Hey Alberta Hambers!! Time to pull your socks up!!

I agree but to be fair and I'm not sure how it works around where you are most car show here are for charities and they are just looking to raise money so anyone who will pay the entry fee is welcome.

 

Im in Calgary.. there is a Weds Night Gathering of cars of all types at the Deerfoot Mall.... and for the most part I like them all.. 27tudor set up a gathering at A&W , and put some real effort into this.. and a real Nice guy..



Boyd,,,, If I could make it Manitoba, I would be there....

 

My thoughts......
I grew up in Edmonton and attended as many drags as I could as a kid....funny car nationals , the foxhunt , bracket racing etc. I saw most of the legends "240 Gordy" Bonin
Terry Capp , Graham Light etc. Saw legends come to town Tom , " mongoose " McKuen , saw the little red wagon , pure hell .....lots of traditional old school stuff. Edmonton has a rich racing history. I remember as a kid lots of t-buckets , a few 40 ford coupes and some model a's that I would have given a nut for. Back then they werent " traditional" they were just hot rods!. I was too young and poor to own any of that stuff but dreams don't die they just get delayed until the time is right. Fast forward 20 plus years......kids are big , have a little more cash , time for a rod. If you wanted to build a hot rod what magazine would you buy?.... Well Hot Rod of course!. If you bought any car magazine 20 plus years ago there was barely any mention of "traditional" it was whatever was the "style of the day. And there were some pretty BAD styles... pastel colors , smoothed monochrome everything , 1-800- blisterpack bolt on junk. If you didn't know what was traditional you'd think that this was how you would have to build a car. There were some old timers who could help you if you knew where to find them , but if you were on your own , the magazines were pretty much your info source. Fast forward about 10 years and the internet is the new magazine for the masses. I found the HAMB searching for info for my 39 Chev that I was building at the time. Granted it would be classified as a street rod but it was the beginning of my hotrod education. The wealth of information on the internet was staggering! My first question that I put on this forum was about an old edelbrock cross ram manifold I wanted to know a bit about. I had lots of replies , some from people who knew , some from people who just wanted to know what kind of tattoos I had and which rockabilly band I listened to. That was my introduction to some of the "scenesters" There was a core group that were all about the cars and there were some who lived the lifestyle in their eyes.
I really liked the style of the traditional cars as opposed to the modern billet stuff. The appeal was more nostalgic as I remembered some of the cars from my childhood. I think the reason there are not more traditional cars is the amount of effort to get them right and the amount of information available. If you buy any of the magazines lately you'll see a renaisance of new traditional cars and and the emphasis on DIY articles as opposed to 1-800 -buyeverything stories. Even Street rodder that to me at one time was the worst magazine , now actually has some good articles and tech pieces geared toward the traditional feel.I know this is a bit of a rambling story but stay with me. I would love to say that I have a 100 % traditional , historically correct car but I don't have the patience to find every little correct piece. I do like a few modern advances too like electronic ignition , disc brakes , radial tires. I would love to attend every traditional show or cruise that I could find. But the few that I have attended made me feel like I was the old guy that didn't belong. If you saw me on the street I would appear more like a bible salesman than a hotrodder. I have had many very kind comments from lots of young guys about my 60 wagon that is in my avatar. That car is not traditional but seems to fit in with the feel of the era. No self respecting greaser would have been caught dead in a grocery getter wagon. I'm not sure where that puts me, I like the look of a traditional car but I don't fit in with the traditional crowd . The car I'm building now is a 30 model a coupe. It's going to be chopped , full fendered , wide five wheels , 292 inline 6 , homemade hilborn style injection , EFI.....did the efi just get me kicked out of the traditional club?....probably! I guess what I'm getting at is for me a purely traditional car is a dream , a driveable traditionally styled car is what I am building....I will still like traditionally built cars over the gold chain chequebook cars.... I will still go to traditional shows, maybe sell a few bibles , ....I will always remember the good times at speedway park....I would love to come by your shop if I ever get back to Edmonton ....WOW! what a ramble....hope some of it made sense!

 

Damn Jethro, how many cups of coffee have you had today?!

 

HAHAHA.

Jethro I understand where you are coming from but I don't even see alot of billet street rod cars around anymore either up here it is mostly muscle cars. Hotrods and customs still must be out there as you see a small collection of different cars each year but they just don't seem to come out much anymore at least to the shows. Not sure if it is just the influx of other cars into shows that are steering guys away or what but they sure seem to have dropped off the last couple of years.

 

14 , why do you ask......did you feel an earthquake just now!

