Register now to get rid of these ads!

Art & Inspiration Do Hot Rods / Old Cars Take You Back In Time?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by CAHotRodBoy, Sep 6, 2019.

  1. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    I'm 63 now and get bouts of nostalgia for my younger days. I think this is pretty common for most folks, especially in this crazy world we live in today.

    My coming of age wasn't in the HAMB time frame as I graduated high school in 1974 so I'm more of a 70's guy but having been a hot rod freak from a young age I always liked older cars. Back then, hot rods were all about going fast and looking cool.

    Now, I find myself longing for that simpler time before everyone got so angry and opinionated. My old cars help me drift back to those times especially when I'm driving down an old two lane through the middle of nowhere. In my mind it's the summer of '74, I'm fresh out of school with the world at my feet and my whole life ahead of me. Brings a smile to my face but sometimes, also a tear to my eye when I realize where we are now.

    I'm in the process of a redo of my '34 Ford and planning an around the country road trip. I'm calling it my "Searching For 1970's America Tour". I'll be taking as many two lanes as possible, hitting all the small towns looking for old roadside attractions and hoping to interact with locals that still have decency and values. The old diners, gas stations and stores will be the main stops but maybe will get lucky and see other stuff and hear some great stories from the older folks of growing up in their small towns.

    I bought a decent digital camera that does video so will be filming as much as I can and as much as the locals will let me. I know nothing about film making or editing so hope to learn or maybe find someone that does that wants to take on a project. I thought about having someone go with me to film but I prefer to travel alone and also think it might make people self conscious or uncomfortable and be less likely to open up to me.

    Anyway, I'm hoping to relive my youth a bit and do it through an old car. Just wondering if other car guys feel the same about their cars or is it just about having a cool car?
     
  2. AngleDrive
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 1,145

    AngleDrive
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Florida

    I never left.
     
    6inarow, 41 GMC K-18, BigO and 8 others like this.
  3. pirate
    Joined: Jun 29, 2006
    Posts: 1,024

    pirate
    Member
    from Alabama

    When I get into the Roadster and turn the key I can look into the rear view mirror and see my hair and beard going from gray back to the darkness of my youth. The stomach starts to shrink and I can feel my muscles starting to get bigger. When I drive by a store front with plate glass window I wonder who the young guy in the reflection is driving my car. I then open my wallet and the date on my drivers license is back in the sixties. Unfortunately as I pull back into the garage everything instantly goes back to the presence. I swear this is a true story but then I don’t remember something’s as well as I used too.
     
    JimMartley, raven, 6inarow and 9 others like this.
  4. 62rebel
    Joined: Sep 1, 2008
    Posts: 3,232

    62rebel
    Member

    Same reason I watch old movies and read history... transports me to another time
     
    weps, 6inarow, 41 GMC K-18 and 6 others like this.

  5. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    Being born in 1942 as I was,still seems cool to me,but like all my age,there are things I'd like to be younger for.
    Yes a bit of a time machine!!! I still get to drive my hot rod,that I built in 1959, for high school.
    Very happy I kept it,over the many years,did let it get a bit screwed up and had to restore her some.
    Liked what I had done back then,so it looks as it did,other then doing a few things for reliability,bigger bat,alt,alum rad an rediles of same sizes I always used,no one can see those as I go by anyway !. Bobtail 28 roadster DB's.jpg
     
    jimgoetz, 6inarow, HotRod33 and 9 others like this.
  6. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,916

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I'll put it this way : The first car I ever owned was a 1951 Ford; today, I have a real nice '51 club coupe (the original was a "clapped-out Fordor"). The first old car I ever had was a nice original '36 Ford "slantback"; for many years (it's gone now), I had a '36 3-window with the proverbial 3/4 race '50 Merc flathead, a '39 box, and hydraulic brakes. The first new car I ever bought was a 1967 Corvette coupe with a 327/350 four speed; I have one of those now as well. Do you see a pattern here?

    Actually, I probably wouldn't be so deep in the car hobby without the connections to my past. Who says you can't go home again?
     
