How many guys on here have family that do not get the hot rod thing or like mine down right discourage it from the get go?.
I'm the only one in my family. My father always wondered why I would work on or drive old cars when there were plenty of new ones around. My siblings don't get it, and the closest one that did was my uncle Joe and he passed away 2 years ago. Most everyone in my family took their cars to town to get them fixed till I was about 15. Then I got it all until I shut them off. Didn't like workin for free
Most of my family "gets it", but I believe it's mainly just to humor me...took me years to convince my dad that there was merit in even repainting a car a non-stock color to meet personal preference...let alone cut one up for personal preference...
opposite of what your askin....but my 70 amx has been parked in my mother in laws back garage for 12 yrs..she doesn't mind at all! i store my 53 in my uncle Steve's garage all yr around.....my neighbor has my motor for my coupe build in his front shop, and my ha/gr chassis in his big shop! non of these shops are auto related! all my family only complains because they want them all done so they can tool around in them to!!!!
My older brother got me into it, then he got married and she turned him into a sterotypical "Adult". He still has the gene, but it's been surpressed by his wife for so long, I doubt if it'll ever come back. So it's left up to me to carry on the tradition by myself.
I spend most of my time outside of work going out on the boat, fishing, going surfing, camping out on the islands offshore, and playing with cars (although my car habit has been a bit curtailed lately because of money and driver's license difficulties), and I hear this all the time: "When are you going to grow up???" My response: "Why, so I can be uptight, unhappy, and completely consumed with the daily grind like you guys??? Yeah, no thanks. I'll be over here acting like a kid having a blast while you guys are over there stressing and bitching about everything. Good luck with ALL THAT." I think some people get so caught up with day to day bullshit, they not only forget how to have fun, they instinctively piss on other people's fun. Misery loves company. Life is short, and fast cars are a blast. That's all I know.
Man, I'm practically the only one in town...I mean, we've got chainers and fiberglass, but not many people into cool shit. Even the guy doing "custom" paint on bikes and some late model cars throws down 90s paint.
i have 7 brothers and two sisters and i'm the only one who is even remotely interested in old cars , but they do want to see what i'm working on when they stop over....so i can't say they discourage me , but also i'm sure they wonder about me. my 81 year old mother will come out and look if i stop over her place with a hot rod , but has never gone on a ride if offered my father , who was never a car guy ,actually thought it was a great idea to get my first Model A ford at 16 , and a `40 Ford at 17....but was against a Honda 90.
My dad used to tell me that General Motors pays their engineers millions of dollars per year to design cars so what made me think I was any smarter than them when I wanted to change something. Of course this is the same guy that changed a flat tire, drove the car 10 miles and sheared the studs off because he put the lug nuts on backswards... Needless to say, he was never a strong supporter of my fetish for old cars.
im the only one in my blood family. My dad hates old cars and hated working on them, and he didnt want them at his house, my VW days were an issue ....jeesh. But he used to have a sick 65 chevelle from around 1973 to 1980...I was born in 74, that chevelle put the old car bug in me,....i remember driving in it with him. Man i tell him about the cars i have now and what im doing to them.......doesnt even care But thankfully we had real close friends of the family that were traditional hot rodders, thank god....that fed the fire. I was pretty much adopted into their hot rod family....cuz im the black sheep in my blood family......i refer to them as my uncle and cousin.......we were all just at the mooneyes show.......we have done and still do alot of hot rod stuff together....i love it
I havent seen my family since 95 ,they couldnt stand old cars . They thought cars were low class along with their owners . This is a stigma that will always be part of the hobby . I think the answer is get new family and friends .c
I think I'd have to agree with the stigma thing - however I also think that it IS changing - it's never been MORE accepted than right now - at least in my short time noticing it all. My gramdmother was never a car person, but when I showed up with an old convertible - she asked for a ride - I'll always remember how cool that day was. She was well into her 80's at the time.
heh. my family has never been terribly supportive of anything I do or have done....but I can't say I am complaining. I do my thing, they do thiers. Just like I like it.
This week I am the Black Sheep for sure. Funny thing these packages just keep showing up on my doorstep with parts in them. I am really in trouble with the wife. I just tell her its my Christmas presents to me.
My 10 year old son loves anything with a wheel on it,wife and two daughters no interest at all,on the rare occation they ride in one of my cars they always find something to bitch about.
