Todays Youth -American Rods Vs Tuners

it is in the blood, and the blood you get on the engine.

 

Cost, availability, and familiarity. How many kids in the 70's and 80's were hot rodding cars from the 30s/40s/50s? In the grand scheme of things, not many. Now fast forward a few decades (kids and cars included) towards the present and you get the same thing.

 

well to the price, i almost got my first car in a billiards match. 53 ford country sedan with a lot of patina.

 

I guess I'm the only one whos glad there isnt a huge number of younger guys interested in Hot Rods, it's hard/expensive enough to find good parts/cars the way it is. The fact that there are young guys like Von Hartman building stuff like his Henry J and his '55 is great, Hot Rodding will survive, just not in huge numbers. Quality over quantity is a good thing, it separates the real from the people who want one just becase its "cool".

 

just to tell you i speak CI not leters. and below is a combination that i bet would beat your nissan.

chevy 409+z28 5 speed overdrive+ford nine inch=american

 

Just got my kid his first car. We've been working on it TOGETHER which is the main idea. He just turned twelve so no rush. Haha. Sorry. It is OT.

 

Most of you guys are describing idiot ricer kids. Those aren't the only kinds of imports. There are a lot of serious legit. imports out there.

This is like someone saying all hot rodders are guys who drive rat rods. There are idiots in every car scene.

Here's some food for thought:

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That's a true statement but it took me years to earn that appreciation. I wish I had had the knowlege when I was 17 to do the things I wanted to my old '57 wagon. Even with a job it was cheaper to sell that Nomad and buy a New 73 El Camino (pos) than to keep throwing TIME, IGNORANCE and PARTS at it to keep it rolling. In '72 it was just a hand-me-down 2-door wagon that kept breaking. The last straw was helping an uncle rebuild the 396 and ME putting the pistons in by myself, backwards(180 out). What a nightmare. I thought I had won the lottery when It sold for $1,800. Of course if I had known then............Oh Shit, here I go again

 

I hate ricer's too but just look at it from my view I'm 18, my parents don't know a carburetor from a valve cover, they won't give me (or even loan me) any money, we don't have shop in school, no one I know builds cars... it all adds up. I make $8.40 an hour so that doesn't add up too fast and I have college to pay for next year. Now lets look at my choices for cars, I could save up 2 grand in about a year so lets see whats on craigslist right now; basically a lot ove nice running 80's-90's imports and a couple rough cars from the 50s and 60's that don't run (none of which would make a traditional hot rod). $2000 can't even get me a complete car that could make a hot rod and I haven't even added in the cost of getting the tools needed to build the car (I personally have spent close to $2000 on tools). I personally still didn't want to get some import so I bought a 1956 Buick 4 door wagon for $450 and what are some of the first comments I get on here? "Its a 4 door" and "its a wagon", don't waste your money building it. So tell me, what should I waste my money on? These cars are getting hard to find and more expensive to buy, let alone build and drive. Don't even get me started on insurance and gas prices... I have put close to $3000 into my car I haven't driven it yet. I have to take the school bus to school, If I had a ricer I could at least drive it.

If imports are what is available to us its what we build. Older generations had American steel to build, we don't.

Ryland

 

I can say you are right to a degree but it is also a trend. I worked at NOPI (import aftermarket company) when Fast and Furious first came out. We could track the increase in sales both when the movie was released and when it came out on DVD. It was that way for pretty much all of the movies. It is a trend thing. The mainstream had a ripple effect. Aftermarket parts sale skyrocketed and local shops were booked up for months getting the parts installed for those that couldn't bolt on an intake.

 

I've always been against Imports! But some good points have been brought up Cost,mechanical ability,and What is deemed "Cool".Both my dailys are over 7 years old and American,Well at least the names Pontiac and Dodge! Friday nights at our local Wally Mart are almost a Cluster of Imports(Five Hundred Dollar Cars with Five thousand dollars worth of Accessories)Just a shame! I hate to even think what the car shows will end up being in another 20 years.Sure do hope kids get a clue of what a true American Classic is!

 

seriously. who gives a fuck?

 

i'm 27- I have both old hot rods and tuner cars at my house. I like cars and I like to drive. It does not matter to me.

But it was not till I was this age that I could afford to get into old hot rods. Civics are a dime a dozen like old 30's cars were in the 40's.

