History HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIKED THE TRADITIONAL CARS & TRUCKS?

I was into the early models since I was a kid, reading the magazines in my formative years the cars featured were simple builds and there were others that were adorned with chrome and and fancy paint jobs.
As time passed I got more involved in working on cars and trying to improve on the looks and performance when I could afford it.

Later on I got involved with other guys that had a interest in hot rods & customs, but I noticed most of my friends seemed to follow the trends of the day, changing wheels every couple of years.
Then along came the paint jobs & de-chroming, the Easter egg colors and billet, not to forget the tweed interiors, I started to think I was the only one that didn't like what I was seeing, There were a few people I knew that kept building the simple styled cars and trucks but just a few.

At the Charlotte swap meet I was talking to my old pal Randy Nash ( Deuce Roadster) and he clued me in to the Hokey Ass Message Board and convinced me check it out, I was amazed that there are many people around the country that disliked all the Street rod mentality and embraced the olf way of building cars.
I honestly think I was a traditional guy before I really knew what it meant, what say you guys? I know HRP fells the same way.

 

Never much cared for gaudy/tacky, so here I am.
Unfortunately, a lot of my stuff ends up more "Roadkill" than I would like.

 

Some cars I like. Some cars I don't , never felt the need to label them or deprive myself by " pigeon holing "

 

I don't mind pigeon holing myself, I don't care for all the silly fads that have been a part of street rodding, I absolutely hated the heartbeat graphics, HRP

 

Always into traditional and I like the street rod/muscle cars when done right.
I was never into the shiny over size wheel bull shit.

 

Pretty much traditional for past 50 years. Stock appearing body with enhanced stance, HP etc whether early Fords, Tri fives or whatever-never was into fads. No Camaros but a couple of early Chevelles and GTO's-Chevelles were for daughter and son.

 

4,373 votes for traditional. BUT, i do like some of the other "stuff" because of the craftsmanship that goes into them too. Now, where is that $5,000 flathead powered 32 roadster with......?

 

When I was a pre-teen I got hooked on Hot Rod Magazine and the old cars. I fell in love with the 1950s-1960s style of build. They looked so just right to me that I always preferred that style. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the HAMB and folks dedicated to the exact same thing I loved. I can't afford to build a car they way they did back then when there was a lot of great metal, inexpensive chrome plating and lots of readily available parts cars in the junk yards, but I still try to put one together as close as I can to my original desire.

 

I was born in the fifties, but grew up in the sixties and most of the hot rod guys around town had 50's cars hopped up with about zero frills, so that's what I always liked, stock looking cars with big motors and growling exhaust notes. Typically 4 speeds and steel wheels, with an occasional Cragar mag here and there. Cool stuff

 

The older I get, the more I like traditional things in particular cars. I've seen fads come and go, Pro-Street et al, and styles change however it's all part of the evolution of our hobby. Some cars have been just outright FUGLY, tasteless or gaudy including 20" diameter wheels with rubber band tyres etc. Aesthetics are everything and whilst I appreciate the work that goes into each work, to each their own. However I've moved on to some extent from SR style cars to where I am now.

 

Keep those blinders on , leaves more choices for others ..

 

Growing up in the 50's I loved old pre WWII coupes, and roadsters. Then Tri Five Chevys got my attention, and when I started driving I wanted one because lots of guys in my high school had them. After I got home from the military in 1970 my buddy had a new Z/28 and I got caught up in the muscle car era. Later on I returned to old cars, and both of my cars are 30's, although my truck is a '69 Suburban.
I'm pretty set on 30's cars now, and most newer stuff is OK, but don't want to drive one or own one.

 

As a lifelong believer in the KISS principle, yes, I prefer subtle, understated, fad-less traditional.

 

When I was a kid , the California Kid , did it for me . I had to have a traditional hot rod , bike and everyday driver . I have newer stuff for family outings , but everyday it’s as basic as I can get

 

Like what I like- things have really become more in focus since I dipped into the resources here.

 

Being born in 1979, I don't really have a good reference point for what is "cool.". I've always been different. My wife always jokes that I'm stuck in 1962. I guess there are worse places to be.

The people and the traditional rod and customs here on the HAMB just feel right. I'm very proud to call myself a member of this family. Thanks.

Nick

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Started on my first car, a '37 Chevy, at age 14 in 1962, got my license in '64. My older sisters and brother always
had cool car guys around with their hot rods, and let me drive them before I got my license. Have lived through
60+ years of seeing fads, fad colors, etc.. come and go. I like simple, minimum chrome crap, with LOTS of
quiet-ish horsepower at the rear wheels. You can never get pushed back in your seat far enough!

 

I grew up driving old beaters because that's what I could afford. With high school in the muscle car era, that and tri-fives were what I lusted for. Now in my senior years, I like what reminds me of my youth. I'm sure that the "tuner" kids will be the same way...

 

They weren't "traditional' when I started liking them...

 

Born In 1948 And Never Evolved Past Olde Style...