I don't know if you'd say black sheep or not. May have been a black sheep. My Mom wouldn't let me have a black leather jacket back in the '50's. My Dad probably got burned out on working on cars long before I was ever born. I didn't have any sisters or brothers my age so I was basically an only child. I messed with cars all of the time. My Dad didn't discourage me because he thought it would lead to a job as an auto mechanic someday and I'd have a "trade" and that was good because I sure wasn't a stellar student. But that wasn't to be, got married, had kids, had a job that I couldn't afford to be arrested for some on street crap etc, etc, etc. I just now got back into it, other than changing motors in a pickup and helping my 16 year old son get into cars I haven't done anything in 25 years. I got him a '68 Chevelle with a 454 and powerglide. We rebuilt it and put a 4 speed in it. It was stolen on Christmas day years ago. Never heard hide nor hair from it. Now I'm havin' a hoot with my '56. Wish I had a huge garage and a ton of money. I'd have a dozen projects ..
My story is my dad owned a vw bug and then a vw van he belived the best true mode of transportation was a city bus and mass transport. He ran for politics up here under the N.D.P. (SOCIALIST).
Well, my dad sold or gave away any old car or body I ever came up with " We don't have any place for you to keep that crap".............so when in high school, my 29 roadster was sold while I was at school..my 31 A coupe body given to a guy who said he would haul it away for free! Oh yeah, there was also a 1930 Packard sedan, same story, no place to store it........."get that thing out of my garage". Mom was a little better, but she would not go to bat for me when I was young. They are both gone.... My wife thinks they are neat and tolerates cars well as long as she thinks there may be a 57 chevy in her future, so I keep my eyes open for a "deal". No one else in the family has any tolerance or interest. My sons think they are Ok because I can help them with their cars. I do have an uncle that is the one who got me interested in cars when I was about 10. He moved to Couer 'd Alend, Idaho years ago and we do talk on the phone from time to time, but mostly he wants me to send him my projects when I finish them............like that's gonna happen! I do have friends here in OKC that are into cars and the H.A.M.B. has helped with the network. Thanks for asking....
My dad is is really the only one into Cars,he is the person would started me off as a tot.Most of the family says "its just an old car/truck whats so special?" they just dont get it
Out of my whole extended family as I grew up, only one other hands on rodder, my cousin Louie who at about 64 is still at it. Here at home, my wife, daughter and son are all into rods. What can I tell you, I whipped it into them years ago. Hehe. No, really, they had no choice. Other then for a few years of being out of it for health reasons, my kids grew up in it and around it. My wife fell in love with it because it was part of my life and if it brought pleasure to me she wanted a part of it too.
Im a third generation hot rodder, even my younger sisters get it. My older sister married a guy that was one of my best mates and a petrol head too. Though he is more of a 55-56-57 Chev fan his last car was a 54 Buick. My two nieces seem to get it too though I fear my nephew will never get it, he was always scared of my 38 and going fast. WTF? So I guess he would be the 'back sheep'. Doc
I got that question too, once... ( asked by one of my Car Buddies' dad ) Real easy to answer... Yes. My car is better, now that its modified. The Stopwatch doesn't lie...
I bought my 40 Coupe in 1965. My dad was dead against it. Especially when I parted out a real nice 54 Ford for the new flathead engine. Just recently he told me a story about loosing his bridge work down my gas fill tub when we were trying to start it. He is 90 now and I told him he was wrong, that I would get my $100 investment back. However I didn't tell him how much I have in it now.<O</O
My father to this day thinks I ruined our 39 Chevy by taking out the ol babbit bearing 216 and putting in a later 235..I tell him that the 216 is out back in case he ever wants to go back "original".. its mostly just listening to his friends bitch about it though, they are all dying off and he is mellowing about it, as he drives around keeping up with traffic and listening to Glenn Miller on the 12 volt system....
I've got the reverse problem, my dad and his two older brothers were street-racin' greasers. Collectively we have 2 55' Oldsmobiles (mine and Uncle Gene's) 2 48' Dodges, one sedan I6 with split exhaust which sounds bitchin, and a convert with a 392 hemi (Uncle Jack's) Also non-traditional 67' Barracuda convert, and a 69' Chevelle that runs in the 9's. My pops had a sissy moment and sold his Plymouth I think it was a 38', but he intends to redeem himself (somewhat) by seeking to buy a 68' Charger. Back in the late 50's Uncle Gene was killing it on the streets in a 50' Merc monterey powered by an Olds 324 with 57' heads and a J2 manifold/carbs. The three Rochesters from that car are now on top of my rocket.
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