Hot Rods I look at our hobby differently, as I get older

We look at a lot of things different when we get a little older. However the "Hobby" which I like to refer to as our sport, is so alive and well it is unreal. How I wish I was thirty something and could see the next twenty years of hip car building that is going on. Don't fool yourself that it is slowing down. Just look at all the rad stuff going on here on the worlds best hot rod information highway. I understand your mind set however and realize my real building days are past and I am just an old geezer riding along behind. Keep on keepin on!! ~Sololobo~

 

I am in my early 30's learned a lot about this hobby through a high school shop teacher, My Dad and brothers always were great with working with there hands. I am a metal shapper and panel beater by trade been at it for 16 years now but if my son ever comes up to me and wants to follow in my foot steps i would tell him to keep it at a hobby level, I love my job and am passionate about every project i get to work on, but in the real world I hope my son picks something else. it might be too late he is six and really wants a model A roadster.

 

I really want to disagree with this--but I can't.My new brother-in-law is almost 80!, and is president of our local model T club.He says these guys are a dying breed--just trying to keep a stock model T up with original parts is a major pain,and any "new" members are in their 60-70's.My old man was lucky to know where to put the key in a car,let alone work on one. But by the time I was in high school,I'd learned to build engines, weld(kinda),and when I graduated from high school,I had all my ASE licences,and went to work as a tune-up man at a Chevy dealer--but my kids couldn't care less about building / modifying cars.My parents said I just took to mechanics as a little kid--so maybe it just comes natural to some,never to others.

 

I think the hobby is just evolving, just as OHV engines replaced flatheads, musclecars replaced hot rods, street rods replaced musclecars, etc. Tuners are doing, in their own way, what my friends and I were doing to late-model American V8s back in the late '60s - I built a dangerously quick VW just to be 'different' and then went on to slam a minitruck in the mid-'70s so that it would go around corners at a high rate of speed. Interestingly, a lot of Old School rodders (and I'm including a lot of famous faces in that list) found both of these projects pretty cool and understood that what they related to back in the 1930s-1950s was not necessarily what my generation understood or appreciated.

My only concern is where young builders are constructing what are obviously unsafe rides and seem to have an attitude to go with it that's been borrowed out of some '50s B-movie or pulp novel in the case of rodders) or the latest installment of 'The Fast & the Furious (in the case of tuners).

I have an 18 year-old grandson who cannot relate to trad hot rods, which is why we're building something that he considers ancient but he can add some tuner touches. I have no issues with this if he carries on the tradition of modifying vehicles to be faster, cooler and safer than a stocker.

 

I learned alot from my Dad not only car stuff but wisdom.....he would tell me slow down spark plug (nickname) when I was young, because when you get older you will be smelling the roses. Fuck you Dad I will never slow down......Boy was he right. The other thing he told me was there are 3 things that happen to you son when you get older....1st is you start losing your memory..........the other 2, I just can't remember.

 

I think one of the reasons kids like these tuner cars is that as long as they have a job they can go down to the local hondabishi dealer, sign on the dotted line and be driving a new car with A/C, good power & handling and just make payments on it. Kinda like the way that the muscle cars put a beating on hot rods back in the 60's when a young guy with a job could run down to the local dealer and be racing around in a new GTO with a payment book in his back pocket. No searching for parts, No trying to engineer anything, just immediate gratification. These days (and I'm not talking about the one kid down the street that likes hot rods) a lot of these kids are so wrapped up in computers and video games that they would never dream of sweating over some rusty hulk for a couple years dreaming of taking that first ride.
Like it or not, most young kids ain't dreaming of 32 Fords or Super Stock Dodges. That doesn't really affect my enjoyment of the hobby but time marches on. I've heard stories of how the brass era cars waned in popularity as the old timers that loved them died off yet many are still around. I can't get enough of old cars but if our kids don't fall in love with our hobby and our cars that's OK, it ain't the end of the world. There will always be folks that love old iron even if there ain't as many of them as today.

 

You couldn't have said it better, Gasser 57. Go back to when I started university (40 years ago! ) of my group of friends I went to school with, I was the only hot rodder, per se. All of the others were into musclecars for exactly the reason Gasser 57 outlined.

Late last year, I heard from one of my former classmates (whom I've known since 1965) who told me he could never understand why I would want to modify a car (in this case the aforementioned VW that I eventually got its ETs down to the high 14s through the mufflers at Lion's) when I could go out and buy a fast car. I didn't bother to explain...

