Hotrods and Customs must be good in cops eyes

With the onslaught of knuckleheads migrating up to the Antelope Valley dailey, i notice more and more cop activity, in many traffic stops, and tow-aways, yet the '59 truck i drive most of the time under the legal drop limit , and also my 6'1" body barely looking over the steering wheel gets the nod whenever i'm passed by cops.
They pull up beside me now and either give me a nod, or give the truck a kind of "blessing" once over and grin. So it seems here in the AV, life is good for the Rods and Custom's, THANK GOD!
Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

 

99% of an officers reaction to you is your behavior, not the car.

 

cops don't hassle you because you are an old fart.

 

Took off with a buddy in my car a couple weeks ago without my drivers license on me. As I expressed my concern my buddy pointed out we are both overweight & middle aged, not 17, no cops going to give up trouble.

 

DAM'N, thats it! I AM AN OLD FART!!!!

 

Im in the SFV and ive never had an issue. There is the occasional cop that will hassle you no matter what youre driving, but besides those guys, dont be a jackass and you'll be ok. But also dont forget that a loud old car does get more attention than a white 98 honda civic.

 

Cops in Arkansas are pretty good to the rodding and customizing community. As long as you behave you don't get hassled. Helps, I guess, to have the county sheriff in your club. But not if your outside the bounds. Drugs, and meth in particular, is a big problem here. And most enforcement is focused on that.

 

I used to get pulled over in My Rivi and my thunderbird all the time. Sometimes for doing stupid shit and sometimes just driving along driving like I'm supposed too.
It seemed to me that it was more prevalent to get cops attention during the lowrider boom of the 90's around here. The cops were smart about cars that looked to low or to tall.
But also I realize now that I looked like a little kid from 18 to 22. If your a cop and you see a bunch of mexican kids in a car you already know they are prolly up to no good
These days cops don't even look my way.
The behaviour thing is key once you get pulled over too. I've been pulled over for shit that should have got my car impounded or me ticketed but I just take my medicine and they usually let me off. You don't get any rewards for pissing off a cop.
I've met lotsa cops that are into cars and many of them know what Hotrods and Kustoms are.

 

I was stopped just the other day driving my 59 Ranchero w/59 tags. The cop said "just wanted see the El Camino up close. I have never seen a real one". I laughed (to myself) and said "sir, this isn't a Chevy, this is a Ford". He said "oh, I didn't know El Caminos' were made by Ford too". I then explained that is was a Ranchero, not an El Camino.

Takes all kinds, but at least he was interested.

 

Thats funny.Beep.

 

In the late sixties my brother owned a '53 Kaiser Manhattan. Just for grins, he welded a large washtub upside down, on the roof. He cut observation slots around it and cut an access hole through the roof. A cop pulled him over and asked "What the hell is that thing on the roof?" My brother just looked at him and said, "It's a turret" (like, what does it look like?). I think the cop just shook his head and waved him on. My brother loved messing with people.

 

Cool Story BEEP. Reminded me of a cop that came to my house. I was in my house one morning watching my daughter when I noticed a cop on my driveway talking to my cousin. He's an illegal and drives around without a license even though we tell him not too.
I thought for sure he'd finally got caught. I went out to see what was up and the cop asked what the car on my driveway was. I told him it was my wife's 58 olds. He then proceeded to tell me about his 65 el camino that sits on supremes. We talked cars for a sec and he said he wanted me to stripe his ticket book sometime. Then he said to bad I can't have my patrol car striped. He got a call and said he'd come by another time. That was a new one for me....he even revved up hid crown vic as he left!

 

Same with my '59 Ford ragtop. Cop was a gearhead and wanted to look at the car...even turned off his whooptedoo lights after I stopped.

 

I agree. Our car club took a trip up through Mountain View a few weeks ago, and we just kept getting the thumbs up and waves from the cops(and everyone else). Coming home, I caught a light about to change and as it turned yellow, I floored it and went through... a cop sitting on the side street turned the other way and he didn't bother me... Just depends on where you are at, and your attitude with them...

