Projects Who could build a hotrod without the power of the H.A.M.B.?

Before I come to here,
I know not what HAMB is.

Now I are one.

 

I may have posted this before. I have been around cars and motorcycles and the guys who build them since the late 50s (actually mid but I really don't remember much before the late 50s).

That said, I still find things that I have forgotten or never really understood. I never built a car on my own until '68. By then a lot of what we emulate was already being forgotten. Most of the time if I don't remember or never knew I can figure it out but it is way easier to find someone who already knows or remembers.

 

Can't remember.

Good thing everybody wrote everything down on the HAMB.

 

LOL
Funny I have note books that I have kept since gawd knows when. Sometimes I can put my finger on it. Sometimes (now for example) I can't even find them.

 

From 1960 onward, I was fortunate enough to be able to go by Bo Field's garage and ask him what to do.

jack vines

 

In high school (class of 72) I lived across the street from Dorman's Speed Shop. If I got lost and could not get ahold of my dad Mr Dorman was my go to. I also could pic Danny Kilcup's brain too.

When I was growing up I was lucky I think.

 

I chopped my Plymouth ages ago following an article in the December 1978 issue of Street Rodder. If I had the many Hamb builds of chopped Plymouth coupes to help me, it would have been a lot better.

 

From reading the magazines all those years, I can usually at least remember what gets done.

I paid pretty close attention.

Just have to do research now to remind myself of exactly how it gets done.

What year spindles fit the early axles again?
Oh yeah...
What's that bearing number again?
Thank you very much.

But like I say, these old DB parts are proving to be just a little bit different.
That's okay... give me my screwdriver and my plumber's helper. I'll pry it open and shove it in.

 

I was building hot rods before Ryan started the Hamb, but I have learn a lot from the membership over the last 20 years, I was the odd guy in the club that didn't follow trends, when I built my 40 Ford sedan in the late 70's driving into a few shows the gate attendants would park me with the original cars, I was the only guy around running painted steel wheels, the sc freaked them out when I opened the hood, I just like the stock look on 40 fords.

Y can still build without the hamb, but I don;t want too, I enjoy bouncing ides of others and having so much knowledge free for the asking. HRP

 

Me too...lucky back then. There was a service station whose owner had to have been driven nuts by all my questions, but he always answered them and loaned me tools and gave me used stuff like tune-up parts that were still OK. Also had a freakin' Genius machinist who could and did repair anything for both individuals and huge corporations. He'd stop what he was doing and cut a keyway in something for me and wouldn't accept any pay...and gave me plenty of advice too. I owe those guys a LOT.

 

I am fortunate, at age 80, to still have contemporaries around too argue with about how things were
done in the 50's and 60's. One thing we all agree with though is had disc brakes and radial tires,
5spd tranny's, EFI, electronic ignition, teflon bushings etc. been as cheap and readily available
as they are today, we would have been all over them. I think too many people confuse "traditional"
with the "only parts that were available".

 

Built a lot of cars in the 70's, 80's & 90's without the HAMB, Didn't sign up until 2006. The HAMB has been a help but I learned more in the early years by buying every hot rod book I could find and reading them cover to cover over and over. I just duplicated the techniques I saw in the books and at the rod runs I went to. Did a lot of thing my way and got lucky. I built my first 1/4 elliptic rear suspension in 1984 under a Henry 32 highboy just to see if it'd work. Current owner called me a couple years with 150K on the current speedometer. Had to do a lot of things the hard way when you live on a farm in rural Nebraska.