I'm just trying to get my grandson to understand how stuff works and if he ends up buying his dream car (a Nissan Sylvia) and modifies it himself (rather than using his debit card to pay some shop for the mods) I feel I've done my job.

 

My dad isn't a car guy. He was 38 when I was born, pushing 50 by the time I could truly expres my interest in cars. He's very conservative, cars are for transportation. I was not allowed to have a big block anything, or anything older than 60's when I started looking at cars in the late 80's. He had grown up poor, and that was a waste of time and money. Only later did I find out he'd been running aroune with buddies in the early 50's with hot rods. Blowing fenders off of early cars with a shotgun when the bolts were too rusty. Running a little hooch to make some money.

Now he's about to turn 75, has never had a decent fast ride in anything I own, and has no mechanical interest.

I have 5 kids of my own now, all have varying degrees of interest, but all get excited when I pull the hot rod out of the garage. mostly they know the sound and want a ride.

I don't spend but a few occasional hours in the garage, as I'm needed in the house, but my kids come first. As they get older and want rides of their own, they're going to have to learn how to buy cheap and fix as needed. Original hot rodders were building gow jobs, hopping up an old model T most of the time. They were cheap and plentiful. My kids will probably be looking at 20 year old cars also.

I'd love to build either an A coupe or 28-29 phonebooth pickup. I can't buy a starter for a reasonable price.

Devin

 

To me hot rods are simply about changing a stocker to improve performance and doing it safely...just like the guys in the 30's did with the 4banger cars, the guys in the 40's did with the flathead cars, the 50's did with the SBC, Olds, and Hemi cars, the 60's and 70's with the muscle cars, then the oil crisis and the advent of the tuner generation and the cheap front driver cars in the 80's, 90's which continues right on up through today. The hot rods for each of these generations were different than the ones before it. Nevertheless, each generation still changed a stocker to go faster or to be cooler. As I have said before here...each generation paints basically the same picture the same way....its just the canvas that's different. My dad did body and paint work for a living for over 40 years and he was very good at it and I got to witness his handiwork first hand as he taught me how to do it as a teenager with a 37 Ford coupe (my 1st car) which rubbed off on me and I got to work right alongside him for several years after that, before striking out on my own. He was my mentor and my friend and my dad all rolled into one. My son is now interested in building a radical 34 pickup from a cab that he acquired through a friend of mine...and he occasionally asks me for advise on design, function, etc. but he has ideas of his own that are pretty damn original and pretty cool, and I'm proud of him for coming up with them on his own, which is what I encourage him to do. We are planning a trip together next year to Bonneville speed week as the maiden voyage for my coupe...just he and I. It should be a highlight in both of our lives, and will be great to share it with each other while we still can do it. Life and hot rods will go on...they might just morph into a different form than we who are of our generation are used to, thats all.

 

Dad was a stone car nut who brought me home from the hospital in a 41 Ford ragtop with what were reputed to be the loudest set of pipes in the county then. His car when I was a teenager was a 57 Olds 88 with a J-2 in it. Jet black and lowered. Although he was pretty handy with a set of wrenches he never worked as a mechanic or built any cars after his teen age years but we spent many of our best hours together working on either his car or mine in later years. My folks were divorced when I was 8 or 9 and our weekend visitations usually meant going to the drags, to a car show or putting nose prints on the Pontiac dealerships windows in 1960, 61 & 62 when I was in my early teens. My first born started going to rod runs with us when he was 18 months old and was into cars until his death in an accident at age 19. My daughter who is 31 and still want's a steel body 41 Willys coupe (glass won't do) is probably the one who will carry on the hot rodding genes in the family if they get carried on. Her younger brother who is 26 is a skilled welder and fabricator and can fix just about anything that he comes up against but he isn't all that into hotrods although he pitches in and helps me when I need help and his schedule allows.

We do tend to forget that most of the cars we ( here on the board) like are a minimum of 50 years old. When I attended my first rod run as a participant in 1973 (Street Rod Nationals in Tulsa) a 32 Ford was 41 years old. A 41 year old car now is a 69 Camaro or Mustang. Old tin is getting hard to find and obviously fairly expensive when you find it most of the time.

