I have always got Hot Rod in the mail. I just like seeing my name in print. lol I used to get all the great rags. But now I'm down to just Hot Rod. My daughter keeps my subscription going as a Christmas present. I hate going to the doctors office , and all their mags are old out dated Time, people, field and stream, ect. ect. So I take my own Hot Rod mags with me. Then I leave the there for other sick gearheads to read. If they ever become collectible? I'm sure they will still be there.
I see text that states 'no rust' and I see pics of a (cool) car with a lot of surface ... rust. Couldn't care less about the ego/no ego/shitting on a friend argument. I do see an unfortunate opportunity for any random reader/subscriber/purchaser who notices the discrepancy between the 'no rust' text and the included pics to now doubt any or all details given in the article. If it appears 'they are telling me one thing and showing me another' , the reader has every right to wonder 'what other information printed here is less than factual?' I haven't bought a new magazine in years and have no interest in starting now. I am more than happy to pick up some old ones from the swaps. I don't see myself as being part of the problem as I simply am not seeing a problem. Anyone here still trying to keep the eight track industry alive?
Still subscribe to Hot Rod. I wonder why while looking at most issues. It’s cheap quasi entertainment for me. Never know when the next great “ barn find” or 10,000 th Camaro story will show up. Carry on.
This ones trying to make in today’s world… A lot of the Street Rodder guys.. not total HAMB friendly but you got try and fit without “foreign” inclusion.
Kinda figured I'd get lit-up. . Doesn't matter to me who you are, your (perceived) status, $$$ value, nor-what-*I*-haven't-done, editorial position, etc. I'm tired of being gas-lighted everywhere. I've seen Chucks' name, & read of what he's done. Your friend or not, hero or not, if you're telling me that a rusty thing isn't, & I can see it is, you're gas-lighting me, & now I "got your number" & can figure out what your word is worth, not to mention the accuracy of your "info". You figure the rest out. Borntolose said it better than I. I never said the car wasn't interesting, didn't like it, or hated Chuck. It's presented as something it's not, claimed as something it's not - in a national (supposedly well respected) magazine. Movin' on... Guess since I'm a no-body, I have no right to bitch. & should believe everything I've ever been taught or read... HAhaha! Good luck w/that. OK then... Marcus...
I still have many of the old HotRods ( and Sports Car Graphic, Car and Driver, Motor Trend etc.) from the 60s-70s, including my 61 HotRod Yearbook, with the great breakdowns of the latest 390, 409, and the Ponchos. They were really great back then, but degenerated into the latest doo-dads with an occasional good article. I still look through them on the stands, and buy if there is something good, but even then, the articles are, sadly, much lighter in content than the old days
I have subscribed to Hot Rod since 1977 and just this year didn't re-up my subscription. Main reason has to do with most of the content that I am not interested in and very little that I am interested in. I always start reading at the back of Hot Rod when I did get my magazine, it was the technical content that had me hooked and I wanted to see. The rest of the magazine content was like another Camaro, Ls, or crate motor/transmission that was like a big continuation of the advertisement that was in the last 4 pages of the magazine. Then they would gush about how the (fill in the part name) was only $9999 (fill in the zeros) and cost more than most of my complete cars. The last straw was when they did an article on "how to use a relay" or some name like that and the hookup had one wire completely botched. I tried to find a way to send a comment by email, snail mail, phone call, facebot, whatever and there is no way to reach these people. The used to be a "mail bag" where they printed corrections and comments from readers but no more. Then I started to receive the endless phone calls to re-up my subscription over and over and I just said NO! Yes, I am getting old! No I don't care to get phone calls from anyone that is as rude as these people are. I just don't have time for that. Let the abuse begin, I can take it!
...I'm thinkin the "no rust" statement referred to no big rust holes in the car;...who cares, just about anyone here would take that car in a minute.....(I wouldn't change a thing, well,...maybe put some wide whites on it.)
To be fair,,,,the term rust free was used as a reference to body rot I believe . If you read the story,,,,there are descriptive adjectives in every paragraph,,,,and most don’t insinuate that it’s a cherry ride . And besides,,,,the pics are clear enough to see the car for what it is . It had been used,,,hot rodded,,,abused,,,and even forgotten for 50-60 years . But it’s still a cool old hot rod . Yes,,,,,it needs work to be in the upper echelon of hot rods,,,,,but it’s still a nice ride . I would love to have it ! Tommy
By the way, I remember some cars from this issue of Hot Rod from back when I was a teenager . Steve Lisk’s Hemi car on page 22 ,,,,,,this pic was before he put the blower on it . Bad dude indeed,,,,,it seems like later he put a Lenco in it,,,I can’t remember now . Tommy
Picture this ... you're looking for a car for your daughter. You spot a word ad that unfortunately doesn't include pictures. The ad states "no rust, never winter driven, engine recently rebuilt, mostly highway miles, recent brakes etc". You arrive and find the 1984 Toyota Tercel with the same amount of surface rust as seen on the coupe in the pics ... I am guessing you would not only be unhappy about being misled, you would also doubt the claims made in the ad regarding the recent work done. I know I would. The coupe is really cool, I personally love the fact that it doesn't have a perfect $25,000 paint and body job. I agree, if the price was right, I wouldn't hesitate to snatch it up. I do however agree with nrgwizard that describing it as rust free is not an accurate description of the vehicle, based solely on the pics that accompany the text. Does it matter to anyone? Apparently the answer is yes and no
I'm afraid I'm at the point where I know all I want to know and have seen all I want to see. Was on the mailing list a few years ago when all the rodding mags were sending out free subscriptions for years at a time trying to survive. Can't say I kept even one of them or can recall an article. Have zero interest in computer cars, computer fuel injection, and the like. Except for the Street Rodder last October that ran an article on my Mysterion clone and a similar recent Hot Rod article, nothing there for me. I'm not angry or otherwise perturbed, just seems all the good classic rodding tech and great cars were finished appearing in the mid 70s.