  7. Exactly what I say. All of it’s a total time machine to an era I wish I was from. The 80’s SUCKED!!!, so no real nostalgia for me. I have an absurd passion to work with/hold/gaze at things that are from an era where my grandparents were young. A time of wonder, open roads, uncrowded and undeveloped scenery and a time where garage ingenuity was king..........at least that's the rosy picture I painted in my minds eye.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2019
    raven, 41 GMC K-18, jnaki and 2 others like this.
  8. carolina chevrolet
    Joined: Nov 14, 2018
    Posts: 197

    carolina chevrolet
    Member

    You might want to take a look at the Go Pro cameras, might make for some nice hands free footage of your journey.
     
  9. Mike VV
    Joined: Sep 28, 2010
    Posts: 3,029

    Mike VV
    Member
    from SoCal

    Some cars can, but in general, with all of the "billet", off the shelf parts on many, if not most of today's "hot rods"...not so much.

    I should say, "off the shelf" is one thing, but when the rocker covers, air filter housing, pulleys and coil cover are matched and present...NOPE.

    Mike

    P.s. - Like when everything has the same flame pattern..!
     
    quick85 likes this.
  10. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    Thanks. Yes, I have a GoPro and will most likely get a few more.
    I watch a lot of YouTube videos of travelers to try to learn what makes for good content and filming. One thing that I know will be hard for me to do but will greatly enhance the video is the "drive by" shots. You have to place the camera at a strategic location with an interesting background and then back up so you can drive by the camera. Then you have to back up again to retrieve the camera. Takes up a fair bit of time to do that.
    One thing that I won't be doing that I see tons of youtubers doing is have a camera pointing inside the car at my face while I blabber on about something! In fact, I will try to not be in any shots if possible. I know no one gives a flying F what I look like! People will want to see the car in various locations and the people and things along the way.
     
    41 GMC K-18 likes this.
  11. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    Hopefully, this does not apply to most of us on here.
     
  12. koolbeans
    Joined: Apr 12, 2015
    Posts: 633

    koolbeans
    Member

    DO IT!.... I've procrastinated year after year. I had Nostalgia Motorcars for 40+. (we did race cars, Shelby Cobra's, restorations, engine shop...we did it all). But never did the long way around.
    I'ma 76 now, and doing my last hurrah...an Ardun/auto/quick change '32 five window highboy for the penultimate purpose of cruising.
    Not looking to go fast but definitely smell the roses.
    While racing I traveled Route 66 twice..'68 and in '70...from start to finish..out and back....not having a clue how iconic it would become.
    I drive old shit all the time, 50-60-70 music and I for damn sure don't wear ear rings or my pants below my cheeks. (the crap going on today with the youngsters makes me vomit).
    Have a US map, and have plotted numerous options for trip's. All with great excitement.
    I have a buddy that knows cameras and video like breathing air. There are so many options. I'ma outfitting my car with cameras/recorders. Push a button and no fiddle faddle. Just records. Fun to watch in the hotel at night.
    Providing ill health doesn't screw the plan...2020 is a do.
    One thing to think about is NSRA/Goodguys memberships for directories that offer net work options and contacts should the worst happen or for just the cammoradamy...kinda a safety net...never hurts.
    Glad to share....

    Sent from my XT1710-02 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  13. You bet they do, I have had a obsession with old cars since I was 12 years old, not too many people car say they bought their first car at the age of 12 and it just happened to be a 1932 Ford 5 window coupe, it was short lived but the seed was planted and the thoughts & dreams continue to this day.

    Every time I fire up my old beater it carries me back in time, my tired old eyes hid the kid in me when driving any of my old cars and when I am behind the wheel all the BS in my life seems insignificant.

    They are indeed time machines. HRP
     
  14. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    It's never too late to relive your youth! Hell, you might be one of those guys that could give us some good stories!
    NSRA member since '87 so will have the Fellows Pages with me when I travel.
     
    41 GMC K-18 and Deuces like this.
  15. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    Another dilemma I have is which car to take. I'd like to take my '34 but it is a glass car and I've always been a metal car kind of guy. Part of me feels like it is cheating because it is not really an old car but a replica of one.
    I am considering taking my '64 2+2. It is big, comfortable and I can carry a bunch of crap with me. I'll probably be pulling a small teardrop trailer too so it would be a better tow vehicle. The down side is that it would get lesser gas mileage. It has 72K miles on it so I'd be adding a few thousand miles but I don't think I really care. I'm going to keep it until I can no longer drive then give it to my nephew anyway.


