November's Rod & Custom was a little disappointing

I really look forward to Rod & Custom every month, but I've been getting a little disappointed with the content of the recent issues. (At only 122 pages, it doesn't really have a lot of content to begin with.) The November issue seems like a real low point.

A lot of the magazine is taken up by "The Favorite 50 Rods & Customs" throughout history. Nice, but pretty basic stuff.

Even more basic was the technical stuff. There's part two of taking apart a kit car for powder coating. There's a basic tech on how solid front axles work, with diagrams right out of the Speedway catalog. There's a piece on an affordable serpentine belt for your SBC that I passed over. And then part two of lowering a Ford shoebox. And finally an unorganized Tips & Tricks section.

The featured cars are OK: a billet 37 Ford and a 62 Impala. I liked the 41 Ford better.

Where's the cool tech stuff? Where are the great cars and helpful how-tos that used to be downright inspirational? Is Rod & Custom going downhill, or is it just me?

 

Plus, Denise won't be in the next Ego-Rama.

 

who was this months young gun? titus?

 

I too have noticed a steady decline in both the number of and kinds of feature articles and lack of quality of tech articles. Just a observation, but does'nt this always seems to happen right before a major overhaul of any publication. Maybe they are going to try to re-invent themselves...again...or not. Either way there has been alot less going on between those pages of theirs.

 

[ QUOTE ]
who was this months young gun? titus?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it was BILLETPROOF the "EVENT"... first time a YOUNG GUN was selected as a COMMUNITY. instead of as a PERSON

 

I have been reading R & C since 1961 and it has always been a fun, experimental rod & custom based magazine.
Nothing more nothing less.
It has always had a few good how to articles and some fun road show happenings and for the most part not been afraid to add in some new ideas and trends once in a while.
And since there's always some old, or young, fuddy duddy who doesn't like change, writing in to complain that there's too many red cars or not enough Chevy's or keep them Nashs out or some nonsense they always have had complaints.
One thing it is not is the rockerbilly's private ego rag.
You've got CK Deluxe for that. (which I just bought #9 of today)
Get over it.
If you want tech articles that make a physicist frown in wonder read HOTROD.
R & C I think was the first mag to show how to put a corvair IFS in a hotrod.
SO what if it's not such a hot idea today, at least they had the balls to print it.
I'm going to read the serpentine belt article because I'm getting tired of the belt squeel in my truck at 7000 RPM. it might be the answer.
R & C, keep up the tradition of R & C like you have. your doin' ok in my book.

 

I don't think I'd pass judgement over just one issue... give it a few... maybe four months, and then blast away if you don't see anything you like. What we have to realize is that there may be some guy out there wanting to drop his ford, take his car apart to have it poweder coated or maybe even a guy out there just learning about front suspensions... and they're sitting at home soaking it all in, learning, and scheming how they are going to scrape up the money... or cash in the stocks... to actually build an old car or an old styled one... it may not be my cup of tea... but it sure beats sitting on the couch watching TV... or worse yet... out stealing TV's!!
Sam.

 

The problem is that the magazine caters to it's sponsors. So for instance, an article about brakes. They will tell you how to install some place's bolt on out of the box turn key kit. They have no interest in showing how to adapt parts from the junkyard or parts store. Their advertisers wouldn't like that.

Or maybe a steering column article. Yep, going to be a brand new UPS delivered unit hooked up with more 1-800-deliver it stuff to the brand new rack and pinion from some generous advertiser.

I talked with Pat Ganahl for a long time in Kansas a few years ago. He told me how magazine guys would get stuff given to them to do articles about. After they got the car built up, it still belonged to the magazine guy to do whatever he wanted to do with it. So, lots of them got sold for a profit. Stuff like that is why Pat Ganahl is the stepchild of the automotive magazine indusrty. He tells it like it is. He is also my favorite writer. When he left Rodders Journal it started downhill right away.

Does anybody else remember Rodders Digest? That was a good one while it lasted.

 

I dropped my subscription several years ago after they showed a picture of an early Ford with 20 inch wheels and O-ring tires. The caption read." we hope this isn't a view of things to come". A month or two later they did a feature of a car with 20 inch wheels and O-ring tires. I guess the wheel advertisers won again.

