Folks Of Interest The Changing Scene of our hobby

Gas Monkey garage made me laugh. And shut it off.

 

Damnit... I watched that video and it was depressing. Ugh... In regards to his little quip at the end- I'm sure the horse and buggy builders were saying the same thing about his generation.

DAMN KIDS!

Seems to be a theme with a lot of (not all) older car enthusiasts... interesting.

I'm with KiwiJeff- I'm just into what I'm into, Traditional Hot Rods and Kustoms, and LOVE every chance I get in the shop or get out to a show to see my friends or complete strangers to talk about Hot Rods and Kustoms.

I don't have any expectations for the hobby or the future generation. Its when you have expectations that you start to render resentment.

I love that I'm alive and get to expose my kids to the knowledge I've acquired and have the ability to teach them as much as I can before I pass on.

Tuck

 

Change is the only constant.Here in Fla you could literally go to some kind of cruise\car event 7 days a week year round.I dont go to many simply because I dont have much to talk about with a lot of those folks.I have noted that at 67 I am about median age with most of the doll in the car folks .We have a lot of the younger rodent car guys around here but I notice that a lot of them have pretty nice cars that arent painted that they insist are rodent cars while some of them are-well ,just accidents looking for a place to happen.I believe they are the new hot rodders.The real junk guys will go away after while (I hope). I just enjoy working on\driving my old cars and motorcycles and will do so as long as I am able.I dont much care what anyone else wants to do.

 

Hilarious! I took the day/date out of my Far Side desk top calendar and had it on my wall for years.

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the sky is definitely falling.

 

Yes. Wholeheartedly, yes.

I had never seen that horrible show or some of the cable 'car' programming until last year. I don't have cable/dish out on the farm. It was shocking what they call an show on cable: more like ass-monkey garage. yuck. Doesn't make our hobby look good to the uninitiated general public.

 

Now I know why I was never "cool"..... I drove a 64 Stude Daytona in High School....year around. Umm, this was the late 90's when the cool car to have in high school was a early to mid 90's Grand Am or Grand Prix.

 

Well being, what I assume is very young for this hobby/ Profession at 29. I dont think that there is a such thing as a "New" Hot Rodder any more. I think either it's in your blood or family or you dont care about it. We put a twist on things and run the middle road of Hot Rods and Street Rods. We make them look mostly original without modifying the bodies much no shaved handles, emblems, or Trim unless a customer orders it that way. But I am all about EFI being a Tuner I spend most of my day behind a computer working on cars. Today I tuned our 53 Chevy PU with a 5.3L in it and also a customers 50 Chevy pickup with a Big stupid cammed LS1 in it. I think there is room for everyone in this sport.

My dad was always into Antique cars that couldnt go much over 25 mph which was cool for a while then when you get old enough to legally drive you want something faster to play with. our 1923 Buick Touring Car that is all origional unresotred survivor is cool and all, but tops out at 45 and can only run that for about 10 miles before it starts puking all the water out of it. So I am all about cool old stuff "Traditional", but there comes a point when it just does not make sense to do things "Traditional" like in the case of a car someone wants to put 10k miles on in a year I'm all about making it EFI/OD with Disc brakes because it makes sense. Now if you are just going to put 1k miles or less and run around a 50 mile radius from home sure put your stroked Flathead and 3 speed in it for the cool factor. Hell I just built a 286 Flatty for my 34 Ford Pickup, because I have driven/ Built cars with 1000RWHP, and its cool and all but a 286 Stroker Flathead with more carbs than it ever needs sounds and looks cool as hell.

I guess what I am getting at is the sport has to change or it will die, we have made adjustments to our Local Thrashing Bee show that had rules for only stock cars pre 1960 to allow modified cars because the second we did we went from 20 cars of which 10 were ours to 60 cars. You have to be willing to give a little to see this thing we all love grow.

 

I'm with you and kiwi. Growing up there's been some buddies that tried to follow me into the hot rod scene because they thought it was cool, but it's a life style, and it takes serious dedication. Now I'm a lone wolf, and I kind of like it that way.

To be honest, most of the people still "in the scene" think 30k makes them a hot rodder, and I've got to be honest, I don't want to follow those clowns anywhere.

I'm 26 and have been building hot rods for 10+ years. It can be tough dedicating every spare moment and dollar to the lifestyle, but it's what I do. I love building cars, my wife supports my dedication to my hobby (most of the time), and my kids are showing interest. That's all that matters to me.


Ride on and long live the H.A.M.B.!



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Of course our hobby is changing. Technology is building cars that last longer, ride smoother, faster, and safer than ever before. The development of plastics turned our world into a disposable existence, and easy financing has made the world of convenience for even the minimum wage worker to have a car to drive without saving up for one.

