A few months ago, I bit the bullet and laid out the cash for an iPhone. Ironically enough (consider the source), I'm a bit of a technology whore. I love gadgets that ...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Ryan, What does it take to make a "M" version of the HAMB? I read http://m.usatoday.com/ and http://m.msn.com and the screens are formatted to fit my handheld device. It would sure make checking out the HAMB on the toilet handy. Tim
Well I am not that experienced with this but I think the advancements in welding itself as well as the techniques where something that changed the way we can build cars. Welding is one of those things that if it were not available we would have seen a much different outcome in terms of hotrods especially design wise. As for the iPhone, I have been playing my cards right with the wife in hope that it will change my life someday soon.
Ryan: Since im off the age now & was involved in the car thing since after ww2 (even as a boy ,i grew-up in a shop that built & raced cars & hot rods ) tere were two things that stand out about that time .The young guys returned from ww2 & lots of them realized you only go around once so enjoy what you like & the proliferation of printed material on racing & car related things. Oh yes you could buy a 20s thru early 40s car for 50$ or less. bill wallace
I think the wire feed welder changed the face of "rodding" more then anything else since the flathead ford V8 engine. Anyone could get one and use it without alot of skill or knowledge. More people could go find some old rusted out hulk, patch it up drop in a different readily available motor and have some fun. This made for the resurgance of old cars which has now brought light to the traditional rodding that we all know and love. Now not to argue with you Ryan, but in my opinion the OHV V8 engine coming to be in factory cars killed hot rodding as it was known in its roots. The cars became more seperated into dragsters, lakes car, circle track, street rods, etc by about 1955-56 The days of the stripped down and hopped up car used for everything were pretty much over by the time. Everything was becoming seperated into its own entities. These new OHV cars would be able to compete with the real hot rods and eventually made them take the back seat. Causing the died in the wool "Hop-Up artists to move on to a more specific car for wherever their interest lied and push that old cut down 32 roadster into the barn. just my 2¢ zach
There have been other automotive revolutions: Kettering ignitions (points) replaced buzzboxes making ignition tunable and reliable. The electric starter motor meant that the average Joe could crank his (or her) car by himself. Electric lights meant night driving was now a real possibility. Tetra ethyl lead gave us powerful, high compression engines. Automatic transmissions. radial tires Disc brakes But really, I think the single most important automotive technology revolution has been the microprocessor. Not only in the cars themselves, but in the design, production, and logistics. Without the microprocessor, we would still be trying to meet emissions standards with vacuum controlled engines (remember the really bad cars from the late seventies?). We wouldn't have ABS, airbags, or a score of other features on our newer cars. Could we live without that stuff? sure we could, but the point is, for better or worse, the change was revolutionary.
"What am I taking for granted? Spout of in the replies…" How about MIG welding? I know some guys stand by their torch, and Gene Winfield showed me how much faster he could hammer weld a panel than I can MIG and grind. But lets face it, it has become a common place tool that's easy and fast to use. Just grab it and tack a part on. I would say that was a big jump in technology that stuck.
The Flux Capacitor!! But i do agree that though the technolgy was developing and welding became a huge part, i think that it was the post war Culture that was happy to be alive and wanted to now live life to the fullest. this culute of cheap cars and friends wanted to see who was faster and having the mechanical apptitude to do something about it. this was inovative and chaged rodding.
Technology is a love-hate thing for me......some of it is good, but I believe alot of these 'new gadgets', made to make life easier? (or more efficient)...is really just BLINDING us.....I can't stand when talking with someone and their cell phone rings and they take the call, interupting the "in person" conversation....same with text messaging.... People stay "in touch" with computers, cell phones, etc....rather than hanging out in person.... Technology in cars to make them SAFER? is giving drivers a false sense of security.....cars have been relatively safe...it's the DRIVER that needs to pay attention...... All these little gadgets have so many features that it takes time to set 'em up, download, use, etc.....I'd rather be working on something..... Technology will TURN on man.....conspiracy theroist? maybe......but I'm just ramblin'... I don't have a personal cell phone, or cable/dish TV.......hell, I generally don't even use air tools......and prefer cars with manual steering and brakes. Back On topic,,,,,,,I think automatic transmissions, although not simple, was a turning point of sorts in the late 50's, as more guys were finding that they could go quicker at the drags with 'em........ EDIT...how about paint? Or it's techniques for applying it? The mid-late 50's really got going as far as colors, flames, fogs and candies....really a great era for custom cars.....
Just as you could get a V8 engine in expensive cars before 1932, Ford's V8 made them affordable. in 1949, you could get an OHV engine in a Caddy or an Olds... It wasn't until '55 you could get one in a low price car... I think you can see where this is going.
