Agree 100%. I have many other interests including other genres of automobiles. Just started a garden this year for the first time. Discovered I actually like country music via my eldest daughter. Love Tyler Childers. Discovered Lucinda Williams, etc. How the hell could I have missed such great artists? I know that the build in the YT link is not necessarily HAMB appropriate, but I came across Brandon’s vid, and he in part was inspiration for my speedster build. His very simple build, out-of-the-box approach IMHO, truly represents what hot rodding is all about.
Damn, that is a powerful revelation, hard to believe. Amen, brother, that gets to the heart of traditional hot rodding. Great post!
I have many interest over a wide range, and not all of them are automotive. I am a long time member here, and I have a fascination with traditional hot rods. During the past 60 years ( I am 73 now) I have built many hot rods and race cars. However, I have no interest in owning, driving, or building a traditional hot rod or a restored vintage car myself. I am here because I like the people. (most of the time)
Looking at early race cars just makes one smile. I go to the Miller meet in Milwaukee and just stare at the engine bay and chassie. The closer you look the more details you find on how much care ,though and love was put into building cars back in the day. The pictures that @Fordors posted in the Miller meet made me pause on just getting it done . I then think about historical hotrods and the attention to details and fantastic engineering. Inspirational pictures for your hotrod build
To re-focus my energy...I am building one of these.... 1946-48 era.... still kinda automotive.. but It will serve a purpose with my cars....Just helps me get more motivation on my cars.....
Check out Neal Bascomb's book "Faster" to help that GP obsession. It really epitomizes hot rodding, IMO.
I've been inspired by Canadian hot rod builders and Australian hot rod builders as of late. Seems like the two that I've been following have found inspiration from Wray Schelin, an American from Massachusetts. I find all of these guys on YouTube. Check out these YouTube channels: 1. Make It Kustom 2. Wray Schelin's ProShaper Workshop 3. Bennetts Custom Co The way these guys can take their imagination and translate it into metal makes even a schlub like me realize that I don't understand what I thought I understood. I'll leave you with this video. Fast forward to 5:40 and just watch from there. This guy hand built this car with what looks like a homemade English wheel. If he can do it, you and I can do it too. Possibilities are only limited to YOUR imagination.
Here's an illustration of some of the 1923 Gran Prix racers, the Bugatti really stands out. Said to be fast, but lacking cornering ability.
It’s easy to get burned out at any hobby if you have a narrow focus . Its something that I’ve always been drawn to is a period correct car . By that I mean when I built my 80 zapper I had to have crager sst’s on it and supertrapps lol my early vw rabbit gti needed all the 80’s go fast goodies and the gold plaid recaro seats . not Hamb period correct , but still correct for their period ! Lol. I love old American land yachts from the 50’s and 60’s air cooled vw’s and porches get me happy pretty much any class and era of dragster shit , just about anything with wheels will get me to look once .
I've always thought Cotton Werksman's Flatty-powered & tube-framed T roadsters were simultaneously innovative & traditional hot rods:
Hmmm...I dunno. I'm on the HAMB for traditional AMERICAN hot rods and customs...built by guys in this country. But, when a car is/was built with a heavy European influence, is it really a traditional American hot rod/custom, and all that HAMB friendly?
You mean like Westergard’s work? Lots of smooth European, Figoni & Falaschi-esque shapes in the cars he restyled. All those fade-away fenders so popular from day-one ape that “continental” flow. just sayin’
Jack. You missed the point entirely. Not your fault though… sometimes I suck at communicating… I’m not saying we should all go build Bugattis… I’m saying take the inspiration around you to gain a different perspective and put that towards your traditional build. The guys before us did it… and that river isn’t dry.
Too many younger guys dreaming of an all steel, Henry 32 coupe, and realizing it’s out of reach…too few building a T like Cotton’s inspiring T modified…(with affordable engine).
I have seen some unique cars posted on the hamb only to be shut down because the influences used made the car off topic, trying to keep a car traditional while trying new things can be a slippery slope and we are all different, no two moderators can agree most of the time. I love the traditional hot rods & customs, but trying to keep the cars and trucks hamb friendly while adding European flair is a tough challenge, there will have to be a conversation between the moderators and have a middle ground.
Hey @Ryan, I certainly meant no disrespect... my post was more of a reflection of my pretty narrow idea of traditional rods/customs, than it was about your communication skills. I wouldn't be too quick giving Euopeans all the credit. It seems that aerodynamic styling was the next natural progression...Detroit and European designers were on the same page, at the same time. Fadeaway fenders - Custom Car Chronicle
I had to look up horology. At first, I thought it was an interesting spelling of one of my hobbies from about 50 years ago. Spent a lot of time, and a bit of money on that hobby.
