Hot Rods to club or not to club

I belong to a club, but there's no fees, or stupid rules, or serious meetings. We just wear our colors and meet up at shows and gathering whenever we can. We usually have an annual dinner too.

 

I went to a car club meeting years ago to see how it was. They were all way too serious. Was so boring! I didn't join.

 

I got talked into joining a "Old Car Cub" about 40 years ago. Went to one meeting and got snubbed big time when they found out I was into any thing modified, customizd or hot rods. All they really wanted was young members to take on all the work of their annual car show and swap meet and to be a gofer. They told me I was on probation to see if I could make the grade, you can probably guess my comments to them! I have been happy to be a Lone Wolf ever since.

 

It's not life or death.
Join a club.Don't like it leave.
All this worry or angst about what others think.
I think of the HAMB as a club that's why I pay the yearly membership fees.
I get a lot more for my money than a local club in my opinion so I support this one.
The minute I think this site sucks I'll be gone

 

I did one for 12 years and then figured I didn't need a second job. 10% do the work, 90% complain how the 10% is doing the work. Been a lone wolf the last 27 years.

 

As you can see there are some pros and more cons to joining a club. I was a member many years ago for about 3 months. Pro, if you are new to an area you can meet new people. Cons, too many "cliques". Too many fights about money. Not enough participation at events. When we all went to the Nationals as a group, lots of bitching about routes, when to stop, where we are stopping for lunch, how fast we will drive, what motel we were staying in. Not for me. Just me and my wife and we do what we please, when we want.

 

Clubs are great if it's run like a true tax exempt, insured enterprise and all the members are
willing to do the work needed and not just show up and "power park" at shows.

There's a lot of unseen work that club leaders have to do that few folks realize.
Takes lots of time. You must be dedicated and enjoy it. Folks who don't
want to pitch in should not join a club.

 

Car clubs are for whoosie boys.
If you want to see what you're made of, become a member of a barbeque cookoff team, aka: "club". You get to take equal parts of firewood, meat, alcohol, assholes and egos, and see what happens when you mix 'em while working like a dog around the clock for a weekend, a few times a year, so your guests (that you don't even know) can have fun and demand snappy service from you. After a couple years of that, when the "club" is well established, split it up into factions and get some lawyers and judges to help you divide up the trailer, firepit, chump change and napkins. It's like a divorce except a lot more than 2 people get hurt feelings.

But all seriousness aside, clubs of any stripe run the gambit, from mild to wild, and may evolve or degenerate whichever way the winds may blow. If you find a good one, by all means, join it and enjoy it. If it turns into a little corner of hell on earth, by all means, get on down the road.

 

All of your comments match my experiences with clubs, I went to a meeting last night "reason for my post" and it was structured, members pay dues $30 year, and meet one time a month to talk about local shows, who won at other shows, and was not that bad. it was dinner then club talk then done.

I really just want to be up on the local shows, hang out with others who work on their own cars like me and have a good time.

At the meeting last night, one of the OLD GUYS did make a comment "don't we have an age requirement" and looked at me as if I was to young to think about joining the club. for the record, I am 36.

I plan to keep my car 99% stock, they dont have a problem with modded rods. but a club to me should be helping each other work on rides and tinker in garages. not mandatory meetings or shows. dues are ok, $30 a year is not bad, but once it becomes monthly I am out. I got enough bills.

 

My take is that you car isn't a hotrod, and you don't want it to be.

I'd suggest the Dodge Brothers Club for you. They have chapters all over, many events, etc. Check'em out.

 

I'm only in a club as it's mandatory for registration (Licensing) purposes in my state. I'd rather not be as would MANY others I've spoken to. Like me they only want to enjoy their car and not be part of the politics etc. Membership isn't mandatory in other states like here. The committee and sub-committee members are empire builders and don't abide by constitutions and legislative requirements. Well overdue for new leadership and a change in directions.

 

I plan to live forever. So far so good.

 

If it is like the hot rod clubs of the 50's they are great! Rent shop space, have shop tools everyone pitch in and help on each others builds, but this very rarely happens.

