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Just a (depressing) observation...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by white64, Oct 25, 2012.

  1. Outlaw 256......
    Smug bastard..:D It's hard to not be though, when you have a nice little setup. Mine is no Jay Leno, but I have an understanding and interested wife of 33 yrs and a mancave with some nice stuff in it and most tools required to get me into trouble.:p A good job which I like for the most part, two acres in the country, a four bay shed, two dogs, three cats, no mortgage, but the bills keep coming:eek:. It's taken our whole life together to get here... but here we are.
    I don't get to encourage too many youngsters cos of my location but I'm all for it and I believe that there will always be enough of them that don't fit the 'modern car' mold and will look for alternatives such as Rodding.
    If I ever do come across someone like that, I will be sure to offer what little I really know about such things and encourage to the best of my ability. As I posted earlier......I don't believe rodding will die untill the suits make it too hard (read expensive) to carry on.
    On that note, read and vote on the Dutch Hambers thread about the new proposed taxes designed to wipe American classics off of the roads of the Netherlands.

    It's titled something like 'American Hambers please help.......
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2012
  2. smarg
    Joined: Nov 18, 2008
    Posts: 1,069

    smarg
    Member

    If it makes anyone feel any better I'm 17 and will be kickin' and yellin' with this hobby until the end of my time.
     

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  3. Smarg.. you make me feel better :D Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to disillusion your friends and aquaintances about those nasty, characterless ricepaper creations, and bore them into submission with outrageous tales of hotrodding escapades.:p This post will self destruct in 15 seconds......
     
  4. The other way to say it is to lie to them about how easy it is and how many chicks are beating down your door and willing to do everything and anything just for a ride. ;)
     
  5. Well, ain't that the truth?.......maybe three decades ago or more for me :D What's a little white lie between friends? :p
     
  6. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,244

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I guess I resent the whining about prices almost more than the age bullshit. If everything was dirt cheap, most of us would shops and garages full of worthless scrap. To many, that's exactly what it is, but to us it's gold and very desireable. You wanna bitch and and cry and worry about something? How about how many have gone on past this life and the family/survivors had no clue about old so-n-so's stuff and either sold it for scrap or some shyster fucked em all out of it for .02 cents on the dollar. Value is good for all of us. I've been tagged wrong on that thought more times than I care to recall, as if the value means more than anything to me. It doesn't, but it's there and plays well for our families should the worst befall us. Do any of the cry babies keep their shit secret? Does your wife/kids realize the investment you made? Have you considered what you've left them in the way of finacial security with this activity?

    It's very important to keep that in mind. I'm glad that what I have not only held it's value, but actually increased over the last few years of economic strife we've all endured in one way or another. 2 words...tangible assets. Punk finacial whiz kids can't cook the books when it's a real thing. Now some of you can come along and pound your chest like Kong and proclaim you don't give a shit if it costs you a 1/2 mil becuase you DRIVE your car and that's all that matters. Yeah, fuckin eh. Sign right here so I can remind you of that when time to liquidate.

    You save, swap, trade, network (like right here), all in an effort to hit that personal goal. You really wanna cry about high prices or marked up product? Research the pharmacutical industry where some meds have a mark up of nearly 6 figures, or where the average mark up is near 25,000%. But like the value of our precious raw material, not much you can do about it. Then again, all of you price whiners can just drop out of this stuff all together. More for the rest of us who "get it".
     
  7. outlaw256
    Joined: Jun 26, 2008
    Posts: 2,022

    outlaw256
    Member

     
  8. lahti35
    Joined: May 23, 2004
    Posts: 188

    lahti35
    Member

    Still keeping the family's car passion going at 33... although driving solo since grandad passed. The old guy started teaching me 25 years ago... i'd give anything for more time with him. Just started a 26 T roadster go job... figured I better get going before the Mrs wants kids and free time goes up in smoke!

    I'd hope that the car scene keeps going here in Michigan for a long while but the average age at the local shows don't support that future... the next 20 years will be interesting.
     
  9.  
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2012
  10. Will do! You know I'll be thinking about that car everyday. I was lucky to get it. I don't think he really knew what he had. I know it's a chevy and not the most desirable car but a 32 with no wood rot and only one rust hole in the floor. As Ditka would say "come on man". The only thing missing on it was the radiator cap. The motor was the only bad thing. It only had 21,000 miles on it. But the damn rats build nest in the flywheel housing and each cylinder! Still can't figure out how they got in the cylinders!! Must have been Taliban rats.
     
  11. Aren't all Taliban rats?
    Keep checking in with us if you can, we will try to keep your spirits up.
     
  12. PORKNBEANER... arent't we related...??? I mean at least by enough for me to make it into your will??? :)
    I'm an engineer with a defense contractor, and we're required to follow every instruction to the letter, no matter how much it costs, how many people we have to involve, how much material is wasted... AND we have the documentation to sign off to prove it!

    How about it 'cuz ??? ...er... BRO!

