Register now to get rid of these ads!

Hot Rods the rise & demise of car clubs over the years

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HOTRODPRIMER, Jan 13, 2019.

  1. partsdawg
    Joined: Feb 12, 2006
    Posts: 3,503

    partsdawg
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Minnesota

    Only club I’m interested in being a member of is the HAMB and I gladly pay the membership fee every year.
     
    Hombre, 1stGrumpy, ladyhrp and 3 others like this.
  2. stubbsrodandcustom
    Joined: Dec 28, 2010
    Posts: 2,273

    stubbsrodandcustom
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Spring tx

    Been in a few clubs, vintage motorcycle clubs, was in a modern one for a few months (not by my choice) and then a hotrod club that I left about 2 years ago now. I have a group of friends I hang out with, we wrench together, actually poke fun on the phone, call and see the real well being of someone else. Most of them are in 1 club, and a few still in the club I left. There are party clubs, then there are hotrod clubs that have a feeling of family. The family ones are always nice, unless your 25 and go all greaser and drink like a fish. The biggest thing I could ever tell someone is in finding a club, don't go for member count, don't go for freebies, don't go for social status. Go in because your friends and family with at least 50% of the membership. I may join another club some day, if not it wont affect my friendships and how we get together.

    HRP I think some of the fad of the clubs is wearing off with the wave of folks who came here after the harley craze. Now the cycle continues and those folks are building/ buying 4 wheelers, jeeps, lifted trucks or modern muscle cars. Next cycle will be to boats, then motorcycles, then back to classics. Its what I have named, "The Douche Cycle" Only good part is the real deal guys who are here now, are the ones who will be doing it till they die.
     
  3. Boryca
    Joined: Jul 18, 2011
    Posts: 709

    Boryca
    Member
    from Detroit

    HRP - One thing to consider is the changing demographics. I don't know about you, but I don't live where I grew up, and therefore don't know a lot of the car folks around here. Once you find the clubs, how do you join? As a grown ass man, making friends isn't as easy as it once was... :(
     
  4. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,052

    wicarnut
    Member

    IMO, Groups of like minded people tend to find each other turns into organizations/clubs, thinking this pertains to all hobbies/ interests. From my own lifetime of being a carnut, the "Clubs" I have joined have changed some due to my interest at the time, agree that Clubs/Groups have been there from the beginning and always will be there. The HAMB is a Hot Rod Club with it's own set of parameters, no different than most groups.
     
    ladyhrp, mad mikey and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  5. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    The problem that I find with car clubs is that they usually become cliques and all the friendship goes away. Don't get me wrong I'm glad that there are clubs out there, without them we wouldn't have car shows to attend.
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  6. ...a bunch of us guys wanted to put on a traditional style car show & swapmeet in our area;...we put the word out and 2 dozen guys showed up at our first meeting. we formed our club and became incorporated as ''not for profit". We are a loose-knit, laidback group and we only have a few meetings each year to prepare for our event.
    we resurrected an old club because a few of the guys were in it back in the 80's...so the Tin Butchers were brought back to life. We have around 30 members, ranging from 50-70 years old.
    We all paid dues one time to get some $ in the kitty to put on our show the "Scrap Drive"
    in Belvidere, Illinois.
    this June will be our 13th event .
    ..we kid prospective members by telling them it's free to get in, but you have to pay to get out.
     
  7. LOU WELLS
    Joined: Jan 24, 2010
    Posts: 2,754

    LOU WELLS
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from IDAHO

    Our Car Club Has Run On And Off From 1957-2019 With 8 Members Ranging In Age From 71-82...The Only Thing That Has Kept Us Going Is No Dues And No Meetings.... 325.png
     
    47ragtop, ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  8. I would suspect many of you guys that are in your 50's and older have played with different cars and bikes before you settled on the older hot rods & customs,I started with hot rods then the van craze,then 4x4's then Harleys and back to hot rods where I intend to remain.

