Most people around here (young or old) think every old car they see is a Model T. All they pay attention to are babies and basketball I suppose here, Im the one that doesnt get it.
I'll bet if you lined up 100 people at random, (gals included) from the ages of 75 to 15; and asked them, "What's a flathead?" Over half of them wouldn't understand the question. The other half would say; "It was the best hot rod engine ever built!" And nowdays most of them would be under 25!
Yeah... when I get outside the circle of "hot rod people", I feel the same way. A lotta guys around here are into mostly golf or fishing... neither of which I can even carry on a conversation about. But then I have always kinda liked being into the oddball eccentric stuff. I was one of very few who rode Freestyle (BMX) in high school when everyone else was skating.
I think some of you are overlooking the fact that when you buy an import, you are helping the decline of this country as an economic power. I know they make jap shit over here now, and American cars have stuff on them made overseas, but somewhere, some how, somebody in Japan, who's Grandpa probably was involved in Pearl Harbor, is getting $ in his pocket. If we aren't careful, English is going to become a second language her and we'll be nothing but a service provider. I guess this has nothing to do with traditional rods, so I'll shut up now.
I see a whole lot of young guys Teens to Twenties that like cars, just about any type and have noticed that be they mini truckers or tuners or what ever they are all gearheads and not very different from us when we were that age. I'm 58 and kinda like tuner cars, oh God, blasphemy
I for one am glad he doesn't get it, more old parts for me I'm 29 so I'm not an old guy but by no means a nieve kid anymore. I think it would suck if everybody "got it" because then everybody would "do it" and hot rodding wouldn't be cool anymore. The sad truth is a 200 hp Honda Civic would be considered pretty badass among your parts guy's peers. It's also alot closer to their price range than a traditional hotrod/custom. I've got about $6000 dumped into my 30 Roadster and my 31 Tudor projects and neither one is close to completion. Only one is actually a roller. I'm sure you could build a tuner for less than that and actually be driving it way before I finish either of my cars. Most of my friends don't get it either. I'm under 30 but if you walked into my garage you would see a flathead on a stand, two Model A's a circle track racecar, and a Triumph bobber. They just shake their heads at my "old junk". I go to their houses and there's Saturns and Trailblazers and yard equipment in their garages, and I just shake my head when I see that. So I wouldn't loose faith in a whole generation, there's enough of us out there that love old cars and appreciate the older gents pointing us in the right direction. My girlfriend's dad had several early 30's Ford hotrods so he raised her right and she's out in the garage chopping tops and welding brackets with me all the time.
ahhh, the line of division... I have been buildind,restoring,painting,repairing and generally screwing around with cars my entire adult life. Sometimes, it puts me on the outside of conversations, (it's hard to be real chatty when all the witty banter you can come up with is about cars)sometimes, it makes me the center of attention. it all goes with who you are talking to. I have found that a gearhead is a gearhead is a gearhead. And that shit don't wash off. For all the talk about this style over this style, all it comes down to is just that...Style. one of the most doting, drooling, lover of all things with wheels I have ever know-A man possesed- is right here on this board, and not only does he have a car any one of us would love to own and drive because it is so very sweet, he also has a stack of magazines with his killer import in it. we had this very conversation once and we both agreed that once built, ANY car can be a reflection of that builders personal style. when He first walked into the shop, I was prepared to give my "nothing before 1973, no asain imports of any kind,blah blah Blah..." speech-Right up until I pulled my head out of my ass and looked outside at what he arrived in. 39 chevy- heavily modded, and slick. his appearance- big pants, straight bill ball cap, Asian....totally threw me a curveball. now, a couple years later Speedaddict is not only A good friend, but a source of inspiration. The fella has good ideas that are unconventional, unique, and are not so far out in left field they cannot be executed. So what is my point? All things come and go into rotation. Just because trad rodding is not universally recognized does not mean it has no recognition. It is our soverign duty to do the job that has been handed to us by OUR sources of knowledge and inspiration- to spread the gospel and make sure that it never dies! WE are the ones ultimately responsible for seeing to the passing of the torch! we cannot blame a kid that has probably never seen an actual 31 coupe for not knowing what the hell we have done with it- there are not alot of "before and after" versions on your local streetcorner every weekend. So before we point at them and laugh, we should perhaps look more inward at what caused the lines of division...and figure out how to dissolve them. Me? I'm gonna go hang out with my little asian buddy and see how hard it is to put a turbo on his gal's lexus.because after all, 70 years from now, it will be a traditional way of hotrodding your car. question is, how much paint will be on it by then?
