Art & Inspiration Who Drives a Beater Hotrod, Car or Truck and Likes it That Way

A beater is many things to different people. My 40 with no heat, no a/c , no interior, no radio , no power anything , unrubbed or cut enamel paint is just as much a beater as 1 of my old 46 Chevies. Until the virus I was driving it almost everyday. Couple of pics for comparison.

 

A lot of my old cars were daily drivers. Drove my 52 chevy 2 door sedan to work every day. Wasn't real pretty... original paint and primer spots that I had simply wet sanded and rubbed out and waxed. Shiny primer spots LOL. Minimal interior. 235 6, three on the tree, straight pipe. The big boss of the whole place asked me one day...
"Why do you drive a car like that?"
I said... "Cuz I like it."

 

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Cool 1951 Chevy 1/2 Ton. I wish I had one.

 

My daily driver about 8 months out of the year.

I absolutely love this thing and is is the best advertisement for the shop ever!

 

...all my old cars have been beaters,,,

 

One of my past favorites, sometimes i wonder why i traded it off....

 

Parked outside the grocery store the other day and someone yells at me and says..."I see that wagon all over town" my grin went from ear to ear and I just waved. That's all I want to do is drive it!


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I had a beater, but the guy I sold it to painted and made it nice.

 

Gotta agree those kids are only Youngins once and no car is more important than them.

 

And most importantly your alive to share your story.
Love Stude Trucks

 

Yah Im "fixin" to drive it like it is, zat okay with yall...

 

Nothing like a well engineered, goes like stink beater....
Im with yah on this front.

 

Cuz thats all that matters. What you people who dont have old cars dont like Primer paint jobs...lol

 

I borrowed the wife's Ute to drop off a steam cleaner for repair

 

My '39 Chev is in primer right now, so a bit of a beater. It's brand new drivetrain, and everything underneath is gloss black and clean. New interior, and clean inside. I hope to get to paint at some point, but I'd like to drive it enough to make sure it's all perfect before taking the next step.
It is all new metal down low after I spent 6 months replacing all the rusty rotted steel.

 

our driver with original paint and Flathead and 5 speed

 

I've been driving "unfinished projects" most of my life. When I was young, "beaters" were barely operable peices of crap, not a "patinaed" car as you guys are describing. I have always put a "driveway paint job" on them when I could, and didn't worry about scratches or chips. I've never built a show car, but I like to take pride in my ride.
My next project is to paint the T with black Rustoleum, in the driveway...

 

Back in the 70's when my shop was starting to do a lot of 'show car' stuff, one of my young guys that was a talented "helper", said to me, "me and my buddies are going to start a "beater" club. The title of this thread brought that memory back. Thanks.

 

There seems to be some dichotomy between beater and finished car, in the sense that the real main difference is aesthetics. Paint, body work, interior and chrome are not top priorities in a beater. But I would posit the purpose of a beater is to drive it, far and often. So in that regard, the mechanicals of the beater need to be as good or better than that of the "finished" car, simply because the beater is going to see far more road action than the show car. Nobody wants a car that is not only unfinished cosmetically, but also unreliable mechanically.

 

This is my everyday driver and workhorse.
It is a 1959 Chevy sitting on a 1985 Chevy 1-ton chassis with a 1990 Cummins 5.9 diesel engine.
I use it to pull my 25 foot gooseneck trailer to tractor shows and I have been driving it for 25 years now.

 

That’s all I grew up with with my dad and uncles. everything was primered
Or Primed on!

 

Half beater half nice....

 

What Do you consider a beater?
My Dad Used the crap out of the 33 Doll! But never purposely trashed it!
Drove it to work daily, and used it as a truck

 

Im all for it, my current project- OT frame off performance build is wearing me out.

Under body stripped clean and painted, interior repainted and fresh, whatever paint is on exterior stays with color matched epoxy on any rust repair areas.

Have a 1963 impala, blue paint with crappy white repaint, some of the white is peeling already, I should be able to get most of it off. Depends on how many sins the white respray is hiding if I can pull off the plan.

It would have to have some attitude, lowered, wheelweels jammed full of rubber, exhaust note that means business for me. Worn out beater is a different matter than solid built car with worn paint. Ive had plenty of worn out dailys, dont wanna deal with that anymore.

 

So very true.

 

All good.
Nothing like "old car" memories Jer

 

Everything I own/drive is a beater because at this point in my life it's what I can afford and i'm too tired to do anything else. I've said for years that I'm going to do one vehicle that even I can't find anything wrong. My '53 Chevy truck is it, I'm retiring in about three months. We'll see how it goes.