I covered the big '70'-'80's rod runs as a vendor. My taste would allow me to only shoot the traditionally styled cars of which there were very few. I recently scanned some of my old film shots. Many cars were following questionable trends in those days, none of which hold up today. But traditional is still traditional.
Barry Lobeck's roadster is the Bee's Knees! Now in the Bruce Meyer collection with a goofy paintjob. I wish the car was put back to this era. And Prufer's Cop Shop Coupe! Iconic.
I got over the smoothie look quickly. Unique for a short time, then boring. I wanted to see the bumps and lumps of door hinges and louvered hood sides. On the other hand, I despised coach lamps and thick brass radiators on t-buckets. These days I've had my fill up faux patina and rods that look like they were pulled out of a lake after forty years. When I was a kid there wasn't a single hot rod in the extended area that drove around with something like "Lucky's Speed Shop" or some other such nonsense painted on the doors. In my case, I'm not into trends. I'm into cars that simply grab my attention. "Traditional" isn't a fad, but if that's all a rodder is into then he's missing the boat when it comes to digging all things cars. By the way, I'm digging Tom's photos.
Those years are when I developed my appreciation for traditional cars. I began collecting Halibrands and curved Stewart-Warners. I own a couple key parts off the roadster pictured at the top of the thread. Too bad it was modified.
This is a rambel,it is raining again,so I'll talk too much !! You can hate it or like it. Learn something or not;;; "Traditional" defined some! > Things I see,in first photos at the top,kind of nice rods,but most have mess up things on them,some of you over look or don't even see as off the mark. I can like them for the good parts,an not care for the messed up parts. By messed up; I mean stuff* most didn't do* in the 1950s an early 60s!!! But now some think we did !! A small list; Big old headlights,those were junk poor working an not used,the 7in. sealbeam was every were an really did work. Plus was the law. Being there are now faked new big old lights that do work with new tech,dose not change history back then when they were old junk. Big scrub outset front rims were not smart then or now. It's not cool to have finned brake drums sticking out of rim more then about 1in. max,it's just foolish an adds a lot of extra front end prob. Cowel steering engineering can be good,but 90%+ of the time,its just copycat BAD. Moon tanks on street driven cars=No, those were for race fuel at the track,were removed ASAP,if car was to be driven on the road/they look foolish an block cooling. Big Racing rear tires,no,not even made tell a few years in too the 60's an not run on the street+ I guess hotrodders were smart enough to know to save the race rubber for the race !! Primer by any other name=primer prep for shiny/was not a finish !!!! Seeing these things an some others= Having a sign on the car that to those that know, it reads; "I own it,but don't know much about the time it's trying too look like !!" WW2 was over an partly do to war,tech was everywere. So lots of engineering was known more then pre war. What time frame your trying too be like/copy the feel of? How much you know about that time !!! Is a key when talking n building. Have you learned from real info, or what your buddy's think they know? The time ,I like best is 1955 to 65*,often called "The Golden Age of Hotrods". That is when I was super* into building hotrods n customs, really did have the latest cool car mag. in my back pocket. I was in 3 car clubs and had built my self 28A Bobtailed roadster an a Full custom "J" by 1960,did many indoor car shows around Florida and helped work on many others cars too. Point being ,a pretty big perspective on what was going on state wide. More so then just a small town or even a city. For many that didn't live it*,or were not well versed*,about more then there local group> So there take ,is what they know, yet often not what the majority was doing. Today the distortions are getting pretty bad ,an copied so much; Way too many now think some distortions!* Are how it was! < WAS NOT ! The're exceptions too every thing,but that exception is not the norm ,don't copy mistakes.
"Moon tanks on street driven cars=No, those were for race fuel at the track,were removed ASAP if car was to be driven on the road/they look foolish and block cooling." Well, I didn't know that in 1963 when I put the Enderles on. The 3/4" gas line from the trunk-mounted fuel tank didn't like it when you accelerated and leaned out the injectors. So I put an electric fuel pump on a smaller line to the tank with a carburetor float mounted behind the Moon tank to keep it about 2/3 full. Problem solved. It stayed that way 'til about 2000 when, as you can see above, I tried to part out the things I wasn't going to use when converting the car back to a race car only mode. (It wasn't that slow on the street, either.)
To me, it doesn't get any better than the overall look and proportions of Prufer's coupe. It just has that badass look that says "Don't fuck with me". I read an article once on the build of the coupe, and it took a LOT of chassis work to get that look. Timeless? Bet yur ass. Traditional? Might have helped change the definition along with the previously mentioned others.
The Jalopy Journal
