Why is hating something you don't like so important to you!?

Coolest man i've ever known.

 

focusing on the question, I want to mention two things:

1) hatred is a valuable source of energy and passion, to make things better. Only a nagging discontent can unleash creativity big time. I am not a ying&yang guy and believe to best leave that to Asian cultures or whoever, but one thing is surely true - there's light and shadows, and the one cannot be without the other. Both are dependant on each other, if it wasn't for the fakes, the wannabes and ricers, what would traditional hot rodding be today in comparison? Lots of things, maybe, but surely not an anchor for the traditional guy who is seeking nostalgia and wants to revitalize the genuine spirits of decades long gone by.

2) as with most hobbies, there's a lot of FNG's and wannabes who dun' share the common sense or interest for authenticity or history, and chose just the wow!-factor of buying something unusual. I have seen it with American cars in Germany, I have especially seen it with the bellybutton mustangs in Germany, and now there's the 50's era wannabe-hotrodders who haven't even heard of Rat Fink, or Ardun, or Offenhauser, or Edmund's, or Ed Newton before, who dun' care for Mell Kilpatrick, who ain't the least bit interested in the development of Dow#7 or bakelite, and don't even care as long as Edelbrock will support them with an EFI intake for their new crate engine shortblock.



So, in conclusion, yes, I'd frown a bit at first, personally, if I would spot a late-fourties ford truck sporting a chevy engine, but then again, if there would be a real story behind it like yours to back things up, things would be much different in an instant.

 

GEORGIADAWG, you obviously get it.......Great attitude..... wish I could've met your dad...Have fun making the truck YOURS.

 

Georgiadawg - it really doesn't matter what others think or say - if you like the way your truck is then you are doing it right.

When I put a 235/powerglide in my 51 (over 35 years ago) my dad advised me to consider swapping in a sbc/turbo 350 because his experiences with 235's and powerglide were pretty bad. Needless to say I ignored him because I knew better and I was going to do it "old school". Remember that this was in the 70's. Well, he was right - I hated the 235/pg and was happy when it blew in '86 so I could put in a 350/350. I was in the process of swapping (with his help) when he got sick and passed away. The car is so much better to drive now than it was so I guess he knew what he was talking about! He taught me a ton but one of the best things related to this thread was to let people know when you came across something cool or interesting but never criticize just because you don't like something. I have lived by that and will continue to do so.

Btw - your truck sounds fine to me!

 

Man, this thread is tuggin on my heart-strings. I think there's a couple layers to the issue you bring up; first, I think communicating via-website kinda insulates us from the real human side of things. It seems to me that's the nature of message boards...they create an artificial environment where people feel less inhibited about expressing their feelings. That, and it seems to bring out the 'internet tuff-guys'.

Having recently re-connected with my own father (also a car-guy), I've decided to live by the old addage that opinions are like asses, everyone's got one and they pretty much all stink. Build the thing like you want and be happy knowing that pappy's looking down on you smiling.

 

I take your point.

 

Hey Georgiadawg, I lost my dad to cancer in 06. He was 54. I have a 38 Chevy that he bought while still in High School. By 1982 he finished it, and when he passed, it became mine. Luckily I haven't had too many people tell me what they think I outta do to it. I've gone back and forth about changing it, but yet preserving memories, and his work etc etc....

Well, after 3 years, my position is that it is now MY car, and my Dad is too busy praising Jesus to care what I do to it. BUT, no matter what I do, it will always be "in essence" my dad's car. In other words, changes will be tasteful, and the car will still be recognizable as the one he built. For instance, I'm not touching the paint until it all falls off, and then I'll paint it back the same color. On the other hand, I changed the wheel/tire combo, and I like what I have now much better...

It's your truck, your Dad loves you and trusted you with it.

 

Great story! I'll be looking for you and your pops pickup next time I come down to Cartersville for their cruise-in! There's usually a handful of HAMBers there.

As far as your question about why some people hate.......Some people just like to bitch about shit I guess.

