To me it's America, Rock n' Roll, and some kid building a rusty, unsafe, and certainly homemade vehicle to "get girls.". That's about it. Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
At lunch today I saw a younger guy drive by in n out in a 15yr old import with the hood off, no bumpers, and primer spots. It was obviously a daily driving work in progress as he flew by shifting the gears (something a lot of the hotrod/muscle car drivers no longer do I might add). I had to smile though as I thought that is totally the original spirit of a hotrod! However; with that being said there is one thing both the driver of the import an I could probably agree on........neither of us would use the term hotrod to describe his car. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I am 64, my whole car guy life {as long back as I can remember} I always heard if you modify for appearance sake your customizing. If your modifying for performance and handling, your hot rodding! No one ever mentioned year limits or body styles. They where just cool cars and trucks. I see a lot of cars posted on here called traditional that in the 70's, magazines called Resto Rods!! All my cars that I have built over the last 50 years no matter how old or new have had custom body work and paint and modified drive trains and chassis work. So I guess that makes me one of those dam 90's Custom Rodders! I guess I need to leave now! Larry
This is quoted right out of "HOT ROD DRAG WEEK™ RULES & PROCEDURES HOT ROD Hot Rod is for ’28 to ’48 American cars and trucks. Cars in this class may not appear in the Gasser style or they will be placed in the Gasser/AFX class. BODY •Must be a ’28 to ’48 American car or truck •May be steel or fiberglass. Replicas must be faithful to the original car. •Fenders, running boards, hoods, and hood sides may be removed. •Traditional ’50-style chopping and sectioning are allowed; radical alterations and stretching such as those seen on Super Gas/Comp roadsters and Pro-Mod cars are not allowed. •No wings, spoilers, or air dams allowed. CHASSIS •The frame must be original or a street-oriented aftermarket replacement. •No round-tube framerails. •Engine may not be set back past the stock windshield location. FRONT SUSPENSION •Fenderless cars may not have independent front suspension. •Struts not allowed. TIRES & WHEELS •Must use tires on the dragstrip that are no greater than 11.25 inches wide at the tread, as measured installed and on the ground with a go/no-go gauge. Tire edges may not be shaved or cut to meet the 11.25-inch maximum. Drag radials with a metric width labeling of no greater than 295 mm may be used. ENGINE •Must use American engine families from ’68-and-earlier model years. •555ci displacement limit •No EFI allowed. Carbureted or mechanical injection only. •No power adders allowed. •No aluminum cylinder blocks. •Cast intake manifolds only. No fabricated sheetmetal intakes. •Cylinder heads must use the OE port configuration; no symmetrical-port or spread-port heads. •Engines that were OE designed with inline valves may not use canted-valve heads. DRIVETRAIN •Lenco-type transmission prohibited •Manual transmissions with clutchless shifting prohibited" I am surprised at the Earlier cut-off of the two dates but much of what we are discussing cross references with this Modern set of Criteria again echoing this discussion and the Hamb in so many ways...(2018-2020)...interesting...again why post this Modern set of rules...because things actually are quite similar to the Definition that may have existed in 1965... It is notable that these are Race Class definitions that could easily cross events representating Hotrods such as Shows and anywhere Defined Class is part of the Criteria...I suppose the further away from Rules and Guidelines you go the more skewed things become... Anybody have those vintage Hotrod Guidelines circa 65ish to share? Yeah there is the Hamb Guidelines and rules which I believe are written around these to a sizable degree...but I'm curious... Of course there is the fringe also which despite not making the cut may have contained innovative Hotrod Details and influenced accordingly... Just remember that even if your Hotrod doesn't match the defined criteria it still would have a fitting Class Description regardless and it still is just as relevant in the Big Picture...Have Fun... https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/as-they-were.758207/page-79 ...Jalopy Hotrod Posted by Hamber @rbantique Priceless... Credit to Photographer, Owner
Stogy, you are so narrow minded! A hotrod can’t be defined with actual pictures, history and pictures it is defined by whatever I feel it should be depending on how I feel and what mood I am in. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That saying 'You know it when you see it' truly has merit however you need some core value training to have the criteria to judge with the Gut...You have to have Hamb with your eggs and lastly we are in the Huge Narrow Void we Revere here...
There is probably some truth to that and we certainly are celebrating the historical connections and how it evolved elsewhere in this vast history source the Hamb...
The military came up with the term "Don't ask, don't tell". That topic was almost as controversial as this one . This site was created as a place for people to get together and celebrate, discuss and bitch about all thing pre-'65. Just because the elder brethren here may not give a shit about anything else doesn't mean they're uninformed or "stuck in the past". We shouldn't sell anyone here short, regardless of age. Having said that, my 12 yo daughter, who LOVES cruising our 53 Coronet, always refers to it as "the hotrod". I know it's a mild custom at best, but I also know this; when she says "dad, can we take the hot rod out?" we take the hotrod out. I would never refer to it as a hotrod here, in front of people who know the difference, but if the term keeps my little girl interested in hanging out with me and wanting to learn about cars, I'll go with it. I like this place, the brand of disfunction practiced here is just right for me. Sent from my SM-G975U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Radial or belted? What's the best oil? What's a ______ worth? Swap meet or internet? Why do some spell custom as 'kustom'? How long was Von Dutch in the Tshirt biz? If a goat can be a Ram and a mule an Ass whay is a Ram in the Ass a GOOSE!?
You see them..they are trying to find the look or sound with a few bucks and a dream..dont matter what the car is,its the kid doing it...he's one of us..
The term “gasser” has been commandeered by the current group of diesel truck enthusiasts. Its used in language and publishing more than ever. It’s now a derogatory term used for non diesel powered (gasoline) trucks. A dirty word that denotes something not worthy.
Well you missed that one by about a mile. To be a hot rod it must be altered in some fashion to improve performance. That is not to say that smiling is not part of the equation.
By definition then I became a "hotrodder" very much earlier than I thought, say around my 5th or 6th Christmas when Santa bought me my little red "flyer" wagon. Lets see, Hot rod: any 2-4 wheeled vehicle that you sit your butt in an puts a huge smile on your face. Yes-er-ree fits like a glove. Just mess'n with ya Flamed.
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