What is a traditional hot rod to you?

What is a traditional hot rod? I ask this because some one here on H.A.M.B had asked about

“The new mustangs have a torquethrust looking wheels;are they 5x4.5 boltpattern? 17 or 18 inch? Any odd offset or different offset on front and rear? anyone use them?”

and some put this has their repay

“ yeah man,,they are soOO traditional and such a great idea, and would be so KOOL on every model A ,32 and merc....so glad u came up with that idea!!!,, i am so glad you decided to take the time to post that on the HAMB..... btw ,,in case u havent figured THAT out,, i am being sarchastic…”


I feel that a traditional is what you think a it is. In the days when My Granddad ( Ed “ Axle” Stewart ) and my Dad had their speed shop they where using new parts from new cars and that has been going on for years. An old 32 with a new V8 or new or a 56 F100 Ford pickup running a Corvette rear ends. So I ask way would some you be sarcastic when some one asks about new Mustangs wheels?

My point is old cars are cool and when some one puts one back on the road they put part of them self in to car, who they are and what they think is cool. I know what I like and what I don’t like but just because I don’t like does not mean I have to be sarcastic so way does some one think it’s ok to be like that?

So tell me what is a traditional hot rod to you?

 

Ed, this one comes up from some FNG every couple of months. While you are entitled to your opinion, this board has some pretty simple to understand guidelines of what fits. It isn't a free for all.
If you are at all interested go read some of the old threads on this. It ain't that hard of a concept to grasp......

popcorn made ...... << sits back and waits for the replies with a little less restraint >>

 

"Our" thought of traditional is not using new parts from this era. Think of the styling and thought process of a 20 year old in 1958. What he would build is what this site is all about.

If you use "new" parts (anything from the 80s on up) on your build It probably would not qualify as traditional here.

Good luck on your responses.



BloodyKnuckles

 

my traditional hot rod is my av8. with a '41 flathead, s10 5 speed keeping the stock model a pedal ass. original rear, original ball and socket front end. stock look full fendered. american rading wheels, early f-1 front juice, '46-'48 passenger rear juice. with a vega box cross steer.

 

If you have to ask.....I realize who and what your family is to hot rodding. That said, 'traditional hot rod' to me is one that is built with time honored processes and older parts. Back when your granddad and dad were getting started, the cars they built were the equivalent of twin-turbo ing a new Corvette today. If they used 'old' parts, they woulda had wagon parts! Anyways, if ya have to ask, maybe the HAMB isn't for you.

 

Home made, no billet, hub caps, and white walls. Did I miss anything?

 

There are many different styles, concepts, and eras of vehicles. This board is all about era specific "traditional" style cars, which is using era specific parts to build cars similar to how they were built during our era of choice. The nice thing about the H.A.M.B. is we like anything within our era which is pre-60's style of building...ie: customs, jalopies, hot rods..... Although there are a few of us which might push the envelope and add a little modern era flavor to our builds but we are still traditional at heart. What I mean by that is some might use a 18, 19, or 20 inch steel wheel on their ride with some sort of caps and use a radial tire but they keep they look somewhat traditional. We are not big fans of billet, r** r**s, or anything which disrupts the orderly flow of our group. If you are not sure if your ride is traditional or not...post a picture. The nice folks here on the H.A.M.B. will let you know.

 

EVERYTHING on the car is pre 1964...........

 

I guess mine is traditional. Nothing newer than 1951 except consumables like wear items and such. '28 tudor no chop or channel, flathead with 2 deuce, top shift 3 speed, closed drive train, 35 wires, f1 steering box, '42 front and rear axles and brakes. Only change was to move the rear mount back 7" and kick it up 3" so the axle was centered in the wheel openings.

Cliff Ramsdell

 

You have guys that have been doing it for 50 years
You have guys that have been doing it for 5 years
Their opinions of traditional will be different.
Next question.

 

EVERYTHING on the car is pre 1964...........

 

Like was suggested read a lot on here. This was all hammered out in the early years of the HAMB as to what is acceptable here. An easy way to look at it is if you wouldn't have seen it 64-65ish or earlier than it's a no go. Now there have been some concessions to things that are out of sight like transmissions and suspension pieces but by and large that's about it.

 

This my car it may not be traditional when I am done with it to some of you it's not going to have every thing pre 1964 on it or in... But it is a hot rod to me after all we all want is a cool looking fast going hot rod right.....

 

Few of us have the money or means to recreate an exact 1950's era Hot Rod.

In my mind...a Traditionally styled build is mostly what you see here and fully acceptable.
What becomes unacceptable is using major modern styling cues like big billet wheels etc.
Modern stuff under the radar isn't so bad as long as it isn't flaunted.

It's much easier to accept modern items if they are owner built or donor picked from a pick-a-part or something, rather then sourced from an aftermarket supplier using a credit card.
Lots of little things meld together to make one car acceptable while a similar car might be called unworthy.

Not a big deal really....you're "in" or "out"...but theres always another board where you WILL fit fine anyway.
We just try to keep it somewhat tight and to the point!
A respect for history will take you far...

