Hot Rods What do you give up in order to be nostalgic?

Last truck was on the ragged edge of hamb acceptable..... battered 36 chevy lowcab.... tube frame....wayyy too much motor ....horrible gears......no creature comforts what so ever.....at idle it would bounce a cup of coffee across the floorboards before ya could blink.....had to fall into it , crawl out of it......reeked of oil, gas and gear oil .....cab temp was about a hundred, all the time......buzzed, vibrated, and rattled at all rpms......shifts would bounce yer head off the back of the cab.......rationalization was the order of the day......you know" aw, it's a work in progress....it'll be better when I get er' done.......sure, it's a little rough right now......I got a bunch more to do.......blah,blah....blah".........seriously deluded people is what we are!!!!!

 

Guess I went too far OT there. Oops sorry


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Not to mention butt loads of cash, and hrs fabbing parts that are not mail order-able

 

I sacrifice everything for traditional style: Comfort, heather, horsepowers, radialtires, blinkers, H4 lights, (Sometimes windshield) Whatever it takes. BUT I must admit...its a 12V car .

 

Did you build to look nostalgic , or are you the guy who makes your engine choice based on what is going to give you good performance at the red light?

Both, and IMHO 33,34 Fords demand Hemi's, be they 331,354 or 392, carbureted, injected or blown.

 

Speed! that’s what I give up, two of my cars run bias plys, out of round tires limit both cars to around 60 mph. Both cars run flatheads so I guess 60 is alright.

 

First thing I give up for nostalgia sake is money. It always takes more to build using vintage parts. Second is time, as finding those parts can put a build to a stand still quickly, unless you've already got a stash of vintage parts to build with.
But beyond money and time, I give up convenience, comfort, and a little ease of driving. Not wanting power brakes, or power steering makes a little more effort to drive. Old style bucket seats just aren't as comfortable as many modern car's seats are. So a long drive can be tiring. And to get a particular stance usually means the suspension might be a little stiffer, so I lose there too.
But if I want all the modern conveniences, I'll drive our newer car. No fun at all, but I'm comfortable. Driving a hotrod is an experience, and I accept certain things as just the way it is to enjoy the experience.

 

Nothing! It’s a hot rod and I have no expectations beyond that.


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Gave up any and all creature comforts in exchange for a large chunk of satisfaction with a little koolness mixed in......damn good trade.

 

Give up time time until completion. Just take longer to get where you want to be in the end. My 51 has been a long slow journey to completion. Three significant rebuilds/updates over twenty plus years. I am almost there, but already have a couple more things in mind to change to make it “better”.

 

Corvette, Camero, Firebird car shows with old men parading around in shorts, give me flatheads, nailheads, jeans and "T" shirts an occasional Buick straight 8 or early Hemi and cowl vents for air conditioning and forget any music after 1963 with a few exceptions like the Blasters.

 

I gave up some of my bank account to retain the original appearance under the hood as I could have bought a crate motor for less money than I have invested in this one. But for me personally, I see a 350 crate motor in a 62 Impala not as an "upgrade" but more of an insult. And I like seeing the traditional hot rod with an era correct drive train.

 

..............Sometimes it comes down to more of this

 

on my Forty Tudor:
Removed vintage air and installed ordinal heater
Replaced gm tilt wheel with original column and wheel
Replaced auto with stick
Replaced bucket seats with original in Naugahyde
Basically went from a POS street rod that I bought and went back to the look and feel of the car I had in 1961.

 

..........Pictures would be nice here.

 

I don't think of it as giving up anything . Always wanted a old drag car with history to drive and race. That is what I have. Is it comfortable ? Hell no! Very uncivilized . Is it fast? Yea, stupid fast. Is it loud ? S@#T yea, damn thing makes babies cry and scares the hell out of people. Strapped in and driving I am instantly happy .

 

No wipers, heater/ac, radio, power brake/steering, auto trans, key fob.

 

It's clearly obvious for me as soon as I hope into my '39, or 40's cars/trucks..lack of comfort, quality heat, wipers, a/c, power anything/everything, cruise control, stereo, etc.
The gain/justification for the owning/building old cars vs the daily drivers is the simplistic, un-refined, basic, seat of your pants driving experience. A drive down memory lane back to when I was a young struggling gear head, with dreams of owning cars that I now do.
Hard at times to appreciate what you have, while experiencing it.
We, who have these cars/ have built these cars, over time tend to forget sacrifices made to achieve these dreams.
I'm not ready to give up my past, with these cars I likely never will.

 

I gave up what most guys on this forum have; pwr steering, pwr brakes, radial tires, air conditioning, heat etc... but also gave up a top, windows, doors and space.

What I gained is something that is more fun to drive than anything I've ever had!

 

My life and sanity.

 

UGH

 

I still have an old Isky 310 Hydraulic cam in my 440. I know the newer grinds will make a lot more power but this is the same cam I had in it since the late sixties and I can't bring myself to change it. I guess I would have to say I like power but will give some away for nostalgia.

 

I use the crap laying around the shop.
As far as giving stuff up, no AC or radio, has wind noises and rattles, cold starting issues, leaks and cold in the winter.
The best part is no payment and the thumbs up

 

The 32 has the biggest X grind roller , roller rockers , roller fuel pump eccentric , it’s sounds like it’s hard as a nail (head) but it’s only 302 cubes . I don’t have heat , AC , power steering or brakes , no disc on the front , a wheel bolt pattern that belongs on a truck . But it’s off the chart on the fun factor to drive and enjoy myself in .

 

I’m to old for racing but giving it a rip when the light turns green is still fun. If it doesn’t have a carb I’m done and high tech for me is a pertronix under the cap.

For me there’s nothing better than a good swap meet full of rusty parts and shinny stuff that’s not to shinny anymore.


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Are you giving it up if you never had it to begin with ?

 

I am giving up at least 50 hp and a 1000 rpm's because of the SEGA super stock rules requiring a dual plane intake on my stroker Ford small block.

 

Hello,

If we were to buy or build another hot rod, it would not be a sedan delivery. Two is/was enough, plus, there is no room for our granddaughter to ride with us. Nostalgic as it would be for my wife and I and our 20 something times, there is no way to have a third seat. We tried back then in those early days.

Nostalgia means many things to different people. I would give up a front dropped axle for a better, smoother ride, a Flathead motor, and a 3 speed floor shift transmission. It was fun back then, but daily driving and short/long road trips call for a care free form of transmission. Nostalgic is not the old hot rod that is from the 50s, but for us, nostalgia started in the 1960s and beyond which calls for an SBC, Stick Hydro trans of some kind and A/C. We had so many miles of having fun road trips in that 2nd sedan delivery that it beckons us back in time.
Our 2nd 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery. For us, that is nostalgia, front and center.

Jnaki


This would be nostalgia for us. A nice 1940 Ford sedan with room for our granddaughter to enjoy being with us “on the road, again.” Perhaps, her actually driving the sedan this time… We are getting older and time does fly fast in these modern days…

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...re-going-forward.1191837/page-3#post-13556107

 

I build my hot rod to the vision that I have for the build. You give up in a lot of areas just by driving an old car. So it's Buick brakes, multiple two barrel carbs, Vertex mag, etc. I sneak in a 5 speed, but most parts fit the desired era. I can think of many areas that I could change to go faster. If I was looking for ultimate fast it would be a modern chassis that could handle a turbo LS, Hellcat, or Coyote.

 

I give up nothing to be nostalgic. It's when I have to make compromises by using some modern stuff, that bothers me.