Event Coverage I think I'm getting numb to the hobby

Following along with you, for many years you're building cars, having a job, family, home, the hours, efforts catch up with everybody IMO. I agree with, "take a break", do something different, the car hobby, racing when I was younger into my 40's has been my life, and still is. I did develop interest in other hobbies, snowmobiles in winter, boating in summer, rode cycles till 2010, all my life DIY home projects and I'm on a break now from finishing up a sun-room addition to our home, the car hobby is on a break with an occasional cruise or show. The age/health thing is causing more breaks, less being accomplished. My 1/2 a brain left thinks I can still do anything, my body is saying No you can't, Stop abusing me. I understand the burnout deal, in my case, used up, worm out factors in, but I'll just keep plugging along the best I can, As we all say " If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself " Funny thing, now in retrospect, was/is it all worth it ? Hmmmm, food for thought.

 

"Old" car shows around here seem to be pre 2000. When/if you find a true rod or two, the owners are huddled together like outcasts--which they probably are at those places.

 

Was at Bonneville a few years ago banging around in my '29 Roadster with a '28-'29 radiator shell.
An old timer with a linty of records to his name, commented 'no '32 shell?'
He went on a rage about how he LOVED the early A shell even so much that
"he was going to piss off a bunch of people by finding the most original '32 he could find and put a '28-'29 shell on it"

 

I’ve been feeling like you guys to some degree regarding car shows for a very long time. Numb or jaded or bored whatever it might be.
Very few of the cars are interesting to me, occasionally there’s a couple.

I have my 26 RPU that encompassed 10 years of my life to build and that lived in my head for a lot of years before that.
I fabricated the vast majority of the parts it consists of.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/26-t-roadster-pick-up-build-thread.460009/

Now that it’s on the road I get more pleasure driving it than going to shows although I go to a few shows and cruises mainly for the driving and a little bit of the social thing.

All through the years previous to getting to the point where I could build something I was a tag along spectator not a participant.

Raising a family was the priority and that was the focus.
I do agree with Brian that during those years it was more about camping and having fun with the cars, events like the yearly Father’s Day event that the Touring Tins club out of Edmonton held every year in Banff Alberta for many years.
Family focused fun and events for everyone.
I recall a lot of the big events had things for the women with a big hall which they called woman's world.

Things also changed for me when the events I liked switched the focus from pre 49 and crossed over 49th street to allow later cars.
Pre 48 has always been my primary love even though I messed with other stuff over the years.

Now that I have my RPU to drive and get my bald head sunburned etc I have been thinking about a closed car, a coupe.

Maybe a model A or something else with fenders but I don’t know if I have another project in me.

Being retired I have the time but since I’m turning 68 tomorrow I’m not sure I want to get into another one.
Part of that is my small double garage and space issues.

Theres also been a shift in thinking as I’ve been thinking about buying a small motorhome so that my wife and I can get a little camping and roaming around the country in before they close the curtain for the final act.

That’s my Sunday morning thoughts.
Larry

 

When I see NSRA on a flyer I automatically think 1-800 Visa builders and Power Parkers. I also know then where I'm Not going. The Hobby thing has gotten so bad that the Club I've been a part of for over 40+ years that is coming up on it's 70'th anniversary is putting on it's annual car show and I'm deliberately not attending. I will be at Tootle Washington for the Outlaw Drags with a very small crowd of Spot on cars and a few people that think close to how I still do. I'll be very comfortable, thank you. I've even found myself coming here to the HAMB far less than I use to. Seems working in my Shop alone is the most peaceful and inspiring place I can find. I must be getting Old and Sick.

 

With what seems like unwritten "rules" for how a car should be built these days, I'm not the least bit surprised to see so many cars built within those unwritten rules. People get a little creative with a build, and they get criticized for straying from "tradition". I often wonder if guys building cars post WWII and much later got the same criticisms?

 

I’m not really burned out, just in need of some innovative inspiration. My standards get higher as I age. So much, that it is probably past my abilities.

I love mechanical art and especially when a well thought out plan comes together. I like things that look right and are symmetrical in theory. I spend hours and hours thinking about the end product and how changing one thing could effect the overall finished product. My wife calls it analysis paralysis.

So many of thee cars just look blah vanilla with no personality. I can’t tell you how many Black SS Chevelles that were there.

 

I'll walk past 5000 fancy paint jobs and those fugly ass American racing D spokes to look at a traditional looking build or beat up survivor. The thing is, if the truth be known, I'd be willing to say an overwhelming amount of the members here are closet street rodders. They just hang around here to try and hide it, and that's why you never see em at any show, they might be there, but they're not gonna admit it lmao!!!

 

Sure Dan!
But you’d have to pay for the rest of the sheet metal.

 

@Lloyd's paint & glass . Probably so. I am from the Street Machine era. I had a lot of fast cars with very few creature comforts. It’s hard to detune my stuff now. I still lean that way heavily.

 

I went to a car show last week there were close to 400 cars there and there were about 8-10 that were traditional and grabbed my attenttion. Mostly street rods. A lot of the were from the 80's & 90's with pastel paint jobs, tweed interiors and lots of billet.

 

I call this building the Total car before any work starts. To many projects are just parts hung together, and it shows to those that choose to look. I have finally been able to get back to some of my Personal projects. I retired 6 years ago but it took 5 years to finally sweep everything that wasn't mine out the Doors. Now I hope I can get some things done so prior Customers can see what I was talking about during their builds. Some listened close but I don't think any went all the way. They paid their bills and went away happy but left me thinking they missed the Bulls Eye, but got close. Personal satisfaction is yet to come. Most new builders that try don't really know Traditional, only their version of it.

