Not just Fords but Chevy also. You could still see the logical progression from the pre-war styling to the post-war late '40s cars but the 1949 Ford and Chevy broke that string. I completely agree with the wide-view opinion regarding the spirit of hot-rodding and in that sense yes you can hot rod many makes and years of cars. And I totally get the relative age difference thing . . . a '79 Cutlass is 40 years old etc. Of course you people are correct in asserting your right to interpret what a hot rod is to you, and what hot-rodding a car means to you. Just be careful where you assert it. Remember that everything we do here on this beautiful site is predicated by "Pre-1965 traditional". You don't have to say it . . . if you are talking on the HAMB, then it goes without saying.
I have to laugh... The definition of a hot rod, on the HAMB, seems to be any pre '65 4 door, so long as it has bias plies. I don't agree, but I know that I'm in the minority here.
It appears the term Hot Rod has become some kind of "magical" word that some people feel is IMPORTANT to apply to their vehicle...even when it doesn't apply. It is NOT a magical term...it's just the long standing DEFINITION...of a pre'49 modified vehicle. Back in the late 60's, the guys at Rod & Custom Mag. considered a street rod/hot rod to be a pre-'49. In the early '70s, the NSRA legitimized that thought with their street/hot rod cut-off date of 1948 (pre'49). That is how the world defined Street/Hot Rods for the last 50 years...a pre-49 Modified Vehicle. ALL Rodders know this! But, perhaps some of the younger guys, and some "later model" guys are not aware of this long standing definition. There are plenty of descriptions for your post-48 rides. Custom Lead Sled. Resto-mod, Pro-Mod, Gasser, Street Machine. Muscle Car etc...but by the accepted definition, it's not a Hot Rod, Sorry
Exactly. Pre-49 is 1948 and older. Pre-48 is 1947 and older. This website is 1965 and older, which would make it pre-'66. It is NOT pre-'65, because 1965 vehicles are allowed. There are apparently a whole lot of people who don't know what "pre" means. "Pre" means "before, earlier than, prior to" So if you want cars 1948 and older, it's pre-'49, not pre-'48. If you want 1965 and older, it's pre-66, not pre-'65.
Well i for one give rights to those who want to remind EVERYONE that this board is for 1965 and older. But guys dont turn it in to a pissin match. If the kid currently cannot afford it and mentioned that he is hotrooding his cutlass. I for one would say have fun enjoy but please remember this site is dedicated to topics of vehicles 1965 or older. Bashing young guys for thier idea of hotrodding what they can afford isn't smart. thats wear all of you started out... you want young guys to pick up on the hobby dont bash them because they said something off topic i had lots of older guys tell me hear and thier that thats not really traditional or thas not gonna work with the theme of that car very well, ok then give me an idea or tell me away i can come up with the right parts buy/sell/swap/trade. If they were willing to help great and if not, hey thier just another self centered old fart i dont need to be around. You know the old saying be good to your kids they get to pick your nursing home!!. Remember that when a young guy who wants to be into hotrodding can't relate to everthing as 1950. To the young man that has the cutlass ask any question about how to hop up the motor/trans/ rearend and leave the discription and year of the car out and know one can complain. you just might be using those pieces in a 32 ford!!!,Good luck and don't let the old farts on this board get to you...
Back to the Original Poster...if you look at his profile I again fail to understand why a member with the credentials listed and seniority accrued with evidence of activity where one would think after 8 years of interaction you would think they would know full well what the reaction would be to that few lines of Full Metal Popcorn... I call it deliberate and typical of these threads, no reflections from the OP after the shitstorm of reaction to such words... Your right easy on the Newbies I get it... This is not a Newbie...Hey maybe it's a son in Dads Hamb Position...so if that is what happened oh well...like letting the ten year old take the Hotrod for a ride...it might not end well... It's not the greatest way to learn about this Place posting volatile content like this...it again highlights the near impossible challenge of Offering several layers of Rules and Guidelines that couldn't be clearer including pics especially for the tech savvy newer crowd...I'm sorry my olive branch isn't more pleasant...but I did suggest he look at a less expensive choice of Hotrod material than the 32 Ford...and enjoy the Hamb on the Vintage side of the Hamb Fence...It is truly a better way of interacting here...
Ahhh, the Kinder and Gentler HAMB... I'm sure this will polish the rough edges off of these old curmudgeons. Play nice now, kiddies.
Jack Greiner's super low Deuce Roadster, from 1947 ! Here it is, stripped for action. I wrote an article, in HRD Jan. 2014.
This thread encourages taking the old Hotrod out for a ride and to heck with everything else...anyways Fifty this may be what you are referring to... https://www.historicvehicle.org/hot-rod-icon-mcgee-roadster/
That highlights the things those not into the scene may say and gives one a little smile inside and heck it was even back in the day...any pics of it?...fingers crossed. Thanks for sharing the story...I'll bet it was special...
