Very well said by all. Makes you wonder why anyone would own/build a car that they won't drive. It's like having a gorgeous wife you cant have sex with. All the work and grief and no fun. This is my favorite time of year for "solo" drives, just you and the hot rod. Kind of amazing how even the winter sun can warm that flat black cab.
I "had" an Escalade once... on the dirtiest of terms... but I drove it for about 6 months... I admit it, I loved it.
Life, in my opinion isn't worth living if you can't have those "past the tube" moments. There is nothing like taking the truck out on a nice brisk fall day, riding out into the country with some samiches and finding a place to park and take it all in. No agenda, no plans. I work my 9-5 and more so that I can have those moments in my life. Good stuff guys. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!
Totally Nailed It! Ryan. I have talked about this subject with close friends that have the same addiction to cars that I do and the only way we have been able to describe this is it's the "It". "It" is much more than I can describe in words, but "It" is what drew me to ride this wave and why I'm going to ride it till I'm in the dirt. Great writing Ryan a had a lump in my chest reading your thread and whatching that video. You know what the "It" is. This passion I have for cars is a sickness and I love it.
Interesting thoughts, Ryan. IMHO, what I read between the lines is wanderlust. I would dare say that many on this forum...the true hot rod old-timers....miss the road-trips and adventures we used to impulsively take back during a time when we were young, free, and unencumbered. Thirty years ago, I always wanted to simply throw an overnight bag in the back of my Jag, and drive what's left of Route 66. But I never did for various reasons. Although I'm old by most of today's standards (57), I can't profess to be an old-time hot-rodder...but I've always had a project car to work on. So my days and nights are generally spent out in the garage for a few hours; turn out the lights; come in to watch a football game. Wife, 2 kids w/one in college, cat, dog, etc...encumbered. Responsibility. Although I still look for road trips and adventures these days...just me in an old car...it's getting harder and harder to just take off on that wave. Same thing that our fathers went through as well. At the end of the day, our escape ends, and we have to return to reality. But no regrets; I’m living the dream. Great family, great memories, and a garage full of car stuff to keep me busy for a long time. Life is good.
Words well put! I really can relate to everything you said and will reflect of these words on my next "Me Only" road trip for sure. Ryan, thanks for all you do for us.
Once again you have summed it all up, Ryan. If we aren't doing it for ourselves, why are we really here? Some days I just fire up the '64 and head out for nowhere and really don't care if I find it. The journey is the pleasure and if there happens to be a place at the end, it's always better as imagined than experienced for some reason. We don't drive these cars to get somewhere special, because we are there when we drive them.
Most will never understand, sometimes I wonder as you do. Chasing that feeling is sometimes all I need. Its almost like I get a little closer in every ride I take.
Good to hear that you are driving already. I figured the surgery would keep you down for a little while, at least.
I know what you mean. The real goal for me for my project is just to get it done and running well and safe so that when my son is a little bit older we can just take casual drives here and there and no where and just spend some fun times together and see new and off beat things of no real importance. But, just to do it a little bit different with some character and class. I am kind of a loner too and don't like crowds or shows that much either. I would rather talk to an interested old timer at an off the beaten path country store about my trucks than people at shows. My project is about me for sure, but I am hoping it will be about me and my family more. And then, sometimes it's just about getting some work done and hauling rocks like I did yesterday. Doing projects with the old truck is more of an adventure than work and makes it just that much more fun and rewarding. Just me and the truck, sometimes the dog, and a load of rocks to move from one place to the other. Not a bad way to pass the day.
Shit, yesterday was prolly the first time I've driven an old car without grunting and groaning as I unfolded myself to step out. I am a completely new person since surgery. I feel 200%. Beyond all that, I'm a little surprised this article got a positive reception. I almost didn't post it as I didn't want to have to defend myself. I'm glad I did.
I think its vanity, I think with all the show's, the magazines, TV, and here the pressure is on to be "caught up". And being the next.....something. Best build, best paint, best mod, etc..... And making sure you update your build threads or pjercts etc.... I never though of myself as vain, but it hit me that I was in this regard, always seeking some approval. I had to take a break. Hell the HAMB even had that "header" telling me it had been a while since I posted and I needed to post. Last night I went to the garage at 9:30 and worked until midnight rocking out to some '70s rock. Just me, my tools, and some good music.
Ryan ... Thats a very good article... It put a lump in my throat... There is alot of stuff we read and forget, but this one, will stay in my mind for a long time .....
As do I. It's always been about the road for me. Whether it was when I was a kid and modified my bicycle or any one of my cars. It was always, what's around the next curve in the road. It always had to be in something that I had created or modified to my tastes so that IT and I were one going wherever it was we were going. The destination wasn't important, but the journey was. The journey was what it was all about. The ride, the senses of sound, smell, feel of the road, touch of the wheel and shifter, clutch and throttle. Feeling complete with the world and self, mind free to think and ponder and just get away from it all and live. My dad once asked me while I was elbows deep in an engine compartment, Son, what is it with you and cars? I thought for a second and replied, Pop, what is it with you and boats? He replied, Aaaah, now I understand! Cars are our private place. Where we go to be alone, to be absorbed and so focused that the whole world dissolves around us. It's a wonderland and a wonderful place to find ourselves.
