What's the future of rodding?

This is gonna piss ya all off but the future of hot rodding is the kids souping up their Hondas. They are no different than the hot rodders of the 40's 50's 60's 70's etc they just have different platforms to start with.

 

Now you all know that as soon as someone mentions gas prices, a Brit will come along and start talking about the $6 or $7 we are paying over here.
Thing is, the hotrod scene is still alive here regardless of the price of fuel. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way. Sure, there're loads of four-pot rods over here, but there are far more V8's.
My banger only gets about 16mpg but that is far cheaper than the cigarettes I used to smoke.

 

Hey RACER5C ... You don`t piss ME off . I TOTALY agree with you ( and Dvanecek ). The future of Hot Rodding is what the kids make of it .What we Hambers` do , is to keep the history of Hot Rodding ( or kustomizing ) alive
I prolly have 140 hps`in my Deuce , so I may as well stay home when the "Honda" Hot-rodders are in a "race ya for yr pinkslip" mood

 

Seems like everybody is trying to avoid a straight up answer, but I'll give a shot at it anyway.
I believe the future in hotrodding could be the G-body GM's -I feel they look good, have V8's and RR wheel drive- or the early 90s Impala's and caprices. And if you want to keep it more traditional ('20-'30's body)style: 'gl***...more than half of Hot Rodding Europe is already doing it this way 'cause of the resource issue. Yes, even a 'gl*** car can look good and traditional.

 

Well, like someone said earlier, "What if gas went over $5 a gallon".

Remember the old B-motors, the inline Offys, and all that? have you guys seen the Ford sprint series engines? These little four-pots are making 250Hp reliably. They weigh about half of what traditional V8s do. I'm not trying to sell anyone on 'em, but it is an interesting thought. And, when you get rid of the computer box, it's a good-loking block, too.

Maybe my main point is that when rodding was in its infancy, parts were cheaper than cheap (maybe 'cause nobody knew what to do with 'em). Newer engines and ******s are cheap, so what's their place in rodding?

I see Cornhusker's rods are using an adapter plate to hook up a T5 ****** to flatheads for a better highway combination.

By the way, Von Tingler's got it. Man, that HAS to be the best post I've seen on here in a while. Maybe that IS the answer-do it 'cause it's what you want to do.

 

Rodding is what you make of it. Simply put its making some kind of powerplant push some tin down an asphalt ribbon while disregarding the factory parts list. I doubt this concept will change. The legal requirements probably will. Its only a matter of time before some federal judge gets his knickers in a knot because his daughter and her boyfriend crack up in a gl*** 32 coupe. He'll order all modified vehicles off the road until they undergo an intensive safety inspection. Until then look for reactions to increasing fuel prices. 4's and 6's will one day outnumber 8's. As technology improves look for fuel cells and electric driven rods as well as alternative fueled vehicles. Now I'll put away my magic 8 ball

 

Now I know we aren't supposed to talk "politics" here but sometimes things just need to be said. The way things are goin the suits in the big white house and their henchman all over this great country of ours get their way, I believe there won't be a future. The incident that just happened at Boyds' place, although I didn't read all of it 'cause it makes me depressed, what was the reason for that? They need more money to actually do things 'cause the money they had to fix stuff they used for their pay raises? I belive we should turn the tables on them and do the same to them, make them accountable for every penny they spend and stop this wastefull spending. But that will never happen. I see in the future that the only way we are going to get gas and use it is for work only. Then we'll just start making our own fuel . Thats my thoughts on things, take it with a grain of salt. later plmczy

 

I'm still trying to work out a turbodiesel than runs on 'greasel'-veggie oil. Everybody who wants to stick it to the Middle East should be going alt energy instead of pointing guns
We hit peak petrol production in 2006-all downhill from there. If we don't start thinking outside the box, there'll be no future for cars, let alone hotrods

 

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I'm still trying to work out a turbodiesel than runs on 'greasel'-veggie oil. Everybody who wants to stick it to the Middle East should be going alt energy instead of pointing guns
We hit peak petrol production in 2006-all downhill from there. If we don't start thinking outside the box, there'll be no future for cars, let alone hotrods

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VIVA LA BIODIESEL!