 

only cops that have given me shit lately were young snotnosed punks to young to know what a hotrod is,probably went back dropped their cop car and got into their tuner POS

 

Not in Ohio, Me and Sheriff Bob Brazle are on a first name basis. He pulls my ass over in anything. He's kind of got something out for me, like the cop did in American Graffiti with Milner. He actually did pull me over once (of the many times) and told me " we have an excellent description of this vehicle doing a burn out at the corner of so and so I will ketch you in the act and when I do......" well you get the point...anyway, it kind of sucks.

 

I have to say im here between L.A. county and O.C. and I have yet to have any issues with cops, well other then when I was young with underage drinking haha. Let my ass go.

 

In the little piss-ant town I live in, all we have are Sheriff's dept. officers, with the occasional Highway Patrol unit. Since I am one of many 'old car guys' in the area, most of the cops know us. As a result, most of them leave us alone. However, as MEATBALL pointed out, every now and then we get a NEWB whose out to prove anything he can to make a name for himself.

Personally, I have been pulled over tons of times, mostly to be told that I really need taillights, a back window, a hood, tires with air, a body over a frame, remove the Honda from my grill, etc. Only once did I get pulled over so the cop could 'check out the car'. While normally I have no problem with people looking the cars over, this really upset me, as my recently passed father was a lieutenant at Houston Police Department, and would always rail the officers that obviously pushed the limits to far of their authority. Needless to say, I told the officer that he better have a ticket ready for me, cause if he was abusing his sirens, lights, and such so he could get a better look at the car, then I was reporting him to his superior officer (who I know rather well). Long story short, I didn't get a ticket, but me and Mike (the siren and light abuser... LOL!) are now very good friends. Heck, since he patrols the whole area, he seems to find all kinds of goodies that he puts me on.

SIDE NOTE: Years ago a buddy told me to befriend a postal worker or a UPS driver to help finding old cars. I have had far better luck with my cop buddies though, cause sometimes their job requires a backyard adventure, and who knows what lurks behind some of these fences!

As for the city, I have always carried insurance on any vehicle I drive, not only to protect myself, but the others around me should an accident occur. That said, I have rarely gotten my inspection done, and NEVER put registration stickers on my cars (they look like piss on the windshield, and if you try and take a period picture, they blow it). I got pulled over once when I still owned my '61 DeSoto. It still wore it's inspection sticker from 1964, and I wasn't about to remove it, for history's sake. Well, I got popped for it and the registration and inspection. I decided I would go to court to fight it. I got lucky, as the judge is a car guy as well, and let me off on both. Told me to get the registration and keep it in the glove box. When asked about the inspection, his reply was, "I don't think you would be driving it if wasn't safe, now would you? Who would want to wreck something like that?" I left it at that and still never get them inspected, especially if original papers are with it.

~MyDeSoto~

 

and so who started this ? maybe you... doing burnouts on streets where there a re people that will report you does nothing to help the future of hot rodding.. Sorry you loose
Dave

 

I used to get a lot of attention around my spot in Elk Grove a suburb of Sacramento but I noticed now that I have nice paint and chrome wheels its much less of an issue. I have even passed cops completely aired out driving down our main street and never received a ticket. I have however kept my flame thrower use to a minimum!

 

Good call, torch! It happened years before Animal House came out.

 

I think 99% of it is your behaviour and attitude. In the thirty something years I have been running around in SoCal I have never been hassled......even driving my big block, bad-ass roudy '66 Ford Fairlane back in the seventies. When I cruise around town these days in my old sedan all I get time after time is a wave & a smile......even from the punk kid kinda cops (who's grandfather I probably went to school with). Maybe it's the grey beard??

 

It was the "Deathmobile" in Animal House

 

Years ago it was always the young small town reserve cops that liked to hassle me. As a couple of guys mentoned they were trying to make a name for them selves and if they could pull over and figure out how to give a ticket to the guy in the red chopped and very low Chevy pickup so much the better.
We had one younger state patrolman in the area who lived not far from me and was noted for hating hotrods and modified cars but he has either outgrown the attitude or moved on to another area.
There are enough kids with fart pipes on Hondas playing like they are in Fast and Furious the remake that most officers in the area don't bother the well built rods and customs.