    The guys that I am in the club with are all friends, a helping hand is available when needed, weenjoy each others company and we have one meeting a month at a members home, we have officers and we are a social group that tries to get together for a Saturday breakfast ever so often and the wives & girlfriends are invited but not a club meetings, we are just a bunch of old farts but we have fun. HRP
     
  9. 3WJohn sent me this photo of his club plaque from his club back in the 60's. HRP

    261.JPG
     
    ladyhrp, Fitnessguy and LOU WELLS like this.
  10. I never had any desire to join any clubs. Around here old farm Tractors and TractorPulls ect are all the rage. And there have been several clubs formed and then the bickering started and they fell apart. One club was looking for a project. I had a H Farmall with a locked Engine. I had $250 in it. I told one member I would take $300. and him and another member came and bought it and hauled it away. and that club did restore that tractor better than new. and raffled it off. However some members accused the guys that bought the tractor from me of getting a kick back on the purchase? and that started a squabble that ended the club. Nope I would rather be a Lone Wolf.
     
    ladyhrp likes this.
  11. 3W JOHN
    Joined: Oct 8, 2015
    Posts: 1,156

    3W JOHN
    Member

    thank you hrp.
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  12. raymay
    Joined: Mar 2, 2008
    Posts: 2,532

    raymay
    Member

    Our car club Rochester Street Rods has been around since 1970. I have been a member since 72. In the beginning we were a pre-48 club and hosted our own yearly show. Changes over the years created other local clubs by members who moved on but we continued to survive. We gave up the show scene many years ago and now welcome anyone who has an interest in our hobby. As you can see by the two pictures our membership has aged and yes we have had some great celebrations of life for members who have passed. We have always been a very social and Family oriented group. Our adult kids still talk about all the things we did with the Club and members who have become life long friends. My Son in Michigan is and Engineer for GM and has 2 of his own cars which includes the 37 Chevy Kingcab Truck our Family helped design and enjoyed for several years. Our Grandsons in Florida are still young and totally enjoy hanging with Pop and his cars when they are up here for visits.
    During the cruising season our club hosts monthly Ice Cream runs, monthly Rods In The Park lunches for us retirees, Family Picnics, Garage Tours and enjoying the many cruise nights and other car events. Throughout the year several of us gather for a Thursday lunch and Saturday breakfast where we talk cars and sometimes attempt to solve all the worlds problems.
    There is definitely a noticeable age gap and we have welcomed some very talented and energetic younger members over the years. This year our current President who's Son recently joined us, is looking for ways to show younger people that they can be interested in more than their electronic devices or what kind of ride they can buy. One of the things we do at our monthly meeting is share tech tips and experiences with our builds. It is amazing how much talent and experience our members have. One of my favorite shows I attended last year with my current One of a Kind build was at a Tech School. These kids were great. They not only asked lots of questions but shared good information and feedback from their learning that can be valuable to me on my builds. There is a younger crowd out there. We just have to figure out the best ways to spark their interest, get some wrenches in their hands and let them see the satisfaction and pride in something they created.

    RSR1.jpg RSR.jpg
     
    ladyhrp, i.rant, TagMan and 3 others like this.
  13. Oldb
    Joined: Apr 25, 2010
    Posts: 222

    Oldb
    Member

    I belong to the local car club. It is a very nice group of people. I have not been very active, but I am making the effort to get more involved. As mentioned above a lot of the long term members are passing. The knowledge and know how that is going with them is quite a loss, not to mention the loss of some really nice guys. My reason for getting more involved is to meet and get to know the ones that are left while I still can.

    B
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  14. nochop
    Joined: Nov 13, 2005
    Posts: 3,818

    nochop
    Member
    from norcal

  15. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,217

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Man did you hit the nail on the head !! Glad I'm not the only one !!
     
  16. 340HilbornDuster
    Joined: Nov 14, 2011
    Posts: 1,985

    340HilbornDuster
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  17. Perry Hvegholm
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 118

    Perry Hvegholm
    Member

    There are always notable exceptions, but the young guy thing definitely holds water. My son was bitten by the gearhead bug. Hard. I bought him an old Plymouth. He wasn't interested. Out of high school he went to work to become an apprentice BMW/Porsche mechanic in a local Kraut shop. It was there that he built a pretty nice (for a Kraut car) vintage BMW from a pile of scrap. He came full circle. He left after several years and without access to wholesale (cheap) BMW parts he jettisoned the BMW. He and I have finally pulled the Plymouth from my backyard and started it's restoration.

    The point of all this is Millenials. They are a completely different class of people. I'm not knocking them, but I have to admit that they have me scratching my head more than any other generation of folks. The fact of it is, is that most Millenials are NOT gearheads. Some are, but most Millenials have a shake-the-box mentality the dominates their life. Instead of DIY, many American Millenials are DIFM people.