It is all about ease of access.

 

My kid would have one EXCEPT:

-basic liability insurance on a 4 cyl OLD beater is $2200 a year
-He can't get antique insurance for a 2nd seperate hobby car because you need to be 25 years old .
-He can't afford 12 MPG for a daily driver rod with the insurance he pays, OR instead pay another $2200 for liability on the rod.

Do the math for the average teen that is not rich. WHY SHOULD HE DREAM OF A COOL CAR? welcome to the modern world

Edit: I will GIVE him my OT 69 340 6 pack 4sp Dart conv for FREE...but he would need to get insurance on it for an 18yr old teen, plus then pay $2200 for his daily 4cyl. He just can't afford it right now.

 

To each his own,my son has a Honda Accord,wing on the back,hellayish stereo,big wheels,bunch of hi-tech shit under the hood,He used his own money to build it and I am really proud that he is at least interested in cars,not gangs and stupid shit,He does get a thrill though when he gets to see what true American muscle feels like.There is one thing for sure 50 years from now there won"t be any 40 to 50 year old Japanese cars around but the early American steel will still be going strong.He hates it when Icall him and his buddies cars YING-YANG cars cause thats what they sound like.he doesn"t listen to Bob Seger and I hate rap-crap.

 

How did the average Joe look at hot rodders in the fifties? Every generation has it's thing, for instance; in the eighties is was bad haircuts and ugly vans, but back than, it was the shit.
Now you got naked chicks in every rap-video and 400 HP civics. You don't hear me complaining .

 

That would make a nice drivetrain donor....

 

I am 20 years old. I know more than a few people who drive imports. I have a friend with a 2003ish subaru wrx thats pushing roughly 460 horsepower (yes, its been run on a dyno), and he just put a bigger turbo on it last week. If you didn't know him you wouldn't really be able to tell because he doesn't have the special fart can muffler upgrade which bumps you up 20+ horsepower. I have another friend with an eagle talon that will go 0-120 faster than you can say ricer, and he just worked in a bigger turbo as well. His dad owns a body shop and works on hot rods and muscle cars all day. But you know what, we go to the drags on saturday night and we are all drooling over the same cars. They love and respect hot rods, kustoms, and american musle too. Hell, if i needed any help in the garge I would probably call those two over any other of my friends.

Now I went to school with a guy who drives a '95 prelude who just uploaded this picture to his face book with this caption,
"shes finaly painted, now for the fun stuff sound system and engine work". I used to have a friend who had his parents buy him a 64 mustang for his first car. He is on his third engine because he tachs it out before he shifts with no oil. It's not him who is building these engines (or his money) either, it's his dad. He will talk a big game but doesn't know shit. So is he considered a ricer?

 

You all confuse the heck out of me....

You say "American" hot rods have V-8's, yet you have a whole section here devoted to "Bangers", 4 cyl cars....

You say race engines should be V-8s and yet the most known and revered American made race car engine is the Offy - used mostly at Indy - and it also was - you guessed it - 4 cylinder!

Not to mention all you "inliners"........where do those fit in?

I think you all get too hung up on labels, what the kids like today is nothing like what we did, or what our pops did, or what their pops did...so? It's all cars, and there certainly isn't any reason to hate on any of 'em for their automotive choice......

My 2c.

BTW, I've owned everything from American sedans and muscle to imports like Ferraris and Minis - and I'm no kid, I'm 61. I like driving a good running powerful 4 cyl as much as a rorty V-8!

 

I've read this thread and the Cold Hard Truth is when an import with a fart box pulls along side of your old school hot rod. you hope its not a red light to red light , chances are you'll hate them even more if it is

 

I'm going to blame it on the media. Personally, I'm fine with it. I'm 23. Hot Rods/Customs are my life and have been my life since I started thinking about driving when I was 8. I've been lucky enough to have a dad who supports this hobby, but my mom hates it. She'll never get a ride in my '40 because she doesn't support it one bit. My girlfriend loves old cars though, and that's what matters. I never wanted to drive anything but a hot rod. I worked my ass off so I could have one. Sure, my dad helped. But if there's a will, there's a way.

Some kids just watch "The Fast and the Furious" too much.

 

You are my hero brother!