The Period of the End of 1965 to the beginning of Hotrod is huge with incredibly Stunning Moments with Speed, Elegance, Danger, Good Times and Unquestionably a very important Holy Grail of the Evolution...We shall enjoy carrying the Hotrod torch forward...Feeling a form of Connection to it... Fifty, do you have any old pics of your Caddy Powered Roadster I believe it is...this thread needs some Hotrod Food...
Hotrodding is not an anachronism, (a throwback to an earlier time) although some of the posters on this thread are,including myself. Hotrodding itself stays as young and fresh as it always was,the cars and kids change but the desires that drive hotrodding hasn't..hell we chase the same dragon as old men,we build period cars for the love of the car and the lifestyle it brings,and Im ok with that.
I can agree with the pre 48 as a definition, now that it's been explained to me thoroughly. But I also agree that that rule has set up the term hot rod for eventual extinction. It may not be suitable in body styles of auto technology anymore, but the concept and mindset should still be looked at the same. The term shouldn't be shut down by a rule, or eventually all hot rods WILL be in scrap piles and the culture is going to die. Sent from my cp3705A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This topic, to me, is vital, one of the really important threads on the HAMB and of real importance to my heart and soul. Competition cars of more than one genre have been my life-long passion. I was born in '49 and imprinted by my car guy & racer dad. I have been heavily involved in both closed-course road racing and dirt oval racing and professionally build hot rods and vintage racers. So, because of my era and exposure, I have what is almost a religious conviction of what defines a hot rod, which I will not impose on you. However, I did, just now GOOGLE "HOT ROD" and looked at IMAGES. Yeah!
However, I did, just now GOOGLE "HOT ROD" and looked at IMAGES. Yeah! Well, that seems to be a solid point to that definition. Sent from my cp3705A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Your criteria is way too broad, my classic Mini Cooper puts a huge smile on my face when I sit my butt in it. It's one of the most fun cars I've ever owned, but it is off topic for this board, and it absolutely does not qualify as a hot rod.
Well just throwing it out there but has anybody thought about giving them classifications by generations or styles when posting? Like tri 5, shoebox, a body, etc? Don't crucify me here, but does that make sense? Sent from my cp3705A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
To each his own definition, but for me it starts with a modified engine. I generally am comfortable calling any hopped up 57 and earlier cars hot rods, not including the luxury car brands or finned Mopars. Early, seriously hopped up Mustangs and Camaros can qualify in my mind, but mostly, not anything else newer than 1957. Most any 20s or 30s, non luxury car with a hopped up motor qualifies in my mind, but not the street rodded fancy sedans. Some definitions come from the mind of the individual and his life experiences and can not be replaced by one in a book.
Extinction ? the scrap pile ? Sorry, NEVER going to happen. There are 10s of thousands of pre-49 Rods out there...more than ever before. But, the demographics of the hobby is mostly us "grey hairs", so over the next 20 or so years, our widows and heirs will be selling off our Rods. All of a sudden, I think you will be seeing THOUSANDS of Hot Rods on the market...all at about the same time frame. Eventually the supply will exceed the demand and prices will come down...probably WAY down. They will become affordable for some younger guys that think these "old cars" are pretty cool...and the cycle will start all over. They will probably be waxing nostalgic about the 80s, 90s, 2000s, as the heyday of Rodding (like we relish the 40s & 50s)
There is no definition if you wanna get technical. "More power..." could mean a multitude of cars early and late. But lets talk early. Stripped down Model T buckboard style speedster. It fits. How about a Stutz? Maybe a Bearcat, it fits. Fast forward, how about a Duesenberg Model J? Fits so well you can nearly see the hairs in her "nether regions" can't ya? Don't forget the Auburn Speedsters either. 1st they got Columbias, then they got big Lycoming 12s, then they got superchargers. Ooh yeah, fits like, like, ok I'll clean it up a little. Even the stately Packard got in the mix with their 734s in 1930. Look em up, they're worth the time. We made it past WW II and all those GIs had to have speed and style. Some went to the lakes with a really "hot roadster" like they did before, then it slanged into HOT ROD before or after. Popular and common enough that it became a magazine AND an organization that still exists today. But some folks need a definition, or a box, a club, a peer group, or some way to declare themselves for their own personal reasons. Some good, some bad, some understandable, some so "out there" that nobody gives a shit. Yeah, we all know that guy or knew him long ago right? He's still around and I'm glad I don't where. I'm happy at least that the desire to individualize our rolling stock is still around. Keeps the home fires burning and the marketplace alive and well. Damn, it would suck to drive the same color/brand/engine car for the rest of a boring 35 years on the same Ralph Kramden city bus with nothing to aspire to or challenge ourselves with. If Ralph was ok with that, good for him. We ain't. In fact we were never really in the eye of the big picture until about a dozen+ years ago. Grab an older street rod mag and look at the event pics. Billet, big wheels, molded custom leather interiors, and even a few 7 figure Ridler/AMBR cars now and then were still the rage. Now it's craftsmanship applied in spades to very style these pages and members cater to. Was it this joint that did that or the natural progression of things that come back around? What's a HOT ROD? Ask your mother...
