Different wayes to learn about Hot Rodding

Who watches DVDs or Television to learn about the tradition of the custom car culture and learn how to work on a car.

 

Popcorn!!!

 

Some of the DVDs I've seen were jokes. More like a lovefest of builders and not that much good or even accurate info passed around in either history or doing the work.
And then there are the ratrod discs... Popcorn?

 

Find some willing "Old Guy" as a mentor,then listen and ask questions and become a
good friend.

.................Jack

 

I'd agree that's the best way, but it's getting harder to find the old guys willing and/or able to do so.

I wish I had learned more from my dad.

 

Grab a couple Tex Smith books.

 

grab yourself some old mags and dive in.

 

I did it by reading the old mags when they weren't so old. And going to the dragstrip. And getting a job working on cars for not much money

 

I ordered the "become an experienced old skool hot rodder/rat rodder/street rodder in 10 easy meals"
With this dvd I learned how it really was in the old days.
It teaches you how to argue with people who were really there and how not to listen to anyones advice.
You will learn how to build a car with what you have laying around.
With the questions being:
Do you have a 110 weldor?
Do you have a torch?
Do you have olz zkool rodz rag?
Do you have a tractor grille laying around?
Do you have an old toaster?
If you answer "yes" to all these questions,you are ready to build a hot rod.

You will learn how to start your own shop,how to find the best patinad old truck,how to come up with fake speed shop names and how to put that vinyl door sign on that truck.
As a bonus youll receive the:"how to dress to impress the orcabetties and 5 tips to make tyour poser buddies jealous."
But wait there is more!
For an additional 9.99 + SH&H you will receive the award winning:" How to defend your ol zkool rat rod on the Hamb."
Iwannaflattie recomends it.

Ps..WAYES?
No mames wayes!

 

Nobody I know. You learn by doing. You learn by going where cars and car guys are.

You're in Tennessee. Where's the nearest round track? The nearest drag strip? The nearest speed shop?

jack vines

 

Are the builders on TV worth watching for style and tradition or are they just in it for the show. Their are some good builders that have done TV and DVD. What about the guys that built Jessie James 54.

 

They're great if you like drama. They rarely give enough attention to building to be worth while.

 

What Squirrel said.
When I returned from my stint in the military in 71, one of my biggest disappointments was the discovery that Mom had thrown away all "those old car magazines". I've still got the 3/8 drive New Britain rachet set I got for Christmas at age 14. In todays world, I suppose TV is one of the best ways to SEE cars/hotrods, but when one takes away all the BS/drama required on todays reality TV, theres not much left from which to actually LEARN how to build/repair hot rods and cars. In those days magazines were about the only source of information, other than finding a mentor that would actually spend the time teaching a knuklehead kid about cars. Good Luck, if you want it, you can get it, KNOWLEDGE that is!

BOutlaw

 

I had to learn the old fashion way, hanging around the local gas station with a few of the old timers, who didn't mind talking to a punk kid with an old Chevy. A friend of mine's older cousin, who always had an old bike or a '55 Chevy in the garage probably taught me more about how it was back in the day than anything. Plus all of the old car magazines from the good old days that he gave me warped me all to hell. I was fortunate that these guys, as well as my grandpa and uncle, were around to foster a love of old cars. I hope you can find some one to show you the light.

With the reality car shows on today, you will learn more about scripting a drama and acting lessons, than you will how to build a car.

 

I got mine (PowrCraft) for Christmas at age 13. Within a year I had torn apart and overhauled the 283 in the old 61 chevy we had in the yard. I still have the tool box and ratchet set 37 years later

I hauled my tools to the HAMB drags in that little old tool box last weekend.

 

My brother and I learned from our Grandad, Uncles and a friends big brothers and trial and error.

Lee

 

There wasn't much paint left on it, but I believe I saw squirrel's little tool box going back in his trunk right after swapping out the pumpkin on his car in just about 17 minutes in Ryno's garage - that would be a video worth recording!
Willy P

 

Reading is fundametal(sp) er... Something like that..

 

When I wuz a kid, the guy that lived down the street had a couple of ol' Chevy coupes he was always workin' on and he let me hang out. First it was '49 brakes, 15" five lug wheels, then it was a 265, then dual exhaust, then....well...you get the idea... That's where I learned to clean greasy parts in a pan of gasoline. By the time I was 14, I was helping my buddy overhaul the engine in his '53...

 

Be careful what you ask to learn. If I had a 10 spot for every twisted description I hear nowadays I could build a Brookville 3W!! Do your own. Old books are best. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY knows it all. Start with what you like and move from there. Focus on 1 thing at a time. Ya diggin on kustoms? Stay in that ilk. Ya like ol El Mirage stuff? Go there.

