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History Identity and Ego Trips

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 50Fraud, Apr 21, 2016.

  1. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    I wrote the opening post in this thread in 2010. I finally posted it in 2016, and to my astonishment, it prompted 89 responses in two days. I rediscovered it today (having completely forgotten it), and re-read the whole thing. When it was fresh, I was disappointed by some of the response, because I couldn't follow it or found it boring. Reading it again, I feel just the same way, but it was fun to read that a lot of guys felt that they had grown up in exactly the same life.

    So what?
     
  2. Is there another?

    Ben
     
  3. i.rant
    Joined: Nov 23, 2009
    Posts: 4,301

    i.rant
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    1. 1940 Ford

    I’ve read this whole thread and can relate to many of the responses.
    I will add mine only saying I’m driving the car I fell in love with 60 years ago and see the world with the eyes of that car loving kid every time I drive it. It’s always been part of who I am.:cool:
     
    47ragtop, lothiandon1940 and pprather like this.
  4. “Perhaps this is our strange and haunting paradox here in America -- that we are fixed and certain only when we are in movement. At any rate, that is how it seemed to young George Webber, who was never so assured of his purpose as when he was going somewhere In a Hot Rod. And he never had the sense of home so much as when he felt that he was going there. It was only when he got there that his homelessness began.“
    Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again
    My apologies to Mr Wolfe for substituting “In a Hot Rod“ for on a train.

    I have no idea how this fits in but I always liked it.
     
    lothiandon1940 and seb fontana like this.
  5. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,295

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    All too true, not only in creating cars we either wish we could have had or did have, back 'in the day'. Same drive, I suppose that drives, antique collectors, baseball card collectors, etc. - in a way, kind of a security blanket of sorts to remind ourselves of a past that seems so long ago and out of tune with the present. For just a little while at least, there's something tangible to touch to assure us that the past really did exist.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  6. Same story except there were Playboy magazines of my older brother mixed in with the car magazines.
    I think we are all trying to hold on to our youth and the best of times.
    One thing for sure, I am still cool! Just ask my dog.:rolleyes:
     
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  7. Bad news, only thing he said when asked that question was... rough...rough. ;):(
     
    ct1932ford, blowby and lothiandon1940 like this.
  8. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,144

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    "Ego trip", now there is a term that I never really associated myself with much.
    That is until the first time this high school kid realized how "cool" I thought I looked when seeing the reflection in the big store window cruising through town in my 57 Chevy.
    Who else remembers how it felt when experiencing this for the first time?
    I'm not talking about just any car but the first one you built or modified and discovered what it looked like to the rest of the world, wondering if what you had created would have any impact on people, talk about immediate feedback, this was long before the "I only build cars to please myself" statement became trendy.
    I've never had a car in a magazine so I can't say how that feels, but I don't care who you are, that has to be the absolute best way for a car guy to get his ego stroked.
    I guess I'll have to be content with my memories!
    These are the only photos I ever took of the car, the first one is how it looked the day I bought it, I imagine many here would say I should have left it alone.
    20160627_105056.jpg 20160322_174901.jpg



     
  9. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    For me it is a fun read that like many others somewhat tells my life story. I just started ten years later.

    I don't think I ever came close to having the coolest car at school but my friends liked the cars I had and we had a good time in them.
    Later after coming back from Viet Nam I even met my wife because of my car. Not that she was attracted to it but because one of my buddies was dating a girl she knew who set us up on a blind date.

    I've got to know a lot of folks over the years simply because the cars or the truck were a conversation starter.
     
  10. I was 46 when this was posted. No car background from anywhere, just started to like them at 15. The muscle car phase went away quick. Being broke buying older cars in good shape was almost impossible. I hated the 80s/90s hot rods but soon found the little books and that was it. Me and my 1 friend went head long into that world, oblivious to styles and trends around us. I relished in a time I wasn't part of and very sad I didn't live in it, so I surrounded myself with things from those era's. I don't think it's Ego for me as I can give 2 shits what others think and never though it would remotely help me get the gals (nothing would). I cruise later at night, so I can pay attention to the drive, the feel and smells. When I go out in the day to run errands I park in the back 9 so I don't have to talk to people. I still don't like modern type builds but I've learned to appreciate that an old car is still around. I still get very excited when I see another old car around, I know they're here locked in garages but I don't go to the gatherings so I rarely see them.





    That's me also.........that's why I'm online and not in a club. I've been call a lot of things, socially awkward, loner, hermit, weirdo......but cool was never one of them.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2020
  11. I'm pretty sure nobody ever gave a crap about me and what I drove in all them early years ....it was either repulsive ( to most people) junk, that I drove for shock value (at least in my head). The reality was I could'nt afford any thing but junk in a time when you were judged by yer ride. My approach was " fuck em' I'll drive shit until I can afford or build what I want. As time went on better rides and better iron came my way, but my attitude didn't change concerning me vs. the rest of the car world. WE're influenced by the hand we're dealt in this game and to a large extent ,in life. I done things my way,I paid a high price.
     
