Where's the "What's Traditional" guide?

Within this post you have brilliantly answered your own question.
Welcome, gr***hopper!

 

How bout rust colored paint

it seems like you already have your definition of traditional figured out so if you wanna go for a period look find cars that were built in that period.. all in all it's more about finding the look in a car that pleases you.. era be damned

 

to find teh absolute truth,,garb a car magazine from the time frame your into,,all teh answers will be there

True traditional is like the "Pirate Code",,

'its not really rules..more like guidelines"


Tradition evolves so ,,so kinda hard to make a fixed thing out of that..

and this is a cool car site not traditional

Disclaimer ) if this was such the "traditional Site )..would'nt be all the S-10 ,,T-5 ,,Mustang 2 posts so...

Lotta good people lotta good info,,just build to what best suits your needs and what you will be happy looking at and driving

 

You can only utilize the mullet if you're wanting to build a traditional douche bag...

In my younger days I worked at a pizza place along with all my drunken hoodlum buddies... The manager had one of the most spectacular mullets I've ever seen. I'll never forget one morning when he pissed off one of my friends, who, in turn, stood there right in his face at the cash register, just stared at him, then said "I'll rip that ****in' mullet right out of the back of your ****in' head!" I was still a little drunk from the night before, I laughed so hard I puked in a trash can.

I still laugh out loud thinking about it. THAT was a traditional douche bag. I live in WV. I can't kick a rock without it sailing through a half dozen glorious mullets. And I don't mean "California" mullets. I mean West by-God Virginia genuine articles!

 

I don't think he was asking how we think he should build his car.

I think he wants to understand the evolution of hot rod styles, trends and equipment choices over the past 60 years. I think that would make an interesting HAMB thread if you guys with all the photos would post stuff with dates, tech tips and some actual experience of "the day", etc.

Us grey beards just take a lot of this stuff for granted - I'm glad newbies are interested in this history.

 

Pot stirrer! Yes they have, but that does not make it a traditional hot rod or custom, and I know I have been guilty of coloring outside of those lines. Now if someone wants to build a traditional hot rod with what "they" had laying around, that's a different story.

 

I really am a thread *****! You guys that know me knew I couldn't stay out of this one!
Two comments. First, we all know somone that has had their car for decades. What happens when better technology comes along? Do we leave the drums on the front even after discs become avalible? When the overheads came along the flatties were a dime a dozen. I remember them stacked up in the yards like cord wood, no one wanted them. Just keep in mind that a righteous car is still righteous regardless of what period it comes from.
Secondly, I just realized, again, that there are folks out there that didn't have the privlege some of us had of not being born into the sport/hobby/lifestyle and therefore don't remember firsthand how trends evolved.
I feel lucky to have been around hot rods and race cars all my life, what a ride!
Oh, and what's a mullet!?! (kidding....)

 

Just do what YOU think is cool. You'll be happier that way than trying to impress others.

 

Well put

 

Pick up a copy of Hot Rod Deluxe. It's not completely strict to era but it's better than old school rods.

 

I'm traditional, ask me.

 

If you don't know what ''traditional'' is, then how do you know that's what you want to build?
Pick up a catalog and order all the parts listed as'' traditional'' . If its just a style , then you cant go wrong.

 

Traditional is a MYTH. Vehicles built since the invention of the wheel were done with the materials and methods that were available.
The fact that some vehicles that were modified look like others is for one of two reasons - one being that a person/persons liked the original vehicle or two that the person/persons were lazy/unamaginative and copied the original.
The closest that real builders of Rods and Customs get to the word Traditional is that they build what they want no matter if it fits "In The Box" or it Crushes It.

Relax give your brain an enima and build what you want.

 

JM2¢?

1. pick the parts you already have, or are sure you've got to use to make the car be what you want
2. figure out what would be the first & last years that stuff sould be available, safe, reasonable and practical
3. pick a "target" year from that ("what would you build in 1959?")

Example: you want a 1950 Chevy to be original from the pre-Elvis days.
This means no mags, no disc brakes, no hood scoops, no rake.
What was traditional: spotlights, lowering, windshield visor, fender skirt, lakes pipe, 2-tone paint, swapping grill with other brands, continental kit, removing trim and emblems. Engine: L6 choice #1 is GMC, then 261 truck, V8 is Olds Rocket, Caddy.

