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Is traditional the new billet?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by checkedgoldtop, Jul 27, 2009.

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  1. HiboyGirl
    Joined: Jun 22, 2007
    Posts: 781

    HiboyGirl
    Member

    I don't think that seeing a lot of traditional stuff will stop making it special. It's good to see the nostalgia cars back in the spotlight, many of us are working hard to help that cause :). When I went to the LA roadster show, I looked closely at every 32 parked in the "sanctuary". There were only but a few that were traditional. Everything else has some billet to it, radials and other modern elements. I know with hotrodding diversity is the essence, but when you can't see any deuces that are good surviving exemples of what the cars really looked like back in the days, it makes me wonder whether the general public today will think that hiboys had big radials and 4000 pounds of chrome billets in the fifties... Even the 100% authentic (henry ford steel and all) hiboys there had been altered over the years and no longer looked like they did back then. (ex: modern steering wheels etc...) The only refreshing exemple of a good nostalgia car I saw that day was Michael's Model A gorgeous hotrod roadster , which looks right out of a museum. Now that's a hotrod!
     
  2. J's on squares
    Joined: Jun 28, 2008
    Posts: 35

    J's on squares
    Member

    was hirohata a check-book builder?
     
  3. metalshapes
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 11,138

    metalshapes
    Member


    Same here...


    I decided I wanted a Trad Hot Rod when the Billet movement was still new and fresh and gaining momentum.


    When I finally got around to building it, I didn't know very many people building anything Trad.


    I'm still into Trad Hot Rods as much as I ever was, but I'm also building a car in a newer style, right now.

    For me... For the fun of it.
    Not because it may or may not become the "new whatever"....
     
  4. WhiteDevil
    Joined: Jun 22, 2009
    Posts: 707

    WhiteDevil
    Member
    from Wichita KS

    Traditional rods gaining popularity in the wrong eyes means two things....model a's with rice wings and can exhaust...and traditional part prices going through the roof
     