  12. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    IMG_0144.JPG Being a life time "car guy" one of the neat things is how your taste in cars changes over the years. As a teenager I got the hot rod bug and had it pretty good up until I got married. Got into boats, fishing and taking the kids to the beach on weekends and doing all the other family stuff. After the kids graduated from college I went to an NSRA Nats event and saw all the neat cars and asked myself why not? Started back into cars with building streetrods from the 30's and 40's. Since then, I regressed back into the cars of my youth 50's and 60's models. I've had so many Tri 5 Chevies and 58-64 X frame Chevies I've probably lost count. Ran across a 60 Pontiac Bubbletop and recently completed a frame off restoration. Probably not going to take on anything quite that big again but still have thoughts about a 62-67 Nova if the right one comes my way.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2020
    41 coupe likes this.
  13. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    I had a '60 Catalina hardtop for several years in the '90s.
     
  14. e1956v
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 2,376

    e1956v
    Alliance Vendor

    Beaner this describes me to a T.
    I’m an introvert and always have been, to the point people considered me rude or that I thought myself to be to good to associate with them. I am a different person at the shop, I can speak freely and with ease about speedometer and auto electric issues that customers are having.
    When I think about taking the car out it causes some anxiety because I just don’t know how to talk to people when they ask or complement me on the car. I love to take the car out, it’s a sort of release and I can feel my dad riding shotgun in the car he loved so much. Sometimes I can’t get passed the anxiety and don’t take it out at all. The bad reputation that Corvette owners have doesn’t help cuz I’m afraid that people will just say “yup that’s another typical Corvette asshole” when I have a difficult time with a conversation or just taking a complement on the car.



    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
    www.speedoservice.com
    Should I rush your rush job or the rush job I was rushing when you rushed in?
     
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  15. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    Probably have driven the Zipper and CCPU more in the last three months then all of last year. And yes, love all of the thumbs up I get when driving them. Best thing was yesterday at the grocery store when a lady in a van asked if she could take picture of the Zipper for her son. Doesn’t get any better than that!
     
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  16. e1956v
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 2,376

    e1956v
    Alliance Vendor

    Man I never dreamed of having a lady ask to take a picture of my zipper!


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
    www.speedoservice.com
    Should I rush your rush job or the rush job I was rushing when you rushed in?
     
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  17. 47ragtop
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 663

    47ragtop
    Member

    So strange I am seeing this thread today for the first time along with I am reading Henry Gregor Felsen 6 books again this week ( read 2 or 3in high school).I bought the signed 6 volume set in 1992 at the NSRA nats. I see and feel much of my life in them and your original post from 2016. Later Bill
     
  18. railcarmover
    Joined: Apr 30, 2017
    Posts: 777

    railcarmover

    Has nothing to do with women or style..has to do with a father and son..the connections borne of love and joy,when you honor his way ..today
     
  19. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,293

    jnaki

    upload_2020-9-21_4-30-27.png
    Hello,


    As teens, we had big egos all out there for approval from our friends and neighbors. Whatever we did was a reflection of who we were at the time. It played a huge part of our teenage lives. With those values learned, we developed our sense of being as we grew up and fell into our 20 something years. Now as we approached voting and drinking legally age, things began to change all over, including those active teenagers we all lived with for 4 years. But, the world was not going to stop for all of us to stay the same as those giddy teens we were.
    upload_2020-9-21_4-31-18.png
    Looking at the two generations of teens, our son and now, our granddaughter, we were miles ahead of both of them in experience and adventures. But, as far as school smarts and technology progression in their times, they left us a long time ago. We have learned to roll with the punches. Every time they saw my old 6 year old phone, as nice as it was, they chuckled when they held their latest apple Iphone 11 pro models.

    As my wife and I have experienced all of that stuff from high school and then experienced the 20s to now together, we are a power when it comes to experiences and knowledge. Being avid readers, writers and photographers, opened our eyes to all of the differences in our whole society. Having lived through the turmoil and upheaval played heavily on our outlook of life.


    Despite the fact that we grew up in two completely different neighborhoods (racially mixed versus all caucasian) our ideas clicked the moment we met each other in college. Those college and post college years were the whole USA upheaval era and we went right along with our own ideas then. Over the years, we developed the “we are in this together scheme” and that has bothered a lot of people along the way.
    upload_2020-9-21_4-34-7.png
    There is a power in being a team with all of the egos set aside. Our identities were made for us and we kept developing ways to continue our lives the way we wanted it to go. Hot rods, surfing, motorcycles all played a big part, but there was never any egos from us to get in the way of our development.


    Jnaki

    We all know hot rods and custom cars are a very small part of American lifestyles since the early beginning. It is a part of life for most that we know here on the HAMB. Despite being as small part of our society, egos still survive and for some, play an important role. For others, the writings speak for themselves, plus or minus.
     
    wfo guy likes this.
  20. Ego..sure, but not in the sense of "to impress others", but more in the sense of appreciating/desiring a certain car, acquiring one like it, and then making it better (at least in my eyes), so ego in the form of competition to have the "best", a prideful thing (similar to owning a nice house), an accomplishment.

    Agreed, impressions/desires/fantasies of our youth are a lifelong mainstay.

    However some say to "recapture our youth", that isn't the case with me, I know full well that when I get in my HotRod, I won't be going to my buddies house working on, admiring, dreaming of what our next major purchase for our cars will be, and where we all are going to meet up at tonight, and where will we find the "chicks" (that ship has sailed).

    Realistic "in the present" feelings when behind the wheel, are a strong appreciation/reminder of what was, and briefly is, while behind the wheel, if you let your mind go.

    Bottom line, wearing the same hair/clothes style, taste in music, taste in cars is reality for me, and I'm quite content with that.
     

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