Event Coverage Street Rodders are getting old...

Who you calln Old???

 

well im 42 (young i know) i am currently working in a job that i used to work in (sameplace) when i was 25 outside labor type work

i can tell you with no doubts that i cant do the same amount of stuff i used to do

i can still work as hard at doing it but not nearly as long as back then

i noticed my body takes alot longer to recover from heavy lifting and the like then it used to

 

I retired at 60 and started hitting the gym every morning at 4:30 am, when they open. I'm actually in better shape now than when I was 25. Fortunately, my 2 cars are done, but the old farts in my neck of the woods don't want to drive their cars, except to street rod shows. I end up driving to other towns to attend cruises just to see something new, plus I like to drive my cars.

 

That is why I prefer shows or "rod runs" where you can actually drive your car not only TO the event, but actually AT the event. My favorite show "ever" is The Great Labor Day Cruise in Costa Mesa, CA. Sure, they have some judging, but the point of the show is to CRUISE in your car. And when you are not cruising your car, it is bitchin' just to sit and hang out with your family/friends watch others cruising their cars.

 

I grew up cruising up and down main street teasing the cops in thier 6 cylinder Chevy. Can't bring those days back no matter what you do. I just can't get into the lawnchair and featherduster deal. I take my TRADITIONAL 34 PU with the flathead or my BUILT IN 1962 35 coupe hot rod to a show and they just don't fit in there with the plastic cars and powdercoating and the goofy little dolls leaning on the bumper.
So, I guess I'm getting old. My cars are already old. But, I'm out in the shop every chance I get and that keeps me going for sure. And, now and then I can show the young fellows a thing or two

 

Get busy livin or get busy dieing

 

During a Labor Day car show I witnessed what would be reffered to here as a "Gold Chainer" and his "$100,000.00 Street Rod"
The 74 year old gentlemen was encouraging every child who passed his car to "Hop in!" He aslo fired it up on occasion. He had kids crawling under the car and asking a ton of questions.
I got to talking to him and he mentioned he felt he was helping the hobby to live on by introducing young people to the cars. By looking at the faces of the children, I think he might be onto something and if I ever get my heap running again, I may give his method a try.....

 

Stay off my lawn!!!

 

Well, the way I see it, growing old may be a prerequisite for life...but growing up is optional.
And, I fear, car shows will eventually go the way of our beloved drive-in theaters.

 

I'm 21, and I love my old car and I love to take it out as much as possible and I always enjoy talking to the older guys and listening to their stories about how it really was back in the day. But I'm sorry, I'm not paying $50 to sit around in a parking lot (again)

 

Agreed. I used to look forward to some of the shows around here, but the last few years it's been the same guys with the same cars having the same conversations in the same lawn chairs they had last year. I'd much rather get up early, my 12 year old son and I go watch the local drags, park my car in the dirt and go drive it afterwards just because it's fun and makes me forget about getting older.

 

Well put And most likely the truth

 

So basicly, Elvis has left the building.

 

Hell I was born in 1939 and I am not old, I just stayed young longer than most guys. If ya don't like car shows try Bonneville speed week...Best rod run in the world.

 

Wow-talking about something that's old-this thread has had a couple birthdays of its own

 

Getting old is a real bummer, but dying isn't much fun either. Maybe zombies are the smart ones...

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We'll have to get it it's own lawn chair!

Brian

 

At 72 I am knee deep into a full body off restoration, but I sure feel it in my bones.
I would never look down at someone riding a scooter. As an old guy I know that there are many issues that impede your mobility, plus it is no ones business if a person wants to ride instead of walk.
As to the young ''whippersnapper'', that is a term that was used for hotrodders before there were cars. Young guys would race the buggies and snap their whips to get the true horsepower going. You could tell two young guys were racing their buggies when you heard the whips snapping.

 

You know I'm with you 100%. I take my old flathead PU to a show
And some guy sitting there says, ahh them flatheads aren't very
fast. I always tell them, it's faster than a fat man in a lawn chair!

 

Last car show I went to they had the `50's music blaring, and as I was observing a young person "dragged" to the show by their "grandparents" explain:
Old music, Old cars, and Old people, what a waste of a day!
I'm glad I grew up in the generation that had respect for what went before us, and appreciated old music, old cars, and old people, and made to most of the day they had! We NEVER got bored, and I still don't.

 

Speaking of shows going away last year was the last show for our club. 23 years of car shows from the Pair A Dice cruisers. The reason: getting to old to do this any more, lost two very active members to cancer, ect. At 64 I'm one of the young ones. Several friends outside of the club complained over the summer about not having our show, I suggested they join the club and help out - end of conversation. It seem people want the shows but not the commitment to put a great show on.

 

You're only young once, but you can be immature your whole life.

 

I guess I'm getting close to being old. My Grandson said to me " Grampa, why don't you call Doug Harrison at the Scooter Store and get a scooter at no cost to you".

 

Sadly a combination of finally getting two titanium hips, the high cost of fuel, and paying half what I make on retirement for motels and car show registrations, we stopped going.
Seems as though we mostly saw people sitting in lawn chairs too stuck up to talk and others on scooters, golf carts, and other motorized things haphazardously wandering through overcrowded isles to look at cars and vendors with crap made in China.

After seeing more 32 Fords and 57 Chevy convertibles than they made it got boring. This mixed with Camaros, early Mustangs and low riders that bounce seemed like a waste of time.
Now an occasional local cruise nite, visiting other groucy old car nuts at their homes, or a nice drive in the country in our old clunker is relaxing. If I really want to see a lot of cars I drive thru Wal Mart.

 

I am pushing 72 and still enjoy driving my four speed 52... I want to keep on growing old but feeling young. lol

 

I just hope I'm young enough to be able to capitalize on it when the old guys that have been hoarding all the good shit start keeling over, and thier kids start auctioning it off. That way, I can buy it up, then my kid can auction it off again 10 years later...

 

Remember the phrase---he died at age 58, but they didn`t bury him until he was 86. In other words, don`t stop liv`in until your actually dead.

 

i am 46 years young, definitly feel the diference in body from being 25, i also would love to keep the next generation in older cars, one of the reason of getting my rod for me and my son to work on and enjoy crusing. had been building cars for almost 30 years, now when i get home from work(auto tech. or mecanic) and 2 kids, lot less energie than before, seem's it was easier to buy a rod and then make it our own than to start from scratch

 

"You're only as old as the women you feel."

 

I dunno, maybe i'm weird, but I won't go to a show that charges admission for the cars but lets the public in free. Just rubs me wrong, do they do this in other places than Ontario?

I also won't go to shows which leave you stuck there for hours and hours cause you can't get out.
I do go to shows which charge the cars, and the public the same admission, or ones that don't charge the cars admission.
I like to go look at the cars, maybe talk to a few folks and leave, I don't have a feather duster and lawn chair with me, and any bugs that commited suicide on my car will still be on the car when I leave.
Frankly i prefer swap meets, or a combo show/swap meet.

I'm about to be 58, so I ain't as young as some , or as old as others, but give me a couple of drinks , and put on some old J.Giels band,and i feel pretty young