    IMG_1193 (Small).JPG IMG_5222 (Small).JPG IMG_52241 (Small).JPG
     
  16. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,711

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Driving for a living, I don't get to see a lot of things, the mind is focused on the other idiots you share the road with, loading and delivery times, trying to not run afoul of the electronic logs and watching out for the DOT. When I get in an old car, all that is gone, well not all, you still have to watch out for the idiots, but the enjoyment is in the driving, traveling the less traveled, slower two lanes, looking at the scenery, always looking for new projects you don't need, thinking about what the area might have looked like when the car was new, what kind of road it was, how did the houses look, etc. I can put on my Fedora and suddenly it's 1947 again, I'm a wealthy lawyer or Dr in my new sporty Lincoln coupe, enjoying life to the fullest without a worry. Drive back in the carport and get out, all that fades away and I'm once again a poor ass trucker with big dreams but not enough money to fulfill them.
     
  17. gene-koning
    Joined: Oct 28, 2016
    Posts: 4,041

    gene-koning
    Member

    My coupe looks like an old race car. When ever we (wife and I) stop for something, we always get some smiling person wanting to share about a brother, an uncle, a father, themselves, or family friend that used to race a car "just like mine" at their local track. Its great to hear all those cool memories that come back to people when they see my car. I get to go back in time along with them, often there are stories from about the time I was very young!

    The coupe has been driven through 26 states with over 60,000 miles in the last 7 summers. The highest percentage of those miles were not on the Interstate, I avoid them if at all possible. The old highways that go through the small towns are a great way to see the USA. Its a little slower pace (especially with all the stories we stop and listen to), but this is OK with us.

    My coupe was intentionally built as a time machine, to take us and everyone we meet, back to the happier days, and fun times from the past. Gene
     
    41 GMC K-18, Montana1 and AHotRod like this.
  18. primed34
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 1,407

    primed34
    Member

    I got my '55 Chevrolet in 1970 when I was seventeen. When I get in the car now I still feel like I'm 17 only I don't have to worry about getting a date for Saturday nite or passing a senior English test on Monday. I guess I could still get a date for Saturday nite, but I'm real sure the wife would be really pissed. Feel kinda the same way when I drive the '34.
     
    AHotRod likes this.
  19. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,802

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Just spent the afternoon and evening with 70+ yr old guys that are still in HS driving cars they grew up in. Next June I’ll celebrate the 58th anniversary of my 18th birthday. Like my mom said “ the son who never grew up”..
     
  20. Mike VV
    Joined: Sep 28, 2010
    Posts: 3,029

    Mike VV
    Member
    from SoCal

    Only IF...you fit..!

    Mike
     
  21. Oh yeah. I love just looking at that ol' 34 sitting in the garage. I get in, fasten the seat belt [never had them in the 60s] and light off that engine. It's got a big cam and no choke so I gotta keep it reved up a bit for a few minutes. I'm instantly in my teens again in my hot rod I couldn't afford back then.
    Click the Hurst shifter into reverse and ease the car out into the driveway...boogity, boogity boogity through the pipes. Close the garage door with the remote while the engine warms a bit. Then I slide the transmission into 1st gear and let the car coast backward down the drive and out into the street.
    Hoooooooooooonnnk!!! The neighborhood kid with his lawn service red chevy pickup and a trailer on the back is sitting 2 feet from my driver's door as I turn to look at him and off a stupid grin...Oops! Sorry, Justin! Guess I wasn't paying attention today...[feel stupid] ... I ease out on the clutch, giving Justin a guilty little wave at his smiling face as I motor down the hill in 1st gear. Even in 1st gear I can hear a noticeable quick-change whine and by the time I get out to the road the engine is warmed enough to idle on it's own. I sit at the stop sign waiting for traffic to clear, always remembering Randy lives in the corner house and always comments to me how he loves to hear my car go through the gears when I pull on to the main street.
    Pull out on the street in 1st and wind the engine more than's necessary before a quick shift to 2nd and a little chirp from the 285/70s then a quick shift to 3rd......can you hear it Randy? Heh heh. Now I have a smile on my face and the bending maneuver I have to do to reach 2nd and 4th reminds me I need to loose some of this belly....
    Motorists are giving me the thumbs-up and waving while I'm driving through the dappled sunlight streaming through the trees and the engine is hitting on all 8..quick change is really whining now ...Ahhhhhhhhhh, life is good!
    Ok, now. When I was 16 my shubox ford was still sitting on my parent's dirt driveway waiting on an exhaust system before I could drive it so I hi-jacked my parent's 55 olds 4 door and suffered massive ridicule from my classmates.
    "HEY, man! How's that Buick runnnin?....buwahahahahaha!" ..........no, now is much better than then.
     