  5. fortynut
    Joined: Jul 16, 2008
    Posts: 1,038

    fortynut
    Member

    Let me wade in here. Billet as a commercial enterprise exploded after a few gifted builders, not having the wherewithal to buy pricey parts, turned to their Bridgeport mills and made things that worked for THEM. One of them, Lil' John Buttera had gotten his chops building pure race cars for the likes of Mickey Thompson and dragsters of all kinds for customers who actually raced with a passion for kicks and money. His stuff stands up against the most traditional of rods ever constructed because he had the same ideas they did: build what you like, build it to go fast, and drive it like you just stole it. (Just take a look a the T sedan he built and drool.) However, folks, this being a hobby, with those who can doing, and those who can't buying, seeing what had been done, following in the same monkey-see, monkey-do pattern as we've seen since the first wise acre ripped the fenders off his model T and ditched the muffler, they wanted some of that same bling. (Some of us actually build our cars, no doubt, but to think we live in the ozone and aren't effected by the sea changes of fashion, if that's what you want to call trends, let me say, that I for one, know we do, and want to do better than the next guy, competetion being part of the 'car thing'.) The fact of the matter is that Hot Rod Magazine, and Street Rodder documented a lot of this, before R&C came back on the stands. (now they're all owned by the same multinational corporation, and the preponderance of their writers are journalists first, and enthusiasts second, no fault no foul, but a fact that makes you wonder about their motives). BUT, there were others who understood that traditional was cooler, and catered in their parts-making to that crowd, Pete & Jakes being the one I was influenced by, Jake being 'the man' to me, and Pete Eastwood still carrying the traditionalist flame, as it were, and Eric Vaughn doing superb machine work for the double knock down stuff that we all love. And, who can fault the merchandising smarts of Chapouris, who may have his faults, but has wrangled his group of builders to bring a lot the 'old stuff' back in the form it was created, The Pierson Brothers Coupe and Baskerville's altered pickup coming to mind, not to mention 'The California Kid' as mean a movie prop as there ever was, that became an icon in its own right. I mean let's get real here. Even if we believe building a car by a formula is not a trend, take a look at the trends that street-rodders fell into when they decided they wanted to drive their cars in style, first building what were called resto-rods, and adding all the conveniences Detroit had dreamed up for the land yachts they sold in show rooms. And when everyone had one, someone else built their version of yet an older version of what had been called gob jobs, strip downs, and, yes, hot rods. The main theme in most of the 'real' cars that we think of as being the tabla rosa of hot-rodding were purpose built, either to race at El Mirage or Muroc, or to street race (with apologies to NorCal rods that bent the formula somewhat, customs being in my mind birthed by the craftsmen who came out of that area). Because, there is an aesthetic that is pre-World War II that goes further into the 'true' heart of what the deal was, than those that came after the war, when every soldier who tramped home through Southern California was infected by the rods that were on the streets at that time. I had the opportunity to deal directly with Don Blair, after he'd sold his shop in Pasadena, and being curious about the history of dry-lakes racing in particular and hot-rodding as I know it, in general, asked him a lot of questions, one being about that divide that I see as separating a world that had focused on one thing and enjoyed a kind of lazy misadventure into forms that now seem to some degree quaint, and the one we all know now. "We were all racing at El Mirage that day," he said. "And someone who had their radio on told the rest of us that the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor." What did you do then? "We shut everything down and went home. Some of the boys volunteered, and some of the others went to work in the aircraft factories." Yeah, I know there's a lot we don't know about that time, that we think we do. But, after the war was over, what the rest of us think of as hot-rodding came back around with a bang. To think that we're the ones who decide about our hobby is bunk. What kindles the fire in a man who wants to build something with his own two hands out of a pile of parts, or bar stock, is no different. The object is the same: self expression with a purpose akin insanity. Even rat rods, funky as they appear to those with upturned noses, have made someone just as happy as the lunk who plunked down his shekels when Boyd was making his tailor made tin. The only difference I see is that trends sell parts, and magazines sell advertising. If they think there's going to be more people selling nostalgia related stuff, you and I both know that there's going to be more emphasis on that angle than the other. And the rest of us, who are caught up in the middle trying to build 'pure' hot-rods are going to be effected the same as if there was a pandemic. Questions?
     
  6. Hooligan63
    Joined: Mar 1, 2009
    Posts: 1,343

    Hooligan63
    Member

    I build my car the way I want,don't give two shits about the "trend" or what's popular.Build it to drive it and be happy,who cares about the magazines:rolleyes:
     
  7. Choptop
    Joined: Jun 19, 2001
    Posts: 3,303

    Choptop
    Member

    Start building mini-truck customs now, be ahead of the curve :D
     
  8. Dooley
    Joined: May 29, 2002
    Posts: 2,956

    Dooley
    Member
    from Buffalo NY

    Do you think that Roth or Barris or Watson, or Starbird, or even Chrisman, Pierson Bros, Ivo, and of the other heros from "in the day" would argue over this shit?

    Or were they out in the garage/shop building what they wanted...

    Built and drive what you want, let the other guy worry about names, and categories.
    Sheesh
     
  9. 31fordV860
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 864

    31fordV860
    Member

    Amen ...and Full size 70's van customs ( don't forget the beer can ring-top curtains and curtis mayfield playing on the muntz 8 track ) .....
    even though probably in the curve right about now...70's trad ...
     
  10. hemi
    Joined: Jul 11, 2001
    Posts: 1,959

    hemi
    Member

    I didn't get very far in this thread yet, but the late Li'l John would have to disagree.. and custom, one-off billet has been the style for the last decade or so...

    With the recent surge in popularity, traditional is becoming VERY easy..

    I will continue reading now... :D
     
  11. Bettlejuice
    Joined: Apr 27, 2009
    Posts: 481

    Bettlejuice
    Member
    from WV

    Man, some of you guys make me wish I would have sunk every cent I have into the soap box industry. :rolleyes:
     
  12. hemi
    Joined: Jul 11, 2001
    Posts: 1,959

    hemi
    Member

    abandon your trendy white-walled buggies and start building one of these:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The revolution will be televised...
     