 

For many people, everything they know, they have learned from magazines. This was true for me when I started out and its true for a lot of people just beginning to get interested in old cars. Magazines are the public's easiest source of information. Its a shame when the magazines mislabel and incorrectly identify cars and parts and use incorrect words. Page 59 says the ball on the radius rods is "reticulating". hmmmm..... page 82 says "lag bolts were included" Lag bolts??? Hopefully the reader will identify the carriage bolts in the photo. Page 92 could be Craigs mistake but a novice might believe that Harley made a flathead 80 in 1935.

 

I was kinda amused at the editorial in the Nov Custom and Classic Trucks magazine. The Editor says "Wild or poorly executed graphics that'll soon be out of date are rarely a characteristic of a feature truck in CCT." Either he didnt know what the cover photo was gonna be or his 'feature' guidelines dont apply to cover photos. I definitely wont renew my subscription to that mag.

 

If you want it to grow and improve you HAVE to support it.
Dropping subscriptions or not buying it off the rack can only make things worse!
I buy it every month and I'll continue to buy it just because they TRY.

Bill

 

For the price of a Big Mac, fries and a shake I'll take a car mag any day. I feel if there is only one thing between the covers that catches my eye its worth the price. IMO magazines are still a bargin and if you take advantage of multiple year subscriptions the cost stays below $2/ issue, sometimes less. Besides at my age I'm running out of notches on my belt so choosing between a magazine and a stop at the golden arches is a little easier these days.

Frank

 

Hey Winfab, hows that foot taste????????? You know, the size 10 you shoved in your mouth. Dan Kahn happens to be a HAMBer and a good resource at that. Like Sam said, one bad issue means nothing.....R&C has been by far one of the best monthlies in the last few years.

 

so cause the guy is a hamber its not gay for him to build a kit car and call it a hot rod? neat.

 

Ganahl is the "stepchild" because he told you the truth? You think he never got a part given to him in exchange for editorial? C'mon. I love to see people bash magazines, especially in my position. It's insane to think a particular mag is going to be to your liking 100% each month...even the sacred Rodder's Journal. And when something like this happens, it's like you were butt-raped by the publishing industry because you paid what, $5 maybe. Use that "disappointing" issue to wipe your tears...and your ass.

 

I only started reading R&C just over a year ago, but I've bought every issue that's come out afterwards. Yeah, there are some articles and things that I don't care for that much, but it's still the only car magazine that I've found around here that isn't all about huge billet wheels and extremely high dollar rods (although I'm sure some of the cars they showcase have quite a few pretty pennys in them)

In a way, I agree with what was said about youngguns and how it shouldn't matter about your age, sex or whatever, but with the way the automotive scene is going these days, it can't hurt if it's going to get more of the younger crowd into old rides. That's just how I see things though. But I'll still buy it. I'll probably still learn something too.

-Derrick

 

I think that R and C is trying to do a great job compared to alot of other mags!!! They are really working to get more young people intersted in Hot Rods instead of Rice Rods. Acutally they have a deal right now for people that want to join the young guns club. 1 year subsciption for 10 Bucks. 10 dollars for a year. Just one good article would be worth that to me in a year..I think these magazine guys bust their ass to get good info. Dan Kahn is just a young guy and is doing some great things at the magazine

 

Personally, I really like the fact that Dan is building one of those mods from over in St Johns, Michigan! I was curious about them when I first spotted the tiny little ad in the back of a magazine as well, and I'll be eagerly following along as Mr Kahn walks us through his latest project!

(The "Rat Fink" pose picture was priceless, too cool! )

 

I haven't missed an issue since 1963....had bad withdrawls during the "black days"...now I suppose that I'll never stop buying it.

 

I just wish the subscription dept. would take their head out of their ass and start sending me the subscription I ordered in April. They sent one copy, then I moved, and NOTHING. I've called twice and they didn't have the address change, but I never got anything forwarded either. Supposedly it is straightened out, but I'm really sick of all these damn companies having shitty customer service. Remember the days when you'd order something and it would show up and actually work. You didn't have to produce receipts 6 months later when the shit broke, they replaced the product because they believed in it. Now, the service stops as soon as the check clears.
Sorry for the rant. I can count on 3 fingers the number of companies I've dealt with in the last 4 years that I'd recommend to others.