Don't subscribe but get the hand me down mags from my Pop. Occasionally a good article, but mostly crap for late model/LS1/EFI crap and ads for boner pills.
So what is Chuck doing, exactly? Bought at one place and took to two others for work that I remember. Never said what he paid for it; we know it was big $$. IMO.
A 1984 Tercel had this much surface rust 6 weeks after you bought it. All the crap going on in the world and we're arguing about the semantic rust?
Merely semantics? No, 5-window. Commenting on the sad state of affairs concerning the truth of words accurately describing things, & how it's degenerated all to hell, such that virtually nothing is believable nor trustworthy, even when presented in front of your very own personal lyin' eyes. It's rather interesting, watching who comments what, defending the "right" to create your/their own meaning(s) to long-used words - that should be self-explanatory. Pfftttt... Don't get me started on "history" of cars w/paint, then primered stuff, over to rusty crap, moving towards rot-sticks, ending in rolling junk, all redefined by wishful thinking on how someone hoped it was... to avoid something called, experienced, & formerly known as: Reality. I get lack of funds, not history revisionists. I give up. Carry on, nothing matters these days. It isn't just this/these subject(s), it's the way things have headed & are being steered to all over. Nothing more can be said, even totally factual - lest it'll be considered "political". Marcus... BTW: & although it's worth nothing, even though having a wide range of interests, the fact that I've subscribed to many mags since ~68, incl HR currently, watched a lot die, lost subs on them, I will say, I have avoided for the most part, magazines that had/have an editor w/initials of BB due to "Editorial License" abuse, a perfect example of the personal ideology utilized by that someone. I did sub to StreetRodder since ~74_>end, due to a couple of other writers that seemed to write well enough to believe. Any & everything written by aforementioned editor, was totally & completely discounted by myself as being some sort of fabrication (read: various amount of Lies passed off & possibly mixed w/a minor amount of something masquerading as truth). Like I mentioned, it doesn't matter to most folks these days. But it does to me. Odd man out, I am. I really do miss Tex Smith...
Marcus, I miss Tex Smith too, as well as a lot of other bits about journalism. Yes, "rust-free" was not fully accurate and journalistically sloppy when they meant something more like "corrosion free". I don't think it was their intention to be misleading. Like many other things, Hot Rod is probably understaffed, doing too much by automation to be accurate, and forced to hire less experienced "journalists". On the other hand, language is always changing.Centuries ago, Halley's Comet appearing in the sky filled people with awe. Today, I am wearing some awesome socks. And, a lot of writing today works very hard to make literally mean figuratively. There's a lot to bemoan and the loss of civility makes it all the harder. I'm just here for fun. I hope your day is awesome! ")
Thanks @Moriarity Got mine yesterday....good reading material for when I need to get away from the computer!
Although I understand the premise of supporting Hot Rod as one of the last surviving print publications, I have a hard time supporting a corporation who saw fit to dump many other car magazines to concentrate on TV and digital streaming. Not to mention the prospect of ending publication may come in spite subscriber support. My example? All of these; Rod & Custom - a couple of times Hot Rod DeLuxe American Rodder Rod Action Custom Rodder Rodder's Digest Street Rodder Car Craft I don’t like being cynical but rather not be burned again.
My benefit was the subscriptions I had to all the previously listed publications and others I had subscriptions with, that ceased due corporate decisions. Lost my benefit and they kept my money. Great you find HRM fits your needs, the late model LS engines, etc., is not my thing and a few articles a year of interest does not do it for me, let alone the prospect that at any moment they can decide to stop publication. In previous threads about magazines much conversation was about the decision to abandon the more traditional hot rod titles in favor of digital, not that they were losing money. Every purchase we make supports a business.
No rust in Massachusetts means you still retain most of the bottom 4 inches and parts aren't falling off, period. I hope I didn't gas light anyone.
I expect rust on any car older than 2 years. HAMB friendly cars will have a little rust. When I hear “rust free” I don’t interpret that to mean “not one molecule of iron oxide”, it means rust has not compromised any part of the car… that’s how I’ve always read it anyway. Any car that sees the road and a little weather now and then will have rust somewhere. What is this pedantic bullshit? If I’m buying someone else’s car and I don’t like the paintjob I will change it. Surface rust/“patina” is just the same… a surface finish, not a huge repair job, just a coat of paint if I don’t like it. Not that I could afford to. It’s the same amount of work, maybe less, surface rust is honest in a way paint isn’t always. As for magazines… very few appeal to me… might be the millennial in me?
The Jalopy Journal
