History HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIKED THE TRADITIONAL CARS & TRUCKS?

Ive always loved the traditional style cars myself. I like 50s and early 60s style. Always loved gassers! My 55 always gets compliments from old schoolers like myself but the new age people always ask when im gonna get rims and power steering for my car. I just laugh and tell em if it didnt come with it then i dont rightly need it! I hate seeing a LS motor in an old car or look at the dash and see a computer screen! If u wanted a new fancy car u shoulda bought a new fancy car! Oh and dont get me started on the people who claim to have a period correct car but it shows up on a trailer!!!! Just my 2 cents! Heres a pic of my 55 i just finished a few months back. I went for the early 60s look.


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Yup, that's pretty much how I remember 'em. A lot of 'em didn't have a front bumper though. That seemed to be the most popular look back then

 

Hello,

When we were growing up in the Westside of Long Beach, we only saw cool family cars that someone added a couple of flipper hubcaps or added some side pipes. There were a few that were lowered all over and some were on what is currently called a “Cal Rake.” Slightly lower in the front than the back.

Those times watching my older brother’s friends lower the front too much and then having to go out and buy new springs was interesting. In reading about custom cars in the magazines, a 2 inch drop was usually what was done. But, it was not for all daily drivers and the city bumps/dips in the streets.

It depends on what anyone calls traditional. In our So Cal neighborhood, we did not see too many fenderless, Flathead powered roadsters. Back then, it drew the attention of the CHP for tickets, whether it was moving or just a vehicle fix ticket. The trucks were not fenderless, as a matter of fact, most were full fender models if there were any running around. Everyone knew the DMV laws and some tried to get by, but why? Cruising was cool and anything to draw the attention to violations was not a great way to have fun.

The HAMB has its definition of traditional and the cut off date is great, even for sedans, factory hot rods and trucks. That 1966 and later movement in drag racing took on a whole new ball game and it was not the best thing for the little guy wanting to see if his daily driver with a few modifications or even stock could do at the drags. Those simple rules vanished and the little guy classes started disappearing as the the interest changed from the rule makers and corporate sponsorships.

So, if your build is appropriate for the HAMB rules, then it is traditional. But, traditional can also be street legal hot rods that used to run in the Gas Coupe and Sedan Classes. As the years passed from 1960 upward, the industry also changed. The style of Gas Coupes and Sedans were starting to get more of an Altered Coupe and Sedan look with the title still saying they are street legal. 4 individual exhaust pipes on each side is not street legal. No one ran Hilborn Injectors on the street. Port injection was manual, the two hole and 4 hole injectors improved times, but street legal? Perhaps not.

Jnaki

The rest of the traditional vs traditional is a jumbled mess. So, the threads are a little confusing for those that have photos of past 1966 and later. It may be traditional in your age group, but for the most part, people are sticking with the HAMB rules for posted photos and historical information. If the later years photos and information is busting in your files, then search other places to post and enjoy. The HAMB has good intentions.

 

Yes. I was raised on 70's and 80's street rods. In the 90's a few Flathead powered traditional cars made the magazines, and I was in love. Every model car I built after that had white walls and steelies. Then I found the HAMB, and my love and knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds.

 

What we think of as the traditional style here has always appealed to me. It's never been a trend, it's always been around even if it fell out of favor now and again. There's other admittedly dated styles I like and there's those I don't, but traditional is timeless. Some things will just always look good.

 

That term, " Less is more " to me, is a very valid statement, when it comes to making a personal statement in what we drive and how we are perceived by the metal box we are driving. I am going to post this picture of a 50's ford that I saw at the CHRR at FAMOSO a few years back. This style of body has always appealed to me, and in my opinion, this particular body style was always under appreciated. When I saw this car and it wasn't a show pony, all gilded with the stuff that the H.A.M.B. frowns on, it just made me smile as to how subtle the little details were, on how this owner decided, how the car should look. Simple and tastefully done!

 

Being from an area that had mostly drag race cars and muscle cars those are what I knew. When we formed a car club in the 80's we started hosting a yearly car show. That show gradually got more popular and we started seeing street rods (90's style) from surrounding larger cities. I could appreciate the work involved to smooth everything so nicely but when a real hot rod showed up. that style just spoke to me. I was and still am drawn to the more traditional and sometimes rough around the edges hot rod style.

 

Since about the age of thirteen.

 

I knew an old guy on the other end of the county that had a 34 sedan that he bought when he was 16 years old for $50 and drove it home. I'd guess he's in his 70's now, still has the car. I was always into muscle cars and he'd give me shit about it, but I'd give him shit about his junk too. Then one day i seen a model A hot rod that changed my mind. After 11 of them i finally decided I'm too fat and my back and knees are too bad to get in and out of them. So I've moved on, but my favorites were still built before WWII. Won't even pause to look at a muscle car now.

