Todays youth NOT interested

I think the times are changing and people's interest change with them.

I really hate to see it happen but today there are so many other things going on with I-phones and Smart phone and tablets that all kinds of other things and it's very important to remember that most of us had done of that stuff when we were growing up.

There will always be some people interested in old cars and hot rods but in my opinion there will be fewer of them then there are today.

Jimbo

 

My 23 year old son just corrected his future father-in-law, who said that John Milner drove the 55 in American Graffiti. I knew that with all the times that he watched AG with me, it was soaking in.

 

Last sat I was followed home while driving my Kustom by two boys in there Honda.Both about 17 or 18.They went nuts over my it and when they saw my other T coupe and my chopped El camino they were floored. They said you are living a dream. Both said they would rather build and drive cars like these than the boring late models. They were excited and inspired. It was nice talking to them.

 

I have a son that is 14. He has some interest in old cars, and some interest in newer cars like BWWs, Hondas, etc. He does prefers getting rides to his friend's, school, malls, etc. in my Acadian than in our daily driver. We do one yearly local old car event together (something he said he will always do with me), and maybe 1-2 cruise inns in the summer.

I'm probably different than everyone here, but I don't care if my son has no interest in "old cars", or cars at all for that matter. He's his own person, he can have his own interests and hobbies.

My interest in "old cars" is my hobby. Why should I care if the future generation is interested or not?

 

In 1958 I was being helped by a man on my 32 roadster who was really into racing and I will always remember what he said to me with mixed emotions.

He said "I wish you were my son instead of ..... He has no interest in cars what so ever"

He had a stable of old race cars and I always wondered what his son did with them after he died.

 

They'd do the same if ya got out of it naked.

 

Hot Rods are antique relics in the present day. What is available in the scrap piles that can be drug home and stick welded together in the back yard to race? Where can you even race anymore??

Show of hands......... whose into front wheel drive microprocessor motor swaps? Not me.

Hot rod parts used to be sold everywhere from parts house speed shops to Sears, but to build a car to race today for some kind of ET bracket you have to order completely all of it on-line from a few specialty outlets, unless you are into hoopty rimz or hi-performance stereo systems.
Kids who have never hand fabricated a car powered by an actual car/truck motor fueled with nitromethane don't have the first damn clue what hot rod even means.

Shit. Give me a break kids. When was the last time you saw a Nova or a Fairlane on the scrap heap you could bring home, cut it apart, rearrange it and weld it back together into a funny car or altered? Anyone who has a rusted shell thinks they have some kind of a priceless part of history. Even Nascar allows Corollas or something now.

What kind of heavy duty truck motor can you find you could strap a blower on to today? Non existent.

Until someone can inject some fresh old school blood into an era of microprocessor run mass transportation........... then your stuck in jr-high.

.......... and they said I didn't know crap when I was a kid either. They'd roll over in the grave if they could see today.
Tom S. in Tn.

 

I'm not sure I understand your point. Is it surprising that there are less Novas on the "scrap heap" now then there were, say, 30 years ago?

 

Same here, but some of my best friends are in their late 40's and 50's. I'd rather run with that crowd than updating my facebook status every 2 minutes on exactly what I am doing at any present time. Like the others said... there is joy to being alone sometimes, it is good to be different

 

My dad was always building stuff as i was growing up. When i was about 15 is when i started really getting into it. I'm 24 now and have a couple cars under my belt.

What it seems like to me is there is a lot of interest but no one who wants to take the time to learn how to do it. Too many lazy people that are afraid to get dirty. The whole *rat rod* thing got a lot more people interested in the hobby who originally thought the hobby was only for rich old guys that could afford billet everything, but now that whole rat rod thing is on a whole other level of stupid. Then, there are some people who are trying to build these ugly ass cars that are 27 feet long, bagged model a's that are just thrown together.

Now, people that have slight interests in it, will go into it thinking even a well built car with amazing craftsmanship and a lot of time put into it is a rat rod because it has no paint. To me there is nothing more annoying than hearing some poser walking around calling everything a rat rod.

 

I'm 24 an hot rods are all I think about, everything I do is for the love of hot rods an there is no sign of slowing down for me!

 

Most of the old guys I know are in their own garage being lone wolves with their build. In this part of the world we are too far apart from each other and living on a pension, gas money is scarce, but I constantly have young people dropping by to check my build. They can't afford to do their own, but can presently live the dream through mine. They all have something whether it is a Camaro, a truck, a 53 Chev or whatever. These vehicles are cheap to get on the road and sustain interest until they can build the car of their dreams. In 1960, I was buying 30 year old junk to scab together.

wuga

 

ive had the privelage to park with honest charly at the charlotte auto fair for about 10 years now. i have noticed more young people buying hotrod parts and flat head parts here lately. when one of them show an interest in my 26 coupe i open the door and tell them to have a seat. this usually starts a conversation that is good for them and me.i always try to give encouragement.it will keep the hobby going...........

 

I didn't build my hot rod for anyone but me. Getting behind the wheel and taking a long drive is my mental floss. At sixty-six it sometimes seems like I've been doing this a long time and I suppose I have. But I remember getting into cars as a kid and being run out of body shops and garages all over town. Eventually some of the guys who worked in those places would teach us something - even if it wasn't intentional! So, cut 'em some slack and who knows, maybe they'll catch on.

 

Unfortunately, if you don't come out of the womb loving 32 fords, you are not welcome on this forum or by many of the members.

 

Ha, I had to read that again. I actually thought you were talking about The Rodder's Journal.

 

We need more father/son projects being done out there. I don't mean only father/son either. Any adult willing to take the time to share the knowledge, but allow the creativity of a young mind. It may not be exactly what you wanted to build, but then again, who is it built for? I am currently doing it with my son. Its amazing what you "learn" as the "teacher". I see more interest and appreciation by my son when he makes the call to order "that" part or gets to put the final touch on some part of the project.

