Can HAMB help save Traditional Hot Rodding?

Is it possable to fight the War against the Legislative move to remove "Old Cars" from the road?

Can It Be Done Here where it will get the best Audience?

 

I'm doing my part. already have my tinfoil hat, and am in the process of covering my computer. they won't get me.

 

I hope it never comes down to an all out fight, but if it does I'll be ready, wiff new paint and funny looking trim . It's kinda funny that the same folks that are screaming GO GREEN, RECYCLE are the ones wanting to shut us (old car owners) down. What says recycle better than reworking/rebuilding old cars? All we can do I recon is keep on doing what we do best and hope we get some help soon!

 

They can have them along with all my guns..when they pry them from my cold dead fingers..that is if i dont win..

saber rattling is what it all sounds like, and i hope im right.
and probably just to try and justify their existance..they are making a lot of enemies at the wrong time
and as far as the magazines..desperate sales time

the internet has eaten into their sales sooo much that they are fighting and sensationalizing to get sales up,, i feel

 

Yes, as mentioned in that locked thread, I counted 8 various automotive covers this month with the red circle/ on the cover when I looked at the news stand last night. Thats EIGHT magazines foot stomping trying to get our attention and buy a copy. I see the threat more as poor magazine sales than anything else, they are deperate.

 

I still haven't seen any such move, at least not in AZ, and not from what I've read about other states.

I have seen issues in other states with taxation, strange valuations, and cracking down on fraudulent titles, as well as the constant tweaking of smog testing rules (which does not apply to on-topic cars, which are exempt by their age).

Like Ryan says, if the time comes, we're ready

 

dont think it will happen,i mean, gotta be about 80 percent of american males that at least like the historic history of the american automobile,the rest can go shit in their hats.

 

Not by itself but I''m betting it will be at the forefront if/when the battle gets underway. Where else are you going to muster the clout this place represents?............................nowhere I venture.

Frank

 

You can join this social group:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=572

 

With pot being legalized in Calfornia, along with gay marriage being accepted as the norm, with a woman running for governer to go along with our two, female senators....with ridiculous programs such as "Cash For Clunkers".....really, how long can it be before hot rods are banished?

 

Good to see you have an ear to the pulse.

 

Politics Suck! But it can't be avoided forever. We need to start paying attention now. It's become harder and more expensive to title an older car in many states. A law was just knocked down to go to 15% Ethanol at the pumps, that would have affected many of are older cars.
Many more laws are out there to make our lives miserable.
Go to semasan.com, you don't have to receive their email updates but at least you will be counted as one of the many enthusiasts that care about our hobby.
End of soap box rant!

 

Waiting until you have to act is waiting too long; they already came for my projects, so I'm not going to be as enthused to try to save yours. I realize we shouldn't fly off half cocked, but we should start preparing.

 

Once you reach my ripe, old age....you begin to realize that todays' politicians are the "nerds" from high school.....the braniac, womans' lib, butt-ugly gals who hate men because we never asked them out, and the dorky guys who we used to towel-whip in the locker room.
Every presidential-election year, I ask myself: How many guys do I know that I would rather see as President than the two sorry-assed candidates we have to choose from?
Every election, my answer is the same....virtually ANYONE I know!
In fact, maybe that's the answer: someone from this board should run as a representative of a new party... a party of regular-joes who like cars, like to BBQ, take good care of their families and don't call bullshit anything BUT bullshit.

We can call it the- Pro-Hydrocarbon Party.

 

In my area it seems that many town officials and social groups use car shows as fund raisers for their various programs. They realize that the hobby contributes greatly to supporting the local business community and I haven't seen any attempt to discourage Hot Rods

 

Oddly enough, even in a state that in SO MANY ways exemplifies the kind of erosion of freedoms we have at every turn today, I really feel nor see any evidence of a war on MY kind of old cars...maybe '83 Cavaliers, but not anything like what we are into...most folks around here are pretty sympathetic to us...cops like us, they don't single us out...
politicians own hot rods, too....
I don't know, I never have problems getting things insured, or on the road, really...I hope I didn't just jinx my self...

 

More flies (ie support) are found with honey, than vinegar. Just like the toys-for-tots bike rides and public service related events, it's not hard to see where planning and action in service fuel us and our interests. Early in street rodding days-of-yore, back when muscle cars ruled the asphalt, it was apparent that we needed to create good will and media mention.