The one thing I do like doing alone is riding my motorcycle, even when I towed her out to The Round Up a couple years ago I didn't follow or go with anyone once I unhitched her on the outskirts of Austin, I like riding alone. Ryan, I made a mistake, my folks have an Escalade, I have the smaller one with the V6, I hate to admit it, I love it, you don't have to kick start it and it has a heater. Glad you're feeling better.
Great read, If your not doing it for yourself your just wasting time, this article and the new rodders journal ad really sum up a lot of feelings , about cars and life.
Also as an artist, GaryC, your words are right on. How many times have I destroyed my paintings by painting over them over and over, looking for myself. I believe that I came close eight years ago, when I completely changed my painting style and subject, due to my disability, by painting only in white, trying to capture that brilliant white light that I saw twenty years ago after an event that changed the way I think about life. I haven't "painted" in four years ago, having completed my last one on the eve of my father death. I suppose one day, I will continue the search. Don Potts rolling sculptures (Basic Chassis, Master Chassis, Stainless Steel Body, and Fabric & Steel Body) are spiritual enlightenment! I keep them here, a finger click away, in my computer for reference, and for inspiration for my car designs. Carnutofthedecade Non Painting Painter
I never really have much to post here. Any questions I have I always seem to find the answer to with the search function. After reading this entry I actually have a reason to comment on a thread. Life for me as of late has been kinda crazy and I am quite angry about alot of things. This post made me stop and think about all the shit going on and how I need to just focus on whats right and positive for me instead of getting cought up in the everyday bullshit. Ryan, you rock. Thank you for brightening my day. -Paul
You've obviously "passed the tube". A couple times. Every now and then life just puts things in focus, we get so caught up in the hows of the journey that we lose sight of why. The Why of a custom car is an intensely personal thing, an area where others quite frankly, should be told to fuck off. But most of us need those others for help with the How. And that my friend is the catch 22 of rodding. Ain't it great
Ryan's post this morning got me thinking... I'll take a risk and add my thoughts. THE WORK’S THE THING…. I’ve gotten involved in some creative endeavors. I’ve drawn and painted a bit; I’ve done some carpentry, made some jewelry, written a few stories and spent a lot of time building models. I’ve even more or less finished some of the projects I’ve started.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE] <o> </o> I like having a finished product, a successful repair to a “honey-do” project, or something real to have and hold when I’m done but that’s not the only reason I do these things. Many times I’ve looked back a long term efforts such as the model building or the garage I once built and there doesn’t seem to be as much real shiny stuff to show for the effort as I thought there’d be. <o> </o> I know my folks didn’t get it. They saw building model cars as playing with toys. That’s an old wound that has never really healed. Years ago I wrote a story about the model building and hoped that would help put the issue to rest but it seems like I’m still not done with that issue. <o> </o> There must be some kind of electro-chemical reaction pleasure producing phenomena that takes place in my brain when I’m knee deep in the hoopla of making something. Sports guys get it. They don’t have a product to hold when they are done but they get it. It’s not a wanna-be thing. It’s more elemental than that. It really just feels good, getting involved in a process and really appreciating the simple act of being in the moment. <o> </o> I’m not the best judge of my work, I’m usually very critical because it’s usually not perfect. I’ve seen lots of other work in the same areas I dabble in, it usually looks better to me than what I’ve done. That said, when I do show my work most folks are at least are polite enough to say “That looks like a lot of work”. Because I enjoy the process though and it doesn’t seem like “WORK” to me. That’s the point though; the work is the thing.
That's it. If you are doing this hot rod thing for some one else, or for the opinion of the masses then you are in it for the wrong reasons!
Thanks Ryan...Read this this morning, called in sick, jumped in the Hot Rod. Blasted down Highway 39 straight to the beach. Surfed for an hour or so, stopped at the Sugar Shack for some grub and back home. Perfection.
Ryan, I know what you mean. Most of the people I'm around aren't car people and I can't explain how I feel when I see a perfect hot rod or custom or hear a set of glasspacks rasping. I remember going somewhere a few hours away with a roommate in college and we made really good time. I said something about the wonderful feeling of going fast, rommie didn't understand. He just drove fast to get there. I love the visceral feel of it. The same with music. I get something out of music that many other people just don't understand. My wife doesn't understand how I can be moved to tears by an aching beautiful song anymore than she understands how I get so excited over a "piece of junk" with potential.
What ever happened to the Sunday Drive? It seems like now every time people "go" somewhere there is a destination. Thats my goal when my Model A is done, shut off the cell phone and tell the girlfriend I'll be back for dinner, and just drive... Ryan, if you are able to call Jack Johnson a friend you are indeed a lucky man. I know his music isn't typical hot rodder music, but it just seems to put me in the zone, where everything just seems "right". The same feeling I'll get when the coupe is done!
The Jalopy Journal