 

Wow Jethro, I bet you have some cool stories from when you were a kid.
I grew up around drag racing and still do drag race (1966 RCS front engine car with an injected alcohol 327) and I know alot of the guys you are talking about. I still hang out with Bob Cantin, one of the pioneers of Edmonton hot rodding, and I have met alot of the original edmonton hot rod guys ( Racer Ray, Dan Sorenson Jim Shaw etc etc) and have done alot of research on the old edmonton clubs such as the West Edmonton Drifters and the Rodents. Alot of these guys are still involved in hot rodding (even though they all have modernized street rods now) and they think it is awesome that we are trying to bring hot rodding back to the roots.
I honestly belive Edmonton has enough of a car community to do something big, we just have to educate more people on the traditional side of it and hope that more people will become involved in preserving and honouring the roots of hot rodding.
A few weeks ago a frined of mine came across Dan Sorensons old T rpu for sale in Spruce Grove. He built the car in 1958 and it has been untouched since 1964. It is the real deal survivor hot rod, candy red, gold metal flake interior and top, full chromed out 40 ford suspension, buick nailhead all hopped up. I talked to Dan about the car and he gave me all the history behind it, how he built it with a desoto hemi originaly, how it cost him $2800 to build it in 1958 etc. He wanted to know if I was going to buy, and I wanted to but I didnt have money. He said he wanted it but didnt want to spend the $15,000 to have it again. Well someone bought it, I dont know who, but I have a feeling its not going to be restored or even respected for what it is and will soon be running a small block chevy and moden suspension.

 

I'm in central Alberta, about 1/2 hour west of Olds. I'm in, even if it's Edmonton, but maybe something central so more could attend might not be a bad idea.

 

It would awesome to take over the streets of some small mountain town... so that all of the sudden there were hot rods everywhere... like stepping into a time warp.

 

I approve of this idea!

Although the mountains are long distance for everyone but those bastards in Calga...er...I mean those RAD dudes down there in Calgary!

I'm gonna start looking for a place for a suitable meeting location, kind of central between both the major city centers. That way it's not a 5 second trip for some, 4 hours for others sorta thing.

 

It's actually kind of like that in Radium second or third weekend in September. Not a whole lot of traditional rides but there are some ....

 

Jethro, Bobber trucks aren't traditional! Don't make me take your computer away...

The mercury belongs to Hal, he's from Edmonton. (And the Lincoln beside it is my buddy Dave's car)
The T RPU belongs to my buddy George, from here in Red Deer
The A sedan is also from Red Deer, his name slips my mind but he's a good guy.

 

An Albertan HAMBer meet sounds like a cool idea.

To give some perspective on the original question, the reason I'm not out at shows or just cruising around is that I've been entirely too busy to attend events (missed both local swap meets and the Rock'n Red Deer show) and my truck is nowhere near running condition (again, lack of time and funds). It's really quite frustrating.

Maybe a lot of us are in the same situation?

 

I also aprove of the small town idea. I was thinking something small maybe this sept just to get the ball rolling, see what kind of interest it generates and if it all goes good start planning a big show for next summer. A pre 64 traditional only show. Same kind of rules as Hotrodarama or Billet Proof, and stick to the rules.
There is a "traditional" show here in Edmonton once a year but some how every year more and more street rods muscle cars and even tuner cars are getting in. Last year the traditional cars were actually out numbered by the non traditional cars.
I checked with the girl friend (always important) and she said Sept 12 or 19 would be good dates. Maybe say Lacombe? or Sylvan Lake? As cool as I think it would be to have it at the shop Central seems like a more practical idea for the rest of Alberta.

 

Busted!.....it was parked in our motel parking lot...my bad

 

I'll forgive you...this time.


Sylvan Lake is almost dead-center between Edm and Calgary (seriously, it's a matter of minutes difference). I can see what kind of day-camp facilities are available, what they cost to use (if anything at all) etc etc.

Wendy says mid-sept eh? Everyone check your scheduals!

 

and may I add, NO MUSCLE CARS ALLOWED!!

 

Calm down, I'm sure eveyone understood the pre-64 rule

 

I'll start poking around for a suitable locale as well.

 

I'm fairly new to the scene here in Calgary, moved here a few years ago from the coast. I've made it to the Crowfoot A&W cruise about a month ago and unfortunately haven't been able to make it back since, for a few different reasons. At any rate, met 27tudor who is a stellar guy, and a few other great guys aswell. And am going to be back there this weekend again finally if I can!

I'm one of those that fits into the group of "My car is what it is, and it's a work in progress". I enjoy driving it as much as I enjoy working on it. It's a 50 Chev that is never going to be a showcar, nor do I want it to be. I would have bought a different car if that was the route I wanted to take. That being said I have a 64 Fairlane coming along that is going to be more musclecar than anything else, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still a guy that can appreciate both era's. Please don't blacklist me because of that.

Anyway, I'd definitely be in for a HAMB bbq or something! And don't worry, the Fairlane is in many many pieces so no chance I'd bring that, hahahha. I'll be on the 55mph charter. The ol' 216 has it's limits, and that's pretty much all she's got. Let me know if I can be of any help from down here in Calgary.

 

James, if we get this show on the road perhaps you could spearhead a convoy from Calgary to wherever it is that the event goes down?

 

I'd definitely see what I can put together. I don't know too many guys around here being fairly new, but I'm sure I can put the word out and get a line of cars heading north! If I can make it to the A&W cruise at Crowfoot this weekend I'll put out the feelers and see what's what.

 

Wow! I thought this was a thread about SOCKS! Carry on ....

 

Sorry Dog_Patch, only clean woolies around here!

