Most Car Show Have Lost It.............

Hmmmm......a lot has been said and the opinions vary, the differences we see at the shows can be positive. The variety of cars shows a timeline of trends over the years. I think the average car people gravitate to what they identify with and possibly are comfortable with. There was a time when a red street rod with grey tweed interior was the crowd pleaser, billet got popular and so on and so on. The key is the trends. Even now with the "gasser" craze you are seeing sort of cookie cutter gassers, ok what I mean is the trends can saturate and become old. One thing tried and true are the original restored cars, they are absolute and depict history. I personally am a gasser nut but I appreciate all cars and their owners, I enjoy talking to those who are really passionate about their car, not on an egotistical level but just happy they did their car to their level and budget. Trophy shows and judging is not my thing. Hey the great thing is we all have a choice, we can seek out a selective show or hang out somewhere else. For me there is nothing better than a bunch of buddies hanging out at dusk at our garages, half dirty from wrenching, talking builds, ideas, and some home made food planning our next move. Change is ievitable and the diversity of the cars is here to stay, above all enjoy the time as it is, all of our days are numbered.

 

Why is it that we can always count on you for such an indepth and insightful view of the subject at hand? It GOT to be a gift.

Frank

 

It's all perception. I have a relative that will not look at any car he thinks was built by a pro or is a kit anything. He talks about old school and home built but his current ride runs a crate motor. At an NRSA event we were both at I said "Lets go look at that 46 Ford Convert". He said "No, it's pro built". It wasn't. I knew the owner and it took 6 years of hard work at home. He is also a machinest by trade so it did have some of his home crafted parts. Not store bought, home built. Instead we looked at a 40 Chevy Coupe that my relative was postive was home built. I was looking at the gas door above the left rear fender and asked the owner what it was off of. He said "I have no idea. I took the car to a body shop and they charged me $250 to put a gas door in". So much for home built. Now, if a show has a participants choice, my relative will only vote for a car he thinks is home built. My relative, since retiring, rented a commercial building to work on his own car/s. He also does work for other rodders that he knows to pay the rent and pay for his own cars. Sure makes me think he is now a pro builder. But I doubt he would turn down any award because he is now a pro. Maybe instead of knocking any car one should take time to meet the owner. That old school flathead may have come from a pro shop and have a $12,000 price tag attached. Old school is not cheap, unless you consider building something no one ever wanted much even when new. Money still rules. Have fun. Meet new people. Do the best you can with what you can do or afford, and don't make assumptions about the car you see. You could be flat wrong. It's all really supposed to make you grin. I sure as hell hope that surgeon doing the scheduled vasectomy did not smash his hand last night changing out the tranny in his old school ride. "You'r going to cut on my WHAT with that mangled hand you smashed last night?" I hope like hell he is a gold chainer that bought his ride. Perspective!

 

My grand father who served in WW2 was 26 years old in 1945, I sat down with him the other day and had a chat, I said hey want to see some old school hot rods, sure he says, show me something kid, so I go on here with you guys. He is looking, he laughs, chuckles, what the hell is this he says. Gramps this is the HAMB, these guys build cars like you guys did back in the day. Shit he almost pissed himself, he says what, he says in my day a hot rod or souped car was just a car that we took weight out of, no one could afford all this stuff kid, that stuff you are seeing there is California stuff, most of that stuff was for running fast on the salt, they would put it in a magazine and try to sell parts. Sonny if I ran a 18 in the 1/4 mile I was movin in my 47 Ford Coupe and that was fenderless, no hood and only a bench seat. I thought he was gonna kick my ass.
Sonny he says, we didn't have this bullshit you call a car show, we had meets. You go to a meet with your buddies and other guys go in groups. Like clubs or gangs he says. You go to a meet and have a show down out on a country road some wheres that it's dark as a witches teet and 2 fellas get in these stripped down cars and race. You may have 5, 10 50 cars all full of people following these 2 cars all going down the high way at 80 miles an hour, fast back then, and not some straight road like you pussies run on now and usually no pavement. He's like up out of his chair now and right in my face, he has really stanky breath, Gol dang. You want to check your courage you damn little punk he says, you have a race with some sum o va bitch at 80 mph on a dirt road in the dark 2 inches away from a guy who has no fear of death cause he did 115 bomb runs over Germany. Car show he says why don't you just sniff glue or something, real cars go to meets and people die, car show bunch of ... stupid kids today.
I thought the old boy was going to die on me, he has an oxygen tube in him and for a minute I really thought he might burst into a fire ball. He had some other views about racing including noise, the strategy in the day was to be as quiet as you could be, in the event the law came after you, you would not have a chance in a noisy hunk of junk. He claims that his group used spots to navigate the old roads while they were racing cause you didn't race on a straight road so you had to steer your light.
He claims he never won a trophy but a lot of money and a fair amount of favor with the girls. " If it ain't about the dolls than it ain't about nothin, you dumb ass" he says to me.
So this is what the 91 year old guy says hot rodding was in Chicago in 1946 to 1951 when gram "stole" him from his club. He told me that he has no pictures of any of him or his war buddies because before he met Gram he would put up his finger and no one would process the film.
I wish I had video of this talk, it was funny as hell.