 

Traditional to the HAMB is what would have been done prior to and up to 1964. That being said, I believe car guys should do their cars anyway that they want. No one should tell you what to do or define for you what is cool! However, if you are going to do something other then what has been outlined in the HAMB, you would be well advised not to bring it up in this forum. I drive a highly modified, late model Mustang as my daily driver, but I don't talk about it here

 

Ed, Go ahead and build your car the way you want. I know you will. It looks like a neat project. You and I met in Medford. I was with Bill S. and your Dad and you for dinner one night. How is your Dad doing? Is he still with us? Welcome to the Hamb. Just grow a thick skin. What are your plans for the car? I always thought that body style had great potential.
Dale Seaholm

 

Very very true...

 

No, not all of us want a 'hot rod' that's "fast going'. And as far as I'm concerned, a '56 Plymouth is not a "hot rod" anymore than my '55 Cadillac is a "hot rod"....it's a 'kustom', especially if you modify the body...and BTW, that's a nice looking Plym.

Tradition means: "a long-established action or pattern of behavior in a community or group of people, often one that has been handed down from generation to generation." Now think about that...hot rod 'tradition' has been handed down to us from at least the early 40's. Hot rods built back then didn't use 18" "Mustang Torque Thrusts", or a lot of late model parts, altho they may have used a later engine...most of it was stripped off a car in an effort to go fast...The same with kustoms, that tradition was established in the early '50's by the Barris's.

Here at the HAMB, tradition is important...Yep, you can build your car to suit yourself, and you should...just don't get upset if your version of traditional doesn't fit ours.

R-

IF you want to see my build: go here:http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329070&highlight=the+best+55+caddy+build

 

If we had the internet back in 1964, anyone who joined the HAMB back then would have been limited to 1948 and older, for everything, as that would have been deemed traditional. Anyone using modern parts back in 1964 on a duece or model A, would have been on hotrodders.com or yellowbullet, or something like that, and not the HAMB.

But this is not 1964, it's 2012. So the lines have to get drawn somewhere. (muscle car cut-off more or less)

What IS traditional? What IS Nostalgic?

 

Ed,

That's it in a nutshell. Does everyone get there? Of course not... If the car has the look and feel of something that was built before 64 (or maybe 74, anyway) it's typically accepted here.

DON'T start bitching about the cutoff date or stuff you've seen here that doesn't "follow the rules". It's not fair, so just accept it...

Great to see someone with such a rich hot-rodding background joining us on here! Got any pics from your granddad's shop "back in the day"?

 

traditional to me means building it with your own hands and with whatever parts you can get. but my friend my ride isnt hamb friendly because of the parts i use are newer then 1964, so i wont be posting pics or guestions concerning those parts.

 

Being close to (68) years old, the first thing I think of is one like these!!!
Just plain lean, mean, and downright cool !!!

 

Ed, Obviously what you young guys think is traditional and what us ol' guys think is traditional are two entirely differient things. The bottom line is that the HAMB's got rules, well, more like guidelines, and everyone on here should try to respect 'em. The board say's hotrods and kustoms. Back in the day nobody would have tried to pass off a '64 Rambler longroof or a '56 Buick four door as a hotrod. They would have been laughed out of town. Hell, the HAMB's got farm trucks, tractors, cornbinders and motorhomes. That's a pretty broad interpretation of a hotrod if you ask me. Back in the day, pickups and wagons were tow vehicles and no one ever considered them hotrods. But rules are rules, and if that's the rule then the least I can do is try to respect it, even if I disagree. Personally, while I was gowing up, 1948 was considered the cut off date for traditional and I bet a lot of old timers remember that one. But then again, everything is differient today than it was back then and we have to adapt to survive. There weren't many four lane roads and gas wasn't $4 a gallon. I guess if I can tolerate all the new stuff on here, you can prolly learn to tolerate the old...

 

I don't have tolerate ,I the love the old!!!!

 

Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.

 

Don't get me wrong here but I love traditional hot rods but I also want to see what you all here where thinking what is traditional and way some one would get so up set for the one guy asking what he did.. I don't know the guy who asked about the mustang wheels but when the other guy that was being sarchastic after all I love a lot cars old and new and I know that H.A.M.B is about but if some one looking to get help about some thing way not help them?

 

You guys must be in a good mood today, Ha Ha. I do sense the grammar police knocking at the door.

 

Think of it this way.....

There are classic car guys that restore their cars to factory specs, no exceptions.

Traditional cars on the HAMB are restored to the specs that a hot rod of the era (1958 I guess) would have been built, no exceptions

 

It's a slippery slope you're suggesting. Help one person with Off Topic stuff and then it becomes more prevalent each and every day. It's always been the idea to keep it focussed here on what the HAMB is about. There are plenty of generic old car sites out there that they can go to. It's akin to asking a question about cats on a dog site. Now there are sometimes that things stray and it'll happen again but one thread from an actual contributing member will be tolerated and one from a newb will most likely not be. Unfair as it seems the fact that someone has contributed to making the HAMB what it is usually earns a little latitude.