The older we get, the more tired we get of hearing how everyone's uncle had a car exactly like ours, even if they have no idea what kind of car it actually is. We, on the other hand, appreciate the style and passion that was shown in days of old with the design and build of the cars of the day, and for many of us, life revolves around having our garage time to build and wrench on our cars. The way our Dad's did. The way we remember it. A seed was planted when we were young and these cars were what we always dreamed about.

I'm not afraid of our culture going away. Quite the opposite. Every time I drive one of my cars, I meet people who love them. The best feeling is the small kids who walk the car shows with their parents and the amazement in their eyes. I'll always take the time to talk with the kids. Let them know that they can one day build one too, even cooler than their Daddy's SUV. They'll remember, and if that seed is planted, it'll surely grow. Not every kid is going to be a hot rodder, but some will. Hell, not everyone I grew up with turned out to be a hot rodder, but here we are today, discussing this like I'm sure our Dads and Uncles did back then.

Earlier in this thread, someone mentioned the Southeast Gassers. I wholeheartedly support this group, in fact my business sponsors their local races. I encourage everyone to bring their kids, and I supply ear plugs at the gate for the kids. Never have I met a kid yet at a SEG event that wasn't having a ton of fun, wide eyed with excitement. That's the future of our hobby right there.

Open those doors for the kids at the cruise ins you attend, and take a minute to answer their questions. Their parents arent paying attention to them, and that's why we worry about them getting too close to our cars. We can pay attention to them for a minute or two, show them what it's all about, and in the process protect the future of our hobby.

 

I'm sure things are changing because a lot my friends aren't here anymore. I attend a function here in Orange County in SoCal in the fall put on by a very old club. At 72 even I wanted to join I couldn't because I'm too old and younger guys are needed to keep it going on. I hope the cars I have end up with someone that will appreciate them. Right now I'm lucky my son does and we work together on each of our race cars.

 

This is an interesting thread because Life is all about changes and the only thing that separates all of us is how we react to this changes.
Some of older guys I am 70 realize that change is inevitable and try are best to attempt to adjust to it while other hate even the thought of change.

Our hobby is simply part of that change and I see younger people still interested in cars but it not the cars we remember from the old day's.
For many born after 1990 they really don't have those memories that we experienced so they like the cars that they remember growing up.

Do you know how many younger people contact me and ask me where Lions Drag Strip was located and why was it famous. They simply don't have the same memories of these great old places that we have.

If it is any consolation to you think about how many other forms of sports like baseball, football, basketball, NASCAR, drag racing are all seeing the exact same thing happening and trying to figure out how to deal with it.

If you monitor other racing forums and can see that their sites are also experiencing the same changes and some have all but disappeared from the internet because of a general lack of interest.

I disliked the way I see Hot Rod Magazine and other cars magazines changing their format to appeal to a wider range of readers but I also understand why they are doing it.

Just my opinion Jim Hill

 

.............................To them the Vietnam War might as well have been a hundred years ago. How can we expect them to relate to a 1932 Ford!...............It's all about perspective.

 

This is a little OT but the post reminded me of something I saw on that show. These guys are redoing a '55 Chevy with a small block and 4 speed. They are astounded that the car has no transmission cross member and immediately start fabricating one for safety because the transmission may fall out. I'm still laughing.

 

Hey guys things are constantly changing. I am going to continue at best I can until the end. Maybe if I can just convince one kid to join us we will see a gradual turnaround

 

This has been an issue for fifty years! Just got my SEMA magazine and of the top ten cars in the Battle of the Builders at the SEMA show, only one, a Willys gasser converted for street use, even remotely related to a HAMB friendly car. Over the years, Jeg's, Summit and Speedway pretty much killed the local speed shops. Speed shops were a gathering place to buy stuff and exchange ideas. Magazines drove a lot of trends like vans, touring muscle cars and the like. Now, niche magazines cater to a lot of HAMBer's. While I personally refuse to use FB, it has replaced the local speed shops as has the HAMB as a venue to exchange ideas. I'll be 76 next week and I've learned to ignore the traditional nazis here and pass over the twenty somethings that seem to know more about the car culture in the fifties and sixties than those of us who experienced it!

 

We're all dinosaurs destined for extinction. I have tried to be progressive and bring the cars that I love and the old men that I respect into the next era. Change is hard.

This will be my 2,044th post. 95% of those posts were totally worthless banter and did not change our hobby or the world one iota.

In the last four years, I have had two posts deleted by the moderators, which I assume was for venturing into political topics. Somewhat ironically, the information I shared in those two posts were perhaps the most meaningful posts I could have shared to help this hobby survive.

Failure to confront reality, will seal our fate.

