You wouldn't be reading The Jalopy Journal if you weren't somehow intrigued by old shit - old cars, motorcycles, tools, gadgets, art, etc... It's just a predisposition ...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
In the town I live in there are two Lustron homes. Neither in anyway recognizable as to what they are. Sad. In every single other home in town there is crap that as soon as a small part breaks it will get hauled away. No more replacing a part on your refigerator for it to last another 10 years. All of my dads old television test equipment sits quietly in a closet now. Sad.
Well said Ryan. I can't say that I have a specific time frame that I like the best but I have a great appreciation for the craftsmanship of the past, whether it be tools, woodwork or cars or houses. When you look at or work with old tools you can just feel the stories that they could share. There is a certin quality that has been lost in this world where two pennies saved per product carries more clout then the fit and finish or longevity that that two cents buys. You said it much better then I can, well written.
This is so true. As a kid I was fascinated by "old things" and history. I was a collector even as a kid. This has continued for all of my life. When I was in college I opened an antique store and it opened up many periods of time to me. Almost every item in my house is old, save for a few modern items like computers, etc. The chair I am sitting in now is an old oak swivel chair that was made in about 1900. Items from the past speak to you about ways of life that doesn't exist anymore. Once those who were there are gone all that is left is what was written, photographed and physically survived. I enjoy old items because they can give you insight into the way life used to be. That goes for cars too. The other day I was showing my kid how to fold the chrome quarter windows backwards so air blows on you when your driving. It dawned on me that a generation or two hasn't seen this and probably wouldn't even know what a quarter window is. Driving down the road looking at the chrome and wood on the dash just takes me back to a different era. That's probably why I don't own any new cars.
im only 21 but love ot learn about that era, things like dash knobs to the efects of the war, the wolrd wasnt centered around "trendy" crap, people actualy put heart and soul in to what they did, some of them had nothing to loose,but the went after their dreams. they didnt let there dreams die while siting in a cubical geting fat
I'm reminded of a cruize night I atteneded a few years ago. While everyone else was checking out the muscle cars and rice burners, I saw a beautiful slate grey Cord. The lady tending to the car was happy, and I'm sure, suprised to see a young'n even know what a Cord was. I was rewared by being allowed to sit inside. What really struck me was the transmission controls. From what I understand, The Cord had a semi-auto transmission, with each gear selectedby moving a level on the lower dash. I immediatly thought of the movie "The Time Machine." You know, the older version with the victorian looking machine with the ornate controls topped by crystal knobs? That's what it felt like. And I suppose in it's own way that Cord was a time machine as well.
I dont think it can be said enough that they dont build things like they use to. If you look back at the craftsmanship that was put in to normal every day things. Then look at what is made now its kinda sad. Do you think they will be selling stuff of today in antique stores 60 or 70 years from now and restoring hondas and toyotas ?
I know it wasn't a sermon but Amen...You put something into words that has been in my head for a long time. Thanks, FONZI
Hit right at home, this thread. Especially lately. I've been doing some art for myself, stuff I've wanted to do for a while, when I get a chance between jobs etc. I always dug art that had a story behind it (songs too for that matter), so that's the route I'm going and the research takes almost as long as doing the art and is as much fun. So far I've done a piece on Fred Larsen (with much help from fellow HAMbers- LB especially) and I'm working on a piece about Lloyd Seay, who was Dale Earndhart before there was NASCAR. Great story about the guy who designed the buttons for the '47. I love that stuff. Keep 'em coming!
Good read Ryan. I don't think it is something that can be taught though. It has to do with personalities. For example, my oldest son loves old things, i.e. old houses, old cars, antique shopping. My daughter, from the same gene pool 2 years later, is all about contemporary, brand new flashy things. I have tried to sway her but it is a mute point. People are drawn to the things that intrigue them. It's all about character with me. Houses today all look the same, the cars are all pretty much the same, clothing the same. I dunno, I just like the influence of earlier craftsmen. My point? I don't have one. Old rusty, musty stuff turns me on.
