Hot Rods Did You grow Up In The HAMB Era?

Any car 1965 or older and built to styles from that period or before according to the HAMB rules and guidelines.:

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-h-a-m-b-rules-guidelines.44274/

 

Born in 47. At Christmas I would get toy cars, wasn't happy until I took the wheels off and nail them to a 2x4 whittled out to look like a car (Kinda)

 

As a little kid,I took every thing apart,put most of it back together,Mom seemed to help by getting me Tinker Toys and then Erector Set*,then a big fav. in 47 a toy train*> all of it turned in to cars.
Me a WW2 war baby of 1942,Dad before war built homes an boats,he was a molded plywood expert, Navy an asigned to Bell,so Navy moved us around,from Miami Fl to NY an back,he worked on Bell XP77 top secret.
But now declassafied,at least most of it !
My Grandma's brother Erv raced stock cars in 46 an on,my Great Uncle Erv also worked Grandad's farm. I road around with Uncle Erv a lot,on the home made tractor< made from a old Model A.
Not sure I can point to any one thing,but love cars. By 1950s,Dad had told me,if I ever wanted a car to drive,you'll need to get it your self,so save up! ; He made it plan,he was not getting me a car.
So I built my own,got first one running in 1959 for high school< 28A hotrod an next car in 60< Full custom Henry J.
Then started a long line of racecars with station wagon tow cars.
I think it's very hard too point too any one thing,it's def for each,in both timing an what happens.
I still have my first hotrod! Others are gone now!
Your reading this,so we have a common glue in cars some how !!!! Thanks for adding to my fun as well!

 

Definitely I was born in 1949, my dad ran two filling stations when I was little and my older brother was a car guy so I didn't have a chance. I started with model cars in the early 60's and have played with old cars since the late 60's, winding down some now. I just finished a 50's style flathead powered Model A and just decided I'm not another frame up car, wouldn't mind doing something but starting with a driver.

 

Dana, very few can say they still own their very first car, that my friend is real dedication. HRP

 

I think a lot of guys are missing the point of the original post...he was wondering why those who are too young to have experienced the pre-1965 era of HAMB-friendly cars are attracted to them, rather than cars of their era (whatever time period that may be.)

 

I wasn't born til '81. Grew up on stories and pics of dad's muscle cars, etc. and was into them from a young age. Eventually got into motorcycles and a job wrenching. Developed and ran a performance parts line and department at a Harley dealership for years. My best friend was killed on his bike in 2012. His dad had a 63 Nova that was going to be his when he turned 30 but he never got the car. I left the industry and his dad called me one day to tell me he was selling the Nova. Now that I made some money I bought the car. The smell, the sounds (and the music if you're listening to the right stuff), the experiences of driving older vehicles transports me to a simpler, revolutionary time in transportation that I didn't get to grow up in. I'm born again every time I am cruising with the windows down. I hope my kids get into it and I will do everything I can to pass the passion on.

 

For that very reason, to separate me from the gold chain/billet guys, I've been painting my Rods flat black since the '70s...so I intentionally couldn't win a trophy at local shows.
THEN that stupid Rat-Rod thing comes along and sonofabitch...a trophy EVERY TIME. I just can't catch a break

 

Who grew up??????????????

 

I have had a few HAMB friendly cars over the years and still have a few. Born in the early 50's so I am partial to 50's cars but like earlier Fords as well. I have a 1959 F100 shortbed I have owned for 32 years, has had four different engine combinations since I have owned it currently has a 351W/auto. I have never done anything with the outside "patina", but now people beg me not to paint it. Over the years before I got it previous owners had stood back and heaved different paint and primer at it and I consider it ugly, but it runs and drives great. Just like you, I took it to a show and parked way back in the weeds and received an award for best rat rod. Then later I drove it to a show in town called Rust-O-Rama which is mostly rat rods and didn't get any awards. A month later I was looking at some pictures of the show posted on line and my truck was on the front page of a big name HAMB friendly Ford parts company picture display from the show. Go figure!

 

Born in 1950, and no idea how the attraction to cars began, nor why it's always been old cars. My guess as to loving old cars is they were always hotrods when I saw them, and they were older than me! Pre WWII era cars appealed more than most post WWII, but I still like some post war cars.
Starting out at a young age spending any money I got on model cars was part of it. I preferred doing things with my hands, and seeing how things were made by taking them apart. Got into trouble occasionally when I took something apart that was not supposed to be! But never got punished for it, and instead my dad helped me put them back together so they worked again.
But my dad wasn't a car guy, so didn't get the car bug from him. And my two older brothers were far from car guys, and my oldest brother was a chemical engineer, and truly didn't know one end of a hammer from the other! I was the family mechanic for my parent's cars, and my brothers cars from around 12 yrs. old on. Until I got old enough to have too much going on myself, and only worked on my parent's cars, not my siblings.

 

My take on it is like it sounds, what cars & trucks the HAMB focuses on, that is a broad range of time, 20's thru the mid 60's. HRP

 

I think that I was attracted to old cars because they were cheap. It took a long time before I spent over $1000 for the initial purchase of a car.

 

While in the USN in 1952 at Coronado Amphib. base, used to go & watch the "Bean Bandits" at Paradise drag strip every chance I got. (Joachine Arenett).

 

Born in 1932, got the "ITCH" from my Mom who started it all.

 

Did You grow Up In The HAMB Era?

Not yet!
Born in '43. Dad had a Mobil station in the late 50s. Opened a salvage in '60. Between working and hanging out there and reading all the 'little books' and other mags, I really caught the bug.

 

"58 Model here and I got it from my grandparents and their love of motorcycling.