It's a complex subject...Craftmanship was honed many a moon ago as you alluded with some of your references. With that Craftsmanship came a North American revolution in Home Based Garage Craftsmanship that many thought or preached they had and Crafted Hotrods that hit or missed the quality mark but they did it and many of the b&w pics showing up here before us echo that...Some paid the ultimate price for that and witnessing some of the things I have saw here by our forefathers in Hotrod many are lucky to have made it out alive...that said it doesn't for a minute discount the things any of them did as many a genius in Hotrod had their ideas gleaned and used elsewhere even if the execution was less than stellar. Out of that of course came the business of Shops catering to Building Customs and Hotrods. Surly as today many wanted in but had the dough or foresight to enlist skilled hands to get their fix as they couldn't themselves... I revere all this...even the failures as there has been so much done over those years whether good or bad it never gets boring...But stepping in with Modern visions of what this hobby means not really the focus...Enjoy your Vintage Hotrod in all it's 1965 and older primitive Glory. If it's not 1965 and older build it as if it was...and that is totally plausible even today and I certainly appreciate those that do... I associate a Number of Hambers of Having a Skillset much like many of the past greats in Hotrod and we see it here daily and it does drop the jaw...every time I open their Threads...The Others that are juggling the process enlisting help here and there along the way you are no lesser and your builds certainly inspire and bring awe as well as you all are building to a vision you have given much thought to...Thanks for sharing your On Topic visions... I like this place...best front row seats around in my opinion...and the only Cutlass's I want to see or hear about are those prior to the end of 1965...
Hello, Since I was a little kid, my likes and dislikes were similar to my older brother’s choices. If he had it, it must be good. Or so I thought over the teenage years. But as we grew up, I started to get my own choices and projects to my liking. In those early days, it was based on his older friends and their hot rods/cruisers. So, with that in mind, my favorite hot rod is the 1934 Ford 5 window coupe that came over to our house a lot of times. It was part of the cadre of teenage hot rod fanatics that went to the local high school. Some lived in the nearby neighborhood and others, on the eastern side of the LB Freeway and LA River. Their idea of a hot rod was anything that moved and was modified to a certain degree. Three carbs to a mild cam to a different motor than came with the original car…all simple terms for a teenage hot rod. Not all were finished with shiny paint and chrome wheels. They were in all states of build or customizing. As mentioned before, money and time were two things that moved the hot rod forward or kept it in check due to lack of one or the other. When those hot rod coupes and sedans came over to our Westside of Long Beach house, for a little pre teen, it was a gathering of the coolest cars around. They would not win any trophies at the local car shows, but the care taken with keeping the hot rod coupes and sedans nice made them show quality cars in my young eyes. If it moved, made some powerful noises and was deemed fast, it was a hot rod. That is where I got my first start at being associated with those old high school hot rods and sedans as a pre teen. Maintenance was my job and I made a little side money from it, too. Jnaki This 1934 Ford 5 window coupe was the first hot rod that I was able to get a ride to the store and back. It had a cool sounding motor, as it was a modified Oldsmobile motor. The owner was in partners with another machinist friend and some other guy named McEwen when they were in the A/Gas class at Lions Dragstrip. They won their share of trophies in that class. The two other partners actually got faster times than McEwen. (A rarity) When the Olds had a single 4 barrel carb, it ran the best as a daily driver to school and job. When the 6 Strombergs were put on, the motor sounded like it belonged at the drags and went the fastest/quickest. Those 6 Strombergs on the Olds must have been on the 34 when I got my first ride in it. It was a monster when accelerating. It was a true hot rod experience. The set up was a 303 Olds, Howard cam (mild grind), 4:11 stock 34 Ford rear end. The spider gears were welded so it would spin both wheels at the same time. No factory Positraction, but home grown technology. It was hell going around corners, chirping the inside tire as the hot rod turned. There were a lot of broken axles, too. Another friend’s dad owned a surplus yard on Anaheim Street that had plenty of axles and parts to replace the broken ones. The 1934 5 window coupe got sold to someone from Colorado and the new owner drove it home. My friend still has his regrets about selling the 34 coupe, but the new family called and responsibility came to the forefront. similar look and style of a 1934 Ford 5 window https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ry-of-henrys-1934-ford.1158904/#post-13198377
Sounds a bit like a rhetorical question, albeit a good one. I would say the answer leans heavily toward this joint. Perhaps in time, without this joint, it would have come back around (we'll never know). Your posts are like an infusion of pure oxygen in a sometimes tending-toward-the-lowest-common-denominator atmosphere. Thanks Jocko! (I said sometimes people)
I always was told a HotRod was pre-49 but I did think that included 1949. I thought this all the way back to when I was a kid. As a kid I kind of thought it was funny that a 1949 Mercury was a HotRod and a 1950 was a CustomRod but that's how I always remembered it. What you said about "pre" does makes sense though. Also when I was young I alway thought that if the body was fiberglass then it was a StreetRod. I still kind of think that. Maybe I'm wrong.
The Jalopy Journal