Well said, Ryan. Everything we have today seems to be cheap and made in a country that is just trying to produce stuff for the sake of producing. No heart. No soul. I remember working at Evenflo making baby products about 10 years ago. A guy named John Breen (some here know him) made up a prototype Exersaucer (walker that doesn't walk) that looked like a '32 Ford. He worked hard on it and made some awesome details. The program manager for that department didn't get it and didn't even put it out for a market test. He got in his Acura and drove home. John took a spin in his '66/67 Lemans for more creativity juices to flow. One thing I noted is your photo of the servicemen in the wire. You could have put any group shot up there but you chose one that showed guys smiling in one of the most adverse positions they could be in. Take away the barbed wire and add an airplane and that shot would still LOOK the same but wouldn't FEEL the same. Those guys new they were in there but knew it wouldn't be long. They'd be going home victorious. A year or two before they may have been playing football in some back country town like mine and then they were thrust into world war. Those guys had it. They were tough. Today, if kids don't have their iPods and personal cell phones, they are brats. There is something to be said about them being the greatest generation.
I haven't been on the HAMB for awhile....but that was worth the wait.... "Old rusty, musty stuff turns me on." ...haha...so that's why you hang with Rashy!!
right on ryan! I'm most specifically interested in the cars from before and immediately after WWII. I've gone through alot of effort to learn whats was done in that time period. a time period when it wasn't an industry, when it wasnt a nationally broadcasted hobby I've become friends with a few pre-war dry lakes racers and hot rodders(not that they were called that) listened to stories upon stories about different events and different thoughts and desires of that point in time before, during & and after the war stories i try to immerse my life in what it was like to be hopping up cars in that time. to know what things really looked like for them to see what they saw....in color(it wasnt really black and white!) to feel what they felt while driving their roadsters(yes, ONLY roadsters)...the same sound, the same sights, the same seat of the pants acceleration from a hot 4 banger. studying those times, finding things that people used and dealt with during the period is very important to me...listening to an old record on an old record player....that IS what they heard. driving a roadster with the same motor, same steering box, same suspension, same seat, the same seatbelt, the same howl of the tires exiting the corner with the pedal to the floor....your touching, smelling, feeling, living what they lived..... building a car with a mindset stuck in the time period you lust after. your building a time machine....every single part on the car HAS to be right in order for your time machine to work....if your tires and charging system are too new...thats ok...its your car.....if your welds were done by a method that didnt exist...thats ok...no one else will know....but will YOU be happy....will your car take you back to 194(whatever) will you be able to lay under your car and take a nap only to awake confused if its 1941 or 2007.... my true desire is to be able to take pictures in my garage and of any car i own...and have the question asked....Where did they get film for a colored picture in the 40's??!! I'm a LONG way from that goal...my cars are far from "right" in my mind, but im trying......i'm really trying, little by little i make changes and regress my cars and my belongings back through time....eventually...i will sit in an old chair surrounded by old cars in an old shed listening to old music, then.......i'll be happy! heres something i wrote a few years ago that kinda goes along with this time machine? burning rubber shiftin gears been the same for 60 years model A body thats looks kinda rough flathead v8 with just enough stuff smokes a little leaks alot its not broken, it marks its spot take the back roads go back in time hear the same scream and the same wine people've been doing this for many years banging 39 tranny's and bustin banjo rears no different then the past, all the same dream its my wide open hot rod time machine build your cars and live your life for yourself to whatever style makes you happy....take a trip back in time...its the most distant vacation from everyday living that you can get ....every day happy hot rodding Zach
My wife Diane and I have been into antiques for a long time. Ever since she brought home from her work 35 years ago, an antique rocker, that I restored, that still sets in our toy room. Our fascination and obsession of buying and replacing these things led us into an antique business that we have had now for 15 years. Two years ago we finally realized our dream and bought a 150 year old historic home that we were able to pile our stuff into. When i go into work at the wash house in back, which has an adjacent wood shop created by men whom built everything by hand, a feeling of their personality, creativity and hard work seems to overwhelm me. Every once in a while i come across something new in this place. A architectural detail, old tool, or a simple piece of pottery, it reminds me of how lucky I am to experience this. Even without the old cars.... my life would still be complete.