 

Being a youngster who is only 68 years old, maybe my take on what is traditional may be a bit off. I like cars built in the style of the ones I saw featured in magazines like Rod & Custom when it first shut down. They had things like Jaguar rear ends and hand built independent front suspension at the time.

Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I started of liking muscle cars like Camaros and Chevelle's. Then I got into 50's Chevy's cars and trucks. Then I finally got my merc and found out about the H.A.M.B and been corrupted ever since.

 

I loved 1920s cars from when I was a youngster, Granted in mid 40 area now, that love still carries through. Fad cars with heartbeat graphics always made me walk on by... Even before I found this place called the Hamb, Granted I appreciate workmanship in some of the fad vehicles etc. Good fab and workmanship will always get praise from me even if its not my style. Muscle cars have their place, they are for people who want something easy to drive. I drive manual steering, manual hydraulic and mechanical brakes, its my preference. So yea, I guess I was country when country wasn't cool.

Wife calls me an old man in a less older mans body.

 

Trad is not fad. Born in 69 and weaned on dads magazines from the 60s. So many of the 80s and 90s built cars were so hideous. I have always gravitated towards earlier stuff.

 

I grew up watching "The Walton's". (even then, I knew Jim Bob's hot rod was waaaay out of era, & I was not even ten years old)watching a TV show with a bunch of Model A'S started me on the path of vintage tin. Then, when i saw that yellow/black MONOGRAM plastic model kit, I knew there was no turning back

 

Yep. And tuners, lowriders, pro touring, mini trucks, rock buggies, busses, step vans, big trucks, VWs.......

 

I was raised on sport cars as my Dad was one of the best mechanic in the MidWest (Sioux Falls), but I always like the old cars my Uncles shoved out to the back 40 junk pile or along creeks. Going to school at Port Hueneme a older classmate had a 37 Ford coupe with jump seat and would give us a ride to school
My first real car was a 65 Chevy truck, got into vans because I couldn't afford the old stuff. Then found a 48 chevy Aerosedan out in the Desert of Nevada ('75) Finally found the hot rod I have had for 40 years now, a 1941 Ford pickup, because who could afford a coupe on printer's wages??
Now I have about 10 running and projects which is almost enough

 

This post was a mistake, caught me at a bad time so I have done a way with it.
Yes born in '39, grew up in the 40's & 50's and lived what is known today as traditional and craved every bit of what was happening around me and my school buddies that were into cars also.

 

Y'know, if you ask 10 people here to define what is 'traditional' you'll probably get 15 different answers... LOL. A lot of it may have to do to the period in which you grew up. Personally, I feel that '59-65 was the absolute zenith of this (as well as it's swan song) as so many things happened during this time. Think about it; overhead V8s became common and relatively inexpensive in the salvage yards as the horsepower war between the OEMs heated up. Paint colors/types exploded (metalflake, candies, pearls), as did custom wheel choices. Customizers; no longer just a Barris show, guys like Winfield, Starbird, Cushenberry, Jeffries, Wilhelm, the Alexander Brothers, and Ed Roth forever altered what we thought of as a custom. Unfortunately, it ended even faster than it came on as the musclecar wars introduced us to show-room stockers that could wax most home-brew cars. Why build when you could buy? Customs nearly went extinct as most show cars devolved into 'cartoon' cars. In an attempt to remain 'relevant', the hot rodders started following 'trends'... resto-rods (they lost me when crystal vases showed up), billet, graphics, etc, etc...

There's three main camps here; the hard-core, no-part-newer-than-'65 crowd. A sometimes-vocal minority, their pursuit of purity is becoming hampered by the increasing scarcity of vintage parts. More of a custom problem as the aftermarket has done a decent job of supplying the hot rod side of the hobby but even here newer bits are creeping in.
Number two is the 'practical' traditionalists who hide their transgressions under the car and with closed hoods. Primarily driven by cost considerations IMO, but better performance and reliability enter into it, as well as the desire for amenities like AC. In some ways this represents the original genesis of the hobby best as this group (easily the largest one here) is more willing to use whatever works to get to their goal much like the old days. Yes, there's occasional misses but not every 'pure' traditional car is a work of art either.
Lastly, there's the 'out of the box' builders, my personal favorites. These are the guys that come up with new twists on what 'traditional' looks like. Not all are successful, but the ones that are tend to be spectacular. Two of my most favorite HAMB builds are the Keith Charvonia '51 Kaiser and 50Fraud's '40 Ford 'vert. Neither would pass a 'purity' test for various reasons but absolutely nailed the 'look' IMO. One I'm still waiting on is FlyinBrian's custom T-bird...
Honorable mention goes to ccain for his clever lo-buck solutions on his Ford truck.
There's other guys in each camp I watch too as I admire their workmanship and knowledge even if their build isn't my cup of tea. I particularly watch the overseas guys as they face different issues than we do but some of their solutions are applicable here. You can never know too much.

There's a certain amount of overlap between these camps, but we're all here for the same reason; we like cars that look a certain way. Some of us get it 'better' than others and you have to allow for individual taste.