Hot Rods What caused you to become afflicted with the hot rod/custom sickness?

Dad
Picked the 36 up when I was 4 1971. helping work on the car was fun to me because I got to spend time with him.
Early 70's was the rebirth of Street Rods and I poured over all his magazines, Hot Rod, Street Rod Action, Street Rodder etc...
while he was dreaming about 32 highboys with flatheads and bias plys, I was dreaming about tire sticking out the back and raised white letter tires. LOL

If he was into stamps I'd be collecting them now and on a different board

 

When I was 10 years old in 1964, my Mom dated a guy who had a T-Bucket. He would come over to the house and take me for a ride every once in a while.
In 1970, there was a full fendered, chopped 36 3 window Ford that was burgundy, had a small block and 4 spd in it. Black tuck and roll interior with chrome garnish moldings. It was for sale and sat at the Standard Oil gas station at 10th and Girls School Road in Indianapolis. The guy wanted 2800.00 for it. It might as well been 50,000.00 back then as no bank would ever loan money to a 16 yr old kid for something like that. A new Z-28 Camaro was 3,000.00 at the time.

I always wondered what ever happened to that car....

 

I grew up in a racing family, going to races every weekend is what we did. From little on cars/racing have been my main hobby/interest, life long, till my expiration date with no regrets. When I was 13, a neighbors son came home from service, bought a 57 Chevy and a Harley, befriended me, took me cruising and when his girlfriend had to work, I got to ride on back of the Harley, remember the shifter on gas tank, that man set the hook for sure, had cycles/rode 1974-2010. I thought the car deal was a genetic thing, but my children are proof that's not the case as they grew up going to races from baby on and now as adults, (42-52) none of them ( 5) are car people or race fans. ( I do visit my oldest daughter yearly and we go to Sprint Car races, she lives near a track I raced at for years) I'm very proud of all of them, they are hard working, successful, appear to be happy, with different hobbies than mine, I can see no grandchildren will be in car/racing hobby, apparently it stopped with me which is fine as I always told all of them, You figure it out, what makes you happy, it's up to you, never work a job you dislike, never settle for or give up in any area, work towards what you want/need, you are in charge of your happiness. I have lived my life thinking this way and it seems to be working for them. Best advice my Dad gave me, "Make It Happen" I added " It's Up To YOU "

 

My Older Brother Had This 40 Coupe With Firepower And LaSalle Top Mixer So That Got Me Hooked

 

The "cookie" car, all hot rod magazines, model cars, a few souped up cars in my area, I lived next door to EDDLEMAN'S GARAGE that was ran by Burlan Eddleman the doctor of flathead engines( everyone called him Dock), and I almost lived at my uncle Charles Fink's service station known as R&F service(he always had a nice shoebox Ford). But most of all my parents didn't want me to like HOTRODS! Also the girls that liked a nice car and idiot circle in Kannapolis NC. I am sure there is more I just can't remember it all right now...…………...

 

When I was born in 1950 my grandfather had been collecting antique cars since 1938 and had a restoration shop since I believe 1943 (with a break during WWII). My fate was probably sealed from the moment of birth but I know I started to going to car shows on a regular basis from 9 months old. This was all stock stuff and my dad was into stock stuff as well.

In 1955 or 1956 my dad had Frank Mack restore a 1936 Cord Sportsman and I used to go with my dad to Frank’s house at night so they could discuss the progress and remember sitting in his now famous roadster. He had little sports car that was in an accident that was pushed up against the house awaiting repair. I guess I was more intrigued with that car more than his little roadster for whatever reason. The one moment though that I can remember that really pushed me over the edge was a guy with a Ferrari came over to my grandfather’s business/restoration shop location (probably around 1958ish). When I heard that 12 cylinder car with that racy type exhaust note I was hooked for life on the sound of a performance engine.

Funny aside is that when my grandfather was well into his 80s and decided to sell his collection I ended up being in charge of the auctions and business affairs. I had to title 700 cars and we probably had another hundred with titles. One time my grandfather made a comment about whether to sell his cars to hot rodders (which as we all know the antique and classic car clubs look down on hot rodders on occasion) and I reminded him that I was a hot rodder and I remember he contemplated it for awhile (as if he never thought about me in that light) and from that moment forward, hot rodders were an OK bunch. Still chuckle about it.