  22. Unique Rustorations
    Joined: Nov 15, 2018
    Posts: 623

    Unique Rustorations
    Member

    Definitely drive the ‘34 uncle! Wait...did I say uncle?!

    Have fun! Regards, Randy (the nephew you didn’t know you had!).



    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  23. IF you have the time and funds, do it in BOTH.......just different routes and different times of year. I'm not one to travel but I'm definitely getting the want to do a multi state drive as retirement is approaching.
     
    41 GMC K-18 likes this.
  24. Stogy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 26,345

    Stogy
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    20181018_173627.jpg

    The history of the Ole Hotrod does factor into my reflection of the big picture...not just it's original purchase in 1929 but its entire history as in Was it ever a Jalopy Racer or was it just a Walton's Special...Jerry built this Era specific perhaps 1962/3ish with earlier heritage quite plausible but flathead powered post war.

    Here's the Kicker, I was 2 Yrs old in 62 and the Hotrod delivers a Period Vibe I would not have experienced and I find that kinda trippy...Love-it...To me it is a Snorting Tribute to that time and Yeah it feels just fine by me...

    I credit the Original Builder and in fact the 2nd Owner for keeping things for the most part period correct to that vintage...

    Pretty peppy little Street Grunt it is, true to it's period...

    I do often have that phrase in my mind 'Where Were You in 62'...;)
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
  25. clem
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 4,188

    clem
    Member

    Couldn’t help but notice the irony in this.....
    But yes, I think most would prefer a simpler life, myself included.
     
    41 GMC K-18 and Stogy like this.
  26. CAHotRodBoy
    Joined: Apr 22, 2005
    Posts: 458

    CAHotRodBoy
    Member

    I realize that but what are my options? Can you even buy a film camera anymore? I'd have to have a film camera plus a film video camera and tons of film. Or not record anything keeping the entire trip to myself and not sharing it.

    The fact is, I won't be able to escape modernism anyway. It is everywhere. I think I'm more interested in finding people that have old fashioned values and great stories to tell about times past.
     
  27. partsdawg
    Joined: Feb 12, 2006
    Posts: 3,503

    partsdawg
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Minnesota

    "The old diners, gas stations and stores will be the main stops"
    Started thinking about that and around here in rural Minnesota fewer and fewer small towns have diners or mom and pop gas stations. Chain convenience stores have replaced both. Main street stores have been replaced with antique/junk stores. Not saying that you can't find them,it's just not like it once was.
     
    6inarow, 41 GMC K-18, Stogy and 2 others like this.
  28. oldsman41
    Joined: Jun 25, 2010
    Posts: 1,556

    oldsman41
    Member

    I dont think i ever left. My dad owned a 51 merc when i was 4 sold it when i was 10 i remember a lot of fun times in it so yeah i got one and when i drive it i remember things and places we went. Love driving around in the old cars.
     
    41 GMC K-18 and Stogy like this.
  29. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,293

    jnaki





    Hey C,
    Check your pm conversation messages. It is about a NEW 35mm Canon film camera for you.

    Thanks,
    Jnaki
     
    Stogy likes this.
  30. It transports me....if I can find a road to drive on that isn't bumper to bumper with soccer moms in their mini vans trying to get from one place to another as fast as they can by riding on your ass at 75 mph on a 55 mph highway. Or some teenage driver texting and weaving in traffic and with the reflexes and attention span of an old dog. Sometimes I think I made a mistake moving to where I live now.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.