As cool as Traditional or Traditionally themed builds are, not all started out that way. Yes, some were closet Street Rodders or Rat Rodders, who found the HAMB and converted to the dark side. Maybe you bought a Street Rod and converted it over or is there a photo of you swooning over a Boydster at a car show? It's okay to admit you once loved billet and thought velour interiors were bitchin'. Like the Orca Betty you invited to your motel room, it's okay because no one saw you. So, show us your progression or what you found and how you converted it over.
Not Me. I have been a firm fan of 50's/60's style cars since I was a young kid in the 70's. Trends come and go, but my car will always look like something that could have been on blocks in a driveway in 1969.
Being in my 30's, growing up, most of what I was exposed to was musclecars, street rods, pro street cars, and exotics. Those were the themes of the day in the 80's in the part of the world I was in, so I thought it was all cool. I still have the Cadzilla issue of HRM somewhere. A few years back, a friend of mine suggested that we could just up & build a Rat in his driveway for short money. At the time I lived in an apartment without any space to park or keep tools of any substance, and the cost of living was up there so I was all for it. There was an appeal to making something out of stuff that folks just wanted to be rid of and at that point I'd have loved to do it just to do SOMETHING. It never came together, I got a house with a garage, and moved on to a more ambitious build plan.
There's another thread about making over 80's customs, I think Pro Stock John started it, a few good ones in there, including my '52 Ford.
Geez, I didn't know I was in a closet, I just thought the walls were closing in on me! I tend to not give a shit about labels, I do my builds the way I want them, and most of the time I don't fit in anyone's fraternity. This is OK with me! Putting your label on my ride will not change the amount of fun I have driving it. My only worry is that my attitude might rub off on you and you will come out of the "straight jacket" you are in!
Sorry to disappoint you Fred but I was into traditional styled hot rods before we knew there was such a thing. We called them restorods back in the 70's. I did use some early Pete & Jake suspension parts,4 bar and such but never Easter egg colors or billet or goofy billet wheels. HRP
Guess I'm still in the closet or where ever........I like all different kinds of cars and trucks and own a variety. Not too worried about what other people call them.
I'll build what the customer wants, don't matter to me as long as I get paid but for my own stuff I kinda build what I like & don't worry what people think or like.
When I see an "easter egg" or a smoothie for sale, it seems like they're asking full blown retail! I can't see paying full price for a car that needs a lot of changes. I hope that the market for ugly street rods will become soft and they can be bought reasonable and rehabilitated. This also makes me think: Do these cars ever sell for these prices?
Ok, you caught me....I like the old Chevy truck either way, although with the centerlines it should have the rear narrowed, and wheels with more dish to them
Yeah,I never was crazy about center lines,but that's a minor thing that most likely has a lot to do with the period the truck was built. HRP
Nope, not here. At 44 years old I still like the same stuff I looked at in dads magazines when I was 5 or 6. Stuff that still fits the scope of this board. In fact, I have narrowed my scope. First car was a 71 Cutlass and I don't even give a rats ass over musclecars anymore, haven't in 20 years.
I was 14 and bought my '32 Ford vicky body and frame. I saved my money and started collecting parts. Luckily I was only 14 and broke which gave me a few years to save my money and for my tastes to change. I don't have any pictures of what I wanted my car to look like but I definitely remember I wanted it to be a pearl green highboy with 20 inch chrome wheels. I also wanted a narrow rear end (wtf?), and get this.....a model A visor. hahahaha. I wanted tan leather interior with a tv. Damn, I'm so glad I didn't have rich parents who could have bought all that dumb shit for me. This is how the car turned out, a lot of credit goes to finding the HAMB right around the time my dad and I started building it.
Also, the first week that I found the HAMB/JalopyJournal, I sent Ryan a picture of my dad's '41 Ford street rod. I thought it would fit perfect. It was still cool (in my opinion), but definitely NOT JJ material. Ryan probably thought I was such a imbecile!
I'm not disappointed. I just wanted to see who was a Street Rodder and saw that Traditional Rods were cooler. When I got into hot rods, it was around '72. Before that it was muscle cars, before they were called that name. My first love was T Buckets and '72 was the age of the Fad T's. Then, The California Kid caught my I, but I stilled loved Fad T's. ZZ Tops Eliminator coupe was a cool diversion. But around that time, I got mad because it seemed like the only way to build a Hot Rod was to have a 10 coats of Candy paint and $20,000 worth of chrome. Hell, I started reading VW books! One day, while searching the web, I found out about Rat Rods. I embraced the idea, but hated the rust and lack of safe engineering. So, I started my T Bucket to be low on "fancy" and high on function. I found the HAMB looking for instructions on aligning a T Bucket frontend. So, I can't be disappointed because I was a guy who liked "pastel Easter Eggs", but found a place that made better sense. I'm NOT a Traditionalist, but I admire the doing what you can on your own and ignoring the crap that just looks pretty. Also, labels suck and I hate them, but I also know that everyone has one. Whether they realize it or not.
I'm so confused !!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell if I'm in a closet or just the world is closing in on me. I love all cars and trucks older than the 60's. Traditonally I've built old cars with later junk yard parts. Occasionally new stuff if cheaper and nothing is avalable. What I have today has been updated for safety and reliablity. Therefore nothing I own is HAMB friendly. Close the door. I like it in here.
Tfever, This is my Model A which I built in about in the early 80's. I don't know what you would call it. It had a four bar set-up on the front but it was buggy springs on both ends and I still have it.
Thanks. Keep dreamin up these great threads. By the way I did say I'm confused! But I'm happy and that's all that matters.
I'd call it a hot rod. For the sake of this thread and labels, it appears to be traditionally themed. I don't doubt there were guys, who stayed wedged in the 50's, I was just curious at the number of converts.
I'm not a fan of billet or easter egg colors or primer unless it's in transition (being built) the worst thing is patina what ever it is it has to be well done it is also alright to run everything from a stock banger to an LS or 5.7 Hemi but prefer 371-394 olds or early hemi also like east coast hot rods not crazy on highboys but what ever it is has to handle and stop well and be safe.
That Billet shit is why I left hot rodding for a good number of years. The return of traditional hot rods got me going again and I will take this route to the grave. Although at 66 years old that should be easy.
Ok, I will be one to confess. When I had my 32 coupe the first time in the early 70s I built it with red diamond tuft crushed velvet interior, Metallic Champagne (kinda pink looking) body and maroon fenders,maroon upholstered running boards and top insert. It was ok back then but I really wanted to build it early 60s style. I took it apart to redo it but sold it before I rebuilt it. Now that I have it back I am going traditional 1964ish on it.
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