I used to get brushed off as a youngster myself, and I had no one to teach me how to do anything. Family was very "anti" car except what got you from Point A to Point B with good gas mileage. I was ridiculed for "hot rodding" everything from bmx bikes to a Fiat 131S Brava. I kept plugging along taking my licks, got formally trained, and now have a great auto repair side business that helps fund my passion.

I also am a highschool shop teacher. I still teach metalworking and woodworking to the future of our sport. There is hope...but only if we quit overpricing our projects so that we may introduce them to a hobby that they can make there own and not watch it drive by.

 

My 2 sons learned how to read by looking at my hot rod mags!! I've got a 54 210 for my oldest to build an my youngest wants a 49-52 Fleetline. They're 10 an 7 now so I've got some time to gather parts/money! They'll both be father/son projects. I'm having to flex a little an let them have input on how they want their car, we all agree on the looks dept, but they're both into LS chevy engines, which is fine because our hobby is evolving and the LS based engines are the new "350 SBC" according to them so I'll bend. If it keeps them interested an they pass it on to their kids then I'm happy. We've all agreed that if either one of them shows up with a ricer car they hafta move out

 

A few years ago I had parked my woodie on the very busy Mass Ave in Boston. I went to grab a coke and when I got back, there were a few "urban" teens, with their pants all hanging and hats crooked, gathered around looking in. They all stiffened and started backing off when I came up. I simply asked them what they thought. Like hitting a switch, they were all excited, interested with a thousand questions. They couldn't believe a car could be made of WOOD! That a person could actually build it themselves. I let them sit in it, showed off the engine etc. They were all smiles as they walked away. Now, they probably won't ever have the opportunity to build a hot rod or classic, but they were interested, it just took one question to bring it out.

 

That closed minded attitude is probably what scares off a lot of potential car guys and gals.

 

Yah know.. I had wondered the same thing, but Hershey this year chnaged my thoughts about it.. my nephew bought a project hot rod there, I saw younger guys cruising the wet/rainy aisles, I saw one 20 something wearing a cardboard sandwich board sign that stated he was looking for 30 buick parts... while pulling a wagon full of rusty parts. I think the hobby will be ok, especially when this rodder generation starts (through attrition) to distribute their stuff on to the next generation

 

I been around classics and 60's & 70's lowriders / kustoms since I was a child. I'm now 30, working on my daily driving project 63 Galaxie 500 and still one day dream of owning a 56 bel-air or a 5 window deuce coupe. No end in sight for this obsession. At least until my stable is full. Traditional or not, if you work on it, spill your blood on it, and drive the hell out of it, more power to you.

I think what is happening is less and less young folks are willing to get their hands dirty, afraid to bust a knuckle. Although the scene is alive and well in Central Texas where I am. Thankfully

 

THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!!! Agggghhhhhhh!!!!!!

 

A couple of observations here:
1) I think the dismantling of shop (auto, metal, wood, etc.)classes in high school are doing a dis-service to our youth. Not everyone is college material. And even those that are could benefit from shop classes --> it is a part of the development of who the person is.
2) I think if the interest was actually that low, you'd see perfectly resorted 69 Z/28s for under 10k. Until that happens, I think we are OK. Supply and demand....

 

There are actually more younger people into the older cars (pre 1950) then there was 25 years ago. I got my Model A on the road in 1987 when I was 24. It was rare to find anyone in my area with a similar era car who was my age or younger. At alot of shows these days, especially the Traditional Hot Rod Car shows, at least half of the crowd is younger than me.

 

BIGDOGSS. i couldnt agree with u more. i retired from Freightliner LLC 5 yrs ago. i was surprised at the number of engineers that never has any auto shop or wood shop in high school. i was not college material but i still managed to make a good living with a mechanical back ground. best thing to give a young boy for Christmas is a tool box full of tools...................................

 

If you are a street rodder near Sealy Texas you are welcome to come by the school with your rod and visit my students. They are building a street rod now and we also have a 1927 Model T 1.5 ton flat bed we are painting in the shop.
Want more kids to get interested?...ya kinda have to go to where the kids are...and make a show. You will get some takers. but you have to let them hang around and help you work on the rod too...and tell them to show up at the local rod events...put them on a mailing list or post stuff on a facebook page too. The kids are really jazzed about the 27 T.
Ya just have to make an effort to make them feel welcome....they don't know a lot, so did the rest of us when we started....They need real gearhead role models who don't drink like fish, cuss like a sailor, do drugs,or fool around on their wives...many kids get that kind of help at home and from watching TV.

 

My sons are involved in my automotive hobby and have been since they were 3 or 4 years old.

The first picture is my oldest with me at El Mirage around 1983, he's 32 now

Next picture is the younger brother also at about 3 yrs. on his first trip to bonneville. This on is going to be 28 yrs. in Jan.

This is the boys helping crew on Jerry Kugels '29 in the early '90's We had just set the E/Blown Gas record

Then myself and my sons pose with the Kugel/LeFevers Pontiac Firebird not long after being the 1st production car to set a record over 300 mph.

This last shot is my sons proudly wearing their El Mirage 200 mph club hats in 2012.

They helped every step of the way building this car from the ground up. I couldn't run this car without there help.

Yes it's true, not everyone "likes" or "gets into" cars or the hobby, but some do. And yes I am proud of my boys and what they've acheived in "my" hobby, LSR.

 

Oops, I didn't mean for the first 4 pictures to be here, Can't figure out how to move or delete them. Anyway after the forth picture the verbage is correct......

 

What's unfortunate is your skewed perception of people that are hard core deuce guys,,what utter BS. HRP