 

BTW, it drives my Dad crazy that "our" '36 has truck door handles instead of passenger car handles, as well as incorrect rumble seat steps.

"Why don't you change those. It will look better."

I tell him, no way because that is what he put on the car 40 years ago, so they stay.

He replies "yeah, but that's all we could get back then."

I don't care, they stay because you put them there when you got the car.

"Oh fiddlesticks."

Hahaha! Not to say that I haven't made any changes. Far from it, but little bits of personality in the car like that are gold to me.

 

To answer your question, The opposite of love isn't hate, it's apathy. The same is true about hate.
The truck sounds cool and it has great memories and history.
I'll stop there since Ryan's been on me lately.

 

I think I get the gist of this thread and by all means everybody has a right to build their car any way they please, but others can't be expected to like it either, although they should probably keep their opinions to themselves when in public. As far as this place goes though, all I can say is I'm pretty sure Dennis Rodman never wore heels to a game, but on his own time, well...


Also, as far as powertrain choice and accessories go, if you can't see it, it doesn't bother me any.

 

Warms me chilly old heart right there. Thanks for posting.

I guess a lot of folks define themselves by what they reject instead of what they embrace. Doesn't mean you have to like everything, but closed minds are their own grave.

Strangely enough, lurking on the HAMB has openend me up to as lot of things I would have rejected in the past.

 

I've been to alot of shows in the past few years out in here the west and I'm getting so tired of the I'm cooler or better than you attitude with the hot rod crowd.

If you enjoy it, awesome! Next time someone looks at it funny...give em the finger!!

 

Young man ,,anybody that tells you that you are crazy about any item on that GOLDEN truck ,I hope you will tell them to go piss up a rope. I have a 34 yr. old son just down the road from you in Dallas and I hope when the time comes that he will experience the same type of feelings that you have gone through. Best of luck to you and God Bless.

 

Georgiadawg,
What your dad gave you is priceless !!!!
Carey

 

good read, sorry about your pops.

i'm going threw the same thing with my sons Joshua's 57 ford. he drove that car in high school. it looked cool black w green flames www and lowered. after he had gotten out of high school things changed for him, he started his family and the start to a make over on the 57, he wanted to do many things to improve the old 57, like clip the front so he would have disc brakes, power steering, tilt. most of all he want to put AC in the car with a custom made counsel going all the way back with air piped under it, i ask him why, he told me he didn't want his babies getting hot in the car as it will be a daily driver.

now i'm care taker of the car until his boy is old enough to respect and take care of his fathers car.

I will be doing everything on the car that my son wanted to do, except the paint i'll repaint it just like it was. he wanted a Watson style paint job but i'm not sure exactly how he wanted it, so the paint will remain the same.

that's the 57 in my avatar

 

Your Son Josh sounds like he was an old soul like some of us "youngens" raised around this life. I'm sorry for your loss but happy for your chance to pass it on to his son.

 

Nice story...thanks for sharing.

 

You are a true HAMBr if you keep what you want, change what you want, and simply humor, (whilst you ignore) those people that that want you to change it for what they want.
Keep on keepin' on.

 

I'd keep the turck as it is, my Dad's '31 Roadster looks the same today as it did 26 years ago when he passed on.

 

I will change things on it but i won't let anything i do take away from what the truck means to me. I'd love to see pictures of your dad's roadster.

 

Good for you. There is nothing wrong with creature comforts. Early 50's Caddies had power windows and AC, so why not early Ford trucks. The hot thing to do in the mid to late 50's was to swap in OHV V8s, so what is wrong with a 350?? I say leave the truck as is and change things to your taste as you want to not because you think some one else will like it more. If you don't like the power window switches there are ways to hide them. It is your Dad's truck and will always be your Dad's. I am very close with my Dad and he has a 54 Chevy truck that will be passed down to me at some point in time, hopefully in the distant future. There are things that some HAMBers will not like, but I will be proud of the truck regardless.

 

GREAT Post.

People (sometimes here) define their "likes" by stating what they "hate.". Forget them. You got the idea. Family history is the most important history. Good for you, great looking truck. Enjoy.