  13. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    That last one kicks ass....

    My old Datsun.....:D
     

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  14. hemi
    Joined: Jul 11, 2001
    Posts: 1,959

    hemi
    Member

    Yeah, but to REALLY be "just like the 80s bro" hardcore... everyone will need a new wardrobe and a haircut..
    :)

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Its really funny to see these kind of threads come up because it doesn't matter what you collect or build. I collect tattoos, watches, skate decks, and used to be an avid BMW E30 M3 collector on top of my main love for hot rods and its always the same. The "look" vs the "tradition"

    To me there are 2 types of "traditions" in hot rods. There is the traditional "look" or "style" of a hot rod which will ALWAYS be up for opinion and subject to being part of a "fad". Hell in the past few years I've been on this board there have been several fad changes even within the genre. I think the "look" will always be fluid and to each their own.

    Then there is the "tradition" of hot rodding to which I hold dear that I think is frankly lost on too many on this site because of their holier than thou attitudes and is certainly lost on much of the "hot rodding" world. The "tradition" of hot rodding is what I love to see in these posts, people attempting to build their own rides based on whatever skills and equipment they have with the help of others (individually and collectively) until they can get better at what they are doing or learning more about this thing we do. We all have to start somewhere.

    The "tradition" of hot rodding is a gentlemen from this site driving 100 miles each way from his house to see if he can find me an upper dash for my truck, finding one that is the worse for wear. Repairing and primering it then sending it to me just for the cost of the piece itself.

    I guess the long story short is who gives a shit about who likes the look cause that always comes and goes. The tradition will always be there.
     
  16. Cut55
    Joined: Dec 1, 2007
    Posts: 1,979

    Cut55
    Member
    from WA

    "Trad" rhymes with "fad."

    When traditional became "trad" it led to the fad that is now "trad."

    Is that bad?

    No, but it is a little sad.

    Hype is hype,
    and as I type,

    I realize that I have not yet had lunch.
     
  17. Is this because we, the trad rod group, are filtering out of the NSRA, GG, whatever gatherings and making our own gatherings that are becoming larger every year and more noticable? Then comes the magazines noticing "us"?
     
  18. SinisterCustom
    Joined: Feb 18, 2004
    Posts: 8,277

    SinisterCustom
    Member

    That was Rad.....
     
  19. checkedgoldtop
    Joined: Apr 24, 2009
    Posts: 276

    checkedgoldtop
    Member

    You lost me at "let me wade in here". I'm gonna go work on my car now, remind me to never bring crap up like this again.
     
  20. T-Time
    Joined: Jan 5, 2007
    Posts: 1,627

    T-Time
    Member
    from USA

    Never bring crap like this up again.
     
  21. Robbie Horn
    Joined: Jan 13, 2009
    Posts: 179

    Robbie Horn
    Member
    from Axtell

    I don't think traditional is the new billet. To me traditional rods are ones built period correct for the year and have been around longer than billet and are still being built without it. A traditional rod to me shouldn't have an alternator,but a generator, manual trans, multiple carbs, and no repro china knockoffs of anything new unless NOS. To me it's the old rods that started all this for us & I think that is why traditional have become more popular and I don't thin they will be any less popular ever.To me the new trend is to bulid a rod out of all old ORIGINAL parts and or speed parts and nothing should be billet. When I see a fiberglass or metal replica rod loaded with billet wheels,door handles,pulleys,bumpers, which I am not slamming them or trying to say something bad about them, but they are what they are & in their own category to me. I built my 38 chevy coupe like what i call a restorod, original body with late model drive train, but no billet and no suspension parts ordered from a catalogue, but sourced from other vehicles and I don't consider it a traditional but a restorod. I have a 38 chevy 2dr sedan ex drag car that i'm planning on trying to make a traditional rod out of though, it'll be loud & fast!!
     
  22. hemi
    Joined: Jul 11, 2001
    Posts: 1,959

    hemi
    Member

    I think Ponyboy should stay golden, too.
     