 

I have been pretty involved with this subject for the past year or so and it's definitely more than people making noise.

We can't be too prepared as we are at an extreme disadvantage because:

-Hot rodders are a VERY small minority relative to the population.

-It's easy for politicians to tag us as polluters or dangerous. Very scary terms to the sheep that make up the general population.

-The politicians control far more of the communication avenues, making it harder to defend ourselves or rebut than it is for them to make exaggerated accusations.

-It's not only the politicians, it's groups like the Sierra Club (overly paranoid TONS of political pull), California Air Resources Board (in it to justify their own existence) and corporations like Exxon (who want to buy up pollution credits by getting "polluting" cars off the streets).

It goes on and on.

Be prepared and civilized in action.

Get info at www.semasan.com. They're not necessarily the best, but there is a lot of literal info on what is pending in each state.

 

This is all I can currently find:
URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Connecticut Introduces Bill to Exempt Antique, Rare and Special Interest Vehicles from Property Taxes

A bill (H.B. 6226) has been introduced in the Connecticut State Legislature to provide an exemption from property taxes for antique, rare and special interest vehicles. The bill is pending in the Joint Transportation Committee for consideration.
We Urge You to Contact Joint Transportation Committee Members (List Attached) Immediately To Request Their Support for H.B. 6226

• Connecticut law defines an "Antique, rare or special interest motor vehicle" as a motor vehicle twenty years old or older which is being preserved because of historic interest and which is not altered or modified from the original manufacturer's specifications.

DON’T DELAY! Please contact members of the Connecticut Joint Transportation Committee immediately to request their support of this bill.

 

It's going to be the smog-laws that kill us. Some dork with a bunch of numbers, standing in front of an Al Gore billboard.

In the early Seventies, I was studying for my first test for a California Smog License. At the time, there was a retrofit NOX device being fitted to 1967-1970 cars (as I recall). This particular kit was called a "Kar Kit". It consisted of two vacuum plugs which were to be used to cap off the cars' vacuum advance. The only other thing in the "kit" was a sticker to be adhered to the speedometer face, which read :" Do not exceed 65 miles per hour".
Being an astute, young mechanic, I thought about this for a moment before raising my hand. The auto instructor, an older gentleman named John, called on me and I asked: "Why would they have us INCREASE the temperature of the combustion chamber? I understand that it lowers the production of Oxides of Nitrogen, but doesn't it shorten the life of the engine?"
John smiled sadly and answered in a slow, Southern drawl: "Well, Paul....In general, politicians are not very good mechanics....and ours....are no exception...."

And sure as hell, the Japanese cars (which passed the NOX standards right from the factory), started knocking the crap out of American cars....a handicap from which America has YET to recover.

 

Awesome!

... Never mind.

 

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!

 

Be prepared, be polite, be proactive.

 

This whole idea about paying property taxes on a vehicle is totally foreign to me. I have owned vehicles in Texas for over 40 years now (and lots of them) and I have never paid property tax on a motor vehicle ever. The only time I have paid any kind of tax on one, is sales tax on the original purchase when transferring a title. Of course I have to buy registration for vehicles that are being driven, but if the vehicle is not being driven (project vehicles) it is not required to be registered so there is no fee whatsoever. How may states require yearly property tax to be paid on vehicles?

 

film at 11...

 

The simple answer is "yes" they will ban hot rodding but only "Hot Rod Magazine"s definition of hot rodding, not ours. "Hot Rod" is concerned about peoples freedom to modify late model cars. It will happen and it'll come thru the backdoor like it did in Europe. I think "Hot Rod Magazine" is being naive thinking individuals will be able to modify late model cars after 2017 or so. Already in most of Europe, vehicle annual taxation and even the right to enter many cities is based on emissions levels and more recently CO2 output. With tax revenue being linked to CO2 output, any modification that may effect CO2 levels, (Body, suspension. tires or engine/transmission) void the vehicles legal approval and it'll have to undergo the entire emissions testing which manufacturers have to put their new cars thru in order to be assigned a new CO2 level. That is expensive and prohibitive for individuals. In Germany we also have 800+ hp 2010s but they're built by AMG, Brabus and Ruf. They can afford the emissions testing. Their customers can afford it too. The change from cubic capacity taxation (easy and cheap to measure if you changed it) to CO2 taxation came quietly on July 1. 2009. No one really noticed cos it only effected "new" cars. Now, technically you can't even upgrade your stereo without changing your CO2 output and therefore voiding your type approval.

