[xxllmm4]

Hey everyone,

What are some of the more and less memorable hotrod trends you can think of? I love the look of tinted windows on a Gasser!

[MARTINSR]

How about the pastel 80's!

Brian

[xxllmm4]

Ohh yeah the Pastels where great, whats with the creepy dolls hiding their face at hotrod shows????

[MARTINSR]

And of course on the cool side, how about billet aluminum parts? Many will disagree but I loved the idea before there were "billet" Aluminum hinges for Camaros being made in China.

Brian

[John long]

Boy, Have you opened up a can of worms here. Hot Rods exist because every one has their own likes or dislikes but here goes. I hated the painted chrome mono-chromatic look. I hate to see the classy look of an historic work of art ruined (my opinion) by painted bumpers and some gawky color.

There, I said it am have braced for the repercussions.

John L

[JGK95]

Originally Posted by John long

Boy, Have you opened up a can of worms here. Hot Rods exist because every one has their own likes or dislikes but here goes. I hated the painted chrome mono-chromatic look. I hate to see the classy look of an historic work of art ruined (my opinion) by painted bumpers and some gawky color.

There, I said it am have braced for the repercussions.

John L

Well brace yourself then, 'cause I agree with you. Painted over Chrome looks very ugly. Never understood it, never will.

[MARTINSR]

I can be a trendy guy as much as I love to be or see the very different. In that regard I remember really liking the mono-chromatic look at the time. Now, oh hell now. But at the time it seemed like a perfectly fine mod, at least they weren't chopping them up and putting upside down wheel barrels for hoods and shifters sticking out of the roof of a way over chopped and sectioned body.

The tinted drag car windows only bring back a very bad memory for me. There was a guy here in town who bought and sold vintage cars and parts. In his back yard he had a bunch of VERY desirable cars. The prices now just make me ill. Even then they seemed very reasonable even though I couldn't afford a free lunch at the time (I was about 18).
But among his cars was a VERY nice finished blown Hemi powered 32 Ford two door chopped and fender-less sedan. It was purple with purple tinted windows! Price, $1200. Every time I see a tinted window drag car I can see that Ford sitting there in the yard.

Brian

[JGK95]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

...at least they weren't chopping them up and putting upside down wheel barrels for hoods and shifters sticking out of the roof of a way over chopped and sectioned body.

Hater.



J/K

[MARTINSR]

It was great when cartoons were limited to drawings on paper.

Brian

[AutoGear]

Its like everything consumers buy:
There are trend setters, and trend followers.

The guys who made things out of billet with not much more than hand tools and a good eye; they made cool stuff. Opening up a Speedway catalog and getting some billet doodads...not cool.

I happened to live by a guy who built some of the most controversial 'hot rods' of the 80s: Rick Dobbertin. His J2000 was just out of bounds; but the craftsmanship, and fastidious attention to detail is something you can't help but be impressed with. His blue shoebox Nova won just about every award possible, and it would still look reasonably contemporary today. Now the stainless milk tanker converted into some kind of amphibious RV thing...yeah well it'd make one hell of a T shirt logo.

[MARTINSR]

I remember it well, that car was over the top!

Brian

[AutoGear]

Brian;

If memory serves, it was a SBC with twin turbos and superchargers, and it had nitrous and water or methanol injection. The thing I remember was all the hardline on top of the motor and how every bend was PERFECT and each tube was polished to such a high degree. I mean even all the bolt heads were clocked the same...unreal And thats before you get to the STAINLESS FRAME

Here's a link to his Nova
http://www.dobbertinhydrocar.com/Nova 20Exterior.htm


Now the one fad I never liked was the 'Boydster' look. The overly smooth, raked out roadster or coupe that vaguely resembles what it started life as.

Or grey tweed interior...nuff said

[starnest]

I am just tired of seeing chrome and polished aluminum under the hood.

I can remember when I would have killed to get a pair of chome valve covers, now that I can buy them, you couldn't pay me to put them on my car.

As for the new cars, I'm already tired of the carbon fiber stuff. Great for rockets, jet aircraft, and F-1 cars - but ridiculous when Civics get CF hoods.

[dinger]

I guess it depends on the car. I like the monochrome look on pro street cars. I like pastels o 50ish cars, pastels were everywhere in those days. I am not a billet kind of guy, I like stock looking parts. I admire good work done on a car but also want to drive my car whenever and where ever I desire. There's 2 scratches on my car, my wife did them by accident. If I can't get over that I have some problems, stuff happens and if you use it, it gets a few scratches. i guess I don't like perfect cars.

[AutoGear]

Its even better when its not even carbon fiber, or trick paint but a sticker that looks 'like' carbon fiber on their hood.

Big honkin Fokker tri-wing rear spoilers on someones honda are annoying too

JUNK RODS! not a barn find, not a survivor or even a rat rod...but a piece of junk with bad welds, screen door parts, and a pair of vice grips on the steering column for a "steering wheel'' "But Im poor!" and they have a thousand bucks into their tattoos, cuffed jeans and pomade...you know like its 1950.

Make your car safe; make it stop, and turn and go straight. I dont need your coupe made from a 47 pick up truck cab, various washingmachine parts and a gallon of JB Weld coming apart in front of my family at 60mph on a 2lane road