    Someone mentioned the vintage tin drying up. Thats a fact. Even 1974 Pintos now command what I consider to be stupid money. Many classic American cars are also being shipped overseas. I have sold numerous vintage cars on Ebay. Two of them went to European buyers who bid it up WAY more than I had expected. So yes. There are young guns out there. The cars are becoming expensive but Millenials have money. Most aren't interested unless the car is already done, though.

    I have been a participant in Reno's Hot August Nights car festival since the 1980's. The event is still going strong, but the dynamics have changed. The "sock hops" and "proms" that the 50's car owners loved so much have given way to a rock music culture, The silver foxes with their pristine shoeboxes and Tbirds have died off and given way to a variety of later model cars. The 1970 mfg date cut off for entries in the event has been pushed out to 1975. It probably wont be long before screaming chicken firebirds and 80's IROC camaros will begin to show up at HAN. Like it or not, our hobby has gone from one of grass roots fun to big dollar/high demand.
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  18. 19Eddy30
    Joined: Mar 27, 2011
    Posts: 2,314

    19Eddy30
    Member
    from VA

    I feel that I am a member of the largest car club on earth , ""HAMB "" if it IS or NOT!!
    A sticker & a Tag plaque are On my Hot Rods & racecar . I was a member of a car club in Northern Virginia Established 72 To present , One of my uncles was one of the original founding members , pretty much all the original members have passed away , afew left in there late 70s. When started Race town & Kustoms old school bikes fell off in mid late 90s .There are about 35-45 members now .
    The club is not what it was at one time Members built there HotRods / kustoms ,worked on & knew about cars / motorcycles etc Helped each other .
    Out of the members now only about 5-10 work on Build there own cars , the other Just buy , pay someone to do pretty much ??!!
    If there were still full service stations to pump gas they would have the attendant do it . & they only drive there cars / trucks on Saturday 10-20 total round trip that night . I drive my cars pretty regular ,100-150 miles each ride. Where they gather there can be Mix of New /old any where from 60-150 plus cars show up every Saturday . There Is club parking about 10 spaces up front then rest for whoever , the ones that park in club parking are almost all the ones that just own a car , then other cars for showing /Hang out . there is another parking lot where all the spectators / curious people park to come check out the cars, That where I park even when a member , For some reason People will go out of ther way to look @ my cars , I do not think there any thing special About dings dents no paint , but the ones that do know me , they come to see if I done or added something different , ( always changing and experimenting) They know my definition For Hot Rod is Race & drive to grocery store ,
    Lead sled / kustom is Art & cruiser
    Street rod is bling bling engine that look Fast , no tunning skills Ac & Radio

    Clubs are going away , People want hot rods racecars ,lead sleds /Kustoms , Bikes StreetRod They want to just buy NOT work on , learn..
    A club like that is not For me !!
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  19. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    I agree millennials do think different, but a lot of things out there are helping to ruin this hobby of ours. The high prices of cars are not helping us either. I have been watching Barrett-Jackson and the prices are rediculous. Now people are looking at their junk and thinking it's worth much more than what it really is.
     
  20. Hambers are always talking about tradition and I believe car clubs fall under that banner, I also believe after the generation I am from meet our maker the clubs may die off. HRP
     
    1stGrumpy, OLDSMAN and ladyhrp like this.
  21. 29moonshine
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 1,341

    29moonshine
    Member

    clubs here was about building cars working on them and cruising them on Friday nights and Saturdays now they are about I belong to a car club they do not have a car and do not want one and know any thing about cars, last cruise I went on 15 cars showed up one 34 ford one 50 merc one 57 chevy the rest were family daily drivers 2010 and up
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  22. In the hayday of car clubs the young men wanted to belong to a group of like minded individuals and many clubs were started with teenagers with just a interest, the desire to talk and learn from each other, there were very few magazines dedicated to hot rods & customs.

    The youth of today have so many more activities and opportunity's than the previous generations, I came from a time when I wanted to use my hands to create and build a hot rod from whatever I could find in the junk yard and the guys I hung out with wanted the same thing, the club was a natural fit for us.

    I am not knocking the Millennial's but for the vast majority they don't seem to have the same dedication and single minded desire to tackle long term projects, too many outside interest with these young men that the car club has no appeal. HRP
     
  23. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,397

    krylon32
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Nebraska
    1. Central Nebraska H.A.M.B.