In the USA this could already happen if anyone was smart enough to enforce it. Under the C4C scheme the Government handout was based on improved fuel economy compared to the scrapped car. Modifying the new car now could reduce it's mileage and render it's owner liable to prosecution. Makes sense eh! It's cheating.

The tuning industry has itself to blame. In the fifties and sixties hot rodders showed Detroit how to build better and more powerful cars. Their exploits improved the automobile. The last few decades have seen us chasing ever more ridiculous power levels all of which no longer has any relevance to OEM cars. Instead of trying to go faster and faster we should be trying to find out how to go further. The individuals trying to improve efficiency with heat engines, 6 stroke engines etc are marginalized and no one cares. If the tuning industry invested a fraction of its annual investment in improving economy instead of producing yet another cylinder head etc, we might be able to have 30 mpg light trucks without downsizing and 35 mpg muscle cars without losing the "muscle".

We may very well end up not being able to modify late model cars and trucks at all. What is more important however must be to protect our rights to modify pre '13 cars. 2013 with it's new CAFE standards looks set to be a watershed year like '49 and '73. Protecting our rights to modify pre-'13's gives us about 100 years of cars to choose from. That should keep us and our kids busy 'til the oil runs out;-)

One last note: Look around you ... now look further. What America is going thru now with stricter CAFE limits, expensive fuel etc, Europe has already lived thru. Many large european Cities like London and most large German cities can't even be entered with some five year old vehicles!!! People stupid enough to buy diesel cars without PDF got banned. All gasoline cars without cats got banned . . . BUT historical vehicles (over 30 years old) were given exemption and that includes traditional hot rods which are considered "historically correct". Blimp blimp street rods, rat rods, 80ies Mercedes, 90ies diesel cars and trucks are left out. Whats important for 90% of Hamber's is to insure that traditional hot rods and customs are considered on the political level to be the equal of restored cars. Who cares if the dickhead kid in his bouncy Reeboks is allowed to double the horsepower on his 2013 Mustang. Our roads would be safer if he didn't

Just my 2 cents

Ed

 

Know the rules, have integrity, and keep your yard clean. AND work on your project!

 

That Connecticut bill may have something to do with personal property tax of companies or commercial holdings of high-end cars. Each state taxes different and perhaps they hit you on valued items. Lots of heavy classics in Conn.

Ryan is pretty close and so is KIRK! with their outlooks. 1st will be the "tuner" crowd and when they steamrolled we'll be easy pickens. Our greatest hope is the lobby power of each of us in our backyards and the performance industry as a whole. It's worth billions in jobs and taxes. Jobs and taxes. I did that twice because that's the power. Back in the 90s the sitting adminstration wanted to outlaw the use of snowmobiles. They tried everything. They lost. It's a 8 billion dollar/year industry (probably more today) and the losses would have been catastrophic to the northern states.

Of course we should worry, of course we need to be heard, and yes indeed, most all of us here have a voice. As far as our "clout", yes Frank we're something but in all reality we make up a very small minority of what's out there. How many folks do you mention this place to that do what we do yet never heard of it? Many for me and I'm like you, livin it daily and livin it in the Motorstate. However I do believe our dear friend Ryan will be flooded with folks if the day comes when the HAMB joins the fight as one. If needed I'm there. Damn near my entire career is vested in this stuff. They'd do better to just send the helicopters

 

A friend of mine lives near the university and finds notes on his window, some even a full page long ranting about how his antique car is ruining the environment and get on with 2010, drive a hybrid.... It makes me upset because IMO its the ultimate in recycling, and the steel is not being remanufactured causing more pollution. I think alot of this needs to be stopped with the education of our young. Lots of people dont get it. I find some of the most active SAVE THE WORLD activist are university students without the entire storey only seeing what they want or hate to say it what the professor wants them to see. I have first hand experiance in the latter part they teach this crap in the university, and it is a very ignorant way of thinking. Sure I work as a trades person now I like machines