 

Frank, you need to bring him out to our shop. Maybe on the 16th for our Goodguys pre-party. I want to meet him!

 

I think it's ok to buy one. some guys or gals may not have the time or skill to build one but most always dream of having one. You need to look at it this way. Every time someone buys a built car they just saved another cause chances are the the builder was tired of it or just wanted to build another. That helps out the builder and the guy or gal has a nice car to drive or come out and meet some real nice folks who do the shows. That is why you see so many different cars as everyone has differend ideals and who knows they mignt rember a car that there dad owned and just wanted to drive one like that.

 

Francisco,
That's a riot! Enjoy your Gramps as much as you can.
Talking with these ol' boys is a hoot!
I'd give anything to have my Dad and Grandfather around.

 

My solution to all that nonsense is simple: I cruise often. I cruise well. I built it to drive, and that's exactly what I do! My last run took me over 500 miles last weekend. I don't really care about what everyone else is doing or how they're doing it, or how they define it, I just DRIVE!!!!!!! (By the way, it's a 27 T Roadster Pickup with a mildly cammed 283 & a GM 5 speed).....it gets GREAT gas mileage too.

 

Shows around here suck, same old crap not much traditional stuff. We have 2 local cruise nights a week and I quit going about a year ago because the same cars have been showing up for the last 10 or so years, got better things to do then see the same old shit week after week!

 

LOL Francisco...back in the early 1960's, on Iowa dirt roads, we used to call this "rat racing." 70, 80 mph on gravel with a front bumper two inches away from a rear bumper...first one to blink lost...I wondered where that type of screwing around came from...maybe now I know...

You can read about "rat-racing" in my first two books...written about crazy stuff we did with a car back then...we were young, dumb and indestructible...!!!

R-

 

i agree with that!

 

Francisco-
Love that story your gramps laid on you...its as real as a shot of rye and a punch in the mouth!
I bet he has a few more...and I bet most of 'em are true !

 

I like all cars! Streetrods, ricers, lowriders, customs, hell, i even like boats and bikes! There are too many great builds out there to limit yourself to one type. When i was younger i perfered muscle cars, now i like traditional stuff. I guess my point is enjoy it or don't go. Some of the coolest guys i know that have a wealth of hotrod knowledge,drive streetrods but the thing is,they all started out with "traditional" stuff because they were there and lived it.

 

Man my biggest hangup at car show or should i say paint and chrome shows is haveing some guy tell me where i need to park not just what area put wants to guide me in the spot keeps trying to get me closer to the car next to me.I get there early to get get a spot with shade and he wants me in his spot. thies are small car show guys have lots of room. Hell even goodguys lets you park any where you want

 

Jesus Christ man, I'd give my left nut to be able to get out of this wheelchair and on a plane to check out some of the awesome shows rides you guys have over there. I am fully with this guy.
Paul

 

The good news. Most people don't dislike car shows. Its just that threads like this attract those that are unhappy with their life in general and jump at any chance to whine.

My take on any car show; If it's within a couple of hours drive, I go. Don't give a rat's ass who is putting it on. They are all people enjoying their car hobby. Why would I put myself in a box and limit my participation. My best show is the one I'm at, second best is the last one I attended. Then, after the next one, the memory of past ones will fade.

 

car shows are car shows. i have seen many "billet" rods with really great ideas that help to get other ideas flowin'. it is a show and a chance to see how other have built or bolted together their passion. if you don't like it, move on and get over it.

every car has something to it. built or bolted. that gets you either inspired or gets you thinking. it's all in how you look at it.

 

billet boring crappy plastic street rods with pink lightning bolts and 70s interior bore the shit out of me ..period.

 

Car Shows haven't "LOST" anything. They are what they are and always have been. If you don't like this one, go to that one, there are all different types.
Geez, what a bunch of dribble in this thread

 

I agree with Ryan & 29Nash, though most here have contributed something meaningful in what has (unnecessarily) become a kinda contentious environment (meaning the hobby, not necessarily the thread). Myself, when I'm lucky enough to have the time and dough, I go where I can and appreciate decent cars for what they are, or new ideas.

