Most Car Show Have Lost It.............

Try this: Meet with a bunch of friends and take the scenic route to the show. Park with your friends and go walk the show. The cars that don't appeal to you are fair game for satire. Then you can ooh and ahh over the ones you do like. Go back to your cars. Enjoy the compliments that your car gets and try not to get too torked up if someone uses your car as an example of what they don't like. Car shows usually get boring after you've seen all the cars. Leave early and go to a good place for dinner. If your wife is along this will probably earn you hero status. Take scenic route home.

There you go. Stomach acid free day at the car show. It's supposed to be fun. Choose fun.

 

Originally Posted by Hotrodhabit

OOmmmm!!!.....I am telling!...He said Rat rods......Better get the site police to delete his post!....

 

This will sound stupid, but here goes. I had my car at a small show (80-100 cars) this past week. Just what is traditional?? I have an a/c and led turn signals and brake lites. You'd think I broke some unwritten law. Is comfort and or safety a bad thing? I guess what I'm saying is being "pigeonholed" sucks. If the weather is warm, the beer is cold and the cars are old---I can dig it.

 

Us "young" guys will buy all your old shit at your auction and build street rod ricer rat rod shit out of it. How's that?

You must think pretty highly of yourself if you think the hobby is going to die with your crew. Actually drive your stuff to one of the MANY shows in the midwest that cater to the traditional crowd and you will see we are doing just fine.

 

The "Bought and paid for" industry is booming and not everyone is capable of welding, wrenching or whatever or have the space or means to build a car in the traditional manner. It's not dead, just being pushed over to make room for the new generation of builders and todays styles. Which happens to be kit-car hot rods and billet.

The last big indoor show here in town had 200+ cars. Unfortunately there were over 40 cars from local dealerships. The Hot Rod contingent was very poorly represented but the innovation and build qulaity of the cars was outstanding. Now... the outdoor shows locally are booming. Our traditional shows like the back to 50's event and the cruz'n downtown are great and show everything from low riders to billet rods to restorations and traditional rods. One show last year was over 500 cars. Our weekly Tavern United and pony Corral cruise nights are awesome. Even in threatening rain there is a decent turn out and well worht the walk thru.

I have to agree, the car show circuit is not the place to see traditional hot rods. The outdoor shows are the place to go and it doesn't cost you $20 to get in.

 

My definition of traditional = a hotrod built in the 40's or 50's, or one built later like it would have been during that era, using the equipment available in that era.

 

ditto!

 

Personally I enjoy any show that features "old" cars. I don't care what they are or in what condition they are in as long as they OLD.....like pre-74'ish.

I don't care at all for the mixed shows that are full of late model drivers with aftermarket wheels and a loud stereo. That's not my cup of tea. The last one like that I went to (at a Hooters) had a bunch of those types blasting obscene rap music and there were kids walking all around. That's totally disrespectful and tacky.

 

Just a different point of view. I can remember going to shows where they paid our club to show up at the shows, and then they charged the spectators to see the cars. Now it's all back-ass-wards. At least back then they appreciated the time, effort and $$$'s we had in the cars and tried to pay us back for the effort. Now it's all about money plain and simple. I'd rather be in the garage working on something or driving it down the road anyways. If i want a show I'll invite some buddies over for beer on a Friday night, thats close enough for me.

 

Last year when I bought the project I am working on, I had NO idea that hotrod people were as opinionated as they were. I thought a car guy was a car guy.

Man was I ever wrong.

 

Are there any plans for a separate H.A.M.B. forum for the '65-'72 cars in the future???..... Just wonderin'.... I'm not knockin' the older cars.. I love'em! But there seems to be a bunch of folks here that love variety.....

 

I think we've done that before

 

I think most people just go to hang out......It isn't worth time getting upset

 

Yes, your right, it is all about the money. It was then and it is now. You were PAID to go to shows and now your not and you don't go anymore. If it wasn't about $$, we wouldn't be able to put on shows such as the Pileup, Symco, Back the 50's and others. They aren't free! Even many small shows in a park somewhere cost $4-$5000 to put on. I don't know many who can eat that amount every year?

Symco cost about $25,000 to put on this year. Insurance, Advertising, EMTs, Police, etc all cost $$. Entertainment was about $8000 this year. And I had $1 beer and $10 weekend admission, $10 camp sites, etc. It was as cheap as you will get for a big show with as much to see and do. I have no intention to ever pay anyone to come to Symco. I will offer free admission, camping, etc, but I won't pay someone to come and have a good time. They are missing out if they don't come. If I had to pay show cars, then I have to raise my rates at the gate and that isn't fair to the spectators. Besides, I don't want the people who expect to get paid to come to an event, I want the people who are coming because they understand what the event is about and appreciate it for that.