 

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I asked this question on here 2 years ago...... (its a good question)

Personally, I got into this "thing" because I have a twisted need for control and stability. I'm a pretty paranoid type of guy. I don't like people controlling too much about my life....so much so that I can't even hold a "normal" job. The system don't compute fer me (and I'm not just saying that).....

A car that I built appeals to me in that it is controlled by me. In a way, it isn't even a car any more. In my head it becomes a collection of minute actions that I perform to attain a certain result. To me it is the actual bending of reality....wrestling with the realness of real.

I take an idea and make it happen. The results are people standing along the road with their mouths gaped open. I just punched a hole in their "reality" and maybe their ****ing SUV ain't so cool anymore.....Maybe they wish they new a little more about how things work..... At its best, this is what "hot rodding" is to me. (sometimes it lets me down though, but we'll not go into that here)

Whats the future of hot rodding? Who gives a ****. I'll set my car on fire and watch the ****er BURN if the government screws things up that much. It ain't about the car for me.....It ain't about being period correct.....

Its about punching a hole in "reality". If I can **** with the world in a bigger way by building a cart to strap behind a billy goat then I damn well will.

Ahhhh but what the hell do I know. I'm probably doing it for all the wrong reasons.

VT

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Damn, I was about to post something about what the future holds but now my head hurts and I may have **** myself. good post.

Mootz

 

Even though most of them only have the look and not the go, the 'Euro Sport' cars will be the future of hot rodding. I personally don't care much for most of the ones I have seen, but there are a select few that are posting some totally impressive numbers which you have to respect.

Turbos, turbos, turbos, soon there will be so many manufacturers that prices will decline making them more accessible to people who want to utilize them, just like Nitrous on the 80's pro street cars.

The Ford Tarus will be the next big thing when someone decides to build one that is fast as ****. There are literaly millions of them, and resale isn't **** on them. Kind of like the Model A's after the war.

I don't like much about any of these cars, or ideas, but I will say that I respect any vehicle built with integrity, quality, and a clear vision of what it was supposed to be. I repect a "Rice Rocket" that was built to be one, and is void on ornamental ********, more than the guy who tells me he has an "Old School Rod" and proceeds to show me a car he built with Mustang II, and a 350/350 combo. That is not being true to your vision of the vehicle, or just don't advertise it as something it isn't. But if you like your car tell me to **** off, because after all you didn't build it to impress me.

Gas prices don't bother me. My 79 GMC pickup daily driver gets about 8 mpg, and I have drove it everyday for 8 years. I have no room to complain.

damn that was a rant
Geno

 

Chromed electric motor casings, flamed battery boxes, and littles 'n littles.

 

Fuel prices ARE going to have an impact. For every one of you that says "I just fill 'er up when she's empty", there are five or ten of us that simply cannot do that. It a matter of finances. I drive diesel because of the mileage and reliability. I drive over 2500 miles every month, pay out my *** for lawyers to fight my crazy ex, own a home, and find myself wanting at the end of the month. I fix **** on the side because it is survival. And MY hobby car is a Citroën 2CV6, one, because it is unique; two, 602cc only takes so much fuel to operate. Finally, I bummed on my last street rod due to issues concerning the aftermarket of which some of you will recall those issues (M-II anyone??).

So, I think the future will be much like the past, inasmuch as the future rodders will be customising and improving rides from 1 to 20 years old, JUST LIKE THE FIFTIES, BRO!!

In 1950, a Model A Ford was 22 to 19 years old, a Deuce was 18. Today, a Civic can be from 32 years old to brand new. Hell, even a Camaro (note spelling, sheesh) might be 37 years old!! In 1950, there were practically NO cars that old, and certainly none that anyone might play with (though I'd have been looking for a Mercer Raceabout).
So the future of rodding is secure, I believe, but the landscape will change a little.
Maybe tomorrow I turn up the boost on the Merc...maybe over the winter an intercooler??
650cc conversion for the 2CV, or find that elusive (this side of the pond) GS 1220cc four cylinder and five speeder for the sleeper image...
Cosmo

 

New cars have affordability going for them, in and odd way. A young person with fairly low income and no savings can easily buy a 20 or 30 thousand dollar new car, because if he has a job and an address he can get one with very little up front and endless credit pushed by every car dealer. He cannot possibly come up with 10 or 20 thou in actual real money to buy a nice old Ford and do some rodding, and of course building a trad rod is a SEPARATE expense from actual transportation, whereas his credit fueled Honda can actually get him to work while he hops it.
Traditional cheap rodding for the young requires available cars that run, roles filled in different parts of the past by Model A's, '55 Chevies, '69 Camaros, and now by Hondas. It takes extra money and lots of commitment to build a long-term project that won't be able to take you to work for 10 years, and that's just plain hard to get into if you're young and poor.
Real low dollar rods have always been drivers from the local dealer or used car lot.

