History Were you born into a rod or custom family?

I was raised in it for a while. My dad traded the hotrod for a red 65 Malibu SS in 1970. I hated that car at the time. He got into airplanes them and rebuilt a Talorcraft. Fast forward to 1986 and we built a model a together and we have been building them ever sence. I always told him I was going to hunt down his old hotrod and buy it back,well it took 40 years and I know own it. He helped me restore it to the way it was.

 

My Dad had a Body Shop , Built & raced Hardtops , Built Customs, He also had 6 Brothers and they all Rode and Raced Motorcycles and it all transferred to the kids in our family , my kids also Love the old cars and Motorcycles. here is a picture of our Mom coming back into the Pits after her heat race. also a pic of three of my uncles and my Bother on Bikes and one of my Dad's 3 Miniature Ten Wheelers, last pic is my Grandkids in my Dad's Roadster

 

My dad was a if it ain't broke don't fix it guy. An Ace in the aircraft plant on a machine.

 

Not necessarily a "hot rod" or "custom car" family, but definitely a car family. My mom's dad was a combination man in Silver Spring, MD. My great grandfather on my dad's side was a switch engineer for the Illinois Central Rail Road located in New Orleans. My dad was a part of the christening ceremony for "The City of New Orleans," and was into cars his whole life. Growing up, we restored a '61 Impala with a 348, 3X2s, and a three on the tree (like the one he bought as his first new car). We also did a hot rodded '61 Corvette, a '66 Chevelle convertible with a 454 and a 4-speed (my first car), and a '57 Bel Air hardtop (for my mom). I took my dad's '61 Vette to my senior prom (class of '86), and later sold my Chevelle and bought his Impala. Later we built a '56 Bel Air 'vert, and dad is now finishing up a '59 Impala hardtop. I have a '72 442 'vert in my garage and plan on something '50s as soon as that's done.

 

I wasn't born into one, but I apologize to my two Sons all the time for infecting them with this expensive habit !


Don

 

Nope...my family...middle class A to B mordoors. High school buddy however had a father who was into old hotrods and or should I say slighty modified 20s to 50s cars and trucks.
He had lots of great stories about hotrods and classic motorcycles from growing up on the island of PEI.
His oldies were gone by the time I met him but he kept a 37 GMC pickup till the day he passed. Great guy Al was (His entire family was good people)...oh yeah and my buddy Steve his son whom got me onto this hotrod thing.

 

I was raised in a car family "for profit" my dad bought piles of shit cars that he fixed and sold, him and my older brother would do mechanical and I knew then I didn't want to be a mechanic, so he taught me how to paint them. And I have been in the coatings business ever since. Him and my brother are into chevelles and muscle cars, I have always liked pre ww2 cars, we all still have the disease except my dad still makes profit on shit cars, and I only buy cars I can loose my ass on but they look cool.

Sent from my SM-N920V using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Dad was / is a numbers matching resto guy. He doesn't understand why I built racing engines, I dont understand how he can run a stock cam.
The rest works itself out, body, paint, interior is universal to either build.

 

No. My family thinks I'm an idiot, can't understand why I'm not married to a lawyer or doctor with the picket fence and 2.5 kids. My mom was starting to come around to it though, before she passed this Christmas she was asking me what parts I needed, said she wasn't sure where to even go for parts but said she wanted to send me some money for a carpet kit or headliner...said she looked forward to my updates I used to post and that she was looking forward to taking a ride in it when it was done. I lost my one supporter...

 

My dad is a muscle car guy for sure, and I had a cool neighbor with old cars but they were all stockers, I honestly don't know where I got my love for customs, there weren't even many in the area. I have car show trophies I won in high school because I was the only custom 50's car to show up to a local show.

 

Even though its not even close to the same, you have support here. To be a chick and into this kind of thing (hot rods and old cars) for some reason you don't always get taken seriously. Which is bullshit but how it is sometimes. I think its awesome when someone that comes from no kind of car upbringing, man or woman, gets into cars and actually takes the time to learn about them and then jumps right in with a project sometimes having no idea what to do but has a dream and goes for it. I think this site has helped a lot if people do exactly that, with info and advice from people who have been there and done that and are willing to pass it on. Good for you for going after what you want and not what everyone else thinks you should. These cars are not just an affliction but a way of life. If you don't get it you never will. Besides lawyers are assholes.