 

GEORGIADAWG ...

I'm the caretaker of my late father's Hot Rod ... a HEMI-powered, chopped & channeled '32 Ford 5wd Coupe that he started building in 1954.

There's tons of things that I would like to change about the car ... the majority of which my Dad would whole-heartedly approve of (we were in the middle of making some changes to the car when he was diagnosed with cancer).

My father passed away in October of 1990 ... and I have been driving the coupe pretty much "as is" since then.

I do have plans to run different tire/wheel combinations [Bias Ply Wide Whites with Lancer hubcaps (like it ran in the '50s); the Magnesium American 5-spokes (like it ran in the '60s & '70s); and the Aluminum Halibrand look-a-likes (that it ran in the '80s)] ... and will "fix" many of the other aspects of the coupe my Dad had planned to change ... however, there's one component that I absolutely hate ... but will probably never change ... a BILLET aluminum (inside) rear-view mirror.

This mirror is the most UN-TRADITIONAL part (there are many) of my father's Hot Rod ... but the reason behind its existence holds a special memory for me (a long personal story) ... so it will most likely stay ... and I'll continue to let the H.A.M.B. "Trad Police" mock my father's car ... I know what is important to me ... and can't think of anything more traditional than being true to what my father envisioned for the Hot Rod he started (but never finished) building 55+ years ago.

I guess what I'm trying to say, keep your Dad's '48 Ford pickup pretty much "as is" ... but thank gawd you're 86-ing the power windows!

 

You and your Dad's '48 Ford pickup sure would be welcome at our second Saturday cruise at Slate Market Grill in Rockmart. Only thing better than a neat old car or truck is a neat old car or truck with some family history tied to it. I'm working on the '55 Ford that my parents bought new at Drake Motor Co. here in Rockmart. One of my earliest childhood memories is riding out of the showroom in that car when I was 3 years old. My '38 Ford pickup, which I've had since I was 14 (43 years ago) is a driver. Henrietta is a truck, she knows she's a truck, and she gets used like a truck. She's as much at home hauling off trash or hauling parts as she is at the cruise in.

 

Hemi that's a good story and i laughed when i read about the power windows. When i came home once he said i got power windows and i remember thinking " What the crap for?" but seriously it was just out of him not able to lean over and crank the window down.

Well i don't have any arthritis being 30yrs old and i always loved the door and window levers so that's why im taking them out.

The one thing he did that i absolutely hate though that i could never keep was he took this big hunk of aluminun and made a plate that covered the speaker grill cover in the center of the dash and cut a hole in it to mount his radio. Man i hate that thing and will put a speaker grill back in it's place and take the radio out since the sound of a V8 is all the music i care for.

 

I didn't know there was one in rockmart on the second saturday. There is only one more show here in cartersville next month and i was bummed and wanted another and now i have that one more. Thanks for the invite

 

I'll get some photos together and post them on the 13th, that is when Dad left. It is a stock '31 Roadster but I put a B engine in it with a Cyclone head. It has sat in the garage since Dad last drove it 26 years ago, I know someone will chime in saying that is odd, but that is how it is. I do have to get it up and running, redgistered for my daughters wedding next year. I can look at it and it seams just like yesterday that different things happened or were done with the car.

 

Keeping your dad's car as he loved it is cool in my book. Fuck the haters.
Remember- 75% of the members here weren't even alive in the 50's but they claim to be experts because they saw it on the web, on the internet or at a show. Many will tell you here to build for yourself, build what you love but be the 1st to part your hair if it doesn't meet their narrow definition of what's accepted.
So- ignore the naysayers & wave your dad's flag proud.
Just remember this at your next show or cruise.........
That car you hate- look at the owner & watch him/her talking about their ride. Guess what? They love their car just as much as you love yours.
But- the difference is- they aren't talking shit about your ride.
People need to lighten up- get past the car catagories & talk to the people. You may find you have more in common than you think.

 

do it your way, there's always something!