I picked up one of those jap magazines(know the enemy), and it's hyper-expensive to make them fast. Not only that, but by then they are so radical that longevity and reliability goes right out the window. You can't beat cubic inches with technology alone. High tech+small cubes will lose to same tech+big cubes, it's just physics.
It doesn't bother me to se an asian in a jap car, at least their not turning their back on their own country. But when I see one in some cool American iron, it makes me smile that they know what's really cool(as long as they aren't shipping it overseas!)
I know they're expensive, I just meant picking up a used Civic and slapping exhaust, intake, and nitrous on it could probably be done for less than the startup of my two projects.
I think you missed my point a little- it has nothing to do with where anyone is from or what race they may be- Speedy is just as American as Abraham Lincoln as far as I am concerned- it is the dissolving of the train of thought that puts so many groups seemingly at odds with one another. we are all car guys,right? so if we expect the younger generations to be able to know "what happened when" aspect of Rodding, we cannot afford to leave any chapters out simply because we dislike or don't approve of them. we have to face the fact that the 70's happened,Man! Vans were kick ass once upon a time! Vidoro green was once a viable paint choice for your G.T.O.! Glass packs ruled the earth! cragar s.s. wheels were being sold at ridiculously high numbers! and Hondas got quick. They were cheap to buy,cheap to build, and a bookshelf for a wing on the back was peachy keen. 20 inch wheels were o.b.k.b. you had to dig through 40 import magazines on the rack to find Hot Rod, and there on the cover was a mustang and a subaru. it happened. as far as shipping old tin overseas is concerned, I have no problem with it. look at the hobby over there first- it costs 3 times as much to build a car over there (not counting the 100% tax on getting the damn thing off the boat) and some of those cats make us look like hacks. It is the way it has always been, and the way it will always be. personaly, I will never again write a fellow gearhead off simply because his ride isn't what I like. He (or She) might be walking up to tell me about a car I might like they found sitting in a barn somewhere. It is my job to explain that it might be a car THEY might like,too.
I see your point. I just have a BIG problem with buying unnecessary imports. Computers, T.V.s, microwave ovens, we have no choice. But cars are competetively priced, and U.S. automakers are about equal in quality ratings. Moot, because I hate new cars, anyway! My 18 yr old daily driver runs great, and the rarely needed repair is dirt cheap, which makes up for the 16mpg.
Wow. I just erased a big chunk of text because it went straight to politics. I agree totally. But I can't get mad at the younger generations of builders for using what was avalible to them. THIS is why I would like to drink beer out of Lee Iococas hollowed out skull. And that's all I am going to say about that.Traitor! Benidict Arnold! rant,rant,rant....
I don't know all the facts, but didn't he save Chrysler? Or did he merge with Japan? If so, I totally agree with you!
The main problem around my area is that most of the car guys are a bunch of jerks. If my dad and brother-in-law were not into cars I would not be. There is one guy in my town (Zeller) that has been nice to me from the day I frist stepped in his shop at age 15 to look at his cars. From that day forward I make it a point to stop by his shop 3 or 5 times a year and we spend the day talking about hot rods and parts we found. This guy is almost twice my age and he treats me like an old buddy. If it wasn't for those three people I would not be into cars. Most of the guys in my area don't welcome "new guys" to well so the hot rod scene is on the down swing. Its sad to see.
Dang homie! you dont remember such awesone automobiles as the turismo, Horizon, and the entire k car platform? mitsubishi! "If you can find a better car cheaper ,Buy it!" so they did. Chevy had some projects with Toyota, but in thier defense, Yoters had been establish in the states for a looong time before that. Good 'ol Lee, however got Mitsu's foot in the door for importing. Brilliant. Honda was the effect of the Gas crunch (thanks again,Lee-for all that awesome smog equipment! and if you put it on your stuff, everyone else has to follow suit.) Save Chrysler? nope- He saved himself and threw our countrymen under the goddamn bus! buy cars overseas and make money off them by adding a nameplate. Bastard. The so-called Mopar Revolution was more like an attack from the inside. Remember the Heart with the devil tail? In retrospect, it meant more than we could have imagined. and even Today, Chrysler is up to it again. What a bunch of shitbirds. I sincerely hope G.M and Ford DO merge-if for no other reason than to crush Chrysler.