I was in a club and quit because it turned in a social club. I was asked to join a second club I just left. Too many egos and attitudes! For Me No More Clubs!

Most clubs have one or two builders and the rest are want to bes.

-Guys who did one or two things to a finished car, and the act like the ultimate craftsman
-Loud mouths who have a car who can't wrench or build and then criticize others builds.
-Guys who are in over their heads, bought a project years ago and can never get it back together.

 

I find that after having belonged to a few clubs in the past, that I am too independent/selfish to be in any kind of structured environment requiring my free time, especially when drama and cliques are factored in.

I'm with the others who would want to meet/visit like minded car people, working /helping on each others projects, instead of going over minutes from the last meeting, upcoming events, who's going to volunteer to get sponsors, etc.

Clubs can be great for some people, it's just a matter of knowing if you are one of those people.

 

I've been in a local club for the last 7 years.
I also had on the rose colored glasses & expected todays car clubs to be similar to the ones I've read about in car mags.
I totally rebuilt my o/t over the course of 2 years.
Most members knew what I was doing & only 1 member had any interest, he wanted me to pay him to do the work I was already doing.
This club is slowly filling up with newer Mustangs(60-65%) & in my opinion this goes against everything a car club should be.
The bulk of the club cars that show up to our shows are newer Mustangs
A lot of the members sell their cool old cars & buy a new/newer Mustang?
You can go to a dealership & see dozens of new cars(Shelby's, Gt500,etc....).
They will probably even let you drive one if you look interested.
The last show my wife went to she remarked that it looked like a car dealership & when we went on a highway cruise about 80% of the cars were new & it didn't even look like a cruise, just a normal drive on the highway with a couple old cars thrown in the mix.
I took over car show management a couple years ago & almost immediately regretted it, the caterwalling & bitching was ridiculous.
I gave it one season then resigned my position.
Lately I have been considering leaving the club & doing my own thing, maybe once the new Mustangs reach the 75% mark.
There is way less politics when a group of like minded friends get together once a month to go for a cruise & grab something to eat, its fun again.

 

In my younger days, I was in a couple of clubs. As in life in general, some great people, but also a few that I could do without. I dropped out after a regime change led to a lot of bickering and whatnot. That was over thirty years ago and I have not had a hankering to join a club again. Life is much too short.

Back then, my friend Kenny proposed that we start a new club, "Old Cars and Assholes". Kinda sings.

 

... Been hanging around with the same group of old car guys for the last 30 years ... We consider ourselves a loose knit car club with no dues or rules ... We all work on or build cars ... so we have no problem helping each other out as well ...
... Most of us are retired so weather permitting we go on lunch runs in the middle of the week ...
... Taking the back roads.. we cruise to far out places that have good grub so we can stuff our faces then loiter and swap some lies before heading home ...
... We've had many other car guys over the years who like our weekly laid back lunch runs ... so they've been welcomed to join us as well ...
... But if you can't take the light hearted bs amongst us you get kicked to the curb! ...

 

I'll wade in to this quagmire. I have belonged to 3 clubs in the last 50 years. Two with dues. The one I have been in the longest is actually no longer active. We did the annual car show thing and all monies went to scholarships for local students pursing an education. It required a lot of work and we went through a lot of members that were burned out by the business type atmosphere and work load required. As we aged the the small club needed more volunteers from outside of the club to help. Since dropping the Rod Run and guild status we have done very little together as a club.

Another club I belong to cost's $5.00 a year and we have no responsibilities. The creator of the club keeps us posted of events in the area and organizes some group runs to shows throughout the summer. Couldn't be simpler and you can participate in everything or nothing as you desire.

My favorite club is the TNGA. Thursday Night garage Association. We meet every Thursday (about 12 of us) at the shop or garage of a member on a rotating basis. The Host supplies a dinner of his choice. We eat and visit for 2 to 3 hours. There has been some drama over the years but it usually gets sorted out in short order. We do try to get to some shows together and have an annual Christmas party. There are no dues and no rules. Everyone is President. It works for us but of course requires you to host a dinner a few times a year. Oldest member is 75 or so and youngest member is 40 ish.