  23. kpapesh
    Joined: Jun 4, 2009
    Posts: 64

    kpapesh
    Member
    from Ohio

    Traditional is definitely becoming popular, that's not a bad thing. Nothing fiberglass is tradiional.
     
  24. ChevyRat
    Joined: Oct 12, 2007
    Posts: 575

    ChevyRat
    Member

    I agree, traditional is definately becoming popular in the mainstream with the Boyd easter egg car owners. Take it as a compliment that they envy what we have been doing all along! The only difference is that we will continue to build what is real and they will try to fit in by writing a check.
     
  25. gotwood
    Joined: Apr 6, 2007
    Posts: 264

    gotwood
    Member
    from NYC

    FORTYNUT how about a few fuckin paragraphs???

    I think a quality built car is a quality built car regardless of the parts on it. There are tons of so called "Traditional" cars that have every so called rare part reproduced in Mexico and sold on EBAY that look like shit. Then there are some cars with billet parts that work with the overall theme of the car. Just because it is billet doesn't mean it is a 100lb square dash holding digital gauges.

    There are plenty of traditional looking parts that have been made of better quality do to being made out of billet. Wheels, knobs, valve covers, etc.

    When I can afford to buy a $30k bare original shell and spend another $15k on a basic flatty maybe I can understand some of you guys. A fiberglass car can look more traditional than a steel bodied car. What is wrong with quality control and better door gaps???

    Oh well.
     
  26. I walked by a motorcycle the other day that looked like a dyed in the wool old bobber. Sparse and lean. no front fender. Patina. The rear tire even had a yellowed with age wide white while tire. Then I noticed the Honda 90 like engine and that it looked a little scaled down. Probably made in China for 25 bucks. :(:rolleyes:
    Traditional rods and Kustoms are like great art. They are art. An expression of someones heart and soul. That's why they grab me. They'll always be in style and just plain cool.:cool: Like great music, art, writing etc. :)
    So I should just hang on to the Billet Specialties wheels I took off my car?:D
     
  27. dante81_98
    Joined: Sep 26, 2005
    Posts: 504

    dante81_98
    Member
    1. A-D Truckers

    I immediately thought of a black chick saying "oh no he didn't!" and snapping her fingers.

    While I agree with you, you are opening up a can of worms with that comment. Good luck with that
     
  28. This thread is to the HAMB, as Billet is to Hot Rods... wrap your mind around that one!
     
  29. zman
    Joined: Apr 2, 2001
    Posts: 16,730

    zman
    Member
    from Garner, NC

    and you would be wrong.... :eek:
     
  30. joedoh
    Joined: May 5, 2007
    Posts: 188

    joedoh
    Member
    from Wichita KS

    I am the new hardcore traditional, I cut off my electricity and crap in a shed out back because thats how they did it in the 40s and 50s.

    Seriously though. There are some really knowledgeable guys here, but not a majority who were even alive when traditional rodding was developed let alone a majority even alive when the cars built in the unofficial traditional cutoff years of 62-3-4. I read all the threads bashing on minitrucks and the guys who build or used to build them, when the fact of the matter is that, prior to recently becoming traditional builders, the most complicated thing some (not all) of the bashers had ever done was assemble a shed from Lowes. I would figure that ANY background in vehicle modification would serve as worthwhile experience, but oh well. There are likely a group of street rodders somewhere that will jump down a traditional builders throat for running steel wheels and wide whites; cest la vie.

    The point is, I know this is a fancy and respectable place for people of a traditional bend to hang out, regardless of age or experience, but unless you were coughing at the track in the 50s (and I know there are some here that were) you could consider yourselves these new traditionalists mentioned in the first post, respecting styles that guys long dead came up with before you took your first steps. Dont misunderstand, there are some _really_ knowledgable guys here. I have learned a ton from the tech archive, and I enjoy reading about the barn/swapmeet/garage sale finds, you could make a popular show out of some of the stories here. But this site is a result of the traditional boom, not the other way around.


    I know, I know, shut up FNG minitrucker scum. I'll somehow find a way to deal with the scorn.
     
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