OK, OK, I'll quit building cars. Get off my back. Some people build cars as a form of art. Some people build them as transportation. Mine are transportation. Point a to point b safely and reliably. If others like it as I drive by, cool. It you intend to look at it and compare it to the 100G ride parked next to it, its not my problem. I have helped more then my share of guys with the perfect looking (from above and from under) 100g+ rides that have broken down while my "junk" gets me to and from without issues. Time, desire, and money. You spend your resorces on what is important to you and I will spend mine on whats important to me, should we meet someplace in the middle, great. In the 5 years you have spent building your car, I have been driving mine 40K miles and will be tired of it and ready for the next one. The guy that buys my "junk" car will be getting something he can drive without fear of killing someone. He will have something to drive while he makes the decision of what is important to him. I win, he wins, the hobby wins. Please, take the time to build a great car, I like looking at them. I like to see things done in perfection and can appreciate the time invested to make it that way. But if when your done, if you don't put miles on it, it was all a waste. After its all done, its still a car that should have been intended to be driven. If your not going to drive it, what was the point? It will be another "look at what I can do" car. Gene
The simple answer... Some people get it, even more don't. The biggest problem with **** cars being built is the owners. Even if they know they can't do it right themselves, they go with the shop that gives the lowest bid. That shop will do poor quality work or realize they are not going to make any money on the job and bump it with a job with more potential. The owner of the car will get antsy and pull it out of the shop and shop for another low bidder. The next shop will find all of the work from the previous shop sub par and will want to tear it down and rebuild it. The owner of the car will usually freak out because of the add ons and pull it out of the next shop. This becomes a viscious cycle, which usually ends up as an ugly car or a project that gets sold relatively cheap. A guy brought me a pickup that had been in about five other shops. It had a tilt bed to show off all of the trick work on the ch***is. The only trick item I saw was a polished stainless exhaust system. The frame was boxed wirh 20 gauge. The tilt mechanism was welded to the frame and welded to the bed, so there was no way to get the bed off to paint the ch***is. All of the steering u-joints were welded, so there was no way to remove the polished ididit column. I called him and had him take it back because I didn't want any ***ociation with the finished product. I also decided that life was too short. I'm sure the next guy took him for a ride. Dave
I read this tread a couple of times--NaKpinstriper pretty much said it all.Think a long time before you do a damn thing--then do something and step back---if it looks right,move on,if not--do it again. Over and over---
Some people have more money than brains, too, so they go out, get a car, call up 1-800-hotrod and build it out of the catalog, and the end result may be a nice car, but it's as generic as half the stuff in the parking lot at the shopping mall. As for taste, someone should take that picture from the quote in the post just before this and caption it "Would you have a guy who wears shirts like THIS deisgn YOUR car?" ....
I have to agree with that one. Too many cars end up with the wrong tire/wheel combo. I've see some otherwise great looking cars that had wheels and tires that look like the belong on a farm truck. Too big and the wheels look too cheap Where big and littles with painted rims and caps and rings would have been a winner. A lot of the time I think it is due to the car being a '''deadline car" guys are building against a deadline and begin to cut too many corners. I've been guilty on that one and am starting the rebuild to correct those things with no deadline. We've all seen the fresh out of the box car at a rod trot that should have stayed in the box a while longer. As previously mentioned, details not attended to. welds not finished off properly. wires not run quite as neatly as they could or should be. A half ***ed paint job instead of just having a nice primer job and be done with it or no fresh paint at all. Great cars show Stance: they sit right and look right from all angles. Thought: they show hours of planning before anything was done to the car it's self. Theme: everything flows and goes together and stays on theme. That seems to be where folks here excel. Staying on theme. It makes for some fine cars and bikes that we see being built on these pages. Attention to detail. Even the smallest hidden bracket shows that thought and work went into the making. I think this is what makes the difference between the great cars and the so so cars. The guy/gal who is willing to spend the extra hour (s) to make even the simple things as close to perfect and right as possible as opposed to the others who are unwilling to spend a bit more time to get it right. I have a friend who has what could be one of the nicest chopped 32 coupes around but he has a completely wrong wheel tire combo (chrome Truespokes and wide tires) and the interior is completely wrong ( crushed velvet that should be on the parlor couch). Change those two things and it would be a knock out anywhere. Now I had better heed what I just wrote when I start putting the truck back together.
