Folks Of Interest Are you more of a hot rod guy or a custom guy?

As I've gotten older I am building more for the style and look of the car than balls-out performance. I'm happy with a small block V-8 that will smoke the tires and pin me to the seat when I romp on it.

Like my Dad used to say- "if it will make me smile and get me a speeding ticket, it is fast enough".

 

Is there difference? I’m not sure I make a defining line. For example: I could have a 50 Merc Coupe slammed to the ground with tons of “custom mods” but it’s driven like its a hot rod doing a block long burnout.


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When I was a kid I remember hearing guys say that customs were for getting girls and hot rods were for getting rid of them, not a shred of truth to that adage as far as I have been able to see. HRP

 

Good thing all the hot rod guys were not around when Gil Ayala was doing 127 mph in his 1940 Merc custom.

 

HRP; I guess you could say it's status quo for the most part. However if you've ever actually tried to just install a 54 Pontiac grill in a Shoebox you soon find out it isn't as easy as the Old guys want you to think. Of all the 49-51's I could find in the early mags I had never seen one use the 49 signal units and I wanted something just a bit different (that's normal for me). To get what you see took me just at 100 hours to get ready to send out for Chrome. I actually cut the grill in half vertically on center to change the V profile so it would end with a vertical drop in line with the front of the Hood and then pulled the Bumper back to match the Hood and the grill to hit that string line. I then had to change the angle of each wing coming off the center piece so to join
the 49 lens bezel at the same angle. I also split each half full length to adjust the crest to match the 49 unit. Then I had to add a few inches to each end to make the Grill reach each signal housing. To say the least not a small undertaking. Then to get it good enough for Chrome,,, Geezzz what was I thinking? Thank God I liked the end result.

 

Tommy; It started life as a 392 and yes the heads are bagged up being they are fresh and ready but the motor isn't ready to light up. I'm still building the Headers.

 

I'm glad I ask, I noticed a while back that the grille was different but never realized it had been so heavily modified, beautiful work I know it takes a ton of work to make something look simple. HRP

 

Some times even I question my own sanity.

 

HOTRODS!!!! But have always liked a Mercury convertible custom...…..

 

Hotrods by far ..Seems like women like customs more ..(at least in the magazine Pics Ha Ha )

 

I like mild, semi-customs, but down deep I'm a hot-rodder. I liked pretty much everything the Alexander Brothers did, but some of the outlandish, overdone customs of the 60's from others kinda turned me off to customs and I've never recovered. Still, a mild custom '56 Ford Victoria would certainly make me go Kustom for sure.

 

Owning a Custom has allowed me to retain my drivers license. If I had a Hot Rod I'm sure it would've been suspended by now!

 

Hot rods and muscle cars.....

 

Hotrod I say!. Mostly stock with a heart trans plant!

 

Hot rods for me but still admire the creativity with Customs.

 

Old muscle cars, or fast muscle cars?

 

Having been involved with this hobby since I was 10( young that is, just a little fella) I’ve seen a lot of hot rods and customs. Don’t get me wrong I love hot rods, always have, but the creativity of customs old and new is astonishing to me and that’s why I’ll always have a special place in my life for customs.


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No mater what type of car I have built for myself over the last 50 years they have always had custom body work, from mild shaving and decking, to chop tops , frenched headlights and custom taillights, grills , rolled pans , paint and so on . always with big and little tire rakes, mags and big cubic inch drive trains as well as updated chassis, suspention and braking systems . I was a Custom Rodder before it was a thing or a Magazine! A buddy who is an avid GTO restorer once told everyone that I was the guy that would shave the emblems off a Goat , and I told him I would cut a hole in the hood to clear the blower at the same time! Even though I restored his 68 to a GTO nationals best of show , concourse level stocker! lol Larry

 

You and I think and do a lot of things in parallel lines. I've always thought the very best unrestored stocker was the best place to start from.

 

Hot Rods, they just take up less space and one person can move most of the pieces without help. I've had some 1950's projects that went down the road. The '54 Chevy with a 1950 Fleetline back half is one I'd like to have kept. Bob

 

hot rods, I was hanging out at the drag strip before i was able to get my licence

 

Like how so often it works, there are a few other cars and truck that are ahead of the Pontiac. The Pontiac is basically still in the parts collecting stage. I do have a set of fade-aways from a 42 Buick, though.

I've have been doing a few small things on the Pontiac. Today, I installed the rubber body mounts and bolted the body back onto the frame. The body was only sitting on the frame when I bought it. Also put the front seat back in.

Three things that I definitely want to get done right away are mount and hook up the steering wheel and column, (1950 Pontiac). Fabricate the motor mounts, (302 GMC). Mount the front sheet metal and front bumper to the '74 Nova front subframe.

 

Hot rod guy.

 

Hot Rod guy here, however I like all customs

 

Torkwrench; I really like the fact that once done you'll be able to Stop and Steer your Kustom as good as it looks, and No Tilt column?? Right on! Something I've learned building projects along the same lines as yours is that once you get done trimming, bending, adding to and reshaping those hard to find fade away pieces your often times better off hand making what you need from scratch. Some of us can and others do what they have to. As long as we're happy with the end result is all that matters, the road getting there not so much.

 

HOT RODS!

Pat

 

No preference for me, I'm a fan of both.
The car dictates the style, an example '49-'51 Merc, or '63-'65 Riv would be so wrong as a Hot Rod.
Kustoms on the other hand can be mild to over the top anything, and potentially pull it off (many miss the mark examples out there though).

 

Old.... From '62-'72...

 

Chopped 51 Merc Conv. with Carson, Chopped 39/40 Ford tub with Carson , 28/29 Ford roadster with 425 Nailhead, turbo 400 and champ Q/C. 2 to 1 custom guy.

 

I'm a hot rodder at heart but something like this would give me pause for thought.