 

Seriously, there will one day come a time when refineries will not be producing enough gasoline to stay open. Nothing lasts forever. I suppose it's anyone's guess as to when that time may come.

 

My buddy Bill, who has a strong history in traditional hot rods is currently working on this:

http://www.racingstrong.com/toystar/index.asp

Is it a "hot rod" - i don't know, but it comes from the same desire i think. Let's stuff a big nasty engine in a small, light affordable car. Bill's one of my heros, he's not a "tuner" dude, he sees beyond that.

 

Hmmmm... electric rods?

The scream of an over-stressed DC motor just isn't the same as the rrrraaaaapp of a hopped up flatty, is it? Before gasoline power took over at thge start of the last century, there were horseless carriages running around on electric and steam power. I'd be interested to see some of those early cars rodded... a Columbia Electric Carriage running slicks, a suicide front end and a rack of chromed capacitors to take up the transient peak when you mash down on the speed control.

Failing that, there's steam. Lots of linkages, noise and power, but you'll have to really make sure you don't run it dry or dump too much water into a superheated boiler too quickly or there could be catastrophic results.

Diesel rods? Possible, but you can also modify a gasoline engine to run on propane or natural gas.

Maybe the gas turbine is the answer... with 25,000 rpm operating speeds geared down and hooked to a high-stall automatic, they can be made to burn just about any fuel and you can't ask for a better source for spectacular flame-throwing antics. Light weight and powerful, but watch the heat and lubrication.

Just a couple out-there ideas for you.

 

Study these... Torque curve differences

then start repoping these in steel

 

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Hmmmm... electric rods?

The scream of an over-stressed DC motor just isn't the same as the rrrraaaaapp of a hopped up flatty, is it?

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I was just talking about electrics with a friend the other day.

It ****s, but the exhaust note would not be part of the equation anymore and I think body styles would have to reflect that. Personally, I think swoopy deco cars and those rockety looking concept cars would work best, and you'll always have the gutless econopod.

What about making it as quiet as possible? Something long and scary, like the cl***ic rich cartoon villain's car that kind of oozes around corners would be bad *** crawling out of the dark.

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a Columbia Electric Carriage running slicks, a suicide front end and a rack of chromed capacitors to take up the transient peak when you mash down on the speed control.

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Exactly.

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but you can also modify a gasoline engine to run on propane or natural gas.

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I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Zonk's site yet.

 

Put playing cards in the spokes

 

I really hope that slapping a set of 18" wheels on your traditional roadster and going "drifting" isn't in the future.

Alot of you have hit on some valid points.Unless more of the younger generation gets involved,traditional rodding may someday be something only seen in the history books.The fact that financing is available for newer rice rockets speaks volumes.When I was younger (I am 35) the first place we spent money was on the engine.I have yet to purchase a lighted exhaust tip or an indy car wing for any of my vehicles.I wil give them credit for being involved in cars instead of more illicit activities.What they lack in exhaust note is usually supplemented by some t******* speakers...which make my head hurt.
From what I saw at the Hunert Car Pileup last week,I am quite certain that traditional rodding will be here for a long time.For some it is a novelty,and it will wear off.But there are still alot of pro-street cars and even boogie vans out there...and alot of us had written them off years ago.
We need a president that is a hot rodder...Cole Foster for president!

 

I'm stuck in the 50's fiddy tree(Buick) that is, excuse me, I have to go get ready for the communist invasion

 

but more on the topic, while some day most of us may be driving electric cars to work, our hot rods will always be our hot rods, and nothing can change that.

 

I got no problem being "stuck" in an era. This whole 'rodding thing is as wide open as it can be, but a few things make me wonder.

Rodding, by some vague definition, is about adaptability and evolution. the cars on the salt, the cost of parts obtained from local shops or junk yards, you know what I mean.

