Is your Hot Rod a SORE SUBJECT between Your wife / G F / your Lady or Vice versa if you are a Women ? This question is more directed to someone that has a Hot Rod / Jalopy that there is No AC , No paint , No radio , No power steering , No sunviser with a mirror on the back, Smells of Oil & Gas , has a bouncy ride , Squeaky parts What is said about you Ride , Do they Refuse to Ride in it , Has it caused A break up or Divorce !!!!
My wife has a 33 coupe which has no AC and is stinking hot in the Summer, it has a radio/CD but the radio doesn't work, no sunvisors as it's got a 2 1/2" chop, it smells of oil, gas and rubber, rides rough and has lots of squeaks and rattles. It has paint with lots of chips, star cracks, fuel stains etc. Does this count?
When you have old cars to love and work on, you don't need no high maintenance women bringing you down. In other words, get in, shut up and hang on! You are experiencing all those conditions too.
I have to say my wife is a trooper. You just about described my '28 model A perfectly. It's low and loud and a little smelly, but it rides ok for the sum of the parts that it is. She wears earplugs, but she has traveled 8 hours in it with no complaints. The other day we were in out in our '51 Pontiac. It's the exact opposite of your list. It's painted nicely, has a bluetooth stereo hidden away, steers with one finger, has the original Pontiac script mirror on the sun visor, insulated and sealed up to the gills, nice interior, newport wipers, cough wide white, cough radials, etc. etc etc. It's about to get AC and it's very quiet inside. So we are driving along and I hear a small squeak / rattle that has never been there before. So I start leaning forward and pecking on the dash, gauge cluster, etc. She says, "what's wrong" and I say "do you hear that rattle?" She says, "It's an old car, shake rattle and roll baby." haha. I just said "Yep, I sure do love you!" Of course when we got home and she went inside I found the source of the squeak and fixed it with a little piece of gasket.
My wife is routinely on engine hoist duty when I have to guide heavy things down where they need to go. She doesn't find it as exciting as doing things that make the build look like a car, but I couldn't do this stuff alone!
My T is a jalopy and I like it like that. Loud, obnoxious stinks, rattles and no creature comforts. But my 56 PU is sealed up, A/C stereo power steering and smells good and is great on long trips. My wife much prefers to ride in that and I prefer to drive the jalopy. sometimes, she'll drive the truck and follow me to a local car show. She tries not to complain but last night she surprised me when she asked when am I going to put a more powerful engine in the truck! I love that woman
No AC , check No paint , check No radio , check No power steering , check No sunviser with a mirror on the back, check Smells of Oil & Gas , has a bouncy ride , Squeaky parts check What is said about you Ride , "Can we take the hot rod?" Do they Refuse to Ride in it , And give up the chance to blab endlessly at everyone that walks up to it? * Has it caused A break up or Divorce !!!! No, she's used to it. Our house is in the same condition. *And erroneously. Can't get the year right, calls it an American Rambler (American Bantam), with a Ford Flatface engine..
Our F100 is cold/hot, squeaks, rattles, noisy, stiff, etc. But my wife believes and accepts that is all part of "the journey". And the group I hang with all (wives/significants too) enjoy each others company. The social side of the hobby is important.
My wife has helped me every step of the way including buying every thing she could with her own earned money, her time, her labor, encouragement etc. to get every life long hotrod dream I ever wanted. And there are many. I have done the very same to meet every desire she has. NO, no one else can ever have her !
Sounds like we are some lucky guys! Besides, these old cars are getting rare. There are plenty of women at the bars and Wal-Mart to choose from. My wife don't know a carburator from a fuel pump. But will go to any car show, cruise-in, or junk yard with me. Okay she just told me a carb sits on the motor and the gas goes in it! She hates computers but I'm getting her addicted to the HAMB! I told her it's either this or porn!
The first run with my Model A tub went something like this... No seats (just some pillows) No belts No top No heater No hood No fenders Doors bungee'd closed Pouring rain ...my then fiancé giggling non stop until we ran out of gas. Then more giggling after I poured more from the jerry can in. We ended up using the car for our wedding chariot the next summer, so I guess she, I, and the car passed the test.
Like I always say "My wife and I have an understanding. I buy cars. She understands." But realistically, the older she gets, the more complete she wants them to be.
To me a hot rod is what you describe. No A/C, - air conditioning makes it a street rod IMO No radio, - I like to listen to the sound of a V8. No power steering, - again power steering makes it a street rod. Lack of windows normal. No sunvisors, just realised that my cars don't have any, never thought about it till you mentioned it. Minimal mirrors, - for safety. Paint, - glossy or not, eventually you need paint of some description, even if it is only clear coat over steel. Most women would ride in a street rod, only the "keepers" will ride with you in a hot rod.
Right now, my hot rod is just a pile of parts and a very detailed CAD design...but when I presented what I wanted to build to the Minister of Finance, I told her to look at it as a 4 wheel motorcycle. If it's not on a motorcycle it was not likely to be on this car. No AC , No heater , No radio , No power steering , No sun viser, No top, No windshield (Brooklands aero screens only), No side windows, No rear window, No wipers, No air bags (except for in the rear suspension) She said to go for it. Now she talks an ear off anyone who will listen about the project.
Is there any women who would ride in my hot rod? It scares most girls away right after I fire it up. It is not for comfort, it is for speed! LOL!! No wonder I am single I guess.
"Most women would ride in a street rod, only the "keepers" will ride with you in a hot rod." Clem this says it all! Rick
Tomorrow my wife and I will have been married 44 god damn years. For years, I used to drag her ass around on an old Harley, later it was a newer Harley. They were loud, they shook, stunk, and when it was wet outside, you were wet too. So now having a seat that is wider than her ass, a windshield that deflects most of the bugs, and doors, she is really quite happy. It is just a mater of prospective.
Congrats on your long marriage, however I can assure you that God did not damn those years. And he won't damn the future years either. Just thought that you should be aware of that.
I'm lucky, my wife really likes this stuff. I brought her to Back To The 50's for her first car show. She enjoys the hobby. She will be waking up at 3:00 am tomorrow to go to BTT50'S in my squeeky hot rod. She's looking for a Thunderbolt clone
I guess I consider myself lucky that my wife mostly just ignores my car addiction. She won't ride in them, doesn't have any interest in any part of the hobby, would rather spend time in her garden. Fine with me, I hate plants. All of this should come as no big surprise to her...I did stop to check out an old car in a parking lot on our first date.
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