I don't know how many cars I walked right by, 'cause they didn't jerk my lariat over there. I don't remember, as I went to have a good time, not to run down somebody else's car. My wife can tell you, sometimes I wind up talking almost an hour with somebody who's on the same wave length about his car he had since he inherited it from his dad from the '50s. (That burns her ass, 'cause she wants to walk and take pix. Keep moving. LOL I just say, "Go ahead, I'll catch up, babe.")

I guess what I'm saying is what I've said before. There's room somewhere in this BIG hobby for everybody. And if EVERYBODY buys parts and services, then that keeps costs down and availability UP, right? Myself, I like EARLY rods, customs and even restos.

Car shows are just like the HAMB, in one respect: If you don't like a certain post (or car) f---ing skip it and move on! Forget it. If somebody in Washinton shuts us all down, that is when the real bithcing would get started -- but then it would be too late. We'd better look a the common good a tad -- some ocmmon ground.

Just enjoy the experience, as long as it's still there to enjoy. I pray it's still around 50 years from nowwhen I'm long gone! If so, young folks will be looking to the HAMB archives as a precious resource, as to how it USED to be done after WWII 'til the mid'60s.

 

P+O+O+P = #2, Trebek ---- it's all in what you see.......

I like my car and no one else does, don't bother me. I still go to all the local car shows. It's all in the ride anyway. I think it's rather funny when people pick my car apart, sometimes I have a really good time messing with some people about it. They don't know why I drive it this way. They don't know what else I'm working on at this time. At least I'm there in something and not driving my Honda and being a spectator. I was a spectator for too long......

 

I never seen Gramps like the way he was, he's heading for 92. He was incensed, so belligerent , He's always been a sweet old guy, not too many stories. He has a scar on his arm and he said many years ago that he did it at work, well now he says he just told that to gram who passed away a few years ago, he says he did it jumping cars with his motorcycle. I sat there for 2 hours listening to his stories about his death defying past. He tells me" when I'm dead you will find out who I really was, it's all in a safe deposit box. I thought he was the old guy who took me fishing, now I'm trying to look up his old tattoos on the web. I'll keep you guys informed as I find out who he is. Funny shit.

 

If you love youre car and no one else does who gives a crap. As long as its American and the guy or gal who ownes it loves it, its awesome. Car shows are to see what everyone else has built . Dont insult someones ride because no one knows what the owners story is.

 

I go to a show every Tues. called "Gweeds Gangsters" in Jensen Beach Florida. If I saw nothing but trad. rods always it would get boring. Its a treat to see a few there yes but I'm glad they are few and far between at the show I go to because I don't want them to get sandwiched with the 69 Camaro's,65 Mustangs,and 55 chevies that litter the shit outta most shows. I can't wait to get my 60 running so I can park next to my buddies 58 Ford stepside out at the show.

 

This is "the final word" as far as I am concerned:

"Maybe we all (you) oughta quit bitchin' at the shape and age of each others cars and band together, seeing as how the idiots in Washington are going to make it harder and harder to run anything at all. We're all part of the same club and just don't know it."

(Taken from a post a couple pages up)

Motorcyclists are the same way. In-fighting amongst enthusiasts, while outside entities chip away at our hobby.

 

I guess I like variety, so I don't get worked up over the various cars at shows. I've even seen some things on the rice cars that I found interesting. Wouldn't go to a show that was all new tuner cars, but having them at a show I'm attending doesn't get me wound up.
I've been to a few traditional shows that were all pre 64 rods, and even there I've found vehicles that made me just shake my head. It takes all kinds to make up the rodding world, and that hasn't changed ever. If every car was a traditional rod somebody would be complaining there were too many traditional rods. We need variety so we've got something to compare each other to, and not get bored to tears.

 

damn. I can't believe I wasted my time reading this thread.

 

Its like its always been. The ones with money buy the new thing out because they can, the rest of usfind what we love and stick with it till death,REAL HOT RODS. Out of the 20 or so car guys from school 5 of us are still into the life.

 

Maybe it's time for more guys in more areas of the country to start posting some lets get together and go for a ride threads that plan on meeting up with a bunch cars and people from a radius of X miles at a convenient location and taking a cruise that includes some scenic spots or stops and a good place to stop for lunch somewhere that can accommodate a group both in the parking lot and to feed them at one time. Then back on the road in a circle back to the general area of the starting point. To hell with playing show that day or getting out the color keyed lawn chairs.

Or get up a group of cars to meet up and drive a hundred miles or so to some little run in a place that has a lot of cool factor going for it. The drive and stops along the way being as important as attending the show.

 

Keep a open mind,If you focus on only one idea you become narrow minded. Try to see the other guys point of view. He just might have someyhing to say worth listening to.