Ryan sez... The point I’m trying to make is a simple one. If the traditional norm is wearing thin on your creative mind, remove the norms. At no point did someone pass a bill or law saying traditional cars have to be a stamping of each other. Stamp your own shit in much the same way Ettore Bugatti did… and, in much the same way Dick Flynt did... And there it is... Most people are resistant to change but that's the history of this hobby (and for that matter, pretty much everything else too). It's always been the trailblazers, the 'outside the box' guys who moved things along whether it was on the mechanical side or the styling side. The mindset that 'traditional' means a sort of lowest common denominator is what led to the staleness that many are feeling. Using the dictionary definition of 'traditional' disregards the simple fact that the vast majority of our cars used to be built as individual expressions to at least some degree, not as an example as what was 'commonly' done. Sure, there are commonly accepted solutions used because time has proved they work from a mechanical standpoint, but that doesn't explain the boring esthetics in other areas. These days it seems a lack of imagination or maybe peer pressure discourages this. As I've said before, 'traditional' is more of a look, even a 'vibe', rather than a collection of parts.
A bit hard to define,but my own out look is based on "I was really there *an super active* in hot rods an customs in the 1950,an 60s,all over Florida,not just one town or city, an in 3 car clubs." But did a lot of other stuff,that added to the mix. Part of what kept me from ever burning out with cars,,had to be all the other things,I also enjoyed doing;> I raced sailboats,pedal bikes*>went for world land speed record [ Human Power only] at Indy 500 track in mid 1980s,even,model trains old n new in between all> Plus got to work on real live steam loco SP #4449 in 1976/7. Along with a lot of art work* my art name "The Bat" out of hell:.Wild Car "T's",names an striping. It's been my notice ,that with out* a mix of wide design knowhow n engineering, no one can be really good at one!! All of it,helped my race cars I designed,built an drove too well over 200 wins an 5 champion ships. So even a design like OP,that didn't work out,did form better ideas. That's a type of win. "Learning"
I agree that having the mods onboard with this is critical, whatever flavor 'flair' is added. One issue I see is sometimes a scalpel would be a better tool rather than an axe IMO. Not knowing exactly how moderation works here, selective editing of posts along with an explanation to the poster may be better in some cases rather than just deleting the whole thread. A literal reading of the guidelines isn't particularly helpful for a new poster either.
99% of the off topic posts we delete are posted by someone that doesn’t understand traditional hot rodding as we define it here. Chassis swaps, EFI, modern wheels, etc… We don’t delete cars that are pushing the envelope otherwise… Hell, I welcome traditional cars with an inspiring slant. If we screwed up somewhere, give me an example and I’ll make it right or trip over an excuse.
Abstract: The art of design, a neat series on design ( even automotive ) on Netflix. Season 1, episode 2 Tinker Hatfield: Footwear Design, if you dig Jordan 1s and season 2, episode 6 Jonathan Hoefler: Typeface Design for those into Horology.
Kind of like this rad @Hitchhiker is asking about , if it’s worth a kings ransom then sell it and do a happy dance . If it’s just another old rad how cool would this thing be heading up a single seater boat tail speedster ?!? I’m sure if someone ended up with this rad back in the day and could not figure out the value or provenance, heck they might not of given a crap and just called it cool and built a bitchin car ! That boiled down and concentrated is what “ traditional hot rodding “ is all about
WOW! ... I didn't see this Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 hand-formed body: ... coming out of a retired English Professor's home garage! What great inspiration for us backyard mechanic Traditional Hot Rodders!
There’s also a certain amount of slope here that can get rather slippery - right? When the first guy put a tractor grille on his hot Rod, people might have thought it was interesting - no? A year later there are a hundred rat rods rolling around with snubbed nose tractor grilles and it’s not interesting at all. It’s fucking stupid. Taste is subjective only to a point really… and that’s when moderating gets really complicated. Difficult conversations and a tough line aren’t always black and white… but that’s why people call em risks!
If Moderators have something in question - we do connect behind the scenes to get a collective consensus. 99% of the time (like Ryan said) - we'd like to think we get it right. 1% of the time we say F - it and let Ryan decide / fix it. We earn our money..... With his wide, sometimes eclectic interests - he drifts on us occasionally but we bring him back around.
I have been drawn to 70’s hot rods lately. I know it’s not period correct for the hamb, but it was my childhood. The pic of Mark Moriarity’s OT Chevelle cockpit lit the fire to my old high school rides. It may be OT but It is refreshing though.