Fat Hack
07-18-2004, 10:47 AM
Didja ever notice that nearly EVERYONE hacks up SOMETHING on their car? You may not really notice it unless you get in close and look at the details...but in most cases...it's there, to one degree or another!
DirtyT and I were sharing our common philosophy on this subject yesterday as we were ripping his car apart to make room for the new drivetrain...noting the way the previous owner had used bondo and undercoating to "rustproof" and seal the bottom of the car...on EVERYTHING! It was just THAT guy's little 'signature'...(or "fingerprint" as Flaw'd calls it!).
EVERY old car you buy will have 'fingerprints' from the previous owner(s) on it, in it, or under it...that's just a given, and it's part of what gives old cars their charm and personality!
What I find interesting, is that everyone is so different in HOW they fingerprint a car! Dirty and I laughed at the fact that we un-do OTHER people's hackery...only to add our OWN to the chronological evoloution of the car we happen to be working on at that particular moment in time!
I mean, some guys lay down beautiful paint, get the stance just right...and then wire it like a ten year old kid building a spaceship in a cardboard box with light bulbs, buzzers and radio parts!
Other guys do the mechanicals spot-on, but think nothing of driving around with gaping rust holes or poorly done bodywork showing. Some of 'em even paint their cars with ENGINE ENAMEL! (Ha Ha Ha...yes I DID...TWICE!).
You never know WHAT you're gonna find when you dive into an old car project...some things will make you laugh out loud with your buddys as you hold up or point out newly discovered fingerprints...and others will make you scream when you realize what somebody's done before you got there! It's all part of the fun that goes along with what we do...and it's actually something that I enjoy...in my sick and twisted way!
I love going to car shows and cruise nights and such...because I get a genuine kick out of looking at how OTHER people do things, solve problems, and put cars together. Some things you see are slick and clever, others are funny, and some are downright frightening! But, each case gives you that much MORE insight into the many different ways that hot rodders ply their craft, and get things done...I love it!!!
(And boy, do I leave some gnarly 'fingerprints' of my own for future owners of my cars to marvel at and admire...sometimes I go out of my WAY to add a few signature touches to my stuff...mostly just for laughs...but ya never know, do ya?!?!)
It's like a RELIGION...a personal thing unique to each of us...our FINGERPRINTS! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
DirtyT and I were sharing our common philosophy on this subject yesterday as we were ripping his car apart to make room for the new drivetrain...noting the way the previous owner had used bondo and undercoating to "rustproof" and seal the bottom of the car...on EVERYTHING! It was just THAT guy's little 'signature'...(or "fingerprint" as Flaw'd calls it!).
EVERY old car you buy will have 'fingerprints' from the previous owner(s) on it, in it, or under it...that's just a given, and it's part of what gives old cars their charm and personality!
What I find interesting, is that everyone is so different in HOW they fingerprint a car! Dirty and I laughed at the fact that we un-do OTHER people's hackery...only to add our OWN to the chronological evoloution of the car we happen to be working on at that particular moment in time!
I mean, some guys lay down beautiful paint, get the stance just right...and then wire it like a ten year old kid building a spaceship in a cardboard box with light bulbs, buzzers and radio parts!
Other guys do the mechanicals spot-on, but think nothing of driving around with gaping rust holes or poorly done bodywork showing. Some of 'em even paint their cars with ENGINE ENAMEL! (Ha Ha Ha...yes I DID...TWICE!).
You never know WHAT you're gonna find when you dive into an old car project...some things will make you laugh out loud with your buddys as you hold up or point out newly discovered fingerprints...and others will make you scream when you realize what somebody's done before you got there! It's all part of the fun that goes along with what we do...and it's actually something that I enjoy...in my sick and twisted way!
I love going to car shows and cruise nights and such...because I get a genuine kick out of looking at how OTHER people do things, solve problems, and put cars together. Some things you see are slick and clever, others are funny, and some are downright frightening! But, each case gives you that much MORE insight into the many different ways that hot rodders ply their craft, and get things done...I love it!!!
(And boy, do I leave some gnarly 'fingerprints' of my own for future owners of my cars to marvel at and admire...sometimes I go out of my WAY to add a few signature touches to my stuff...mostly just for laughs...but ya never know, do ya?!?!)
It's like a RELIGION...a personal thing unique to each of us...our FINGERPRINTS! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif