Done before you asked...

Hello to all that are following this post, and I hope that includes Mr. Coker. I have spent the best part of an hour reading through this thing and felt compelled to add my two cents. And this is, as I believe all these post were, only MY OPINION and my opinion only.

Yes the initial posting was wrong and wrong as the say on so many levels.
Yes the image and video does nothing for this great pastime of building, driving, or just enjoying hot rods of any type.
Yes Jon as the chief bottle washer of this very well maintained board you have every right to offer advice on the use of this board (and I have seen you do it on several occasions in a very respectful tone).
Yes several of the parodies were extremely funny
But, I do have a few issues with the slamming of a business (in this case Coker Tire) because it got associated with the stupid video. If GMG (and I have never heard of the place until this thread) did build a car for David Coker it seems normal for them to try to get some mileage from it. If anyone did business with a "named person" dropping that name is what is done. Many companies do have the same IP address and they also have employees that have access to that address and to assume that it is always the same person using the address is not right, especially when the tone of the message is not anything like the original and after receiving and explanation of said post to still imply that maybe someone is pulling your leg might not be using prudent judgment. I believe that Mr. Coker is a respected business owner and that SEMA is a respected organization and should not be held totally responsible for the actions of everyone with a video camera or again in my opinion, even an over zealous employee.
Again this is a great place to visit and learn and I hope Jon's efforts do not go unrewarded, but maybe it's time to put this horse down and move on. I don't think the producer guy even cares and most likely is enjoying the free publicity.

Thank you for your time

Randall

Thanks Tbucit for expressing your opinion respectfully. If more people agreed with you, we might consider changing our position.

Hotrodders.com has a clear policy against marketing. It's like a big garage with many projects going on and many people swapping info about those projects. The size makes it a juicy target for marketers.

Imagine if your own shop became a target for door-to-door sales people, just because several of your friends were there regularly. Imagine that you hang a sign on the door telling these people to stay out, because they keep interfering with yours and your friends' work. Every day, some marketing idiot drives by and throws junk mail in the door. You pick it up, sweep it up and toss it in the garbage where it belong.

These drive-bys are annoying, but everybody pitches in to pick up their messes. Then one day some slick promoter walks in, right past the sign, plants his butt on a stool and begins to act like he's just one of the guys, sharing all the same interests, and looking to help some charity by way of activity that is based on the foundational, shared interests that bring you and your friends together so regularly. Not far into the pitch, you and your friends figure out this guy is another salesman, looking for a way to use you and your friends to help him sell a false image of your interests.

Imagine that situation. You're sitting there in your shop and this con artist ignores your sign and comes right on in and begins his pitch. Are you going to shake his hand and invite him to stay for supper, or find out who he works for and who put him up to the invasion?

It seems to me that Jon is acting like the security guard at the door who is fed up with those who keep trying to slither around the rules in order to harass his guests. Calling on the bosses, who hire those slitherers, to accept reponsibility for their hirelings' actions and cease the invasions does not seem like an outrageous response, to me.

SEMA must be sort of like the UN ......a do nothing organization because it looks like they would respond to this. There lack of response just takes away thier creditability.

Not true. If it is licensed in Texas as an Antique car, there is no inspection requirment. No seat belts, mirrors, windshield, lights, suspension, or good taste required.
Gas Monkey is an old, well respected Hot Rod shop. I think they got caught up in the bad boy, biker, rat rod craze because of the money. Just like the rest of them on TV, they give the public what it wants.

Any of you ever see anything worthwhile on Coddington's TV show? How about "Pinks"? This stuff is produced by non Hot Rodders for non Hot Rodders. Their stupidity for promoting their production on a Hot Rod web page.

Did you also notice what else dodgy_01 has to say: "..we want to give away some of the profits to a good charity."

That time it was SOME of the PROFITS. They are not even giving all the profits away. And he says WE WANT not even we will give all the profits to a charity. Another way to make money for the Gassy boys. Is this PR guy for real? Any one who has gone to marketing school would never do such a poor job. Sounds like they got one of the guys from yungrudderz (sp.inc) working there.

