Customs Vs. Hot Rods - A Poll for you to consider...

They have been heard, several customs guys have posted they would like it left as is.

 

I don't see anny positive thing on splitting them up...
What is next?? separate kustoms, hotrods, gassers, dragsters, '40, '50, '60 and so on...
(my 2 ct.)

 

Don,
If you read through all the responses and even the original post on the thread by the boss there is a problem that needs to be addressed but it is highly doubtful that addressing the problem will net a solution.

There is a minority that wants to separate their stuff from the rest of the general population. If that minority are posters on this thread there are two things that become apparent, one is that they do not like hot rods in general and think that they are being tainted by hot rodders and that it is too hard for them to figure out a way to filter out their custom stuff from stuff that they do not deem worthy of their time short of the mods going the extra mile just for them.

The normal 'Bean response to that would be to say well just take a hike then. But in reality that will not solve a thing, they will be just as unhappy somewhere else and we would not get the chance to see what it is that they are doing while they are burning up the custom world.

For the most part it seems that what we deem to be "Hot Rodders" and not custom guys don't seem to have a problem with customs and for the most part they seem to embrace customs, then there are a few "custom" guys that don't seem to have a problem with hot rods and hot rod technology tainting their custom builds. Probably the truth be known they are closet hot rodders.

I have mentioned a social group before in this thread but I think that that would deprive the rest of us from learning anything from the fellas that want to separate from the rest of the group. I truly believe that being around customs and custom builds enriches our lives. I do say that from the bottom of my heart and not tongue in cheek.

I am willing to make a compromise with the custom builders on this board and am asking that the rest of the "hot rodders" join in with me. I am willing to put hot rod in any thread that I start that is not custom oriented, that would be anything technical, any question I may have that does not pertain to body mods, and if my wife dies and I wish to announce that I will put hot rod in there as well. Now all that needs to happen is that the custom builders need to reciprocate and put custom in their titles.

Makes it pretty simple, a custom builder comes on the board, they want to see only custom stuff and they search with custom as their criteria, choosing search titles only before that hit the search button, then only custom stuff comes up.

That seems like the simplest solution to the appease the minority without putting extra work on the mods who I am sure are willing to go the extra mile for us but why should they if they don't need to.

 

P & B makes valid points but at the end of the day all it does is create disharmony,,as if that's something unusual.

I think most Hot Rod guys like Customs and appreciate the builds intermingled in the countless threads everyday.

If for some reason Ryan decided to go along with the request to start a Customs only deal I believe it would create even more problems in the future,,like,, guys are going to start complaining about separating the photos from events,,I can hear it now,,"Somebody posted a photo of a Hot Rod on my Custom thread",,,

Rod & Custom just fits,,HRP

 

So, the best would be to start using the Prefix much better (where they are pretty accurate) and get an O/T section.

Hot rods and Kustoms do belong together!
I have a couple of each. Can't think of losing neither of them.

 

Excellent idea. I have found that searching on tags is not much help due to the fact that most posts don't have a tag.

 

Happy with the way The Jalopy Journal is right now. But change is good also.

 

I guess ignorance is bliss but I wasn't aware that there was disharmony? I have nothing against custom car builders or what they post.


Maybe before we decide to write the custom builders off we should hear some real informaton from the. One what defines a custom, would their section for instance be only for radical customs or would mild customs also be welcome? Would they also want special sub forums under the custom heading for modern customs as opposed to traditional customs or mild customs? Where does a beater fall into the whol scheme of things do we have to have those on the main board as they don't have tricked out paint of interiors?

How about usage, can we expect the custom forum to have as much usage as custom social clubs for instance?

Maybe I will just change my vote given the proper infiormation. Convince me with more than it is hard to find custom material. That in itself for me is a reason not to have a custom forum aside from the general forum.

 

I vote for this!


Porknbeaner. I was really impressed to see your 21 500+ post status.
With 13 of them only in this thread, I know why you're up there...
Just joking, buddy! Your concern is a good thing.