I don't knock the tuner car kids as it takes some mad skills to take a stock engine and get the horsepower they get out of engines that size. Sure they can run out and buy a new car off the lot and go play but to get the power that some of them do it takes a lot of hard work and money and knowledge and skill. Just as we have our Stromberg or Holley experts who can tweak a carb and get higher levels of power out of it they have guys who can tweak the computers and injectors of these cars to get that higher level of power. The cars don't look or sound like ours but they still go fast.

Remember, we aren't some screwball religious group who's belief that our way is the only way and every else is wrong and criminal. There is room for the restorers, there is room for the street rodders and there is room for the tuners. If you don't like it just ignore it but don't run up to your pulpit and tell everyone else they are wrong and have to convert to your way. If we get a few good converts along the way so be it and we will be happy to have them.

 

its a tradition, as well with its in the blood.

my grandfather owned a gas station, a car lot, adn 2 parts houses. he lost them but thats not the point. with his stores, he funded his race car (55 chevy) he had 4 boys, my oldest uncle and my dad were pretty much hte only 2 that it passed to. i remember when i was you seeing my dad workin on the frame of his 40 ford. he alway wanted me to get into something else,since he knew a gear head would be broke for life. i never thought about it. i just was raised into it and when i got my first car i was tearing into it the second i got it home.

his 40 to this day never got finished, it got abandoned to pretty much pay bills and take car of the family. he since has picked up an AA that will be running soon, and the 40 is at least sitting semi together now after over 20 years.

iv got the bug so bad nothing realy crosses my mind, my girfreind does not love that its all i talk about or do, but she understand its a love that just cant be gotten rid of. i hope to have a son some day to pass on what i know and keep the family tradition going.

 

I knew nothing of how rich the 'hot rod' environment was in my home growing up. I didn't realize that we were really, really lucky growing up in the SF Bay Area at a time when the hobby and business of 'hot rods' expanded greatly. I knew my dad had an interest in hot rods since the 50s... but as a teenager, I couldn't be bothered.

Things changed about seven years back (I'm now 41): I called my dad out on not finishing the two projects that had been collecting dust in his yard since the 70s/80s. I suggested we get started on them and knock 'em out. I pushed on getting a driver in the fastest possibly way, hoping it would be a catalyst in getting the two of us working on cars together. At a minimum, get rid of the lethargy and complacency that had set in with my dad so many years ago. Fortunately my plan worked and we got going... We built a nice'32 five window (now with 16k+ miles on it) and just a few weeks ago wrapped a '38 Chevy he's owned since 1964.

I have to tell you that I am very proud of my dad for completing both of these cars and pleased to have been part of the process. He's found a something he really enjoys and now thrives during his retirement; it is an understatement to say he's having a blast with the hobby.

I am really pleased to share that last month he completed a 1,600 mile trip to Bonneville with my brother, taking both cars within a few days of completing the '38 and giving it a pretty good break-in. It's great that he has also ticked off a few items from his bucket list. Priceless memories, no doubt for all involved.

What I have learned from working with my dad is that it's not so much about "Hot Rods", it about spending time together on a common goal; it's about relationship. I've feel I've grown quite a bit too: I have decided I will not be complacent during my 'middle age' and really enjoy the time we spend together.

With a few projects under our belts, we're onto the next ones. The best part is we're doing it together. It's interesting how we both bring different strengths to the project and find a way to make it work. This is what I am pleased to be showing my boys; seeing how we work together is what I hope they'll remember (in addition to putting together some pretty great cars!).

I hope the above isn't viewed as off topic because it's meant to lay a groundwork for a response the original post topic: Though hot rods 'industry' has changed significantly, I feel that the soul of the hobby is still there. Different? Sure, but despite the high prices, fads, and generational differences, I see the hobby now as I never have: it's an endeavor and an experience. It's not about the final product, it's about the process, it's about the cars, it's about the comradery.

I've witnessed the heavy flake period in the '70s, the billet street rod in the '80s, the Foos-ington v12 in a roadster '90s, and try to endure the rat rods of the '00s. At this point, whatever the trend is today and whatever the industry has become is irrelevant. I don't really care. What I think I've been offered is an opportunity to continue a tradition for my family: my dad, myself, and for my kids. We're building a common bond doing something very enjoyable.

"In decline" you say? I'll have to disagree. I feel blessed that y'all have made it so easy to build great looking, safe, and fun cars. In making it so accessible, no mater the make/model, we're enjoying our time together in some really cool shit. I, for one, am grateful.




