...the guys with big bucks just don't want to spend the time to deal with rust! I am seeing cars selling high that appeal to Gen X right now. These represent the cars us Gen X's as a whole grew up with: 1. 60's / early 70's Muscle and Pony Cars - Chevelles, Novas, Camaros , Firebirds, Mustangs, MOPARS, etc 2. 1978 thru 1981 Camaros, 1979 thru 1981 Firebirds / TAs (these things have jumped!) 3. Corvettes, C1-C3 I find relatively few people in my age group (38) are into the older tin. They are out there...but more people seem to want an old Chevelle, etc. Examples of great old tin going cheap at (estate) auctions - or private sale I've purchased - I've attended in the last couple years: 1. 99% restored Model A roadster at estate auction - $6500 2. 35 or 36 Ford 5 window - solid, 90% complete - $800 3. 35 or 36 Ford 3 window - solid, 90% complete - $1200 4. '27 T roadster body (body and turtle deck) and a truckload of A parts - $207.50 (I bought this) Same auction as 1,2, & 3 5. 30 or 31 Model A twodor sedan - all there, sat in a barn since 1960 - $2500 6. 30 (or 31 - I can't remember, need to look at the paper work) Model A rumble seat roadster - ALL there minus the trans with more than $3500 in receipts for new parts - divorce sale, $1500. I think shows like Overhaulin' also are driving the builds of 50's / 60's more-doors - they can still be found relatively cheap, have fairly modern suspensions, simple technology, and there's a huge aftermarket driven by their 2-door brethren. And done right, they can make awesome customs!
32s have popular for the last few years? I bought mine in '65. They were pretty popular then and had been for years. Sold it in 1998. Maybe a mistake.
61-66 ford f100s! Im beginning to see more and more of them around... where as they have in the past been swept under the rug.
Any car/pickup that had an audience of fans when new and never lost it never will. Model T, Model A, 32, 33-34, 36, 39 Dlx., 40, 49-51 Fords and Mercs , all have remained in large nummbers and popularity BECAUSE they always had a fan base. 32 Chevy, 37-39, 53-54, 55-57 in particular, remain in good numbers because they always had a fan base. The theoretical ups and downs of "popularity" for the last 4-5 decades have been a perception driven by magazine writers and editors looking for new subscribers. I've been going to car events and swap meets for 40+ years and have read the little books and Hot Rod from 48 up over that time and find that in the field all old cars are popular but in the magazines there is an ebb and flow to writers' views of what is popular.
I think trends are dictated these days by style vs makes/models, and are usually started by a significant build a la Rudy's truck or Jimmy Shines bare metal offering. When I was a kid in the '50s, no one even considered using an old GM or Chrysler early '30s body for a hot rod..had to be a Ford..now almost anything goes......Just an opinion.
hey, thems fightin' words! I always considered the tri 5's as transition years. just a fill in between the stylish and beautiful 49 - 54's and the incredible 58's.
Hopefully, "what's next" will be for real hot rodders to take all those unsafe rat rods that got built in the last "trend" and turn them into safe, sound reliable hot rods. As far as 32's, tri 5's and 49-51 mercs, they're icons in hot rodding and always will be, but to some of us, that's also what makes them a little boring.
I would think anything that would be smaller and lighter as gas prices have been going up, and a smaller lighter car with the same engine as a heavy car would be more enjoyable to drive. Of course speeding tickets could throw this whole ideal out the window.
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