 

I overheard several short conversations about the hamb's direction at a hot rod/custom show last weekend. I assume it is a concern to some.


I wonder if it's a problem with the average member not getting what this site was built for, or caring.


2 threads from yesterday got to me; One was a newbie starting a great color pic thread on his start-to-finsh building of a Ardun powered A showcar in the early 60s. Hardly any views, and less that one page of replies. Then the Id'ng of a 010 70's style SBC motor that was at 5 pages, and noboby even looked at the pad ID stamp?


So, I can see how frustrating it would be for a hard core custom guy, to be here, if the on topic stuff gets very little notice.

 

Well ad one more.

I really don't care either way, I can open another forum heading and look. I don't see how it will make the HAMB any better for anyone. More work for the mods as if they don't have enough on their plate as it is.

I am still waiting for those that really want it to change to actually step up, I have offered a compromise that hasn't been addressed except by don and I have asked for some logical good reason for the forum to be separated as well.

I did go and find the original please give us a separate forum thread in questions and suggestions and didn't find any good reason there either. So it is not like I haven't gone out of my way to find the problem so we can work together toward a mutually acceptable solution.

Wouldn't that be mutually frustrating to a not custom specific guy as well?

If it is all about frustration maybe we should start a forum for traditional rods and customs where some new guy or even a not so new guy comes on and asks how to bag their car or put a mustang II under their car and when someone suggests a second option that involves a simpler more traditional solution 14 guys don't jump on and call him (or her) a hater or a moron or both.


Oh well gee we already have one or we had one at one time.

There is a lot frustrating about the board and it is across the line, custom builders should not be any more fragile than anyone else. As a matter of fact I actually know some real died in the wool been there done that and kept doing that until it came back around and was cool again custom builders that not only appreciate hot rods but are as tough as nails.

So I am going to go out on a limb and make an assumption here, us hot rodders for lack of a better term are going to be the second class citizens and we are the ones who have to deal with the OT posts while the custom guys being the cream of the crop have a place dedicated to just customs, no happy b day, no my dawg died, he up and died and after 20 years I still grieve, none of this hey look at my new dog, or my mom just passed and I am really bummed about it. A sort of utopia, so to speak.

Sorry to say it but it does not cast the custom builder in a very good light. Does it.

 

I think the point that most of the "hot rod" guys (for the lack of a better term) don't get is this board is already losing the custom side of it to other venues like facebook due to the fact that it is very difficult to find and or keep custom threads from being buried 20 pages back.

If I was a new member joining right now that was into customs I could go 5 or 6 pages in and see 2 maybe 3 custom posts. Does that entice me to stay and contibute or think wow this is a Hot Rod board nothing really here for me.

I am not even sure if the seperate section is a good thing but something needs to be done or that side of this board is going to cease to exist. All you guys claim you like to see custom threads and don't want to lose them but NONE of you ever post or add to those threads so 5 or 6 hardcore guys are left stuggling to keep the posts alive. I will admit that some of the custom guys don't add much either so it makes the situation even worse.

I see a lot of guys saying it aint broke so don't fix it but to those of us that focus on Customs it is broke and it is steadily declining. The seperate sections may not be the answer but it seems like something needs to be done.

 

Wow Benno, why so bitter? Who said anything about hot Rod guys becoming second-class citizens? It's just a discussion that's all.
Paul

 

If no one is posting now why would anyone believe that a dedicated forum will be any different.

If you think your stuff is burried no matter what your specific persuasion is the best way to over come that is to be more pro-active. Post more threads about your idea of what is cool, how to do it and why you should. When someone in your persuasion posts get involved in their thread. Ask questions or make suggestions. If you don't keep a thread alive it will get burried. If it is your thread don't be a hit and run poster, stay around and answer questions or make statements in reponse to someone else's post to your thread.