 

Yup, it's all about the personal evolution of taste, experience & execution of the subject observed.

 

There are copy cat parts and individual ones on every car I see. I look to the cars I just like. Hoods and exposed engines are a personal choice as is having your hood up at a show.
It’s the same with paint for me. I like a painted car, always have and always will. Clear coat over polished down to the primer and bare steel or rust isn’t paint.
Last is wheels and I like everything HAMB friendly for the most part. What guys are doing with “conestoga rims and fork truck tires” is beyond me.

 

This is a great example of what turns me on.
Neal Candy out of Canada turned this bad boy out in 2013. He helps Jeffie with his cars and his stuff is spot on.

 

It's the term "HOTROD" To me man. I'm the same as you. When I was a teenager it was fast cars, we lined the side of the highway down route 7, Mr Bucks farm, about a 2 mile long straight stretch. Every weekend! Talk shit all week long, and then go see who's ass could back up their mouth lol. Work all week to try and be faster next week. Didn't have a drag strip back then. We never pulled our cars in a parking lot and sat in chairs hoping for a trophy. Hell I couldn't tell ya what color half those cars were back then, but I can still pretty much remember what they were all running. That's more the type of guy I am, in case ya haven't noticed I'm not a pretty man, I damn sure don't want my car to be pretty. I'm more into being righteous, or an outcast

 

When someone says come look at my Hot Rod, it's finished now. First thing you have is a Vision and second is you know he's lying. We just drive them as they are for a while then keep trying to improve on them.

 

I'd like to be sympathetic. My problem is that trying to find that unique look that hasn't been done by any one else is tough. It is great when you find it, but in time, more and more will be showing up.
We can't all be Ed Roth. If we were, that would end with the respect of an SS MALIBU.
I used Own a 20 year old 65 SS Black 'BU'. Never put in a show. Any where I parked it there were questions and atta boys.
Here is hope that you get the THRILL that you need. I don't believe it will be in a crowd.

 

Jeeze, I thought it was just me...

 

Jeff’s pickup is another example.

 

@wex65 built the Gentleman’s Coupe.
This car was great and it is on the top of my list.

 

Jeff Norwell and I have known each other longer than I care to admit and he definitely gets it.
His coupe is my all time favorite. This car is so well executed.

 

Hum, to me the simple Model A with a deuce grille personifies a traditional hot rod! HRP

 

My little town of 10,000 people is taken over by a car show the 4th weekend of July each year. I can't not go, but I've lost all interest in the primary show cars up on Main street. Typically 90% of the cars are the same year to year. I've seen them before and the owners are just sitting in lawnchars awaiting praise. I much prefer to visit the unjudged cars, which are more often home built by the owners, and the swap meet, although there's as many lampshades as there are steering wheels. Gotta find that $2 item I can't live without.

I did try to go to a Goodguys event a few months ago just to get away for the day, about 250 miles in each direction, but got 100 miles from home and the only highway was closed due to a tanker spill.

Devin

 

That's about as sacrilegious as putting a model A on deuce rails! Oh the travesty! Lol... so when it comes down to it Danny, what would be a more traditional hot rod, a 32 Ford coupe? Or a model A coupe on 32 rails? with a 32 grille shell of course...

 

I think it’s the opposite .

the guy with the street rod , resto mod , kit car cobra with an automatic. Would rather be driving a car like ours !!

I have always gotten thumbs up and strike conversations with my “Average driver cars “

there are a bunch of videos on boobtube with a guy in a beat up hot rod and another guy in a Lamborghini or Ferrari and they drive around and park at different places to see peoples reactions .

Its always from young to old , man , woman or other , everyone seems to gravitate to a cool old hot rod over anything shiny .

I think it’s the idea that the owner “ gets it” built it him / her self and is a shining example of what was INSTEAD of 1-800 hot rod parts or buying my car from the factory this way .


Anyways rant over , back to standing in my head cleaning up some wiring in my “ ho-hum , daily driver 40 merc “.

started working on it at 10 this morning , about 5 people walking and driving around the neighborhood had to stop and chat for a bit . Everyone loves old rides .
Pretty sure if I had a shiny new Jaguar in the driveway no one would bat an eye .

 

What he said, that nails it. Just gets boring. It's all been done so many times.

 

It has all been done! Traditional cars are even becoming very bland. We have a recipe for what the modern interpretation of a period correct car looks like. The fact of the matter is, there will only be 2 or 3 cars at each show that stand out as unique without being built in poor taste. The goal is to be one of these select cars.

 

Vandy, I gotta admit you are correct. I have built 11 Model A's, few fat fender cars, few trucks, couple of vw's, Camaro's, Nova's, etc... but I swear to you I have never had a more comments on a car than my old El Camino, and zero negative, other than here. We took it out of town for a few days and had people follow us into gas stations, parts stores, restaurants, hotel parking lot, just to take pictures and ask questions about what it was. They could not fathom that we drove that car, that far from home. Everybody loved it, because it is different. Just like me. We all know what we like, and when we see it, we're drawn to it. I took a car that hadn't seen the road since 1973, 49 years, and gave it a new lease on life, and that's what I like about this hobby.