 

So by traditional, do you mean what IS traditional, or what DEPICTS traditional? Along with a lot of the other replies, there is a big difference here too.

Examples of traditional could be non-resistor plugs, braided cloth covered wires, bias ply tube-type tires, points/condenser dizzy, asbestos brake shoes (no disc brakes), maybe no seat belts, tube-type AM radios, leadbased body solder, no IFS, no T5s or AODs, running leaded gas, any other tech upgrades or enhancements . . . . How many strictly and purely traditionalists are there a**** us?

IMHO, building, driving and being part of the vintage hot rodding/custom car hobby is what makes it traditional. What we build and drive is a reflection and our interpretation of the tradition.

 

BINGO! I dig the history of it all.

I've been around cars all my life too, my life just started later. The rods I saw as a kid were already evolved and being pushed out by street rods and muscle cars. I'm just looking for some details and timelines that's all.

We're all good, no need to keep picking at this.

 

Good point, Left coast was different than Right coast and the mid west where I grew up was different still. Lots of similarities. Everybody's idea varies some, look for parts in the magazine adds from the 50's or 60's that you can find at swap meets or on ebay to build your car, use what you like and it will be traditional.

 

as is everything, it's open to interpretation.
we all think differently, and translate custom, traditional, etc based on the way we experienced it for the first time we saw a souped up car.

research anything you can find with a style you like, and build it.
out side of safety, or function I rarely listen strongly to others about how a car I am building for myself should look.

 

What is traditional?
What is nostalgic?
What is billet?

 

I'd say that's traditionally different.

I agree with it being said different styles from different parts-o-the country. I'd have to do a double take if I saw a woodie being driven here. It just doesn't make sense. The car is way cool but not for the right area. To me that's west coast style. Others will disagree maybe.
Some want g***ered up, some want lowered, some want extreme chops, some want none. Channeled or not. Fenders or not. The list goes on and on.
Whatever you decide to do, don't forget the peeps on here......show pics when you have something!

 

Boooo to billet

 

Tradition is not easy. No, I don't mean the definition is not easy, I mean doing it is not easy.

To me I don't want something that is typical. Billet is easy. Dime a dozen. Common. SBC is easy, common. Mustang II has become common and easy.

I grew up in the late 70s and 80s when billet got it's start. I liked it then, but that's when it wasn't common and wasn't easy. Now all the billet rods look the same to me.

When I think of a traditional builder, I think of custom hand-made one-off parts. Stuffing an unusual motor into a rod, making something fit that wasn't meant to fit. Not something that was meant to bolt on.

Sure, there's room for everyone, and nothing wrong with putting bolt-on parts on your rod or custom if that's what you've got time for, but traditional is being different and making stuff fit that wasn't meant to.

 

x2

Do whatever you feel comfortable with and how you want it. No matter what you do or how "period perfect" it ends up, some *** wipe will always tell you how you could have done it better. After all, what you do may be the next "hot thing" and someone always has to be the first. Good luck on the build.

 

....that definition is too rigid....there were both perfect cars and ugly cars in Car Craft of that (or any) period. It all comes down to personal taste and that is hard to define and dictate, so best to just go with your judgement.

 

traditional is a very big question . im building a "pre war" hot rod cruzzer . my best advice was .... "nothing newer than 1946" . so say you are building a traditional car from the '50s . research your parts & dont put or do stuff that was not around in the '50s . the "vic edelbrock" book helped me alot . also "don montgomery" books . search amazon for specific books . ask , read , go to the OFC forum . its not as hard as it seems . the internet can give you all the info if you search it ! ............ steve

 

Hey, that's a neat idea. It'd have to be heavily monitored by a moderator to keep the BS deleted and maybe even rearranged chronologically to keep the earlier stuff at the front of the thread and vice versa. It's probably completely impossible but a neat idea for a thread none the less

 

You know, establishing a "time line" when various engines were introduced, trends from old ads and articles would be very interesting.

 

A guide can be in DVD form...


www.madfabricators.com

 

couldnt have said it better myself!!!