[garrell.770]

Bob, the biggest part of the problem is what has happened to the cost of the true original hotrods. The days of picking up a 32 or 34 ford coupe for $100.00 dollars and putting a 8o hp engine in it are over. I have a friend, 68 years old that owns a hotrod shop here in the small town I live in. He built a real, all steel 40 for coupe for himself about two years ago and had around $25,000. invested in parts his labor not included. A man from Atlanta heard about his workmanship and brought a car to him to have major work performed, when he looked over the 40 coupe he offered $45,000.00 for it on the spot and needless to say he bought it. The cost of these true hotrods are out of reach of most people anymore. I have a late model Corvette that is a joy to drive, what littlt I drive it, and I have my SS Silverado truck that I landspeed race and set a record in it last Oct. on the Maxton Mile, and they are hotrods in a since. But my daily driver is my poor man hotrod 1939 Chevy truck channeled down over a 1937 chassis. It cranks as quick as a late model fuel injected vehicle. It has a rack steering, automatic tranny, tilt steering, front disc brakes and flames and I feel like a 16 year old going down the highway.

All said times have changed and as long as we can keep our grandsons, nephews, and nieces interested in the car hobby in some way it will never die maybe.

Garrell

[Ter 409]

My first ride was a Honda 55 trial bike I bought in 1964. I was working at Bob Whites Hamburger stand on 16th st. in Sacramento Calif. I made 80 cents an hour and rode my bicycle about 5 miles to work. Honda cost me $180.00 and it got about 80mpg.No more bicycle. We moved back to Portland Oregon that summer and I worked at the Regal gas station on 39th and Powell making $1.10 per hour. Rain Rain Rain had to get a car!!!! The manager of the Regal station in Hilsboro had a 57 belair 2dr. $500.00 bucks. Lots of miles but COOL car. I had to have it so I borrowed the $ from my dad but he made me sign a contract at 8% interest and 1/2 of my paycheck each month. Made me figure the interest each payday. Best lesson I ever had. Think about it an 8 year old car was an old clunker in 1965. A 2004 full size Chev now is not considered old. Sold the chev while home on leave before I was to go to Vietnam 1968. Was transferred out and did not leave the world so could have kept that car. Ter409

[garrell.770]

Ter409, Goodone

Garrell

[StreetKruzer]

My First Car Was Purchased For $275. It Was A 1955 Chevy 2dr Post. Two Tone Grey & A Skin/pink Color. Six Banger Three On The Tree. A Month Later; Five Coats Hand Rubbed Candy Apple Red. 283 Punched To 301, Hurst Floor Shifter, Teardrop Hood, Dished Mags, Redline Tires, Super Sun Tach, Crank-in Coil Spring Risers In Front & Extender Shackles At The Rear. Drove It Back & Forth Every Day For Two Years To College Until It Was Stolen & Stripped In Indianapolis While I Was Taking One Stinking Final. A Friend & I Found The Body About Three Days Later Just Driving Around Some Side Streets Between Classes. You Would Think The Cops Would Hae Found It Before Us! I Was So Disgusted I Sold The Body Right Away. Sure Wish I Still Had It Now. Also Wish I Had The Energy & Time To Complete My Projects Cars That Fast Now !!!!!!!!!!!!

[ratpackin]

First car- I traded a tiny sailboat (El Toro) for a 69 Fiat 850 Spider
A tiny sport car with a whopping 50 hp! lol
I took great delight in parking with the front a couple feet from the curb, picking up the front (rear engine car) and setting it by the curb. Cornered great- gave an MG a run for the money... till we started going uphill!

[garrell.770]

Streetkruzer, I have owned seven 55,56,and 57 chevys, all were nice clean cars, I dragraced a black 150 sedan. Iprobably did not have over $500.00 in any one. Priced one lately!??

Garrell

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by garrell.770

Bob, the biggest part of the problem is what has happened to the cost of the true original hotrods. The days of picking up a 32 or 34 ford coupe for $100.00 dollars and putting a 8o hp engine in it are over. I have a friend, 68 years old that owns a hotrod shop here in the small town I live in. He built a real, all steel 40 for coupe for himself about two years ago and had around $25,000. invested in parts his labor not included. A man from Atlanta heard about his workmanship and brought a car to him to have major work performed, when he looked over the 40 coupe he offered $45,000.00 for it on the spot and needless to say he bought it. The cost of these true hotrods are out of reach of most people anymore. I have a late model Corvette that is a joy to drive, what littlt I drive it, and I have my SS Silverado truck that I landspeed race and set a record in it last Oct. on the Maxton Mile, and they are hotrods in a since. But my daily driver is my poor man hotrod 1939 Chevy truck channeled down over a 1937 chassis. It cranks as quick as a late model fuel injected vehicle. It has a rack steering, automatic tranny, tilt steering, front disc brakes and flames and I feel like a 16 year old going down the highway.