 

Dad, almost 80 has been a hot rodder since the 50's. I remember playing in his '33 Dodge coupe, powered by sbc-4sp., in the mid 60's. For as long as I can remember, there has always been a 30's hot rod and '55-'57 Chevy in the garage. I grew up in my avatar, from the late 60's-70's. Remember going to see American Graffiti, in the Nomad, when it came out. Also, learned how to drive in it, and then found it in '98, 20 yrs after dad had sold it. He joined NSRA in '71, so I grew up going to the Street Rods Nats throughout the 70's. We've worked on and built a number of cars in the last 40 yrs. My parents now live right behind me, and we still help each other. He was a machinist by trade, and built engines. He still enjoys his cars, but prefers to drive instead of work on 'em. He and mom still go to local cruise nights and still do long distance shows, as well as having done a couple of Power Tours. In the 70's, we used to get up early on Sat. morn. and get out the hot rod, and cruise to several friend's houses to check on their progress. Everyone back then helped each other get their cars on the road. Those were some of the funnest times for a young car crazy kid. I could go on and on.... Added some pics, hope ya don't mind.

 

My stepdad was sort of a car guy. He was partial to neat cars but didn't real build stuff. The closest he came was putting a pair of Smithys on our 52 Olds. That was the car I learn to drive in. And it wasn't as if he was mechanically inept. When I drug home a converted Schwinn frame and 2 and a half Whizzer motors in parts, he and I put the whole mess together with him taking the lead in teaching me what was what.

 

The whole family was into cars big time starting with my grandfather, nothing left stock. I remember my uncle Duane stopping over on his way home from the dealership with a brand new '57 Corvette. Him and the old man started removing all the emblems and scripts and shit canned them. "Needs to be cleaned up."

 

I was born into a motorsports family, my dad raced motorcycles. Hated hot rods...

 

Thanx Bader2 and Porknbeaner,
I also knew what Bird you were talking about . (The other Firebird-Camaro is not HAMB material,so not normally posted-just back ground stuff).

I remember being a kid and popping the hood on the 55, looking over the 292, with its engine dress up kit. I thought that it was kool to have a factory hot rod in the family. My pals down the block just did not appreciate the Bird, they have always been into Mopar.

It took years for a the appreciation of a the Y-Block to come around. It was FoMoCo's first foray into the OHV production field. still about 3 years after Cad and Olds, so they put a Y into the Lincoln 1st.
I think it was for the 52 model year. Well the 54 Merc ended up with a version and that made its way into the 55 Bird shown on Feb 20,1954 = a full 10 yrs. to the day I was born.

I've kept that car pretty much as it has been since new. It has a 6 volt still and that makes it temperamental. I bought a power master 6 volt Gen/Alt. that I have yet to install. I think that birds are under appreciated as Hot Rod material, only in the past few years have they actually have been coming around. Mine happens to be one of the 1st cars in the Roth-U-Mentary In Tales of a Rat Fink. That's the photo above cruising the RFR @ Moon-2000.

 

well at least she was coming around before she passed away. You can look back at that with fond memories

 

No, I'm the only one that does this stuff in my family.

 

I was born and raised in a body shop. My dad started a small restoration and custom paint shop about 40 years ago, which grew into a fairly large collision repair shop. When i was young i messed around with lowrider bikes and home build choppers. Then worked my way up to hotrods. It was awesome growing up around the business seeing all the cool cars and bikes come through the shop. Heres a pic of me and my older sisters about 28 years ago. Im the chubby thing in the wagon lol.

 

Not me. Dad was an old style hands on guy who smoked like a chimney, drank like a fish, loved a punt and didn't mind socialising. We went to car events from time to time but it was at my instigation, I was the car junkie. His hands on approach definitely helped set me up and into a trade. He loved what I did and really enjoyed my cars. My son on the other hand loves my cars and what I can do but chose a different corporate career. He's picking up skills now that he wasn't keen on learning when younger as he was too busy socialising.

 

Me in Dad's Kurtis midget, 1947. I was born to a father who lived and breathed cars and racing his entire life. Thanks pop!!

 

Pops around 1949-50 with is rod.
Modern times, pops Model-A and my Chevy II

Mom at the drags

Currently brainwashing the grandsons!

 

I hear you,my granddaughter Veda is the newest in our family. HRP

 

I wasn't but my dad always had cool cars. There's lots of family pictures of his rides. '46 Mercury, '50 Chrysler, '51 Ford, '54 Ford and so on. I'd call him a fan more than anything. He worked on what he could fix, but nothing too involved.