Technology is great. When im waiting or stalled at work...I pull out the Blackberry and read the HAMB.
My vote is for the 12 Volt Battery. Starting became easier, and automotive lighting became better. Would the advancements have come with the 6 Volt system? Maybe, but I remember when I was a kid, working on old cars and farm equipment with my dad, and how hard it would be to get something to start if it had been sitting a while, especially in the colder months. We changed alot of our customers stuff over to 12 volt and they were always happy with the improvement in starting and lighting.
I don't know about a drastic change in that period you mention, but lately gaskets and seals have really improved (for the most part). Hell, you barely see the oil stripes in the center of the lanes anymore, remember those? But, going back to your era mentioned, I also agree with 12volts as a sound improvement.
computers... that's it for me. without CAD engineering stuff wouldn't fit together in the aftermarket world nearly as well. without computers i wouldn't be in a hugh car club with members from all over the world exchanging ideas. without my computer i wouldn't know where to buy a NOS part that's been sitting on some guys shelf in toledo for 30 years. think about it... you wouldn't know ryan! i've been building since the 60's and have seen the growth in our hobby but the computer made the biggest growth spurt ever. that's what i think...
I've got a Treo 755 from Sprint with it's mobile highspeed access and I think I'm on the net on my phone more than I talk to people.
MIG sure is great...but we were still welding VWs back together with O/A and coathangers at the shop in the mid 70s
There appears to be a slight misinterpretation here - I'm speaking of the difference between automotive innovation and hot rod innovation. There is a bit of a gap between the two... It stands to reason that many of the improvemnts mentioned above made cars (in general) better, safer, more reliable. But there had to be something else - something behind the curtains that really pushed the hobby as a whole over the fulcrum point. It (hot rodding) seemed to be traveling in a very linear direction in the 30's & 40's - then all of a sudden, as if sparked by a fuse, it took off like a rocket and hot rodders were uniformly able to harness the power of that ship in the same direction. ...and what was it that lit that fuse? Could it have been something as simple as expendable cash? Was it the level of education in general? (This was an era that seemed to have jumped the hurdle of having 14 year olds in 2nd grade and sharing a classroom with 5-6-7 year olds, etc.) So it begs the question were we finally able to see a collective ability to think more out side of the box... Or was it something else, some sort of technology that put regular Joe's in the position to do more with what they had? Or maybe it was the industrial technologies that, once in Joe's hands, gave him the inventory he needed to make something really special.... I'm too young to speculate, or attest to any youthful observations from the time, but I will watch intently as opinions are offered. Damn iPhones are pretty damn cool. :Wish List:
I got the iPod touch (I can't stand at&t), and I do the same thing. I'll sit on the couch watching Disney Channel with my kids...while secretly surfing the HAMB.
Chevrolet had affordable OHV 6s in 1929,complete w/electic start, and outsold everyone that year too.
I showed Ryan the HAMB on my iPhone at the Cinematic. It works fine. I've been on here lots of times and really it's not half bad the way it is. I know there's a mobile plugin for Word Press and it works real well, It looks like there is a thread on the vBulletin forumns asking for this, don't know if they plan one or not.
I think one thing that made life easier for the average guy is the use of different metals, from cast iron to aluminum, and now in 2007 plastics and also sorts of alloys.
On a personal level - yer lookin' at it. The internet and the HAMB have done more to inform and motivate me than any of my friends or relatives ever could. It's a great enabler that says 'Yes you can' and 'Here's how'.
The single biggest thing that affected hot rodding in the years between 1947-1958 was a mass-produced and nationally (perhaps internationally?) distributed periodical named "Hot Rod Magazine." Without the distribution and proliferation of Hot Rod, things would have been much different in that time frame. Sure, hot rodding would have still existed without it, but it likely wouldn't have reached the level of sophistication and widespread popularity that had been achieved by 1958. There were other factors that contributed as well, such as skills learned in WW2, improved cash flow and economy, a burgeoning hot rod and custom aftermarket, and the growth of car clubs and national racing organizations.....but I think the information made accessible by Hot Rod has to be at the top of the list. Thank you Robert "Pete" Petersen, Wally Parks, and everyone else involved with Hot Rod in its infancy.
Is this an iPhone commercial? Seriously sounds like one of those I see on TV but instead of a ballet dancer it's a Hot Rodder.
Right now I'm amazed with advances in medical technology. 6 weeks ago I had a heart attack. Long story short, I went back to work last week and I feel great. If this was 1950 I'd be a dead man.