 

I will say in regards to the "scene" that I am 28 years old and have always had a love affair with cars. That said, I've always loved 50's cars no matter the make or model it was just the space age dreams that inspired my interest. This is coming from a guy who also owns a modified diesel F350 as well. I dabble in multiple car worlds from the classics, hotrods, diesels and god forgive me...the tuners. There are a lot of us out there that enjoy these older cars. Although some of us get turned off by going to shows because we feel inadequate when talking to the older guys. I make no mistake that I know pretty much nothing when it comes to these cars so when I ask questions I usually get the are you stupid face. Also doesn't help that I have a weird car (51 DeSoto Custom).

That's just my perspective. I want to learn all I can from those who know it, but I also want to be treated with respect.

Sorry for the long windedness


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I think a lot of the older guys are unable to comprehend the fact that younger guys weren't there in the day. It's kind of like young kids having no idea of what a rotary dial phone or 45 rpm record is. We forget that when we were kids we didn't know about the things our grandparents grew up with. I went back to my childhood hometown (60 years later) and was talking to some young guys. They could hardly conceive of some of the stuff I told them about their town in the 50's. We old guys need to be aware that we look as ignorant of their world as they are of ours.

 

Chaos, you'd probably be surprised to find out how many of the older guys would love the opportunity to exchange "car talk" with the younger guys that have an interest in our hobby. Come on down and let's roll up our sleeves. DeSotos are far from weird, they actually made quite a few innovations along their route. Don't feel discouraged by a few guys who might expect you to know more than you do. We were all less knowledgeable at one point. Get out there and feed that passion, go to the shows, and just find some different guys to ask your questions to. They're out there.

 

Chaos has the crux of it. In the 6 years I've hung around here, and more just reading posts as a non member, I couldn't even guess at how many newbies or just "others" were smacked down and made to feel stupid by a whole lot of people here. People I like too, pile on them. They were told their questions were stupid. They were ignorant and wrong. That they should somehow have all this knowledge already from somewhere. That their cars suck. That they are lazy millennials. Few stuck it out. It's like that with a lot of car guys in person too.

Instead of bemoaning the fact that your getting old and your gonna die, and the world might just forget every little thing that you did and every little thing that was important to you, take the advice of the immortal Elvis Presley and "clean up your own back yard". Maybe next time someone here or at a gathering is getting dressed down by your buddy, step in and stand up for someone else, maybe that will be the catalyst that hooks them on the hobby. You catch more flies with honey.

 

I always lose interest in a car club as soon as the club is about the club and not about the cars. And it always happens.

Controlling change is the sum total of all human endeavour. Humans invented a succession of better shelters because the blue sky tended to change into a rainy one, because the balmy seasons tended to change into to stormy seasons, because times of plenty tended to change into times of dearth. Control of change is the basis of all structure, physical or otherwise, and the creation of structure is the basis of all civilization.

To be human is to be able to create structure. This ability has however by stages been relegated to the province of a privileged few. I believe that we are hot rodders because we have a more or less articulated need to reclaim the personal ability to create structure. Resistance to change is only to be expected.

It sounds like a paradox but resistance to change can happen innovatively and creatively. It's the history of all of us.

 

Does anyone know when "The Hobby" started to worry about getting "younger" people interested in it? I got dropped off at a car show in 1961 when I was 10 years old, and have been hooked on pre WWII cars ever since. There are a few cars and trucks that will cause me to stop and look but the hard line is drawn at 1965. I may be stuck with the cars I like but they make me happy, and I enjoy the company of others that enjoy things from the same era. Bob

 

It's funny but, when I was in High School and even earlier, I thought all guys my age were into cars simply because everyone I hung around with was into cars. We sometimes forget that no matter how much we wish that a younger generation shared our passions, not everyone really cares about cars, except does it start and take me where I need to go. I've known many friends that tried to get their sons and/or daughters interested in hot-rods with no luck at all. It's just the way of the world. Takes all kinds of kids to fill the schoolbus.

 

What about The Race of Gentleman? I have not attended one in person, but the pics sure look like the "scene" is alive and kicking.

 

I'm finding these days, that more than anything else, I am a ''history teacher''....especially with guys I meet who are under 40....I used to take mechanical skills as completely common place and ordinary, simply because everyone I knew could turn a wrench and at least get their car to the 'professional' mechanic for repairs, who knew all of us young guys, by knowing our parents, etc...etc...

I remember a few mechanical inspired men in my past who were 'mentors' ....who never had a clue I was absorbing every action they did. Just wasn't talked about in such terms...it was ordinary work to them of nothing beyond that, but tools were loaned, suggestions were offered, and an occasional 'hands on' mechanical help in the evenings....It meant the absolute world to me that someone would suggest or offer to help me without a moment of regret or remorse at the 'extra' help they could offer at a given moment to a young kid who didn't know much about anything mechanical, or keep it running as such! As I think about it, THEY were my teachers to some degree....and those days aren't so common anymore in my community of living out life. Nobody I know actually works on their own cars these days, except maybe check the oil and top off the radiator.