    Be right back... I gotta call our Mom.
     
  13. Tudorp
    Joined: Mar 27, 2014
    Posts: 174

    Tudorp
    Member

    I think the downturn really (as of my observation) were when the Fast and the Furious movies started coming out. The younger generations of drivers tend to follow hollywood and tend to drift torwards the imports they see in those movies. Sure there are a few muscle car era cars in those movies, but as you mentioned, those are VERY high priced, and out of the range of most the younger crowd when they can get a honda civic cheap, and paint it flashy to mimic the movies. If Hollywood would start producing some updated American Graffiti , or Hollywood Knights types of movies depicting some of the old school post war era hot rods, maybe the younger crowd would start taking them a little more serious. Without that, all we have to leave our legacy to is our own kids. Fortunatly, I have a 16 year old daughter myself that has a love for the old iron as I do, and she is a gear head like her old man too. But unfortunatly, she is in the VERY much so minority. Without the kids like her, our hobby is a dying hobby, which is a crying shame really.

    On that note, when I pick up my daughter at her school in my 53 Ford, all the kids in the school yard and her friends always stare at it as she gets in, chest out and proud. The next day, her friends always tell her how cool her Dad's car is. That is promising, but they still just gravitate to the cars they can afford which tends to be 80s-90's imports. My daughter is very proud when she is seen in my car, or when she drives her own little hot rod 69 Bug. She absolutly loves it when I let her drive my 53 to school. She feels like the coolest kid in her school. .
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2014
  14. Rusty Heaps
    Joined: May 19, 2011
    Posts: 949

    Rusty Heaps
    Member

    I am 47 years old and hear too many say "the price is too high!" to that I say do what I did. I purchased some junkyard saves and spend a little here and there when I can. Not only can I pay as I go, but it also helps save a car that might otherwise go to the crusher. Start with the brakes and suspension and then drivetrain and electrical, from there everything else is mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
     
  15. Tudorp
    Joined: Mar 27, 2014
    Posts: 174

    Tudorp
    Member

    I think another obsticle is that the younger generation is a very "instant gratification" generation. Most dont want to put in the work that is involved with resurrecting old iron, and of course one complete the cost is very high. Not only do I have the 16 year old daughter, I have 3 grown sons, all good kids, but they are in that "want it now" mindset and I could never get them to want to be involved in builds like my daughter has done with me. Of course they wanted to drive my cars when they were done, but never wanted to spend their spare time working for that privilege. My daughter on the other hand is much more like me than any of my sons ever were. She, as did I, built her very first car with her own hand (me as an advisor as my dad was to me on my 1st car) built her 69, and not a bolt on it that she hasn't touched herself. All before she was ever able to legally drive it. Never was able to spark that passion in my sons. They are now in there 30's and today do always tell me how much they regret not spending that time with me in the garage. But, at least I do have that with the youngest. I tease them and tell them that their baby sister is the son I never had.. lol.. Good thing they are good spirited about that, but at the same time are jealous of her because of it. But also know it's their own faults and dont fault her for it, but they do admire her for it.
     
  16. ralphcramer
    Joined: Mar 23, 2006
    Posts: 36

    ralphcramer
    Member

    My 15 year old granddaughter is a sweet kid but has some learning issues, so doesn't do well in school. I picked her up yesterday in my track roadster and a bunch of her not always friendly classmates were checking it out and asking questions, so she enjoyed the attention and later said she had a "cool Pappy". I took her for ice cream and about an hours ride, wWhat could be better?
     
  17. Man, there is a lot of whining in this thread. Hot rodding ain't easy. Be resourceful and work for what you want. As far as the prices, it's an organic process. If you think something is too high, don't buy. The prices will come down if everyone does that. It's called a free market. If it's a rare and desirable part, it's going to cost you. That's just how it is and how it's always been.

    There are lots of young guys building cool hotrods on a budget. They can do it because they're smart, resourceful, and not lazy ass whiners with a victim mentality. If you can't do it, I'm sorry. I guess you don't want it bad enough.
     
  18. You must know my son-in-law,,he helped me in the shop a couple of weekends and conned me out of my 48 Ford truck,but when he realized there was work involved before there was "gratification" he bailed.

    2 years ago his grandfather passed away and left him a nice off topic 67 Ford,,I mean nice! but it had sat ford about 8 years and needed the normal things a car like that needs so my daughter & wife ganged up on me and talked me into letting him put the car in a empty bay of my shop and ask me to help him,,,I hesitantly agreed but stated firmly I would not do the work for him.

    That was 16 months ago and he hasn't touched the car,I am paying a roll back to haul it to his house and don't mind it at all,,I'm gaining a space to work! HRP
     
  19. Tudorp
    Joined: Mar 27, 2014
    Posts: 174

    Tudorp
    Member

    Sounds like that is an opertunity to offer him few bucks for the title.. ;)

     
  20. txstratdad
    Joined: Mar 29, 2013
    Posts: 11

    txstratdad
    Member
    from Plains TX

    There are still a few of us out here. My eleven year old wants his first car to be a 59' chevy.