Here is a picture of me at age 11 (1962) with my grandfather showing me how to drive a little hot rod he bought me (still have the car). It has a Crosley Hot Shot four cylinder race motor with a three speed. I also came with a spare motor as well (the performance motor was a bit faster than the stock motor by a bit). I made more than a couple of trips into the restoration shop to have the mechanics help me with the occasional breakdowns. The car makes me smile every time I trip over it these days.

 

When I was a young boy(me in my avatar at left) we lived in a two-story farmhouse along U.S. 71 at the edge of town. By the time I was six, the government built an Air Force base a mile away, and soon the rural neighborhood was dotted with businesses, including a drive-in restaurant built right across the highway from us. Every day and night the young locals and airmen would come and go from Ed's Drive-in, racing up and down the highway, loud pipes, radios blaring, the aroma of fried foods wafting across the road to my second-story window. It was intoxicating, to say the least. Small town America with young jet mechanics and the local boys peeling out - I was hooked.

 

Not from my dad. Although, he had good taste in cars. He traded in his 40 2dr sedan (first car I remember) on a 50 Merc. Every time (not many) we saw a hot rod he would point out how impractical they were. Something was hiding in me. My first model car in second grade was a curved front Olds milk truck. By fourth grade it was cut down into a sports car/hot rod. In Port Hueneme in the late 50's on my paper route there was a bright yellow, no hood or fenders, maybe chopped and channeled coupe. Later when I would go to Order of the Arrow meetings in Ventura there was a member who came driving a purple 33/34 full fendered with an Olds. The final hook was having $.50 left over from bus fare from a trip to the dentist and going into the cigar store next door. July '61, Hot Rod Magazine, Beach Boys Coupe on the cover. Final hook. Everything I've owned since has been modified in some way. 1980 finally had some left over money and bought my coupster. Been working on it or storing it way more than ever driving it. But, some day!

 

I am not sure what caused my "affliction" because I don't remember not having it. I grew up in Southern California in the 50's/60's, I have always been drawn to things that had wheels. My dad was a heavy duty mechanic but he never was one for modifying cars, he figured that the engineers already had it right.
So what caused it? Hell, I don't know... just lucky I guess!

 

In the rural South we didn't have a lot but my mother encouraged me to read
and in 1962, at the age of 12 I saw a roadster pickup on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine at the drug Store and that image made a huge impression on me and the trucks owner was none other than fellow Hamber Dean Lowe.

Dean gets the lions share of credit,or blame for my life long obsession for early model Fords. HRP

 

It all started for me when my neighbor bought a 49 Mercury and some of the older guys started getting into hot rodding. The first time I ever went to a drag strip I was hooked forever. Soon after we built a 36 Fotd drag car in my Grandpas garage. It was originally flathead powered that we later swapped for a 327. This picture appeared in our local newspaper. I'm the skinny kid in the middle.

 

This. HRP

 

Honestly, it had to be my Mom that got me into it. Not that she nor anyone else in my family was into cars of any variety. When I was little she saw that I gravitated towards mechanical things and matchbox cars, so she fostered that. Dad wasn't around, so if the weather was nice, my Mom would take me to a local cruise night on Wednesdays and we'd look at the old cars and then have a Whopper from the Burger King that was in the shopping center. For whatever reason, the 50s era stuff stuck on me. And when it came time for me to buy my own car at 15, I bought a 57 Bel Air 4 door. Mom wasn't thrilled with my choice, but was supportive nonetheless, as she's always been.

 

Reading all this, I realize that we for the most part are from the same era and had similar influences. How about you young guys born after the demise of carburetors, distributors, drum brakes, and rear wheel drive? If you didn't have dad or grandpa doing this, what would warp you this way?

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beats me. My identical twin brother was exposed to pretty much the same stuff I was as a kid, but didn't get it, at least not like I have it.

I don't think any of us really know why those experiences affected us the way they did, but didn't turn other kids into hot rodders.

 

I caught the hot rod bug off a dirty toilet seat.


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Back in 59 I saw a 27 roadster on 32 rails going down State street In Jackson Mississippi. I was hooked then came the models and magazines. Nobody else in my family cared about cars but me. Been hooked on old hot rods and old Harley’s ever since.


