My back hurts.

[Ryan]

Yep, it’s that time again. When I get stressed my left arm disappears, my shoulder locks up, and the back breaks. The only thing that can really help me at this point is pain medicine that I am really careful with. It numbs everything about me and makes me head work in over drive. I’m glad this doesn’t happen as much anymore… Once I get my career lined out and my future taken out of the pot of uncertainty I am positive I’ll be cool.

Think happy thoughts. Hot Rods.

The traditional thing is going to die. People are going to start wanting more. Maybe someone will do a Discovery channel show or maybe some hot shot will build a radically different hot rod using new materials and methods. I can respect that. I can respect the urge to be different and innovative – that’s what I do for a living, but how can we do this and stay true to our roots. I don’t think I will ever be anything more (or different?) than a traditional hot rodder.

I even try to stray a bit when I am awake at night and building cars in my head. I’ve built one of those Porsche 550 spyders a hundred times. I think about Le Mans in 1957 and that little silver car nailing apexes and struggling to keep up with the big Ferrari V12 on the straights. I think about distressed leather seats that look like they have 100,000 miles on them, but still have that European feel. I think about the sound and then…

You know, nothing sounds better than a flathead Ford. Nothing.

Autoweek interviewed me this week for a feature they are doing on traditional hot rods. I talked to the guy and tried my best to act like I was a big shot. Like I knew what I was talking about. Like I was important. It’s just not me. I gave up when I realized the guy was mostly interested in “South Florida Rat Rods.” He asked me why my car wasn’t in primer and how I felt about ply wood floors... I didn’t really have an answer. I hope the suits (they are car guys too…) don’t think of traditional hot rodding as a bunch of no-skill fuck heads with a welder. At the same time, I hope some car club in Florida doesn’t get pissed when he reads my statements about rat rods… Usually, rat rodders grow up to be traditional rodders don’t they? Jesus, this subject is an old and stupid one.

Regardless, it is time to do something new. Something that hasn’t been done before. A performance car for the ages… How would you build a traditional hot rod with the styling and flare of a late 30’s European race car. They are two similar styles really – kind of the bobber mentality for the automobile. The shapes are consistent with some of our better known and early salt flat cars… and the mechanics are gorgeous. Germans always had a knack for it – while Italians were making things pretty, Germans were making things perform. Even their utilitarian cars looked more purposeful than ours. Everything had its place and everything in its place.

If I was Cole Foster… If I had the talent… If…. I wouldn’t be building another ’32 roadster or maybe I would be, but it would be different and it would be traditional.

[Ryan]

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[Ryan]

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[Ryan]

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[Ryan]

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[Ryan]

...............

[Plowboy]

I was watching the "speed" channel the other night about the Delehaye and thought similar things. Unfortunately the end result is usually just a cigar with wheels and it seems they all look alike. Those Delahayes were Gorgeous though, it would be nice to have one to cut up! that hasn't been done before (except for Foose and his new Whatthehaye). I'll shut up now.

[Ryan]

done.

[NealinCA]

I like when Ryan is on the meds, we see and here some neat stuff.

Neal

[Roothawg]

That's kinda what I was thinking of doing on another day, another project. An aluminum bodied, 4 cylinder, open wheeled,lotsa louvers,single seated bad mofo.

[Petejoe]

[ QUOTE ]
You know, nothing sounds better than a flathead Ford. Nothing.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ryan, I don't care.. I love the Hemis, Big blocks nailheads and Y-blocks. But absolutely nothing has the tone and raw power sound of a flathead. I always stated that it was a combination of sounds. John Deere and a Harley.
I love the look of the fender metal blended to the contour of the wheels. Yes... To hell with Building another new traditional 32. These ideas are cool and refreshing.
I am getting alittle older now but I tell you, I am really impressed with the imagination and talent of the young people here and elsewhere. You my young friend are in for a treat when you get to be an old fart. Just wait!