    Our club (Tri City Street Rods of Nebraska) put on their first indoor car show in 1973 and have done continuous shows since then and are doing it again the 16th & 17th of Feb. We are lucky to have a reasonably priced venue (Fonner Park in Grand Island) for our show. We used to do a lot of traveling together in the 70's, 80's and 90's but as we age we seemed to stay home more. There are only about 4 or5 of us original members left but with the steady stream of comers and goers we have kept things going. With us in our mid 70's we continue to say this is our last but we seem to rejuvenate over the summer and do it again? We also used to put on a large rod run every summer but as costs increased it just wasn't feasible to continue. Keeping our club together takes work by all of us but I think we've done well. We no longer spend our profits on ourselves but have moved into giving more to charities. What's left of our original group has a bond that started in 1973 and has lasted thru thick and thin. I agree that millennial's are not of the same mindset as we and that when we are gone our club will disappear.
     
    OLDSMAN, ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  24. There is a few clubs around my area. One of the biggest clubs, I would never join and here is why. They are mostly about $, dues, donations. The club has many clicks, and they fight with each other constantly. They have to recruit new members all the time because people constantly get feed up and drop out of the organization. Besides my car does not really fit into their group of muscle cars , new vettes and mustangs, cookie cutter street rods, and new trucks. I do attend a few of their shows, my coupe scares the hell out of them, LOL. Most of the members do not know what it even is.
     
    Oldb, ladyhrp, Old wolf and 2 others like this.
  25. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    Was a charter member of a high school car club that started in 1957. Over the past 62 years, people have moved, raised families and died. There are only a couple of us left and we'll have a beer at the GNRS this Friday. There are several clubs in Durango that have come and gone. Since I don't do FB, I'm out of the loop as to meets, gatherings etc. I have four club jackets hanging in the closet and I hope who ever gets them, sells them on ebay for decent money after I'm gone!
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  26. I have seen several clubs in my area like this, the ones that want to say they are the biggest, best, etc. but the constant arguing and worrying about everything but having fun the die off and disband.

    I've said it previously but with our club, the important thing is we are all friends and enjoy each others company, today our emphasis is more on having fun, going on club outings, be it monthly meeting or a picnic with our spouses. HRP
     
    mad mikey and ladyhrp like this.
  27. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    Gary I am so glad that you guys in Tri City Street Rods keep your show going. I am looking forward to this years show, every year is better than the last show. I always see people I haven't seen in awhile and stay much longer than I planned on .
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  28. Fitnessguy
    Joined: Sep 28, 2015
    Posts: 2,020

    Fitnessguy
    Member

    There are a couple clubs in my area. The one club that puts on the biggest car show every year are, how do you say, "old boys club" and show zero interest in anyone new joining which makes no sense to me. Tried chatting with them a couple times and got the feeling like they would rather i wouldn't speak to them so i moved on. The other club, the guys are much more friendly and are part of a bigger group throughout the province. The hesitation i have like some of the guys have said is all the rules/commitments that they have brought up. Between running my business and wife/kids there are only so many hours in the day. One of the things i like about my car hobby is i can play when i have time to play. I grew up playing every team sport going including competitive hockey and baseball at a high level. I don't play any sports now as i just do not have the time.
    Now i have several friends who have one or more cars and builds on the go and it's great because we hang when we have time and if we don't do anything for a month, no one is put out because we all know we're busy. I think clubs are great but for a lot of guys busy lives it just doesn't work.
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.
  29. I'm afraid that describes our club, we are a bunch of old farts but always welcome younger guys, there is another club in town that is full of young energetic people, HARD KNOX and they know how to have a good time, they are constantly on the go and host a couple of big shows a year, these guys exemplify what the car club is and should be. HRP
     
    1stGrumpy, mad mikey and ladyhrp like this.
  30. trollst
    Joined: Jan 27, 2012
    Posts: 2,108

    trollst
    Member

    We're the opposite here in my town, announced a meeting to form a car club, about 30 showed up all gung ho. Some of us meet every saturday morning and every tuesday nite, only about 7 show up, week after week, then occaisionally you'll hear someone bitch that there isn't a car scene here., So, at this point there isn't an active club here, even though us seven do all kinds of shit together, try hard as we might to interest others.
     
    ladyhrp and HOTRODPRIMER like this.

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.