OK guys, I just had a long discussion with my partner-in-crime Matt. He brought up some good points that need to be considered. We all seem to be pretty bored with the 'scene' (for a lack of a better term) around our parts, as we just don't seem to be getting what we want out of it. I personally believe that change starts on a local level. I'm tired of going to shows that are billed as pre-64 and seeing '72 whatever-it-may-be's and in some cases imports (what the fuck??) or a show billed as traditional and seeing '22 wheels, tweed interiors, stereos taking up more space in the car then the seats (seriously, I don't care if you have a CD player but it drives me up the wall when it's right out in plain sight and speakers the size of drums in the back seat). If you have a cool custom with all the proper touches, but it's powered by a new injected smallblock keep your hood closed! (customs hoods should be closed anyways!)

If we're going to do this, I personally believe we should be striving for something more. I think that as H.A.M.B members you will agree. Change starts on a local scale, and if we're diligent enough we can make a more TRADITIONAL event for anyone wishing to participate... as long as they understand what it it we're striving for. Now, if I had it my way it's be bias-ply tires only, no frame-laying customs, no this no that no whatever cause I happen to be an asshole. BUT even I realize that it's a little far-fetched to believe we'd have any kind of a decent turnout if we imposed such harsh rules. What do you guys think? Keep in mind whats traditional, and what YOU would like to see and what YOU would be bringing... clearly neither Jalopy Kid or I would be cool with low-profile wheels, ratrods (if you need to ask what classifies as a ratrod...well...)IFS on hotrods, billet...

 

I'm In!

When does the convoy leave?

What about dead on '64??
Lee can testify I'm billet-free

.

 

Hey man, if it's not a '64 1/4 Mustang...we'll at least consider it!

Honestly though, everyone should use their own discretion and use a little thought before they make the drive. If you drive all the way in a car that doesn't fall into the criteria (we'll have to come up with some rules) and expect to be let in...I'm sorry, but you'll have to park your car outside the "designated cool people area". It's nothing personal, it's just not what we're trying to accomplish here.

 

Like I was saying in my previous caffeine induced babble....I like to think that my cars are "traditionalish", but I think a pure traditionalist may gas one or two features because they are not correct.My take on the idea is a group of like minded individuals who have a love for old style traditional looking cars getting together for a weekend wing ding....I think there should be some guidelines as to what flies and what sinks, but yeah , no obvious muscle , tuner , pastel , billet , cry baby , A&W window tray , poodle skirt , rock around the clock, hokey sit and shine type car show stuff.....oops babbling again, gotta stop that!

 

Yes. most of the Manitoba events help raise money for charities, but I still think there's room for a run that suits "our" type of vehicles. There was supposedly a pre-64 run here in MB on Sunday that I had to miss. They were geared for more of the ratrod crowd but I'm sure some trad rods and customs showed up. I'm patiently waiting for pics from people who attended.

How about a summer weekend HAMB get together somewhere in Saskatchewan so everyone from the prairies could attend easily?
I'd still like to host something small here in Neepawa, though. I may even be able to convince Geordie to let us tour his yard.

 

I haven't posted in a long while on the HAMB and hate to break my silence with a rant but to be honest -- as much as I enjoy putting on the Rumble (and we are fairly easy with the guidelnes) I HATE TRADITIONAL ONLY CAR SHOWS. It's ridiculous.I get it in a place where there is the population base and car per capita ratio to allow such and event and still have wide attendance but there really aren't that many cars here. We all love our cars. We pretty much all know eachother. So let's put on a show that only allows US in and we can all hang around cars we've seen a million times showing off how exclusive we are?
If I'm not mistaked a show having "strict guidelines for entry" sounds a lot like a bunch of rules. Don't people get pissy about rock a silly guys who care about you jean cuffs? Isn't barring someone from a show cause they have radial whites or their car may be a 66 but be a perfect period peice from that era candy and flakes bellflowers skinny whites on Supremes retarded cause it's 2 years to new?
This is punk rock syndrome all over again. Your mohawk isn't high enough or you don't have enough studs in your jacket so you aren't allowed to come into the show cause you aren't "hard core" enough. Or not being allowed in a club without Ed Hardy on.
I don't want to go to a strip club that only has blondes with fake boobs. I like brunettes with natural ones, girls with a little junk in the trunk and some with a nice firm behind.
Don't judge cars on their year or accessories judge them on overall appearance and quality of work and general flow of the vehicle. If it's a well done 80's low low, a 90's minitruck on bags, a 50's style custom, a 60's blvd. cruiser or a 40's banger roadster on bias plys. A bunch of stuff that's the same is boring. Period. Besides, if you're taking this "hard line" approach are you not gonna let Hal in cause his Merc is one a newer frame and has a none traditional interior with tilt fancy gauges etc? That would be funny cause it's posted on here in a pic as an example of a traditional car. Good thing the rodders of the past who started the "tradition" didn't make rules or guidelines or none of this shit would have even happened.
Taking a hardline approach to "tradition" scares people away it doesn't draw them in.

 

I took in the Spruce Grove show on the weekend. Lots of cars but very few like mine.

Yes time for a HAMB thing....