What he did have was this astounding collection of car related magazines going back to 1949. This is what I learned how to read on. Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Mechanics, Science and Mechanics and so on. This planted the seed for us as kids to become interested in cars.

 

I was born into it and not at the same time it appears.
Ever since I can remember I've been into cars, first muscle cars then my true love of hot rods started. I was reading an Australian hot rod mag about a club that I wanted to join in my local area that was celebrating its 40th year as a club. It turns out that my dad who I have met once was the founding president. I had know idea. He had a studebaker.
I'm in the process of hopefully joining this club so I can gain all the support that I will need to build my 35 5 window.
I have learnt probably most of my knowledge of all things hot rod from this forum. I waste as much time at work as possible pouring over everyone's build threads etc...

 

My dad was a car guy, and his influence was his older brother Richard. Uncle Richard was always buying/trading/selling cars and always seemed to have the lucky horseshoe stuck in the right place.

Growing up, dad had the chance to buy a complete Model T for $25, but Grandpa wouldn't let him....familiar story!! Dad lived in the rural mountains of NC, not far from the VA line. He would load up his bike in the back if the family 3/4 ton flatbed Chevy, drive it to the end of the dirt road, unload the bike, and ride it the rest of the way. Once he got his license, he bought a '51 Ford Tudor and used some ingenuity to make it into a VERY mild custom (hubcaps and grill insert). The local Ford dealer used to comment that he kept an extra supply of Robin Egg Blue just for when dad happened to need a touch up from a ditch encounter!

Growing up, dad had some really nice cars! Two I wish I had a chance to get back would be his '60 Triumph TR3A (black/black/black with electric OD) and his '63 Impala SS convertible (white/white/red with 283/PG)! And I'd love to know where his '51 is...

Growing up, I always had Hot Wheels, then model cars and Hot Rod magazines. At 13, I really started my migration toward the older stuff. Dad and I spotted a Model A Roadster Pickup one day on vacation. I was hooked! At 14, dad brought home an old truck for us to build together...1946 Chevrolet 1/2 ton. He drove it for a year with the transplanted 250 that came in the truck when purchased, then pulled it into the garage. Dad had a fireman friend that owned a junk yard on the side. He had a wrecked '55 Chevy with a "good" driveline, so a plan was hatched. Dad and I spent the next several months replacing the driveline and, when I turned 16, I got the keys! Still have it today, but its been dormant for years! I'll be starting back on it right after the Auto Fair in 2 weeks!

All that to say....It's my Dad's fault! Thanks Dad!!

 

Many of you guy's were lucky if you were born into such a family that loved old cars and hot rods.

I never had any of that but I still loved old cars and drag racing at an early age.
I was lucky to be growing up in the late 50's and 60's because many of the people who lived near me were building cars in their garages.
I would hop on my bike and ride over to their homes and if the garage door was open I would ride the bike passed their garage door over and over until finally they came out and side would you like to see the car!

I offered to help do anything they needed done just for the chance to hang around and learn from these guy's
They were building a 33 Willy's A/GS car and one day there was this other guy who I had never seen there helping them and they introduced me to K.S. Pittman who was a friend of theirs.
Jimbo

 

Although my Dad worked part time at a Chrysler-Plymouth Dealer in the 60's, he was NOT a car guy. I read every car magazine at the local library and drooled over an OT '69 Z-28 next to our house, but what REALLY did it, was seeing Gary Kessler's killer yellow roadster.

 

Like HRP, I didn't come from a 'car family'. But I was 'car crazy' from an early age, being able to identify makes/models by the age of seven and fascinated with all things mechanical.

One thing I did inherit was a heavy right foot... from my mother. While her mechanical ability was near-zero (the abuse she heaped on our poor lawnmowers was legendary and the despair of my father), she expected any car she drove to 'sh!t 'n git' when she got in it. Her ability to do a 15 mile work commute door-to-door in 15 minutes or less never ceased to amaze and there were a few people who wouldn't ride with her. But she only had one accident (caught in a chain-reaction rear ender) and never got a traffic ticket all the years she drove. She preferred V8/stick cars, the one 'practical' six cylinder car she was talked into (a 6/stick '64 Dodge Dart) didn't hang around long as it was pronounced 'gutless'... LOL.