Hot Rods People Without A Clue

The ones that I here the most about my cars are, I like your Deuce coupe, {a 29} I like your 57 Chevy, {a 56} I like your old Panel Truck, { a sedan Delivery} . But people are just trying to be nice. They're not old Hot Rodders like most of us. When we talk, and we use words like nailhead, chopped, nosed, decked, peeked, sectioned, bored, stroked,channeled, shoebox ,rail, digger, etc. They must think we are speaking another language. And I guess we are. My first word was CAR. lol Ron...

 

I know 'em all. Buick Pinhead, Ford Flatface, Chevy Short Block...

 

No one?

 

I suspect half the people who use the term nailhead have no clue why they're called nailheads.

 

As far as I knew it was the small vertical valves.


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I once heard a guy call a Ford SOHC engine, a SOAK motor.

 

This is the right heading for what just happened to me at this past GG show in Charlotte. Now I know I have an unusual car for the USA minds to vision, however this middle age man and his wife and teen age daughter approached me and he asked what year my Cadillac was? I told him it was not a Cadillac but a 50 Monarch only made in Canada but very similar to a Mercury, He turned and walked away shaking his head and saying, " I should have looked at the Hub Caps they would have told me it was a Mercury" The photo is how the car appeared at the show. Go figure ?

 

It's all good.
I like knowing stuff others don't.
Makes me feel smart, and that ain't easy.
When I was a teenager I drove a 39 ford everywhere. Got told a lot that my car was older than I was.. I knew that. Got told that a 39 Deluxe didn't have locking doors, usually after I caught them yanking on the door ,standing on the running board, trying to get in it.
As long as they didn't fuck up my door handle, it didn't bother me. Good for 5 minutes worth of chuckles. Sometimes I said "asshole" under my breath. That helped a lot.

 

How many mechanics or Hot Rodders know any terms for the Rice Rocket go faster brigade? I don't or care, courses for horses. JW

 

5 bolt main... thats a pre 65 sbf block.

 

Along the same lines, of stupid questions/remarks, I get a lot of questions about the changes to my Caddy, so I put a small sign in the window that says: "If you gotta' ask, you'll never understand".

 

That would be a 5 bolt bell, or bell houising. 5 bolt main indicates there are 5 bolts per main cap which makes no sense to me

 

When I got my coupe, I went to the DMV to get the title in my name and the clerk said in a loud voice " why would you buy a 1931 car !! ?.
Like any good rodder, is told her I was going to restore it. She asked what model it was and I told her A. She said stop fooling around with me !


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I will never forget the old man that looked at my '40 Ford Deluxe tudor, and told me he had one EXACTLY LIKE IT, except the crease in the hood followed about half way down the door.

I said 37/38 CHEV?
He said "I thought you said this was a 40 Ford? "

I always like to tell them it a 1940 Ford, and with a straight face, throw in: They only made them one year !!

Jeez, other peoples kids. !!!

 

One nigh at a car club meeting I overheard one guy telling another that you could increase the displacement of an engine just by installing heads with larger combustion chambers.

 

Really, "you don't understand my little closed groups jargon? What a MORON! Ha,ha,ha, ha. Wow man, YOU don't know NOTHIN about cars, I am SO COOL"
Funny how many of the same HAMBers I always see spouting off on these threads that don't have even the remotest clue what I am talking about when I use jargon that any engine builder or cylinder head guy out there would understand in a heartbeat...

 

I traded a nail head for a Y-block.

 

Jargon ? that's some sort tool or something?

 

Not sure of your angle on that George. JW

 

Its all good man, I am just having one of my "irony" days...

 

That's cool. JW

 

It might have gotten more interesting if the OP had asked the mechanic if his Buford had a Nailhead.
Maybe, "That's not a Ford, it's a Buick!"

 

I learn new words and new things every day. Many words are/were geographically and/or time period exclusive. Is this actually an issue with some of you guys?

 

I think its some kind of bromance bonding ritual, sort of like chest bumping, or loving the same hockey team... I've never been good at that shit, probably why I don't have many friends...

 

A little irony a day is good for you...helps build a magnetic personality.

 

I've written this here before, but for this thread it withstands repeating.

Had a guy and his kid look under the hood of my flathead Merc and say "That engine is called a nailhead because of those head bolts". I let it slide.

Now, I accept that everyday people aren't going to understand our secret language. What gripes me are the know-it-alls that know very little.

 

When I think of old Buick engines "FIREBALL" is what comes to me first. I know, I know, 64 Riv's had a 425 Wildcat 'nailhead" V8 not a valve in head straight 8. Also 64 Riv was the last year for the DynaFlow

 

Try to explain "porcupine heads" to someone.....

 

I find not many car people know what an L or F head is. JW

 

I know a guy like that. He kept bragging about this awesome Deuce he had. So, one day, I got invited to a BBQ at his house. When I pull up, I see this ratty Model A parked on his lawn. "You gonna fix up that A?" "That's not an A! It's a Deuce!" I tried for an hour to show him the difference. Finally, he says, "Well, the title says 1932!" All I could do was hope he hadn't paid a Deuce price for that thing. And he considers himself a hot rodder. More money than knowledge can be a bad thing.