Hot Rods People Without A Clue

I was at a guys shop the other day. He showed me his 64 Buick Riv he`s owned for over 40 years. I asked him if it had a nailhead in it. He said whats a nailhead. He opened the hood and I showed him what one was. I forgot to mention he was a mechanic his whole life. He had his own shop. I guess it`s true. You learn something everyday. Is this lingo widespread or limited to a few diehards.

 

Now that FUNNY !!!!
Part replacer, Oh ""Hobbits""

 

i'm sure there are a lot of car guys out there that don't know what a nailhead is, or a mouse or rat or Cleveland motors are.

 

Pic dated Aug 74

I bought my first Buick at age 18. I knew what a nailhead was then.
This one had a 425 and could cook the hides in all 3.
I guess the answer is- you can be a mechanic, and still not be a gearhead.


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Nail head is a widely used hot rod term and all mechanics are not hot rodders. HRP

 

True, all mechanics are not hot rodders, but how can you own a Buick for 40 years and not be familiar with the term? If you own a Buick for 40 years, you are a Buick guy and the terms thereof should be common knowledge. I decree that in all things Buick this vehicle should be confiscated from said individual and replaced with a rice burner. Court dismissed, case closed, pass the ammunition.

 

They are definitely out there. I was at a car show once and guy had a really cool Model "A" roadster. We talked for a long time about our cars and Hot Rodding in general. He had owned his for 10 years. Later on in the show I hear him say something about how much better it looks as a Flathead. After the guy he was talking to left I said what were you saying about Flatheads? He reiterated that he changed it over last month to Flatheads and really liked. I said what the world are you talking about, that's a small block Chevy? He was referring to the new smooth "flat" valve covers he had recently put on it. He actually thought that is what people meant when they talked about Flatheads! I took my phone out and showed him. I tried not to embarrass him but holy cow how does that happen?

 

Like when people referred to my 29 roadster as a deuce coupe or ZZ Top's car

 

I've heard those American Picker guys refer to a Model A Coupe as a Roadster!

 

How about a five bolt main block..Who knows what it means?

 

Yea. My coupe has been called a roadster by many people, even what seem to be car guys.

 

..........Now that I think about it, there seems to be a popular misconception among some folks that any hot-rod is a Roadster.

 

I did a good portion of my growing up in Nor Cal, my Ol' Man always called them a nailhead. I am over 60. I was probably 7 or 8 before I had any idea that it was a Buick motor though.

 

I am 66 and have never heard of Buick engines of that type referred to as anything but "nailheads".I reckon Sicspeedd has it right.

 

The REAL irony here is that the original slang term for the Buick V8 was "Nail Valve."

 

I learned how to read as a kid on car magazines. Building model cars helped me identify what was what on a car, just reading the instructions. I recall first seeing the "nail head" description as an engine option on an AMT kit. Some people just don't get out as much as others did.

 

I didn't read your post before I posted but you are absolutely correct.

Something to remember is that 40 years ago it was the '70s, if you worked as a mechanic in a dealership you were hitting the floor just about the time that mechanics were little more than parts replacers. They didn't have to know much other than what the book said, or what they learned in the little seminars they went to so that they could get their certifications.

 

This mornings Hemmings Motor News has a nice flathead powered 28 Model A ROADSTER available . The Headline states 1928 Ford COUPE For Sale.

In the ad the owner states he bought it from man who bought it from ORIGINAL owner, I thought that funny, because its a BROOKVILLE body. ( spelled BROKSVILLE )

 

Allllright boys...coffee break is over. Back to work. Chop! Chop!

 

There is some funny shit right here.

 

For those that must, go
For us that don't have to, its play time


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I'll give the guy credit for still having his " 64 Buick Riv he`s owned for over 40 years ". Not something just anybody would do.

 

I daily drive a 57 Belair two door sedan with no trim on the sides and I just have steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps.
so I get crap thrown at me everywhere I stop.
Yesterday and old-timer came up to me and decided he was going to school me. So he started out by saying you have the wrong bumper on that car. Those rubber tips only came on a Belair
I said it is a Bel Air. So then he told me how it can't be because it's a sedan. Bel Air only came in hardtop.
And then of course comes the old spiel about how I had 10 of them 30 years before you were born you're not going to tell me anything about an old Chevy.

Why would he even bother me?? Lol.



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I have to give the guy a little slack here. He has to be at least 60 and has owned the car 40 years. It's a Rivi, no where did anyone say it was a Hot Rod or Custom, it's an old car. Now, he's a mechanic, not a Hot Rodder so to him it's a 425 cubic inch Buick Motor. No where in any Buick literature or parts book will you find the word Nailhead. If you go to a parts store (Now or in the 60's when it was built) and ask for parts for a Nailhead, you will likely be asked for more info; at minimum year, model and size, but just as likely then and now you could get a blank stare. The entire automotive world does not revolve around Hot Rod Slang, sad as that may seem to us.

 

I just asked my land lord, who's a mechanic of 40+ years and he had no idea, but he mumbled something about his wife being one. I started checking out cars in the late 60's and didn't know what a "Nailhead" was until the 80's, when I heard it at a show. So, while it seems odd, it's possible for the guy to really not know the term.

I'm home early from work, so later on, I'll plan the brake lines on my dune buggy (T Bucket).

 

That's a very good point. And it reminded me about that happening to me. The man is dead now. But when he was alive his shop was a very popular place. He did good work. He was well liked. And trustworthy. He had been open since the 1960s.
He was showing me his 1962 ford F100 That he ordered four wheel drive. Which was very rare in that era. He said he was the only guy around with a four-wheel-drive.
So I looked under it and I said wow a Dana 44 closed knuckle. That's pretty neat.
He looked me straight in the eyes and he said "Son I have no f**king clue what you just said, when I call for parts I tell them the year make and model. I don't know that Dana stuff"



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A guy on the local scene here has a Model A five-window with a Deuce radiator shell. Don't try to tell him it's a Model A. You can point out the obvious details like the door overlap but it doesn't do any good. He's the rock of Gibraltar on this issue.

 

When I was Racing at the Track one day a kid asked what
engine I had in my car & I told him it was a Rat engine
and he looked at me in a Strange way and said
What is a Rat engine.! & this was in the early 70's

Just my 3.5 cents
or when the Cows
Come Home.!

 

At a swap meet this year I had my very original 33 Ford pickup with all the junk in the back I was selling. An old guy (70's) came up to me and said "That's a real hodge-podge of a truck", and I said "huh?".
He said "It's a 32 cab with a 33 grill and a 34 bed and 40 Ford frame". I was blown away and showed him it was all 33 and all original (one repaint). He got pretty mad and said he was double my age and knows what he's talking about. I said "well that's good because I have no idea what you are talking about". I'm glad a couple of my friends were there to witness this hahaha

 

Many years ago, I was visiting with a guy who was restoring a '57 Bel Air. I was a long haired punk of about 19 and he had a good 30 years on me. I was taken aback when he told me that he had just learned that early SBC's had staggered valve cover bolts. I'm thinking, "Shit, I've known that for a few years." This wasn't his first rodeo either, it just blew me away that this was something new for him.

Of course, I swear that I learn something new everyday now, some of it I learned many years ago. Life is funny that way.