A question

[repoguy]

What is your priority,

fast or period correct?

Sometimes it blows my mind what some of the flathead dudes around here spend on their motors for (in my humble opinion) very little in the way of horsepower. Don't take this as an insult to flattys, because I think they're cool. But I guess since my first priority is speed, I will probably never build one. Once again, I dig flattys so don't freak out.

I guess I'm sort of wondering where everyone else's head is.

Sometimes I hear people using the term "tradional" as if it's the opposite of fast. I've heard some people here even say that they think that the term "high performance" has no place here, as they see it as more related to the tuner set.

Wasn't the original purpose of a hot rod to go fast?

Is a hot rod no longer a fast car, but instead a rolling showpiece to display vintage parts?

I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything, but this has been rolling around in my head for a while now.

Is speed becoming a secondary concern in hot rodding today?

[Baumi]

I guess "faster" is the word which says it all.
The matter is if you want to go faster than stock, faster than most other cars or faster than anything?
If the last one was my goal I´d save some money for a top fueler.
But that isn´t our goal, at least not mine.I think what makes us play with old time engineering is because there are some big things envolved, such as memories,style and so on.
It´s not only because of speed for me.

Chris

[CptStickfigure]

I think it depends.
It always depends.

I think most of the people on this board want a cool car. Period.
Sometimes fast cars are cool. Sometimes slow cars are cool.
You kind of have to take them for what they are.

I mean, you can make a flathead-powered car go fast,
but it's going to take a more time and money than something newer.
Is it any less cool because it's not quite as fast?
I don't think so. It's cool for what it is.

That said, I usually think a fast, well done, flathead-powered car is cooler than the slow one, but I guess the real question is who's having the most fun.

[oldspeed]

The issue is traditional hot rods vs. speed. If you want speed AA/FD is the way to go. Traditional hot rods are fast compared to a stock car of the era., but don't forget the main reason hot rods were built was because Detroit at the time could not or would not build performance as quickly as the rodders could. If you remember the sixties the muscle car wars almost took rodding out because once detroit started building performance it was beyond the skills of most back yard rodders to compete. Therefore traditional rods envokes a time when you ccould work on the cars and hop them up. It was fun then and it still is. Just my opinion and as always everyones got one.

[luketrash]

I just like vintage.. That's the whole thrill for me.

If I want to go fast, I get on my motorcycle.

reusing old parts that were probably going to rot away in a barn is cool, in my opinion. Just taking something old and getting use out of it again is cool.

[briggs&strattonChev]

traditional can be interpreted in more than one sense. You are thinking traditional as in the mindset of speed as the perogative. It can also be thought of as what was used in a specific era. I have no problem with people trying to build up their flatties or nails or rockets or whatever else, and thats what I like. Guys these days respect and like the styles of cars that we call traditional, so thats why they build them using the parts that were available then. Hell, new minivans could probably outperform more than a handfull of flatties these days. To me speed isnt everything.

[GomezGarage]

Safe, Traditional, Fast. In that order. You can build a fast flathead, you can build a period correct 4 banger, you can build a slow stock SBC.

[Paul]

fast or period correct?

"fast" is a relative term and "period correct" leaves some room for variables too.

I think I know what you mean though, and for me personaly I must admit I like fast.

if a really cool old hot rod can't keep up with traffic it's just not gunna do it for me.

Paul
...

I want a girl with a short skirt,

and a long...... jacket

[oldspeed]

I got to agree with that one. Burning the tires still rules.

[tommy]

If you only want to go fast you don't build a flathead. I bet there are guys here with some pretty fast equipment that still have an old hot rod just to be cool. You can do both. Just not in the same (flathead) car. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[zman]

I try to have a combination. With my Buick I'm definately not traditional, but it does maintain the vintage styling and most wouldn't know anything else unless they crawled underneath. And it is definately going to be faster, much faster...

[Brother Bob]

Lumpy idle, loud headers,lights the tires in first second and third!
Faster is it, hands down.
To me it ain't a Hot Rod unless it goes fast.
Now back to your regularly scheduled HAMB viewing. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Chandler]

always going to be some one faster, tougher, bigger.....then the next guy

[willowbilly3]

I have a flathead for my project because one just came along that was rebuilt and priced right. I would trade in a heartbeat for a 324 or 371 olds in similiar condition.

[AHotRod]

Repo.......

"Faster" would have to be mine, because it would'nt be a HotRod if it were slow, in my opinion.

AHotRod

[lilbill]

i don't have a flathead but my old truck has a babbit rod 216 so it's pretty close. back in my first and second childhood i had a "need for speed" si i went through the usual 'vette, superbike, hotrod routine. it was a lot of fun but it was also very frustrating most of the time. i had a '65 stingray coupe with a built 327 4spd that wouldn't untrack itself under 4k. and on the rare occasions when i could punch it and let it rip it was more fun than sex but the vast majority of the time it was misrible to try and drive it in traffic. it would overheat, gas foul plugs, load up etc. a real bitch.
no that i'm older and mellower i'm more into the arm out the window lowrider cruiser style of driving. it's like the old joke about the young bull and the old bull. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[cheaterjack]

I am going to go with cool, or what ever the fuck I want. Not fast not period correct.

[repoguy]

[ QUOTE ]
.. i'm older and mellower i'm more into the arm out the window lowrider cruiser style of driving. it's like the old joke about the young bull and the old bull. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


I think I have the opposite problem.

The older I get, the more speed it takes to give me that "feeling".

Kind of like crack!

[steevil]

hehe, I'm still working on "safe" and "reliable" , let alone period correct.

My Model A handles like a radio flyer with one bent wheel. I can't even imagine dropping a big horsepower mill in it and actually going fast in it without some sort of deathwish.