Do you think Henry could have ever imagined a carseat in a '32?

 

It's depressing to know that kids aren't getting into hot rods anymore. Sure there are a few of them (myself included, I'm only 17) who will carry on the torch but like with every generation interests change from the ones before. As for me, I plan on learning everything I can from the old guys while they are still here.

 

"a lot of these kids are so wrapped up in computers and video games that they would never dream of sweating over some rusty hulk for a couple years dreaming of taking that first ride."- Damned if you didn't hit 'er on the head.
I'm 23, alot of my buddies are too concerned with X-box, facebook and playing forza. They really dont get why ive spent the last year pretty much by myself with 1 or 2 choice friends in a shop tooling away on a old 55. They all want INSTANT Greadification, where as i truely just cant wait to fire her up and go cruse. Cant blame um somewhat.
My dad is an aircraft tech, he was into van clubs in the 70's and boats. my grandad is the one who ruined my life with hottrodding. all the year growing up goin to car shows in his 55 wagon. seein the willys an other projects in the garage. gettin yelled at for touching the paint... but hearing "put your seat belt on, hold on and dont tell your grandma" hearin that motor wind out and having my head glued to the seat was a big impression on a 10yr old. Both of us were smiling huge. And theres where it hit and stayed. Both of us smiling huge with, not bein able to lift my head or arms off the cushion.
thats the key to passing this on is HAVE FUN. Thats it... Kids will come

 

Kids like what is fast, fun and gets attention, some tuner cars (skyine GTR's, EVO lancers and supras) tick all the boxes go drive any of the above in anger and you'll understand why people dig em

 

Yuppp. They are fun! A/C an a warranty dont hurt either...
but im not giving up the faith

 

I grew up in a house that loves the cars of the late 60s. I spent most of high school building breaking and fixing 80s cameros. Now I have a good range of cars of my own but still favor my 69 vett. A few years ago when my little brother was looking at getting his license he asked for help finding a car and I agreed as long as he know he would be broke for a very long time.

When he was younger he always had a liking for the old packards so I tried finding a more 50s vehicle. We found a 49 Chevy truck that he loves. My gut reaction was the same driveline I always modified for in the past(350) but the condition of the truck was tipping us towards preservation while looking at ways to be different than all the other same car set ups we keep seeing at the car shows

We got it all together about a year ago and keep making changes as we go. Catalogs and the net played a huge role in how the truck started to take shape. the first weekend we had the truck on the road we went to the symco shakedown a "traditional show" and got many vary cool ideas sadly I can’t say the experience was vary welcoming. unless your car was vary specifically built they didn’t seem happy to see you and they seemed to have no appreciation for the word budget (by they I mean those running the show not the other owners who were all willing to give advice and seemed to enjoy seeing to odd ton truck with a full length box (vary few around)
we were able to put many of the ideas into the truck and it is far more hot rod now (flames visor headers triple offy intake) and I was vary surprised they were even less receptive to the truck this year (the sent us to the rat rod section), again the other spectators couldn’t really see why they wouldn’t call it a traditional hot rod but whatever. Even the websites for many of the traditional shows seem to try and get you to not enter your car

We have plans for 4 more builds 2 are started and my brothers truck will be ongoing indefinitely I’m not sure that we will go out of our way to build up in a period correct manor from now on as the muscle car shows are far more welcoming (I don’t like the stereo contest any more than any of you) but at least for my brothers truck we have the most period correct 6 that we have seen at any Wisconsin shows and anyone who sees it likes it

We keep finding more projects and part vehicles all the time. non of them would be practical as a stock build up as we would never have the $ to get 1 car done let alone as many as we can and each car iv done has always been better than the last so why stop. In the coming weeks a 48 Chevy with a chopped top and fresh 235 will be finding its way into the yard for free because its owner doesn’t have the time to finish it.

I think eBay and the catalogs (not to mention a very dedicated parts store that doesn’t just ask year make model) have made it far easier to build in our hobby and in a time of fuel economy people love seeing something out of the ordinary as a daily driver. I just wish some of the more official events were as understanding as they are in other areas of the hot rod world

 

I read what Hotrodprimer had to say and i hope he's right (continuation of the hobby). I grew up in the 50's and like to think there was no better time---customs, rods, car clubs, a John Milner or two before there was John Milner. I was influenced by some of the guys 5-10 years older than me, and still am to the extent they are still around. I think the most important thing we just can't afford to lose is the camaraderie we have with car people. Some of the best folks in the world are involved with this hobby and post on this board. There is an almost world war 2 enthusiasm about building cars-----bury me at the wheel.