[haring]

Ryan, I just had my 4th session of SPINAL INJECTIONS yesterday. Yahoo! Imagine something from an X-Men comic, and you'd get a close picture. I tell myself that they are slowly building the MUTANT ME. It's the only thing that keeps me from crawling into a corner and crying myself to sleep.


I will build something like this one day ...

INSPIRING:


**funny little observation: check out how the red car is leading the silver car in 1937, after the reverse was true for 1936. Same cars.

[choprods]

I always thought Id like to build a completely hand built car.....but then ,it probably would resemble a streetBeast.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Ryan writes : "maybe some hot shot will build a radically different hot rod using new materials and methods. I can respect that."

You and Roothawg have just described the T-bucket I'm designing in Autocad. Traditional in appearance but modern in most respects.

Oh....I'm no hotshot by any stretch of the imagination...

[Roothawg]

I can't even operate autocad........

[choprods]

Or worse yet it would be some fuckin HUGE monstrosity like Jay Lenos BigHogmobile!

[Deuce Rails]

[ QUOTE ]
I even try to stray a bit when I am awake at night and building cars in my head. I’ve built one of those Porsche 550 spyders a hundred times. I think about Le Mans in 1957 and that little silver car nailing apexes and struggling to keep up with the big Ferrari V12 on the straights. I think about distressed leather seats that look like they have 100,000 miles on them, but still have that European feel. I think about the sound and then…

You know, nothing sounds better than a flathead Ford. Nothing.

...

Regardless, it is time to do something new. Something that hasn’t been done before. A performance car for the ages… How would you build a traditional hot rod with the styling and flare of a late 30’s European race car. They are two similar styles really – kind of the bobber mentality for the automobile. The shapes are consistent with some of our better known and early salt flat cars… and the mechanics are gorgeous. Germans always had a knack for it – while Italians were making things pretty, Germans were making things perform. Even their utilitarian cars looked more purposeful than ours. Everything had its place and everything in its place.

[/ QUOTE ]

Neal's right about the meds!

Ryan, what you describe is pretty much what I'm trying to accomplish with my 32 Ford bottail project.

--Matt

[Django]

I have been wanting to build a flathead belly tank with fenders on each wheel. Fenders like on an Indian, covering the wheels a bit more. I don't have the skills, so I thought I'd throw that concept out there to those of you that do.

[Morrisman]

[ QUOTE ]
Or worse yet it would be some fuckin HUGE monstrosity like Jay Lenos BigHogmobile!

[/ QUOTE ]

Just think, you could stay up late every night for years, dreaming of something new and groundbreaking, then have half the members of the HAMB calling you a useless asshole turkey-brained fuckwit the first time you show the car

Now THAT is motivation enough for anyone to build just another boring-black-trad-32-with-a-flaphead

[praisethelowered]

I also strive every day in my real (non-car) life to make things that are new . . . so I really find comfort in the the "traditions" of rods and customs. But, I think it's only a matter of time before we start seeing some more cars that are "traditional" AND "new". There are probably a bunch of guys stepping up right now in garages all over the world.

I think a lot of us wanted some soul in our builds and "retro" was an understandable way to get there. But it is also an easy way for outsiders to pigeonhole a diverse group of creative and talented car builders. Cars that portray thier builders as wishing for a bygone era start to seem a bit cynical.

Forward movement is inevitable. Culture is not a pendulum that will swing back and forth between rat-rods and high-tech as some people want to think. Culture branches in different directions. . .some branches die and others thrive and push forward into different directions of thier own.

I can't figure out if zero choppers are "new" or "old". . it doesn't matter. . . they re-arrange all the parts, introduce new proportions, re-invent without wishing for a bygone era. They have soul without being "retro".

European sports cars, salt flat racers, lowriders, luxury cars, airplanes, choppers and bmx bikes can all be interesting influences. I will never be a "ruler" in the custom car world myself, but I look forward to watching what evolves.

The 90's were interesting. . . seeing traditional rods pump life back into the car scene. . but what happens next will be even more interesting.