Here is a little known fact about the HAMB, if no one posts it is likely that no one else will. If a fella asks a question that may actually be custom related, paint or drop or ??? even if you don't know the answer post a conjecture or post well gee I don't even know but maybe this will work. Then someone else will do one of two things, they will try to one up you or they will get the nerve to post the thing that they think is the answer, it is the same with any thread almost all the time. People make cracks about my post count. At least 1/3 off all my posts have to do with trying to help someone find an answer or I have bumped a thread from page 3 or 4 back to the top that no one has posted on. I am really not playing a numbers game. I ppst then someone else will either try to prove me wrong or get the nerv to post on the thread or both.

Getting back to it if one is a minority the only way to not be one is be prolific, uh give birth. If you think that you are not well represented then try and win people over to the cause.

There is no reason to believe that if any faction of the HAMB is not active on the main board that they will be active on a separate forum.

Am I Paul or just making a statement.

Someone comes on and wants a special forum dedicated just to a specific style of build and then what I read is that they don't want to have to shuffle through the kind of stuff that I normally build. What should I think?

Then in the end who has to deal with the other stuff, I mean hot rodding in general is in a general forum and customs are in a forum dedicated to just customs. That pretty much says that all the rest of the garbage stays with the hot rodders because if it isn't custom it isn't going to be in the dedicated custom forum correct?

Note: Paul and I are not fighting we are having a discussion, you are welcome to discuss with us if you like.

 

Maybe there should be a prefix that can be picked, i.e. if the post is for a Hot Rod then pick Hot Rod and if it's for a Kustom, pick Kustom. Oh wait those are already options? Then what's the problem?

 

I say split it in three sections. Hot Rods, Customs and one section for people that don't have a car and just like to talk.

 

Well then a section for technical questions like why my '53 Chebby is overheating. Another section for what wheels and tires look the best on my car and another section for cars that cross over. Tools of the trade, welding, painting, panel beating, suspension, . . .

We're going to have to have a few more mods.

 

The point is the custom threads are not seen because they get buried so guys don't post. I would bet there are more guys posting on Facebook about traditional customs than on the HAMB because they can actually find the information where it is hard to do so here.

Again I didn't say that a seperate forum would be the answer it very well may not be but it would be nice to have things easier to find. In an ideal world guys would use the prefixes and all would be fine but it doesn't seem to work that way. I would also agree that the customs guys are responsible for not using them but I think they are a very overlooked thing on this forum (they are rarely used by anyone) that maybe we could get to work better. That is why I suggested that to post you have to pick a prefix or if possible a combination of prefixes and one prefix might just be "general" if it doesn't fit into a specific category.

As for your second class citizen having to wade through the shit theory well seeing as the vast majority of the shit is being posted by your citizens it seems appropriate that you deal with it.

 

I don't think so. I want to look up the Silver City Special or the Livewire transmission swap, I search it and read it. Neither are bumped to the top often enough for me to see it on the front page.

The same is true with Ian Berky's caddy. If I want to find out more, I search for the thread, took a few seconds typing "Ian Berky Caddy" and bingo, I got his thread. BUT, guess what? Ian's not posting as much, here, which is completely fine... but if you want updates on his car you've got to go elsewhere.

Guys, it's simple. Content, thread tags, and commentary. That's pretty much it.

 

Again if you know what you are looking for and are a long term user that is a great system. If I am new to this board and like customs I am not going to search "Ian Berky Caddy" or "Victorias Secret" I am going to look at the first few pages see next to nothing and move on. I know that doesn't bother the hot rod guys but it does concerns the custom guys.

 

Point taken.

I did make the suggestion that custom be posted in the title of a custom thread and hot rod be posted in the title of a hot rod thread and even went as far as to offer to post hot rod in any thread that I start whether it is hot rod oriented or not. Of course when the wife dies the custom crowd is not going to know about it because I won't have custom in the title.