 

You guys are all VERY lucky. I grew up with no dad; and while my mom did what she could to support my fascination with cars I never really got wrench time or a mentor to show me the right way. My uncle built motors for drag cars but was always too busy to teach, now he has kids and they could care less about cars. I wonder where I would be now if I would have had a little direction. I ended up finding my way and learning what I know now based solely on my own investigation, my own research and my own mistakes. I am still learning and am eager as ever to move forward. I love this hobby and am 29, hopefully in October when I become a dad I can focus on his interests and hope they are the same as mine. Whatever the case I will stand behind him and show him the right way in whatever he does. My dad is also back in the picture now- guess what, I know more than him about cars too so he wouldn't have been able to help me anyhow.

 

I`m certainly qualified as an "old-fart"...well a few weeks ago I stopped to check-out cars at a "turner" event. There were 600-800 hp,twin turbo Jap stuff, that IMHO are hot rods...period! I had talked to a couple of teenagers who said they built their cars with the help of their dad or in a high school automotive shop. I say thumbs up and even if you have a blown hemi in your 32 roadster..dont race these kids...you`ll loose !

 

My dad got me interested in cars but never approved. Here i am at four years old asking if i can tighten the wing nut on the air breather. I know look bigger. Always was. I was born in 1950 and this pic was taken in 54 as it is an old dated photo. In 55 dad bought a 53 chevy so we are sure .
I was always odd man out and probably still am in the family. When i started working at the local garage dad hollered at me "You'll just wind up being a greasy old mechanic" That was uncalled for. His brother, the late Everet Dulmage was a very good mechanic and I was fortunate enough to work with him during my Ontario Apprenticeship at the local GM dealer. He taught me carbs and alternator repair especially and taught me to never to let complication cloud my thinking. He told me even a 426 hemi which is a difficult engine to tune and maintain has just 16 valves and 8 pistons. Dont get snowed because it is a hemi and has two carbs. It all works the same. I had a wondeful career in the Automotive trade and also earned my ASE master automotive machinist ticket. Everyday was interesting and an adventure. Over the years I was also very active in the hobby mostly with drag racing and door slammer stuff. When i retired I pursued some of the things I had not had time for like my six cylinder with snowmobile carbs. Building dragster chasis and such. It has been a rewarding career and hobby and I enjoy the little rail (Senior Dragster) more than i ever thought I would. I give it a little pat everytime i walk by it almost. Dad probably still disapproves. Nothing i could do would suit. After he threw me out at 17 I gave up trying to please him. Still he is my dad and I have to respect him. He was greatin his own right having been an aircraft radio designer for Collins Radio of Canada and he designed the radios for the famous Avro Arrow and the "gas can radio" for the Voodoo jets. As for the tuner guys. We should stop fighting them. First they NOT all drive Jap crap. Many have Neons (several 12 second ones show up here at the local track.) Also the Ford guys with Mustangs are doing the same thing to their engines all the time so what is the big deal? Some kids will like our old cars but some will prefer cars of their generation. Tis not the end of the world. At the Flatout weekend I talked to a Suburu tuner guy for about a 1/2 hour. His dad is a mopar guy and once got an engine from me. He was thinking of how he could combine his love of tuners and vintage stuff as well as mopars. I suggested he buy a generic coupe legends body with the optional Dodge grill and hood. Build a rear wheel drive drag chassis and use a 90s Dakota four cylinder tran and bellhousing. Do the tuner thing to a 2.4 mopar four and install the deal all together. Then he would have his tuner motor , a 38 dodge coupe and a good drag car. Thing would look like a 60s gasser, go like a bullet and everyone wold be happy. He was pretty enthralled with idea at the time. Whether he does it or not I cant say but it certainly got him thinking. I was partners in a tuboed 170 slant six project back in the day. (Early 70s) We had it in a 32 glass bantam. We did well with it. No one then hassled us Why should we bug these guys. Even the most hard headed person must admit they do some spectacular things with basically stock short blocks. Not our cup of tea but so what. Still part of the hobby.
Don

 

There are only a few threads on the HAMB that speak to the history and meaning of our craft, the way each post here has. Thanks guys for reminding us all!
Those who began as tuners, some will move to older builds. I'm just glad that one day down the road, I'll see a younger fella or gal, taking out their rig for a trial run, and it will be evident by the smile it brings.