The biggest difference between now and pre 80 things. The things built today have no soul, every house in the project has one of 8 bland colors of plastic siding, the interiors bland, New car pretty much the same, applliances they are all made by a few companys and labled different. Older things showed craftmanship, showed the talent of an industrial designer ( do they even teach that in college anymore ) and the craftmanship of its makers. I am a furniture maker by trade and it is sad how the majority of the public hac no concept of craftmanship. It is a real joy to be in the traditional hot rod hobby for many of the people involved appreciate design and craftmanship. Well off to the word shop now to make my living.
Reading this was an excellent way to start the morning. Thanks Ryan, I appreciate that. I've always had a thing for the 30's and 40's timeframe, either the music, cars, airplanes.... the whole thing. Maybe I died in WWII in a past life, who knows?........... I'm not only intrigued by old things, I'm reminded by them of the earlier times and the people who shaped that time. I have a healthy respect for those who put their heart and soul into things like dash knobs and toasters.
Very well-done, I enjoyed the read. Perhaps the reason why we are so fascinated by the possibility of ghosts - is beacuse the past clings to us, and we are forever going back to touch it. With an old car, or an old knob, there is contact with more than this moment and more than just me. A cigar walk yesterday took me to the front porch of the Pantheon in Rome, just to cool off in the shape and watch the tourists for a minute. Who else sat on my stone? Whose place did I take? The most prized possession I have are my Dad's tools. They keep me close by him. Monday will be his anniversary of passing - at the ripe old age of 37. Here's to a kids hero and teacher. Happy wrenching, gentlemen!
You will never know the future if you don't understand the past and the past is the road to the future. I think that is why we all love the old things that are around us. I happen to love old cars! Rags
Quality seems to have been engineered out of most of the items we buy and use today so it's usually a pleasure to use and handle items that were made in the days before plastic and built-in obsolescence. I've recently got into collecting paraffin (kerosene over in the US) pressure stoves. The stoves I have are from the 1930's and it is easy to see the care, craftsmanship, quality and pride that went into making them. I usually replace the perishable seals, clean and polish them and they work as good as they did 70 years ago. Here's a favourite of mine from 1932. BTW - I'm in the process of adapting the large burner from a 2 pint stove to my tiny 1/2 pint Primus 96. I guess you can hot rod almost anything!!
I take offense at your comment. I have a 73 MAZDA RX2 that I enjoy. And its the epitome of "thinking outside the box". I enjoy old machinery more than most. My backup generator is a 50's vintage cast iron kohler marine generator. Quiet and reliable
old stuff is just cool ,and it tells ya a story of another time,,it should be a class in school ,,as some old things explain things far better than any book about them ever could
I don't know why, but there has always been a child-like fascination with the old stuff for me (the wife swears I was born 50 years too late, and then rolls her eyes at me). Our house (and barn & other outbuildings) were all built before 1860 and I knew I would buy the property when we pulled up in the driveway for the showing...I'm now renovating it to look like it did 100+ years ago (with the exception of the swimming pool--hey, I'm not a Luddite). Down our street there's a guy with an early 50's boat, outside and uncovered...every time we walk past it she damn near has to drag me away from it. Can't take me in an antique store, I'll spend every cent in the checking account. I just restored a 1929 GasBoy gas pump to stick outside the barn, then did a 1919 Singer Sewing machine for good measure...next is some farm equipment (old tiller) that I've cut out of some blackberry bushes...it doesn't have to be an old car, just so long as it's old. Something about that stuff just speaks to me...you can feel that people cared about the products back then, and you can almost feel their presence when you bring whatever it is back to it's former glory...makes me feel good when I step back and look on the finished product. No point to this reply, but hell, in the grand scheme there's really no point to this hobby, either.