 

Hello,

There are plenty of levels of traditional hot rods, customs, sedans, and drag race cars. But, the rules for traditional for the HAMB are fairly standard for 50s style cars up to the mid 60s cars and those beyond are thinly disguised as such.

Traditional as per HAMB rules is a Flathead, multiple carbs, open roadster, whitewall tires Moon Discs and perhaps a blower? What about a nice Candy Apple Red paint job with scallops, that sure is traditional. So, here is a photo of a Flathead powered, modified, open wheel roadster with all of the above.

Although this Flathead powered Modified Roadster was one of the fastest Flathead competitors, it had all of the items to be custom 50s hot rod for show or street. (except for the early zoomies)

Jnaki

There were early hot rods that came with a complete street legal set up, including headers with muffler systems. But, a few removal of bolts takes the street legal headers/collectors off and on go a set of individual header pipes for a modified roadster class competition for the day. It was not unheard of to complete the changeover.

Early 1959 version of “zoomies” that keep the Bruce Slicks clean white running down the dragstrip.


1959 Lion’s Dragstrip Modified Roadster Class Flathead powered custom hot rod.

 

I was born in 1957 in Pittsburgh. There were hot rods all over the place because the people here were into building and made good money in all the industry here. People would build things at work that were amazing. The first car that I noticed was the 57 Thunderbird. My dad bought me a AMT Craftsmen version. Every corner gas station and alleyway had a race car and the teenagers would be working on them. They raced at this big parking lot called Sears lot. Even the police would come down and watch. Many times I would see a motorcycle cop come down get a beer and watch the drags. One guy used to race his cop motorcycle with the shifter on the side.. Nothing like Pittsburgh back then, it was the industrial center of the world since we blew Japan and Germany up.

 

I Always Liked The Clean Old Style Hot Rods....

 

My first big interests in cars when i was a kid, were Brooklands era/'20s-30s race, speedsters, cycle cars and pre/post war euro stuff (long nose coupes), so it wasnt much of a surprise or stretch, that i when i started playing and with cars, i was drawn to traditional/ period hot rods. I have and work on cars outside of hot rods, but i think i just have an all encompassing interest/ obsession with most any nice car from the '20s and '30s,

 

i liked harley and triumph bobbers and early model broncos, still do

 

I'm still not exactly sure how we define "traditional".... I've always liked late 50s cars and trucks. The excess and style, made many models of cars of the era when I was a kid. I was born in 1983 so....my family was never into cars so my point of reference may be a lot different than those older than me. I just dont post my OT stuff here!

 

What you saw, what you read, what you considered "cool" in your early teens influential years tend to stay with you for life.
Considering this and our ages on this site, it's no small wonder we have always leaned on the traditional side, we didn't have to change our styles, just had to stay true to our past.
Now if only more of our local car shows would award/recognize/have a class for traditional builds, we might be able to bring in some of the younger generation into this past era to keep these types of builds alive, after we are gone.
I'd like to think if I was a 15 year old today, I wouldn't be dreaming of some tuner with coffee can exhaust, billet this, billet that, drift car..but, more than likely that would be the case.

 

I like the traditional and what some call street rods. Not the 401K, 1 800 build me a car, or the melted plastic card billet cars. I feel you can build some of both worlds and still be shiny. This is a old argument so build what you want, and can afford. Most of all drive the hell out of it and have fun!

 

First car my son and I built. Gibbons body and fenders. Ford Pinto 2.0 32 trans A rear. 40 brakes.
Had 56 steering box.

 

I think everyone has dabbled in other things. No shame in that. I was born in 68 and dad was a drag racer and raced boats. I have always leaned towards the faster side of things. I had a giant box in the garage as a kid filled with 50’s and 60’s mags. That’s kinda how I learned what looked right.

Grew up as a 70’s/80’s kid. Built what I could afford, which was a 327 powered 36 Ford pickup. It had the street machine/gasser vibe.

I struggle with putting it back like it was in high school, but way better or building a period correct piece from 59.

I still have a soft spot for a hot rod wearing aluminum slot skinnies up front.....

The saga continues.

 

I guess my traditional roots go fairly deep. There is a limit for me though. I don’t get all bent out of shape over tork thrust wheels and the d spoke debate. I never liked the pastels or the tweed and smooth look. I never was a resto-rod guy either. Shiny new color paint is nice to me. Air conditioning and heat is nice on cross country trips. I think hot rods need an attitude some have it others don’t. I think cars you like influence your choice. I liked the American Graffiti coupe the Doyle Deuce and my fathers Dodge as a kid. I think by 1965 money permitting most guys would have ditched the white walls and steel wheels and had some sort of mags on their car.