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Switching from looking at the toys to reading Rod& Custom, Car Craft & model magazines at the grocery store circa 1962. I quickly became obsessed with owning one if these;

 

It all started in the 40's, with my grandfather and great uncles. Here is my grandfather AFTER he wrecked his Harley in 1948 and lost a leg due to infection from the accident. He went on to drag race, help his brother with a midget in the 60's and own a gas station in Des Moines, IA

This is one of many cars grandpa had, a 36 GMC

The bug was passed to my dad and uncles, this is a pic of my dad's cars at my grandpa's house in the early 70's.

Street Rod Nationals, early 70's, my dad towed his T roadster with the 41 Cadillac to the show
Dad started on a 38 Chevy coupe build in Grandpa's garage in '71.

That's me in front of the 38 chevy ready for the Nationals in St. Paul in 1979.

Here's the car finished at the Des Moines NSRA run in around 82-83.

And here is the car in front of my house last week. Dad died of cancer so I'm carrying the torch.
I cut my own teeth on building cars on this 40 Ford sedan. Since dad was gone, the HAMB and Crossmembers CC buddies helped tremendously with it.


I don't know yet if my 5 year old son or two daughters will carry the torch onward, we shall see. But it's more about the memories made together than it is the cars. Hot Rods should be used as a tool to bring our families and friends closer together.

 

1949-Stepdad had bought a 41 Convert before the war. He got out in 48 and had the Ford repainted and added heads and dual carbs etc. It was not driven much during the war. Was our main car-I was hooked-then my cousins would take me up town drag main in their cool 49 Ford converts as well. Also they got old Fords and make "hardtops" out of them and raced at Madera speedway-this was all between 49-52. Been hooked ever since

 

My Dad is to blame for my (and now my 14 year old son's) sickness. I grew up around him working on his '33 Tudor. In fact some of my earliest memories are of that car and a '61 Vette he had.

 

had to be the Hot Wheels that got me started. I was 7 when they came out.
I always drew cars and motorcycles. my Dad took me to see Easy Rider when I was 9. after that I really got into choppers. for my 12th birthday I asked for a subscription to Street Chopper but my Mom got me a sub for Street Rodder instead.

I often wonder if I would have been a Chopper guy if she had bought me the Street Chopper magazine. Street Rodder definitely peaked my enthusiasm for Hot Rods. I had every issue from 1972 until they started to suck in the 80's

 

My folks never owned a car. The biggest influence was Marge Shoof and her Henry J. Her sons Gerald and Ralph swapped a 283 into it and she would drive me to Sunday School. I remember they used a Valiant floor shift in it and the shift pattern was backwards. Remembering this, I picked up a Valiant shifter for my car. It had a bellcrank mechanism in the linkage- no wonder the Henry J shifted backwards. My first car was my '47 Plymouth. It didn't run and was towed home at the end of a rope. Next morning I had to figure out how to push it into the garage. Seems I'm still cursed with stupid shift pattern shifters on my T.

 

Heh, with cousins like Dave Sanderson, and Cad-Lasalle, had little choice!
At 6 yrs, knew one day I had to build a car.

 

Herman Munster. Watching as a kid back home in Austria.
Spending a lot of time in So Cal about 25 years later finished it off.


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Revell, When I was a kid if I had $.99 I bought a model car.

 

That's funny right there.....

 

BIRTH, it was real easy for me. I came from a family waist deep in hot rods, indy cars, sprint cars and anything else that could produced those magnificent outcries of horsepower and speed. By 4, my father allowed me to fool around with the V860 stashed in the basement for a midget project. By 6, the girl next door was hauling me with her family and friends everywhere, so I could name all the cars on the road for them. After 100 cars and 56 years in the business/hobby/passion/insanity, I have retired from serious work and, health permitting, still playing with hot rods, customs, sprints, midgets, and Bonneville cars. Just like I should be!!!! So, no birth, no hot rods. Luckily, I had goodly parents that volunteered to step in and help. Thanks mom and dad, and Roseland Community Hospital!

 

I was around 8 or 9 and was at the Mackies ( general store) this was around '68-'69, and a black guy drove in driving a '33'-'34 Ford, bright yellow 5W sitting low with a chopped top, I've been in love with Hot Rods ever since. This was in Kannaupolis, NC. Have over 80+ cars since, and it was fun!