 

x2, im 18 and hot rods & kustoms are my life, its my buisness. and will be for fuckin ever! like you said some kids watch the fast nd the furious. and then go outside and put a coffe can on the exust of their moms toyota corolla!!

luke

 

It has a lot to do with relevance to the individual. Over 30 years ago I was advocating using late '60s muscle cars as an entrée for the then Younger Generation to get into rodding and the same may be true today.

I've got an 18 year-old grandson over here who dreams of a Mistsubishi Evo or Nissan Sylvia (and drives a diesel Isuzu pick up) who can appreciate, but not necessarily relate to, my '64 'Cat.

My answer is to go out and buy a kind of bridge between us old skool types and his generation, in this case a 1984 (European) Ford Sierra longroof for us to build. While it's not necessarily HAMB-friendly, he can relate to its almost Shoebox-like styling, and with a 2 litre Pinto engine and rear wheel drive he can learn how to build stuff the way we do.

It's cost me USD $1100 to get an untouched, original example and the plan is for the two of us to hot rod it in more-or-less a traditional manner. One of his friends has already asked to be involved with the build, so this might be the answer for those looking at something to put together with their kids/grandkids.

Those of you living stateside should think about some of the rwd cars from the '70s and '80s (e.g. GM A-bodies) that could be bought cheaply and built on a student's budget. It's the same reason why guys built, Ts, As and '30s cars in the 1940s/50s and many of us built TriFive Chebbies in the 1960s.

Anyway, I'm off to pick up our project car. Hope the above is some value to y'all, and let me know if you'd like me to post the build.

 

This is the reason more kids arnt into hotrods.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471433&page=4

 

I'm 28 and can honestly say growing up very few of my friends out in the country were into hot rods - a few were into some muscle cars - but mostly into mud trucks and pulling trucks. In fact being young in the rural portions of central Ohio almost means turbo diesel truck these days. They are plentiful and "cheap" and easy to work on. Most of my projects are very OT for this board because they do revolve around these modern diesel wonders. I still love hot rods - but I love my diesels as well. Where else can you have an 8,000lb truck that can get 18mpg driving it everyday, pull a gooseneck trailer when needed, lay down 600HP+ to the ground, and run low 12s high 11s in the quarter? But then again - there are days that I think installing a Duramax diesel into a Duece pickup would be a good idea...... but I am sure that would be shunned upon by this group as well.

 

I've said this before....its the same kinds of artists at work...they're just painting on different canvases....and I think they are equally as devoted to what they are doing and I see nothing wrong with that...how they execute changes to their cars to make them a happy camper is no one's business but their own, regarless if they are a tuner or a traditionalist.

 

I think it's just because an older hot rod or custom is just downright expensive as hell. Most kids 16-24 have hardly any spare cash and simply cannot afford an older car. A clapped out Acura, Honda, etc.. is dirt cheap to buy and hot rod. Every time I talk to guys younger than me, I'm 34, they are always into the older cars and are enthusiatic about learning to do it themselves, but just can't afford one yet and don't know where or how to start due to a severe lack of funds. Yeah there are ways to combat this by building your own shit but none of these kids have any skill or knowledge of building a car or welding or any of it. Not their fault, they simply aren't exposed to it thanks to California's bullshit school system. One thing that is good to see however is the influx of interest amongst 16-24 year olds ever since Jesse started doing the Motorcycle Mania shows and the spin off shows. We all need to thank Jesse for that one, he single handidly breathed new life into the custom car/bike world. Thanks Jesse, and I hope you do some more stuff on the tube!

 

Bashing what the kids like to drive these days, now that is traditional.

 

C'mon, man. How do you know his 240sx doesn't have a built bottom end SR20 with a honker of a turbo stuck to the side? A combo that's good for an 11 second ride at well over 120MPH (it's commonly done. Few local guys running this setup). Whatever you stuff that 409 into better be pretty light, and a halfway stout 409 at that.

You're 15. Learn respect for ALL automobiles. you don't have to like it, you certainly don't have to own one, but your logic contributes alot as to why hot rodders/muscle car guys get the "hillbilly big engine/little brain" rap we sometimes do. Learn those cars CAN be quick, and not everyone that owns one is a ricer. Not to mention, I certainly wouldn't expect a real ricer to be posting on a hot rod board as well....