Ryan, thanks for writing what you wrote. Twenty years ago, when my dad died, I inherited an old saddle. My grandfather left Virginia in 1914 and traveled to Montana with his brother and two cousins to homestead. While there, he made money by catching mustangs and breaking them and selling them. In 1914, he won a saddle in a poker game. After my dad was born a few years later, my grandparents moved back to VA (Granny said she was going back home with the baby, with or without my Granddad, so he went with her). At some point, Granddad gave that saddle to my Dad. My dad used that saddle his whole life, repairing it when necessary, but most importantly, using it. Dad died twenty years ago, and the saddle sits on a saddle horse that Dad built, right next to my desk. It's a daily reminder of taking pride in what one does for a vocation or even an avocation. A couple of years ago, I researched the saddle maker for this saddle. It was a guy named Al Furstnow, who made saddles in Miles City, Montana, from 1886 to 1895. The saddle, after at least 112 years, is in amazingly good shape and is still usable. Dad loved leather, steel (guns) and a good cigar. He took care of his possessions and used them. He said new saddles were junk, and modern saddle makers used lots of padding to cover up poor workmanship. The same could be said for cars and trucks. After 51 years on the road, the doors on my Nomad still close with a light touch. The windows crank up and down. The wonderbar radio still works fine, after it warms up, of course. The hood hinges still hold up the hood (unlike the stupid gas shocks that don't hold up the hood in my wife's Acura and my daughter's Grand Cherokee). Old stuff has a story to tell, for sure. But it's also well made, designed to last for many years, rather than for a few weeks. The quality and workmanship of old items is what I appreciate.
Great story and great links, the story on the children was heartbreaking. I think if everyone had to revisit history class we could do a lot better today.
At college I attended a retirement cerimony of one our older professors. He had the pleasure of having taught kids before and after the war. In many cases, the men who returned were about the same age as the kids working today at the local K-Mart. He said that before the War, the students were wild and carefree, acting like little more than the brats we talk about today. And as teachers, they treated them accordingly; like little kids. After the war though, it was a big shock. The Vets came back with an intensity that he said was indescribable. Many of the professors couldn't handle the change; the professors still wanted to treat them like the kids of before the war and these guys were demanding! No crap- teach me what I need to know to work, design, engineer, perform.....Paraphrasing what he told us, "how do you treat a 26 year old freshman who has been an LTC and an Air Wing Commander, responsible for 100's of lives and aircraft? You can't give them busy work and you can't talk about what-ifs; they want tangable hard facts!" That was the Greatest Generation - the guys who came back to make whatever time they had left the greatest time in their lives. Now every time I read about Squadrons and Battalions from WWII, I always look to see what the ages of the officers and enlisted guys. I'm pretty much in awe of the abilities and focus these guys had at such a young age.
I couldn't agree more Ryan. Everytime I see or buy something ...not just a car- anything old, I wonder where its been,how many people owned or used it before me, and if it could talk,what stories it could tell! It's as if all those things have their own character.
So your lost in the nostalgia? I know what you mean. When I was tearing down the A I would sit there in the dirt, dust, paint chip, etc. and wonder about the guys that put the car together. What was their day like. Where did they live. What did they drive to work. To look at the bolts and nuts and other parts as they came off the car and think that the last time someone touched these parts was over 76 years ago, in a different time and place. Then, you think about how things have changed and how things are made now vs back then. It some how is motivating and you want to do the best you can to build your car like they built it..blood, sweat, tears, and lots of love. That motivation can not be matched today except in little garages and shops scattered across America where guys/gals burn the midnight oil pursing this great hobby of ours. Some say it's hot rodding but, we all know it's the preservation of Americana during it's best and worst times. Great article.
Related to this - be watching for Ken Burns new documentary on WW2, "The War" coming out later this summer (September) on PBS info and teaser are here http://www.pbs.org/thewar/
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