the ability for someone to take the time to research their build,consider how traditional or modern you want your ride and how to present that idea in reality is absent. i took 1 year to find my ride ,research custom ideas,paint concepts and read alot about the engine and what modifications can be done.I went through various books,websites,and shows,talking,taking pictures and just plain staring at rides for hours just to get where i am now. i think alot of people producing these ****ty rides have no pride in their work or respect for the tradition that has gone before them...and most of all no ****ing taste.This is the single most prevelent factor in customs and rods.spider webs,skulls and chicks lying on hoods dont make a car,hard work,attention to detail,care,and the respect for the art of crafting cars.This is what i think makes a great rod or custom.seeing some of the **** out there makes me believe that alot of people dont have a love for the custom tradition....my 2 cents(which is all i can spare the rest is tied up in my ride)
1. not everyone has the same level of taste or "style". 2. not everyone can envision the "big picture". they just see neat pieces and ***ume they will all look good together. 3. not everyone has the ability the build a car. not even alot of people who think they do. 4. common sense is not as common as you would think (if it even exists today at all). maybe this is true afterall: My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time p***ed until today I read his obituary. Obituary - Common Sense Today we mourn the p***ing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with ***ual har***ment for kissing a cl***mate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for ***ault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by five stepbrothers; Me First, Who Cares, I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him p*** this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
What makes a car ****? Sometimes it's as simple as the person viewing it. Most on this site wouldn't go out of their way to look at a nicely finished "street rod". And when asked why, the response would be something like "What that piece of ****?" And the same holds true for the street rodder set too. So safety and the level of finish, while being important, doesn't always make a certain car a piece of ****.
I helped a buddy pick up a freshly built "rat rod" he bought on line (he was the only bidder) The seller was suprised when we turned up with just a pickup & a cutting torch... You can guess the rest!!
I believe it is bad media coverage from some areas of media that have no idea about true hot rodding ,and the whole "rat rod" idea besides should have never been started, being way out of hand.
I guess the biggest problem with "****" is the guy that is building it lacks the skills to build a safe half way decent car, 9 out of 10 times they don't want to admit they don't know how to weld properly, (just because you found the on switch on the mig welder and know how to pull the trigger does not make you a welder) two parts stuck together or with a half inch of slag is not safe. I think it is pride that falls in the way of better judgement. Even on the hamb I read all the time about check book cars or built not bought, what ever the **** is wrong with these people on their high horse on "PRO" mountain that are causing the **** boxes that are being built because they are "PRO". I'm not saying that every thing has to have 100g's in it to be safe, but for petes sake I thought the hamb was about spreading the gospel, not makeing the problem worse by being macho tuff guys. You know how you are, so why don't you try and fix the problem instead of talking **** on the cars that your additude helped to create.
I think it takes vision. Might not be all yours. Maybe something inspires you. We define the basis of what we want and then start building. Now when some want to just cash out like said above it shows from a hundred feet away. Some just want bling and think it's done. You know that kind, an engine full of braided stainless and billet valve covers but it needed valve seals or a total rebuild. And bling can be ok but once again with vision. Mix it up, use your imagination, get inspired from a memory or a certain time. Look at old mags from the time you like. I'm constantly amazed at where the effort is (and isn't!) put into cars that make a mag spread. We all have a certain eye for certain things. I miss stuff because I was lookin at what I wanted to see and next thing ya know a friend says "did ya see..." and then ya do. Focus and vision. One thing you may notice is that sometimes the best most memorable builds are the ones that are never for sale. Tell me that doesn't make sense, huh?