I really don't thnk that the tag thing is going to work unless Ryan ads a script that forces the issue. I know that I am the world's worse to not use one. But even if I did I could always be an ass and use the custom one just to screw with people.

The answer short of getting a separate forum is really going to be to promote the cause. If the community is as small as everyone thinks then is should not be a big deal to group everyone together and do as I suggested. Post more and keep your threads alive. Do a Thursday afternoon custom show, don't just post pictures of what is happening at a local show but post what is being built and or driven and showed by HAMBers. If one must post pics of someone else's work get good information about it so that someone who doesn't know or understand has some reason to look.

The answer is not to shut everyone else out by segregating yourself. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a little more open minded as well, not everything that is not a chopped '50 merc is not a custom any more than not everything that is not an A coupe with a balls to the walls olds is not a hot rod. Some of the cars that get written off as not being customs are or land in that gray area between custom and hot rod. There is a lot of overlap in our hobby.

 

This "opinion" is not intended to ruffle feathers, but probably will. I think the HAMB should three sections: hot rods, customs, & general. Truth is, a lot of peoples rides don't fit in either (hot rod or custom) catagory - so they want things to remain as is. The general catagory would also be popular to the "what wheels / tires / paint / fuzzy dice look better on my car" crowd, as well as birthdays and other "facebook" stuff.

 

I think a mandatory Prefix to each new tread would make it a lot easier to browse thru the site to find your favorite threads on the subject you prefer.

 

my hot rod is my custom, guess I could be wrong, I thought in some cases they could be one and the same but.........and if one only wanted traditional hot rods from the real sense of the word to be posted on this site a lot of folks would be left out........ I like things as they are ..

 

Yea but the question is customs and the rest of the board. I used my example to show that the more you compartmentalize the more you need to compartmentalize. Actually the slippery slope arguement is considered by some critical thinkers to be a poor arguement, but it does work well in a debate.

Fortunatly this is more of a republic than a democracy. We are allowed to voice our opinion and one way of doing so is by voting. I am sure that Ryan will take all of the information, opinions and even the vote itself and make a decision for us. That may well be a good thing because separate forum has lost by a land slide. If it is better for the customs to have a separate forum then it will happen no matter what we think or do.

see post # 176 and we do want to be a traditional hot rod and custom board or a traditional custom and hot rod board if you prefer.

 

The 5% vs. 95%


The HAMB is to me mostly a hot rod board with some kustoms thrown in sometimes. So for a very dedicated kustom car guy, it is not the place to be. I like them both, so for me it works.

If you have to use a prefix it should make some difference.


Hey, Ryan!
Did you actually get any wiser from all this?

 

I've got a 33 ford hot rod and a 51 ford custom. My first car was a custom and I wanted a hot rod. when I could afford it I built a hot rod. then I wanted a custom so I built my wife a custom. From where I stand don't change a thing.

 

I didnt read through this whole thing but just after skimming through a few pages it looks like this is heading South, fast.
It may have already been mentioned but its seems like a lot of you feel that if the separation was made you would somehow loose sight on one of the two areas. Which I dont quite understand. The idea seems to provide a more clear and defined sectioning here but everyone would still have access to both. I can see a lot of advantage of such a set up, especially to those who have a clear preference of one and not so much the other. It would definitely make it easier to get your fix on what interests you most if thats important to you.
Having said that, Im also one of those who likes the combining of the two though and feels satisfied with things the way they are.
Those of you going on about adding more sections, bring up some interesting ideas as well but im thinking its not what Ryans intent was with the thread.

 

I'm with him.

 

I think that separate forums would hurt everyone. Custom car people can learn from hot rod information, and vice-versa. My main interest is custom cars. However, I think that everyone benefits from “cross-pollination” of ideas and communication. You can’t (and shouldn’t) just totally seclude yourself from getting information from different sources in life, that is how you get new ideas, and it keeps things fresh. Separating the forum would be a mistake. People from each group can benefit from ideas and information from the other.