Jon, I'm in agreement somewhat with Tbucit. After you get this off your chest and have spread this as far as can be expected, kill it before it it reflects on you and gives a couple of jerks more publicity and credit than they deserve.

Thanks Choctaw Bob.

I would love a straight answer from GMG, Coker, or SEMA. It's so insulting to me, and to all of us, that they would try to pull this: "It looks like my brother just had these guys build a car for him." If someone doesn't see why it's insulting, take another look at this parody page: It Looks Like....

By the way, I want to re-post Frisco's comment from a short while back:



People really need to think about that one. I wasn't even an embryo during the era that he's talking about, so I will need to research it. However, any purchase of the "Honest" name, and the repetitive use of it on the Coker blog, definitely raises an eyebrow.

Also, mosstrooper -- I'm not ignoring those dodgy pics, I'm just working on something else right now. Thanks again for helping out with research. Personally, I think dodgy needs to get his head examined, possibly even x-rayed.

He can't do that because he does not have one.

I remember Honest Charlies.....I bought stuff from him in the early 60's when I was in High School.......It was a good company to do business with. I heard through the grape vine that they were back in business. But now I see they are not back in business...just the right to use that name has been sold to the Cokers....so that means its decieving because it is not really Honest Charlies. I wonder how much more marketing deception is out there? Are we really buying from who we think we are? Where does SEMA fit in to all of this?

Buying a name is a common pratice. Check out Pete and Jakes, Earls, Accel, and several others bought up by both large and small companies with the name staying the same.
Oh and btw Honest Charlies was a big thing down here in the south. And it was a tradition to call everyone there with the "Honest" perfix.

Randall

First off let me say I come from a mini-trucking background. A lot of what we do to our trucks are based off of what hot rodders have done to theirs. We always looked up to the hot rod community for being more mature and laid back. We try to pass this atmosphere on to the younger crowds that go to shows. I was brought here from a link one of your members had posted on another site (I guess its OK for you guys to advertise your site/crusade on other sites).

I really must admit I was disappointed in the lack of maturity I am witnessing on these boards. GMG was wrong for one reason, they posted on your site and they did not read your rules (Be honest, how many members do?). Yes they chose to get free advertising by building a hot rod that they were going to sell for charity. Almost all companies who donate money to charity do it for publicity, otherwise they would never have the pictures taken handing over the checks. So granted GmG may have gone about this wrong, they were still doing it for a noble cause even if all/some of the money went to a charity.

So what if the guy from GMG was working for corporate company. I sit behind a desk all day in a suit and tie but come weekends im driving to a show in Dickies a T-shirt sporting my piercings. Does the fact I have an office job make me less of an auto enthusiast? I like working on cars, if I chose to open a shop and build cars should I have to worry about my employment history and the reputation I may get from it?

In your personal crusade you broke our forums rules and that was no outside links to other forums. I guess we should start a huge crusade on you guys, dig up personal info and pics, photoshop those pics and send info to SEMA and any other Hot Rod Company we can find letting them know about your atrocious behavior. We would do that but we have something you guys lack, patience, understanding and most off all, maturity.

I really have lost a lot of respect for the Hot Rod community and have no respect for this site whatsoever. John your personal crusade it almost to the point of stalking. Looking for pics, making videos, sending out flocks of your cronies to bring back fuel for your fire shows that at times, like your members said, you are a peacekeeper BUT obviously those days are gone or you just snapped brother. Its time you remember why you guys are here, and thats to share info, talk, and get to know each other.

I could go on for days about this but I want to make sure I get all my pics and info off the web before I find you guys photoshopping pics of me or making videos. John, you need another hobby because you have WAY to much time on your hands man.

Guys, I hope you are better than this, I really do. If this is what I Have to look forward to when I get older and want to build a hot rod, let me know now so I can save my money and by a 4WD to work on.

did u even watch the video. do you really want this guy even attempting to be the spoksmen for the hot rod culture. seems to me that what he is trying to do.

From that last site that Mosstrooper found by Googling Dodgy, the one that was pulled from this thread here for having a porn link... I think Dodgy's head has been X-rayed TOO MANY times... LOL

Highly inappropriate for a G-rated site like we try to maintain, but a scream nonetheless...

Doc