 

Up here they generally only care about enforcing revenue generating activities, so a long as your sticker valid, your parking meter is not up or they can't cite you for moving violations, you're OK.

I've been stopped a few times for stupid stuff. You stick out because you are driving something different. The latest one was being stopped for having "blue dot" taillights in my '50 Ford. Apparently they are illegal because someone could mistake a white '50 Ford convertible for a snow plow in July. Rather than fight it, I just changed the lenses to the stock glass ones.

 

Here in Dirty Jersey, there is REAL crime, hot rodding is not a crime. haha

 

Cops here have bigger problems than an old rusty car. They have REAL crime to let happen... I mean investigate.

 

A buddy of mine got off the freeway and ended up lost in Watts (LA riots of the '60's). He was driving his chopped '49 Merc. Since he had been out skeet shooting, he had his shotgun in the trunk. He took the shotgun out, loaded it and placed it on the seat next to him. Lo and behold, everywhere he went, he got the thumbs up and no one bothered him. I guess rods cross all boundaries......

 

I'm a very attentive driver. I do like the rush of acceleration and going around corners fast. But like Milner sez "driving is serious business". I am safety minded.
I do push it a little sometimes but I'm always alert. A bonus of my motorcycle riding.
Lately I've been driving a little faster than normal. Don't know why. Maybe it's a mid life crisis thing.
While visiting a friend in Wenatchee, Washington I was out cruising in his Sportster one eve. I was on a nice windy mountain road. I was pushing it thru the corners.
He always warned me to watch it in that road. Sure enough, I'm almost near the end of the road and I meet a cop. Oh shit!!
I was doing about 74 in a 55. Dumb ass me. He does a Uee. I pulled over, helmet off and licence out before he even gets stopped. I think "I such a dope".
Nice officer. 40's. Asks what I doing in Wa. Visiting a friend. This is his bike. Just riding. He gives me a huge break. Because I'm a visitor and on a "strange" bike.
He was very polite about the whole thing. I told him I appriciated the jester and thanked God the whole time riding back.
About 3 weeks ago I was out for lunch. Drove my Mazdaspeed 3. Heading back to work I was kinda "pushing it" again. It's very easy to do in this car. I get on the highway and jet around some other ricer. Going pretty fast. 85 in hearbeat. I take a right hand turn lane at about 40 or 50. I get to the light by work. Here comes some guy in a 4 Malibu really fast. Oh SHIT again. I look in my mirror. Plan clothes and unmarked but I see the radar and hidden lights FUCK ME. DUMB ASS!!
The light changes. I go...slowly. Lights come on. Crap!! Right in front of work.
My car is bright RED too like my face. Turn the corner, pull over. This guys not so polite. Pissed off. Maybe he was having trouble catching me. My hot rodder senses had failed me once again. He's wondering why I'm in such a hurry telling me all the violations I made, (I DID signal my turns!! I was just going fast!) He was mad. I didn't have any excuses. I just smiled and gave him my license and Insurance card.
He goes back to his car. He has back up. I guess he thought i might "run". I sit there. Oh well that's what I get. He comes back after forever or 10 minutes. Gives me my license back. "No violations driving like that". What can I say. I just smile again and say "I guess not". He's cooling off. "Just slow down". Once again "Thank you Lord, thank you thank you".
I look at those as little taps on the shoulder by the Head mechanic. So I've counted my blessings and SLOWED the hell down. I guess some of my luck was being polite and having a good driving record.
Humbled old fart

 

ive noticed here in tacoma washington that the cops are looking at the imports more than the rods and customs around. as long as you arent burnin out and acting like a idiot they give ya the thumbs up. i think they realize that most of us are just cruzin and enjoing what we have built rather than racing everyone we see like the import guys.