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  21. Oh,if ask he loves the car and he intends to keep it,but the days of free storage is rapidly coming to a end. HRP
     
  22. Steve-Cook
    Joined: Jul 22, 2007
    Posts: 489

    Steve-Cook
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    I agree allot of younger people view any auto as an appliance to get from one place to another and are not willing to spend the time to maintain or the money to purchase something that does not have A/C and you have to shift.

    Don't get me wrong I think some people my age (45) appreciate older vehicles but it drops off quickly after that.

    Even if they have the interest it is often hard to follow up on that because of home owners associations, apartment rules, local laws, cost of insurance, lack of local machine shops and believe it or not time anyone that has interest and works has to work 60 plus hrs a week to keep up with cost of things now days add a child in and forget it.

    I believe the reference to the train hobby applies here in a few years.
     
  23. 37slantback
    Joined: May 31, 2010
    Posts: 480

    37slantback
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There a few younger guys I run into at the car shows that seem interested. We never had kids and none of the nieces and nephews could give two craps about anything that isn't a Honda. I had hoped to pass the cars along in the family but the day may come when some struggling young dude may get a set of keys when that day comes.
     
  24. They are taking out shop classes from high schools. how are kids supposed to learn to work with metal and weld correctly. its not like there are places for a kid to go to learn about old cars unless they have a parent / grand parent who does it.
     
  25. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Well, I got mine.
     
  26. Tudorp
    Joined: Mar 27, 2014
    Posts: 174

    Tudorp
    Member

    They have taken it out of the regular curriculum. But there are alternatives if taken advantage of. My daughter's school offers what they call CTE (not sure what CTE means, but I think "College Technical Education") and offers many technical trade courses as an elective. My daughter took a year of (2 hours in lue of regular classes a day) "Automotive Technology". She learned a lot from being with me in the garage since she could crawl, and then a year of CTE in High School set her up very well concerning cars. She doesn't plan to make it a career, but it is a life long hobby obssesion for her as it has always been with me since childhood. Like I mentioned before, she knows more about cars than many grown men, and at only 16 years old, has built her first high school car that is her current baby. She is very proud of her 69, as she should be. She also took metal shop last year, and one of her projects, she built me a tool box. She can do metal work, she can weld and do all her own maintenance on her car. Very proud of her.

    Me and her spending quality time in the garage..
    [​IMG]

    Her installing disc break upgrade on her 69 Bug.
    [​IMG]

    So, yes, I am blessed, and have much reason to be proud of my little girly girl.. ;)
     
  27. Without a doubt, yours is the best, happiest, most uplifting post I have seen on the Hamb in a long, long, time. This is what life is all about! You and your daughter have something priceless and more special than all the old cars on the Hamb.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2014
  28. Choff
    Joined: Sep 15, 2009
    Posts: 184

    Choff
    Member

    That is so true,
    I bought a off brand hot rod, 1929 dodge coupe for $900
    stock body and frame with leaf springs.
    A 1954 331 Hemi , and found many parts for the dodge to make it a complete car, fenders front $300, Shop till you drop and don't by expensive parts and do all your own work to save money.
    Learn and read every thing on this site and books is the key.
    and I am 60 years young and still going strong!!!
    Choff
     
  29. Lots of good reading and points on this thread. Have enjoyed reading alot of it.
     
  30. Tudorp
    Joined: Mar 27, 2014
    Posts: 174

    Tudorp
    Member

    A cool story I have to share (again that stupid pride). But I think in the spirit of our youth, legacy and cars it fits. Ya'll might appreciate it. About a year ago when we 1st put her 69 bug build on the road. We went with electronic ignition on it, but she wasn't licensed to drive yet, but she already learned and knew how to drive a standard, and her car in particular. I took her and her car for a 1st run on the road. As with any new build, you are certainly going to have issues that might have been over looked. She was driving (I was her passenger), and suddenly her car died. She out of instinct and training coasted the car out of harms way and rolled into a parking lot. There we sit. I get out, lift of the lid and looked, and noticed a wire popped off the coil. In fact, it wasn't easy to see, actually invisible to someone that didn't know what they were looking at or for. The wire fell behind components and wasn't easy to see. I did nothing, but jump back in the car and looked at her and said, "Your car, your build. YOU go back there and see if you can figure out what your problem is.." Before I even finished the sentence, she bails out and heads to the engine compartment. In less than 1 minute, jumps back in the car, starts it right up, and we took off. A 15 (at that time) year old girl, in under a minute took the symptoms, and knew exactly where to look for trouble. Fixed the problem and back on the road. In pit stop time when most kids would have sat in their car in the street (and danger) not knowing what to do other than call "DADDY"... Yeah, that was a proud moment too, and gives me lots of confidence that my little girl is going to do just fine, and can take care of herself.. ;)
     

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