 

We have an interesting club/organization. We have no officers, no adult supervision. its 95% old retired guys who meet at a coffee house once a month to have coffee, tea and talk about whatever. We have everything from a show quality Willys to a stock 54 Chrysler to a mild 57 Fairlane. Additionally we have a cruise to a local hamburger place once a month so we can have a nice burger and shoot the breeze.
Basically we have an excuse to drive the cars and get out.
Money will ruin the experience and a strict set of rules will be just as bad.

 

OK, enough talk about the government......back to car clubs.

 

I want that, a bunch of garage monkeys turning wrenches, drinking beers, cruising the ocean freeway and swapping stories. no dues, no rules, just dont be a DiK or Do and it will all be ok.

the club atmosphere always turns people away because one guy wants to enforce the rules and others think the rules are BS "usa government" so if we just have the FREEDOM of a bunch of guys with cars that like to turn wrenches and drink a beer "que in Tim Allen Ugh Ugh Ugh" then things would be fun and easy going.

 

Know the feeling. I still meet up with the guys I was in a club in on Thursday nights and I'm the spring chicken at just short of 60 ! At least they are all still kids at heart. For perspective, when I first joined no women or kids were ever at the meetings, just guys talking about and helping with hot rods, times have changed.

 

I was in a club right out of High School. me and my buddies had jackets made, and wore them when we went cruising.

that was it. best club ever.

 

I like to go to events. Obviously someone needs to put those events on. If you join a club that puts on an event, you should plan on helping. If not, don't complain, just don't join the club. Just get together with your buds.

 

I'm by no means anti but live in a hole and feel most are in it for the pretense.. which is the irony because that's what kills it. imo

 

I am aware of a club that was established about the same time our club was in the midlands of South Carolina and they decided to include wives and girlfriends at meetings and I just happen to be visiting a friend and he invited me to go to the meeting as his guest,since I knew several of the members I thought it would be nice to see them outside of the shows we normally attend.

At that meeting two of the lady's got into a heated argument about how was suppose to have checked on something that I felt was trivial but within minutes tempers got the best of them and that drug their husbands into it and people started taking sides.

A few months later I heard the club that had been in existence for darn near 20 years had dissolved just because of the recent open door policy for the fairer sex.

It seem most guys can tell each out to go to hell & kiss my arse and no one gets their noise outta joint but the spouses take it personal.

I love my wife and get along with all the club members wives but Brenda & all the rest of the women have no desire to attend our club meetings. HRP

 

DO YOU FEEL IT IS OK TO BE IN MULTIPLE CLUBS?

 

Why not? Different clubs meet your different needs and give you different ways to participate in the hobby. Each one places different levels of demand on your time and talents. You just need to try them out and see if you want to share the experience the different clubs provide. If you add the NSRA and Goodguys to my list I actually belong to 5 clubs.

 

Like 39 guy says, every club is a bit different and will offer different opportunities to you. Just be aware that you may be doubling your club responsibilities depending on how 'active' you want to be.

I'll speak to the male-only or women members issue. I belong to two clubs, and I'd be lying if I said this hasn't been an issue. One club runs very smoothly with women included (the recording secretary and treasurer are both women), the other we've had issues. But it's been confined to just a few and once we got rid of the power-mad misogynic male president we had things have improved. It also didn't help that the club had been run for years as a family fief (father/mother/son) who it was suspected had used the club for personal gain. They're gone now, and the club is recovering.

A club is like any other organization; if you have open membership, you'll get all kinds. Politics are inevitable but as long as personalities are kept in check it shouldn't be an issue.

 

I'm in multiple car organizations. Only one uses the word "club" and it's a member club of a larger racing association the SCTA. I've been to a few meetings of car clubs and the most important thing to them seemed to be how many members took home trophies representing them at a car show....not for me.
It's hard to fathom paying dues to have someone tell me what to do. Guess I'm just too old.....