 

I really think the biggest reason you don't see "young" hot rodders is because of money! The history behind hot rodding is to go fast, on the cheap. The buy in price on a model A is, imo, WAY beyond "cheap" for a mere body, let alone frame and running gear. Add that to the ever scrutinizing government on the east/west coasts, and you come out with a $20k car that's still slower than many modern 6 cyl FWD cars beat to hell with 150k miles on them. Is it any wonder why today's youth is into the import scene? It's for the exact same reasons the 50's youth was into traditional rods. Go fast, look cool. The less money you spend on the rod means the more money you have to spend on the chicks you pick up with it!

 

The Hamb is proof positive that the cars we love are are here to stay and will continue long after a lot of us have gone on to greener pastures.

Hot Rods started to lose favor back in the 60's during the muscle car era when brand new performance cars were cheaper to buy and the car guys could walk in to a dealer and purchase instant horsepower.

But during that time there still was a small segment of people that had the urge to build something with their own to hands that was different and unique and they sought out others with the same interest.ie.car clubs.

I see today's tuner guys in the same light as the young men and women of the 60's buying showroom models and adding their own creative twist to make it personalized and make it faster.

All things being equal,,today's new tuner type cars are like the cars of the 60's,,instant gratification and horsepower but lack the Hot Rod Soul we all seek.

There are still and will be a small segment of society that will continue the older Hot Rod Tradition far into the future,,if you find that hard to believe I offer the Hamb as proof.

Granted a large majority of us are now in our 60's and beyond ,,look at the influx of new members on a daily basis.

I believe that Traditional hot rods and customs are here to stay for years to come,it may not be as big as it is now but who knows what the future holds? HRP

 

You sound like you're on your deathbed.......I hope that's not the case.

Consider yourself lucky that they want to learn. It's fine to have a hobby
like ours, but don't let it consume you or expect others to be consumed.. We're living in a different world today, so quit feeling sorry for what happened in the past and look towards the future.

Have fun!

 

First of all, you need to do an introduction here on the HAMB.

So did you ask why your truck was rejected? Or did you speak with one of us? I am not sure which one it is, but post a pic and I will tell you why it was. I am thinking you have the dually pickup that was parked by the bridge? If so, tell me how a dually is a traditional hot rod? Nope, it isn't. Or was it the blue chevy with the late model aftermarket aluminum wheels? Late model wheels, nope not traditional either.

This is a traditional hot rod website, I am not sure you understand what we are about here.

 

My father was the greatest hotrodder of all time......even after 20 years without him........he's still beside me in the shop:d

 

kids build whats available. parents drive imports, thats what they know, they get mom's old honda when they get their license, they bolt some shit on it make it look "cool", install a stereo. Fast forward a few years and they have a job and can buy a car, they go buy a honda/ toyota/ blah blah, bolt some shit on it, try to go fast. Get married and either start building real cars or not, but they keep buying imports.

if youre 16-18 you gotta go with what your parents will let you get away with. for a non mechanically inclined parent a rusty shell is out of the question, living in the fucking suburbs you cant even let it sit outside, you cant work on it outside.

For a kid a several year project on a muscle car or traditional build just doesnt look that great, especially if the only tools around are a set of sockets and a few screwdrivers. Add to that how many kids dont have a father figure around and a running driving honda that you can bolt shit onto on saturday doesnt look so bad.

 

I don't think a 2nd degree exhaust pipe burn would be considered "interesting" nor would their parents! LOL

 

I read the thread and there are alot of differing opinions. I still see kindergaten age kids scream & point when they see a old hotrod. I'm not sure if the sport is in decline. It's hard to tell. The big streetrod shows are filling up with easy stock musclecars and it displaces people that really don't care about those cars, there is alot less money being spent on all hobbies. As far as the future goes, the cars are out there and when old guys pass on they remain out there...sometimes even being liberated and returned to the wild. Sorry, not trying to offend you old hoarders! Thanks to my dad that was alwys building something and showing me how & I'm trying to do the same with daughter & nephew. I think thats the best we can do!