But now, I take a bit of pride, that when I am talking to young guys about their cars, or they drive up to my garage and seek advice or are frustrated....I can relate immediately to them what I had learned, and give a personal testimony of what cars had meant 'back in the day' when we relied on tattered magazines, our friends, and sometimes a parent offering to help get a beater running the 'old fashioned way' because it was 'my' car and 'my' identity....not simply sending them along to a dealership and the upgrade of the newest computerized technology.

I'm all for a ''bit'' of change....but again, I feel I'm living life for a few purposes, with what I have learned from ''my'' mentors....to pass along my skills, ideals, and what I've gleaned over the years to anyone who cares to listen, or participate, or takes a slight interest in my old hot rod fascination. We gotta have teachers to show the 'modern' youth....and just maybe, a spark is stoked enough that they may actually think themselves capable of entering the old car flame of desire! Old cars are just old cars to a lot of people, but if I can 'inspire' a moment of ''just maybe'' the possibilities, and I can help in some measure in a passionate inspiration....with suggestions, goals, and the respect of the needed history lessons in a genuine, friendly and inspirational mindset....these young guys can jump on the wagon and not feel so 'lost' in the modern progressive ideals, and have some genuine fun and NOT pass their days in the boring aspects of ''no choice'' car identification based ONLY on what they can buy and bolt on that sounds just like every other lawnmower engine car of today, with boom box and low profile tires, with a chrome exhaust tip protruding out the back that has made a fortune for a foreign market....gotta have the teachers to pass this stuff along....I would really hate to see the old car mindset become a 'lost art' that can't compete with modern 'buy it to use it' ...then throw it away mentality..........my thoughts, anyways!

 

Great thread! I am 76 and live in the LA area where car events are held 7 days a week. I see the landscape changing as far as the type of cars I grew up loving, but I still enjoy looking at all types of cars. I have always built and driven 32-48 Ford Hot Rods and continue to do so and write about them on my blog Pewsplace.com. I see very few of these cars at the shows I go to or weekend cruises I attend.
I am pleased that the younger generation still have a love of the automobile and personalizing it to make it theirs. I am still very active in the hobby and talk to younger enthusiasts ever time I have the opportunity. I can appreciate your location and the lack of interest but you shouldn't let that deter you from "Keeping the Flame Burning."
I worked for GM after college and found Detroit to be a Hot Rod Haven in the 60's-70's. Today, I know the Woodward Cruise and the Cobo Hall Autorama are a big scene for automobiles — both of which should provide you some stimulation.
As far a seniors not being active due to various reasons, that is self - inflicted and can be treated with younger people stopping by for some "Bench Racing" to keep the "Hot Rod Blood" flowing in their veins.

The HAMB does it for me!

 

One of the other issues I ran into as a teenager (not that long ago) was that no one in my family had any interest in cars. They were seen as forms of transportation only and not things to tinker with. I was always told I was a fool for wanting to learn how to work on cars. I didn't start learning how to do anything with cars until I left my parents home for the Army when I was 18. Since then I've worked on cars, trucks (diesel only), military vehicles and etc. I've mostly been self taught with the exception of learning some things from more experienced guys. I wish my family (specifically my dad) had taught me more about cars and the like. As stated by some other guys on here there are some older guys that want to help people like me and I greatly appreciate that. I just can't seem to find any around me. I live in the Allentown, PA area which there are some car clubs. The most helpful guys were at the Carlisle meets.


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No one in my family was into card or bikes either. Not even an uncle. So I get where you are coming from. My parents wouldn't let me even accept free cars or motorbikes that were offered to me. At 18 I signed up for the army too. During the process I got accepted into art school, and the recruiter was cool and let me out. (It was the 80's), so I delved deep into punk rock chicks and building stuff instead. Didn't take long to start buying old cars and motorcycles blowing any money I could get. I taught myself 100% of everything, from books snd failing miserably. It's cool tho, I like being s lone wolf. Good luck.

 

They just had a discussion yesterday on a NJ talk radio station on how teens of driving age have no interest in obtaining a drivers license. I could not believe how many parents were calling in to say their son or daughter had no interest in driving. If teens don't have an interest in driving how many want a project or hobby car . My son is 26 and has finished a few projects but most of his friends ruin what they try to build mostly clapped out vw rabbits. That said I belong to a local car club that is going on their 50th year. I am 49 just about the youngest in the club. The rest are up there. At the meetings there is a lot of discussion about replacement parts but not for cars. The club will make its 50th but I don't see a 60th.