Damn, I was in high school then and I guess I wasn't paying attention. I had a Toyota once, and dumped it on my little brother. I bought a cheap little Dodge truck (I was young, dumb, and poor). The first time I called the dealer lookin' for a part, he said,"out of stock, try Mitsubitchi," I thought, "Damn, here we go again!"
Thank you,thank you...Lux and Richard, official thread thieves! yeah, not much love for 73 and newer dodges. But think of the guys trying to build performance who had NO IDEA they were in fact buying out of country! That is why I feel like we need to guide the younger guys- It is not thier fault that they don't have much by way of options on this stuff. it does make me happy that the vast majority of the speedy parts they are bolting on may have chineese symbols on them, but they are made here in the states! how's that for Irony! Chevy intake manifolds made in china, Honda Turbo set ups- Made in Tenessee! hahahaha!
This is another problem I see alot. guys aking for help and trying to "break in" to the scene are sometimes treated like crap. I try to welcome them, but even then find myself guilty of the same thing! Bad Breeding, I guess, but I am trying to train myself out of it. strangely enough, the part of the hobby I am most involved with-Muscle cars- has the worst problem with it (which is dumb because the cars are the most attainable) If your car is not "pedigree" some of the guys don't wanna look at it, see it, or have anything to do with the owner! Traditional Rodders seem to have alot more time for the "newbies" -so long as they don't present themselves as an asshat within the first 15 minutes, but I think that philosophy works for table tennis as well.
Thank Barrett-Jackson and T.V. for this. I love muscle cars too, but can no longer afford one. I wish I'd had the means to snap up dozens of $1500 running '67-'69 Camaros 20 years ago!
you can actually have more fun with those youngins than you think...they're stunned to imagine cruising all night long on a "buck's worth"....they have no idea what "buck night" at the drive-in movie is...or even what the appeal of sitting there in a car watching movie...I don't bother to explain to my 22 yr old son exactly what the attraction was with the drive-in show...this kid of mine is a big fan of tuner cars...he has a Honda S2000, and think's he's the cat's ass....but he just loves my cars...mostly because they LAUNCH when you step on them...not wind up like a stinkin' lawn mower engine. As has been previously posited - these kids are just having their own thing...same as when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s - I couldn't understand why my folks would rather "charleston" than do "the bop" - or why all my girlfriends' dads just shook their heads and made "tsk tsk" noises when I'd pull into her driveway with whatever my latest topless/fenderless/mufflerless project was...one gal's dad called me Barney Oldfield - I thanked him. Every generation has to establish itself - guys my age didn't collect Frank Sinatra records (yes, he was a singer first, youngsters). We just wanted Rock and Roll. This generation has all kinds of neat stuff available...why would they lust after some "old rust bucket" when they can have a bagged and shagged Accord with an investment in wheels and tunes that pretty much exceeds the value of the car - so be it - I agree, ask them what they're "into" - you might be surprised, on the other hand, you might not. "...went around the curve with the tires on their sides, you could feel the tension...man, what a ride..." dj
Hey- they're still out there for cheap- so long as you don't have to have to have pedigree. just don't expect much praise from your local gold chain club. but it makes it that much better when you dust off thier perfect Goat with a rusty Cutlass.
was at a show last weekend (Multistory car show in Hull UK)with rods and tuner cars....most of the tuner boys (called maxpower or maxipants here) loved the rods and saw them as the pinicle of the automotive hobby...the ting was most of them were more interested in the cost...and the more the better. sumat to do with the bling generation...spoke to one kid who had a citroen saxo (shopping car) that had cost him £40000 (that's like $60000 at least) and asumed rods were outside his budget. Paying for work to be done is seen as better than doing it yourself and the more you pay the more "cred" you get.......now i don't actually get that.
Some kids get it,it's just different. We go to the drag strip,they have there own class for there rice burners,but the boys are racing! a lot of girls too(never seen that in 1967). They look at our ols stuff and scratch there heads. We had 5 kids and some of there friends have looked at our cars and one guy pointed at the carb and ask What is that? How does it work? In 30 years they will be putting rice burners back together. Time moves on. Russ&Irene
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