my 2c ,I love trad style rods but can still appreciate the workmanship in a high $ car, I think a lot of quality went out the window when magazines started spelling rods with a "z" ,it seems to have become a contest to see you can build (throw together) the worst unsafe POS and still move under its own power, if I see one more iron cross I'll run to toilet and tear out all the paper
I have been building and having fun with ol cars ever since they were cheap,,,,they ain't anymore,,, What vision I had for the cars that I had back in the day I still build them that way,,,, sure I have refined my skills and maybe the cars I have now are lower in the front instead of the back,,,but times change as we learn more our ideas change too. There have been many cars built over the years that have flat out missed the mark and most are not around today,,, But the style that worked years ago will stand the test of time,,,, A car built to those standards is what the HAMB is all about,,, Amoung use are some true craftsman who have pulled of some sweet cars and trucks,,, Thanks GOD we don't all like the same thing but we all have the same goal,,,to build a traditional rod or custom and to drive it ,,,show it and the pleasure of sharing it with all others here doing the same.HRP
My thoughts agree,Dittos, well said. The one thing I can't understand is most people on this board need the approval of everyone or they ain't happy. I don't care if you build ****, the only car I worry about is MINE. Chances are you can not make a gumbo as good as Emeril, but if you can heat up chicken noddle soup it will cure your hunger. I doubt many of you can pitch like Roger Clemons, but just thank your lucky stars you have a son or daughter to play catch with. BE HAPPY FOR WHO YOU ARE AND LET ME BE WHO I WANT TO BE, life is toooo short for this ****!!!
Yes, we can blame backyard mechanics, shops that cut corners, etc., but when it comes down to it, cars are too easy to license here. You'd never see the unsafe POS "rat" rods on the roads to Europe or Australia. They'd never get plates. Now I hate government regulation as much as the next guy, but it does give me some comfort to know that the car behind me has had the brakes and steering checked by an independent garage. I've seen it all as well. Steering boxes tack welded on, brakes lines held to the frame with bailing wire, butchered motor swaps, etc, etc. Part of the problem is us as well. We think that if we didn't work on it there is something wrong. I can't weld well enough yet to trust my welds on key components, so I take it to someone who does. For some reason that seems to be frowned upon.
Painted cars can be pretty ****py too. When streetrodding took off in the 70's, there were a lot of monstrosities built. ......cars built with a cutting torch and an arc welder only (no grinding of the torched parts to make them pretty).
I think that a lot of the ****py cars comes from people without a plan. They have not thought through to the end product. I think a lot of people call that vision. There are a lot of people also about makign a buck who throw a car together then ebay it or just to jump on the bandwagon. These are where half the rockasilly rodders get their junk and try to p*** it off as their homebuilt hot rod.
my dad was never really hotrodder, he was more of the "muscle car guy" he owned his fair share 1969 Mustang Sportsback, and a 71 Stingray... When i approached him with the idea that i was getting a "project vehicle" he ****, yelled, and **** 2 more times... regardless..... i bought it... needless to say he pissed and moaned for two days... when i picked up the truck i pulled up in front of his house and just started tearing the tires off the rear... their for a breif moment i saw him smile and start to laugh... my mom told me to get the truck off her road because it makes the block look bad. Regardless to say, i dont have alot of experience with building cars... not at all.. but i started anyways... its easier to learn hands on with the process of trial and error.. my fiancee supports my ideals, and that is the only approval i need... i think my project truck might not turn out to be the prettiest truck roaming the streets of my small town... but it will have one of the biggest hearts and ambitions driving the piss out of it im nearing one year with my project... and its been one of the best of my life long live hotrodding
For me it is patience, planning and a vision for the end. Also understanding what you are capable of and what you need to get help on. But really if you are in a hurry you will cut corners. If you have no idea what you see as the end product how can you move forward with a clear vision. My shoebox was off the frame for a year, I had to be patient while waiting to get money together for parts. The same still holds true as it nears completion. No cut corners, this will be my daily driver, it must be safe, reliable, and done right the first time. my $0.02
Having not read anything anyone else said besides the person asking the question here goes: Taste, skill levels/ability to do the work, talent, and money.
I checked it out. 3 words... Oh My God!?!?! At least the lucky buyer will get a new battery with the deal!
Looks like this guy sold it for $2400 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128306&highlight=Galaxie+Roadster and this guy wants six grand. The old ad is still up! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233219&highlight=Galaxie+Roadster
main reason for ****py cars? people don't have a picture of the car that they want to build in their head before they start work on the car. you need a theme, and you need to stick to the theme. when you throw **** at the wall and it sticks, that does not mean that you need to throw more **** at the wall, just stick to the theme. dan
The Jalopy Journal