The real impetus for starting this thread was two-fold. One, when rodding was in its infancy, parts were cheap, readily available, and from "current" cars. "traditional" rodders don't subscribe to that theory any longer, and instead search out a flathead motor, and proceed to pour $4000 into the block to make it what everyone else thinks is a hotrod. Then, if you're not spending $2000 plus for a Ford body, you don't have admission to the "club".

That, my friends, is not hotrodding, but adhering to fashion. These are the same guys who berate men who wear "Polo" or "Tommy Hilfiger" jeans, since they aren't the "real deal", yet they themselves can't think independently.

The second point is that we have a culture where a lot of motorsports are kind of cross-pollinating. SCCA events, drag racing, rat rods, and kustoms, and choppers. There's a lot of la***ude to open up more avenues to what people think is "cool", and I sure hope these people with the more open mindset create a contemporary equivalent of a rod.

Last, if anyone posts a pic on here, let it stay (I'm talking to the moderators here, no names....). This was meant to be an open discussion about people's opinions on rodding.

Thanks for reading this diatribe.

Keep rodding. Keep evolving.

 

Funny That's just what I was gonna do to and Amish buggy!

 

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Then we'll just start making our own fuel .

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Alcohol Motors are expensive. But Fast! MA! where's that darn Still?

 

I think one real boost is coming for the traditional beginners: Early Ford restorers are starting to die off, and there ain't no youg ones taking over. I'm a geezer, but i'm the baby at early V8 club meetings. Restored A's are gonna be crashing in value and zooming in availability, and the V8's too, although there prices are kept high by the slightly younger street rod group. Perhaps a new golden age, when you can start with a nearly new early Ford???

 

By far not the coolest, but my buddy is building a RX-7 powered Spitfire. Its been fairly cheap.
http://www.crcmotorsports.com/phpbb2/modules.php?set_albumName=RotoSpit&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php&PHPSESSID=a3cc53c0d22d3f345b218e6dedca7ec1

 

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Seriously, there will one day come a time when refineries will not be producing enough gasoline to stay open. Nothing lasts forever. I suppose it's anyone's guess as to when that time may come.

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I say we build Alcohol Cars fire up the still and forget about gas use GOOD corn liquor and if ya break down siphon the tank and forget about it!

 

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I got no problem being "stuck" in an era. This whole 'rodding thing is as wide open as it can be, but a few things make me wonder.

Rodding, by some vague definition, is about adaptability and evolution. the cars on the salt, the cost of parts obtained from local shops or junk yards, you know what I mean.

The real impetus for starting this thread was two-fold. One, when rodding was in its infancy, parts were cheap, readily available, and from "current" cars. "traditional" rodders don't subscribe to that theory any longer, and instead search out a flathead motor, and proceed to pour $4000 into the block to make it what everyone else thinks is a hotrod. Then, if you're not spending $2000 plus for a Ford body, you don't have admission to the "club".

That, my friends, is not hotrodding, but adhering to fashion. These are the same guys who berate men who wear "Polo" or "Tommy Hilfiger" jeans, since they aren't the "real deal", yet they themselves can't think independently.

The second point is that we have a culture where a lot of motorsports are kind of cross-pollinating. SCCA events, drag racing, rat rods, and kustoms, and choppers. There's a lot of la***ude to open up more avenues to what people think is "cool", and I sure hope these people with the more open mindset create a contemporary equivalent of a rod.

Last, if anyone posts a pic on here, let it stay (I'm talking to the moderators here, no names....). This was meant to be an open discussion about people's opinions on rodding.

Thanks for reading this diatribe.

Keep rodding. Keep evolving.

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Every now and then this comes up - usually from a newbie.

This ISN"T an open discussion about people's opinions on rodding. This is a discussion board for TRADITIONAL rods and customs. It's for a niche - not rodding in general. The only evolution involved here is what took place 50 years ago. This board was started by those who appreciate a certain time period in rodding, and want to preserve that period. By limiting the subject matter, we are able to concentrate on what we like, much like a brand specific board. Some people come here and try to inject what THEY think the board should be about, and don't seem to understand that there are plenty of boards for what they want to talk about - and this ain't one of them.
These same people are the ones who go to a Chevrolet board, and try talk about their Mopar.

Why is it so hard to understand that this board is about TRADITIONAL rods and customs, and NOT street rodding?

Mutt