1910 Indian Single. Note the modifications between the one with him then her. Yes it is the same bike.

 

Danny, it’s amazing how our introduction to the world of Hot Rods is similar.

 

I was born in '54. Growing up is a relative term.

I prefer late '50s early '60s style cars. I was round them a lot when I first became aware of life.

 

Born in 1940. Started reading and drooling over the hot rod roadsters while thumbing through Hot Rod mags at the grocery store at about 1949. always wondered why these v8,s had only 3 ex pipes on each side. I was required to attend church with my parents so I would spend the less than exciting hour drawing hot rods on the back of the church bulletin. About 1953 we would pedal our bikes to a high school older kid,s one stall garage. Wow, he was building a real hot rod, just like in the Hot Rod mags. It was a black 33 or 34 3 window coupe, the flat head engine had aluminum heads & twin carbs, no fenders, of course. We suspected his dad had the big bucks in it. Boy were we impressed, always wanted a ride in it, but it never happened. A couple years after the rod was completed the kid was tired of it. He cut off the doors & top with a torch and used it to go road hunting for wild geese. Remembering how cool it would have been to have ridden in in that rod, I give lots of youngsters rides in my hot rod roadster. Great memories, Greg

 

Born in 55, my dad liked cars, but didn't have much leisure time, so I sat on the safe at Deeleys harley-yamaha dealer, drooled on motorcycles, reading car mags and dreaming of owning a hiboy. Eventually motorcycles and the wilder side of life appealed to me, a few harleys, a few girls, till I got married to a woman with kids (4+8), then it became hot rods and dirt bikes.
In my younger days, my dad would "borrow" my low rider and cruise, till he fell and put a dent in the tank with his knee, I had to laugh. I still miss him, he's been dead 37 years.
Yes, I grew up in the best of times.

 

I was already a car nut in Canada (with very little Hot Rod scene) before relocating with family to SoCal in '61.
Wow, that sure was a good time to arrive. Not only cars but the surfin bug got me!

 

Born in 1944. Dad owned and operated a Richfield Service Station. He had three bays and did major rebuilds along with the regular oil changes and grease jobs. I built model hot rods and customs and starting buying car magazines around 1958.

 

First memory of a "performance car" was watching Dad lap the valves and check the bearings once a week on the V8-60 in his midget, in the tiny little one stall garage in LA. This midget was the first car that taught me a car was not necessarily just for transportation. I have loved this little car since this photo was taken in 1948.


One final note. With Mom's passing last year, my 4 siblings out voted me, removed the car from the Justice Brothers museum, and recently sold it in a Hemmings auction. Sorry Dad, I couldn't stop it.

 

As they say in American Graffiti where were you in 62 I was a Junior in high school

 

Yes, that was my original question but now that I've read all these great stories of guys that did grow up in the era I'd like to hear/read more of both. Haven't gotten too many responses from the younger guys but let's keep the older guy stories coming!

 

I was hatched in '43 and started highschool in '57. My family wasn't much into cars and we lived in a blue-collar town, mostly populated by used cars. Maybe one out of 20 students drove anything. There was one Fonzie looking guy whose father was a big shot at a dealership. He sometimes drove a nice trade-in. I think I recall a late 50s Mercury hardtop, for example. By my senior year, I was starting to pick up car culture by osmosis from the other guys talking about cars and sharing their magazines in study hall. Borrowing Mom or Dad's car to hang out in town was mostly an exercise in embarrassment and the beaters that I could afford for myself weren't much better until I hit that glorious, magical, 21st birthday. My first new car buying experience, I didn't know what options to add on the factory build sheet, but it was good enough to hang out with what passed for "car guys" in that town. I drove it like a bootlegger and learned where the weaknesses were and where improvements were needed. A couple of years later, for the second new car, I knew how to order from the list of options. My game plan was simple. If I got beat on the street or strip, I bought and installed the next performance item on my hit list. Getting beat pretty much tapered off to nothing but time became the enemy to beat and if I wasn't chalking up a quicker ET each weekend, I wasn't content. My first speed fix cost about $20 to knock a second off the showroom stock time. The next second quicker cost a couple of hundred. And soon enough it was a couple hundred just to shave a 10th.
I never really had a mentor, except for this one guy who gave me lots of tips at the strip. Nobody in town, or who I knew, had car smarts so I basically taught myself. I did ask questions of anyone that I suspected had a clue..... and I did a lot of 'monkey see, monkey do' from reading car magazines and diving headfirst into the next project. It felt funny when guys started coming to me for help.

 

Born in 51 and in high school we was all poor so if there was a dance in a town very far away we would see who had the most gas and he would usually say his tires were bald so we would siphon his gas and put it in the car that had the best tires and go have fun. We all used to work on our cars during the week so they would be running by the weekend.

 

Born in 1954. I always loved cars. Always. Got my first one about 3 weeks before my 13th birthday. But never any hot rods. Too broke, too tight (frugal) and I guess too practical. It seems there was always something “needed” that came before anything “wanted”.
And maybe that’s just an excuse.

 

I was born in 51, and I guess I got the car bug when a friend of my Dad gave me a 1957 Ford model car that they used to give out when you bought a new car! I wish I still had it, but I played with it for years, took it apart, put it back together , banged it around. Don’t really know what happened to it. Probably got throwed out with my baseball cards!
But about 1960 I noticed around my Dads friends that, the new models coming were discussed quite a bit. Well I listened and it became important to me. The pros and cons of the lastest models. That is one reason I like one of the most controversial Fords ever made, the last year for eligibly for the HAMB! And I was driving by then! But couldn’t afford a new car, so I had to settle for a ten year old car.... my ‘55 MEL powered Ford.






Bones