 

This is probably about as close as you will get to that...

http://www.dogfightmag.com/

 

Yes we got paid..... in beer tickets or maybe a 1/4 barrel. No money ever changed hands cause the club was non-profit. I still think it was more about a good time back then , then money but hey thats just my memory. If your ever in Lannon in July go to their car show cause it's free. It's done with sponsors. Not saying this would work on a huge scale but for the 300-400 cars at that show it worked out fine. I agree with most you have to say, I'm just fried on doing shows. 33 years worth must be about my limit, but more power to ya for hanging out with buddies at the shows. Most of the small shows back in the day were at best a break even thing. Guess people are just smarter now then we were back then.

 

There's a ton of events around here and no one gets uptight cuz there's billet stuff at show...if you don't like it, don't look at it...personally, I don't even bother to look at Model A's and '32 Fords simply because nearly everyone has one and they are all b-o-r-i-n-g...!!!

R-[/QUOTE] sounds like jealousy to me....

 

I show up at the Cafe with my Chevelle, Jack wanders by with his 65 pickup with 39 tail lights, or his 59 chevy custom. Roger shows up in one of his deuces and brings a buddy with his Model A. 2 or 3 other guys show up with trad cars or street rods, whatever, another couple show up in the wife's Camry or Accord because the rod's outa action at the moment. We all have pie and coffee then go check out something somebody is working on. Great show about every week.

 

Ok guys- Let me just say that I am a gear head. Plain and simple. I started out with my Honda. I am a ricer. But now that I am older and can afford the hobby have moved into hot rods.

Much like hot rodders of the day- they bought something really cheap and worked with what I had. I am not into body kits and all that crap. I like to have fun in a car and drive the hell out of cars.
Some of you guys were buying cars that were 10- 15 years old in 1960- that gives you the options of cars from 1945 (not really so we will say 1946) to 1950. My 10-15 year old car options were staring at 1983 to 1988. Not alot of hot rodding material out there in that range.
My 1994 Civic was cheap, there were already alot in the junk yards, and parts were cheap. That is the essence of hot rodding.

This is how we (the "youngsters") were going to learn to appreciate hot rodding. But there is no way I could have jumped in at 15 and found a driving hot rod for what I paid for my civic ($450).

Please so not bash on us ricers. We are working with what we can. Now that I can afford it, I am moving into real traditional hot rodding.

 

I go to as many different kinds of shows that I can. Occasionally I'll go to Concorso Italiano in Monterey in the '32. The drive takes you over the Hwy 17 hill into Santa Cruz then down Hwy 1. Stay with friends in Seaside. Have an Italian lunch, then back via Prunedale and Gilroy. Hmmm... I think I like the driving part best...

 

Maybe we all (you) oughta quit bitchin' at the shape and age of each others cars and band together, seeing as how the idiots in Washington are going to make it harder and harder to run anything at all that runs on gas. We're all part of the same club and just don't know it.

Embrace the carburetor! In any form. Aloha

 

I am affraid you are wrong about that, There are those of us that have real 32 fords, And then there are others who have kit cars that most parts were made in china or japan.....Don't confuse a real 32 ford with a fiberglass kit car.....Oh I like them just fine but they are what they are....

 

its always been that way, only the traditional cars were in the parking lot.

 

When your dead and gone? Dude you wont care if some punk kid is into tuners, or rat rods... Just drink a beer, and hang out with your buds. It's not rocket surgery, it's hot rods...

 

After reading through this thread I gotta wonder, is it the new cool thing to say that you hate car shows? That is fucking mind boggling coming from car guys. While it may be fun driving your ride where else can you ogle other cool cars in person besides a car show or the drags. Nobody said ya have to sit behind your car in a hawiian shirt.

 

I like most all shows from Viva LV (Altho im gettin my doubts on that one) to SEMA...Its all a matter of which show. Theres weekly ones here in vegas, we roll in my buddies 55'210 *black an white tunnel-ram 327, muncie 4spd, cut rear panels with 30in tall m/t e.t streets (a bit too much tire for it haha) , stock interior just a fun hot rod...And people look at us like were some kinda losers or aliens. while there next to their Roushes and new challengers or the "yenko clones". we go across town and people cheer us into lightin um (Well as good as it will with the slicks) up. ol guys in there stueds an willys. and just a tottal different atmosphere! its all a matter of where its at. show up with yours and be proud and smile an have fun doin what you do, It may catch on

 

This is good to see.
Gives one hope for the future.....

 

You should start a car show in your area for traditional hot rods only.It's a lot of work putting on a show,especially a show limiting only one kind of car.You wont have big #'s but if that is what you want, looks like you will have to do it your self.Kids will do whatever they want,not what we think they should want. Just enjoy what we have now.All this won't matter after we are dead and gone anyway. Now get out there and drive that hot rod while the law still permits .