Here's one of those "things" that wear me out. When I was workin at a Tier 1 supplier to Ford, they ordered a "BODY IN WHITE" for some 'Stang work. I was expecting a fresh and phosphated new steel body. WE FUCKIN GOT ONE PAINTED WHITE!!! I wonder who the nimrods were that didn't know that? When it showed up the older bosses didn't even know the difference, lookin at me like "WTF?". It happens all the time, people taking shit outta context and bein fuckin parrots of some bullshit they heard their "expert" tell them. Yeah, their expert has the most tats and the biggest cuffs in his Levis. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. You'l never go wrong that way.

 

Ron Covell makes some good videos. As a total neub at metal working they were very insightful and helpful

 

It won't help you to work on cars, but to get a vibe of what drives us older guy's you have two choices living in Tenn., which is not that big of a state to travel.

First in Sevierville you have a pretty well stocked car and hot rod museum, check it out.

Then you can also go to Coker Tire and check out Corky's stuff, another place to get some ideas and drool all over yourself.

Even you-tube is cool too, I heard something about some kind of HAMB DRAGS on you-tube that are over the top cool, but you know you can't believe half of what you hear on the internet

 

No car guys in my family when I was young, so I got started by hanging out around the local hobby guy's garage until he let me help. I also devoured every car magazine I could beg borrow or steal at the time. I never threw them away when I was young, and had them stacked all over my bedroom as a kid!
In hi school I worked at the local gas station/repair garage, and soaked up everything I could see going on between pumping gas. Later went to work at the Cadillac dealer until I got called by Uncle Sam.
If you really want to learn about cars you need to eat, sleep, and breathe cars. I just never thought about it at the time, but looking back cars took up most of my life when I was young.

 

my first one....July 1973. We were on a road trip to minnesota I think my folks bought it for me to keep me quiet.

 

They tell a story about Jesse here in Missouri. The shrt version is like this, jesse jumps on a train and says, "Hands in the air, I'm Jesse James and I'm gonna rob all the women and rape all the men." A gaunt rough lookin' fella says, "But Jesse don't you mean you're gonna rob all the men and rape all the women?" And a little fat boy in the back stands up and says, "You let Jesse rob this train the way he wants to."

Oh I'm sorry this thread isn't about Jesse at all is it.

I haven't seen a TV show or a DVD that even comes close to covering traditional Hot Rodding and Custom building. Tardel has a book about it and although he doesn't do things the way that I do things he is right on when it comes to traditional rods. Very good book.

There is not fast lane when it comes to learning what the rest of us have learned in the last 40+ years. Hanging around here and learning to filter out the BS is a good start as well as finding as many old dudes as you can and just getting out there and getting dirty. Ask lots of questions and ignor the crap or flip it right back and you will be fine.

 

I just dove in. Didn't know much at all (still don't). When I needed a tool, I begged/borrowed/bought. When I got stuck, I searched the HAMB for an answer. When I couldn't find an answer, I asked.
I learned to listen when others were talking, even if it didn't directly apply to what I needed to know. I go to swap meets and look and ask and talk.

You'll be surprised how quickly you start learning things. You'll also start to realize who knows their stuff, and who is full of BS. You'll also make mistakes, but that's part of the learning experience.

 

Ya i just ordered a DVD from Eastwood Mig Welding Made Easy Ron Covell
and some paint and body ones from Paintucation Kevin Tetz

 

Some good replies here.
I was lucky to have the local clubs large workshop behind my house as an 11 year old kid, and hung out there as much as i could. Back then, no one could understand why anyone would "do that" to an old car. I liked that this hot rod thing wasnt real popular, and that suited me fine. Now it seems everyone wants in, which means theres way more information, and im thinking that we are living in the best times for the hobby, right now.
As to reading books, watching dvds etc, im thinking that theres more hot rod/custom education to be had right here.
The search function works well, sometimes you may need to try diffrent terms to find what your after, but theres so much info.

This is where id start.

 

I learned to weld by buying a welder and a ton of scrap, then making a lot of projects (welding table, workbench, stand for my milling machine, blast cabinet). Then when I went to TIG weld my harley frame and tanks and stuff, I got the Covell TIG Welding Basics DVD and read up a bunch online. Harley welds came out beautiful.

Before digging into an engine I picked up the Basic Engine Building DVD from the Boxwrench series and found it to be pretty good to great, depending on the section (but I am a novice).

I also have quite a few books (How to Run a Lathe, Machine Shop Trade Secrets, etc) that detail machine shop and tool stuff to help me through using those beasts.

I wish my Dad had learned something from his father (stupid babyboomer just wants to watch TV and considers anything with cars or houses or hobbies "work" ! ) or that my grandfather was still alive (although he would be almost 90), and I haven't really found a good group of folks in the area, so DVDs and online and just *doing it* has been it for me, and has worked out pretty damn well so far. (Thanks HAMB! and chopcult and weldingweb and all of the other amazing online resources )

 

Steve,
Probably the best place to learn about Hot Rods is going to car shows and asking questions of the car owners.