 

speaking as a young gun member(my clock is ticking as i just turned 30)to be honest,back 5 or 6 years ago(and prior to that),honestly,i didnt really read R&C(other that the old R&C's),id pick it up occasionaly,flip through it or buy it off the shelf.then around 99 or so it started getting pretty damn cool and they were showing alot of the stuff i really dug. this was like when the only other thing "we" had to quinch our thirst was the dick tease of HRD.

well,ive been subscribing since then.sure i dont dig every ride thats in there,or every tech story or whatever,but i dig the mag as a whole. i renewd my sub this year for another two.R&C ,for me is the best MAINSTREAM mag out there right now.

i really like CKD,but i havent subscribed yet.i cant find it locally,only at carshows. rev is cool,,the other small pages,i cant say,cuz i live in a fucked up place,i cant find them. OL SKOOL, as dumb as the name sounds, i think they're gonna do real well do to the fact that they are out there on the shelves.

but this is just my opinion......


later

 

Deyo, thats why I gave up subscriptions, they are not handled by the magazines anymore. They get farmed out. And the companies that run em SUCK!!!!

 

I just LICK ROBS ass for free ISSUES, and tell them R and C im DOWN WITH "SKRATCH" and ALEX SHIFTER.... then I get free issues and spend my money of WINE....

 

The current R&C is a lightweight, not just this month but for most issues in the past year. Granted, it's miles better than it was under the control of its last long-time Petersen editor, but I find little to compel me to want to pay for it. A quick newsstand scan is enough to prompt me to move on to other titles to spend my money on.

 

It wasn't that long ago that I bought 3 mags a month. They were the only ones out there unless you were into european sporty sedans. Now we have lots of rags so we can all find something to bitch about. R&C turned me off back in the late 50's because of all the space they wasted on go-carts and mini bikes. Still I usually learned something every month, and I still do. Now I dig the mini bike stuff on the HAMB! Go figger!

 

Its been at least two months since there has been a good R&C bashing on the HAMB, I was starting to wonder who would step up...

Thanks to all of you who had a kind word to throw in. As for the rest of you, if ya don't like the magazine, don't buy it. Its really a pretty simple concept.

As for Young Guns, I'm not exactly clear why a few of you don't like the concept. The fact of the matter is that there are fewer and fewer young people getting into this hobby as the original rodders dissapear and the youngest ones buy into the import scene. Why not have a different perspective in the magazine that supports young people? Its a whole TWO PAGES!

You should all realize that in this increasingly corporate world, where massive chain stores are putting little guys out of business and giant media conglomerates are buying up all the publishing houses, it is becoming an uphill battle to maintain a balance between hi-zoot and old school at a magazine that primarily concentrates on cars built and styled before WWII. RF knows this as well as anybody. So far I think we've done a pretty good job.

As for the guys who had some nasty things to say about me or the Real Hot Rod, why don't ya post a pic of YOUR CAR? I'm sure we'd all love to take a look...

Dan

PS
RickyRacer- I really dig your Ranchero man. That black primer and those hubcaps really make it KOOL. I've built a bunch of '60s cars and I know how hard it is to drop 'em down and slap on the DP90, so congrats on the great job. Out of curiousity, which brand of pomade do you wear to match your super cool hot rod?

 

Hey RF, I buy your magazine. I've been subscribing for years. There was actually a thing about my car in there three years ago. I just wish there was a way for a magazine to support itself by using more grassroots stuff and less advertiser stuff. I know it's a business, and you have to keep your money guys happy.

Ganahl said he quit a job once because the editor was running a good side line job of selling off free stuff.

I still spend my money every year to keep it coming, but like was said, some issues don't take too long to read.

Telling me to wipe my ass with your mag? That's a pretty good attitude to take with a long time subscriber.

 

Ryan, it wasn'y me that talked shit about Dan Kahn. That was someone else.