All said times have changed and as long as we can keep our grandsons, nephews, and nieces interested in the car hobby in some way it will never die maybe.

Garrell

Garrell, Sure a lot of these cars do cost money, but you look at what the kids have today compared to what you had at that age. You can still find cars that kids can afford. Sure they might not be a 33 Ford 3w Or the likes, but I bet I can go find a 27 "T" coupe for a good price, or some oddball make, were making Hot Rods not taking back to stock. That bunch of kids I talked about in my other post, well they started another club within MSRA, just for them. We give them a budget and what they need to get the club going. A lot of them have there own rides 64 and older, and they got them by them selves. It might be a 48 Dodge P/U, or a model "A" coupe, who knows they take vo-tech class to learn how to build them, sure the bodies aren't perfect, they may need patch panels, but the last time I went to bed, that's what street rodders do, DI something change over night, they put the bodies back together, they make them right. That just takes a little money and a lot of time. Most of the kids in our club, come from families that are Hot Rodders/Street Rodders, which ever term you like. So they are not new to this, There are both girls and boys They have jobs, sure they might not make a lot, so they have to save longer to get what they want. When I first started I sure as hell couldn't go out and buy everything I wanted at one time.

The club within our club has a age limit of 27, they picked it, not the MSRA Board. Once they hit 27 they are no longer part of the younger club. They have a name which is the IGNITORS, they start the flame for the younger generation to like old cars, or help keep it lite, as their Dads got it burning.

The cars they build don't have to be show winners, they do have to be safe, and we do inspect them. I should add we have a pretty big jump on any other club in the country, as we have 20,000 members, all over the world, but mostly right here in the 5 state area. That's a lot of kids.
We also give 20 to 30 $1000.00 scholarships away each year, I think it's 30+.

Bob

[garrell.770]

Bob, three things:

If other clubs across the country would do one half of what you have described we would not have to worry about riceburneritis, all the young generation needs is exposure to the car hobby.

To me when I use the word Hotrodder I am thinking of street rodders, street machiners, muscle car owners/restorers, and late model 1985 say through now owners, dragracers, landspeed racers, car showers, cruisers, and those that just like to care for their ride and drive it, etc.

WHATthe h.... are you doing up at this time of morning. I have not blinked an eye in three days and nights, hope you don't have the same problems I do.

Garrelll

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by garrell.770

Bob, three things:

If other clubs across the country would do one half of what you have described we would not have to worry about riceburneritis, all the young generation needs is exposure to the car hobby.

To me when I use the word Hotrodder I am thinking of street rodders, street machiners, muscle car owners/restorers, and late model 1985 say through now owners, dragracers, landspeed racers, car showers, cruisers, and those that just like to care for their ride and drive it, etc.

WHATthe h.... are you doing up at this time of morning. I have not blinked an eye in three days and nights, hope you don't have the same problems I do.

Garrelll

I don't class them like that, but I have no problem with it, I don't care for anything newer than about 1970, Drag racing is a little different, I raced for a few years. Pro-Stock. Really you never get much time to watch or look at the other cars. I some times go here in Brainerd, when the Nats are here, and I get my free tickets, and sit in the tower.

Well to make a long story short, I went to see my younger Bro. and I really think it will the last time I will see him alive. He is full of cancer, now in his brain, he couldn't speak very much, had a hard time looking for words. Then he would look into my eyes as if he wanted me to help him, as I always was getting him out of trouble, and this time I couldn't do it.

Garrell I will see those eyes until I die, so I got up and got on here because I couldn't sleep.

Bob

Live every day as if it were your last, one will

[garrell.770]

Not much I can say other than you should be glad he recognized you. Lets hope his final days and hours will be pain free and I know it is difficult but you should spend as much time by his bed side as possible just talking to him as if everything is okay.
My Mother wieghs 60 lbs. and three months ago I called her twice every day and enjoyed talking to her, now she thinks the home she has lived in with Dad for 60 years is a nursing home and Dad works there.
I am up all night, every night email me and I will check every hour or less.

Garrell

[35terraplane]

Originally Posted by garrell.770

Not much I can say other than you should be glad he recognized you. Lets hope his final days and hours will be pain free and I know it is difficult but you should spend as much time by his bed side as possible just talking to him as if everything is okay.
My Mother wieghs 60 lbs. and three months ago I called her twice every day and enjoyed talking to her, now she thinks the home she has lived in with Dad for 60 years is a nursing home and Dad works there.
I am up all night, every night email me and I will check every hour or less.

Garrell

I would be there but he is 5 hours away, and I have to take my wife to chemo, as she also has cancer.

Even though this is your thread we better get back on track.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm good with it, That's is part of life.

Bob

[sic41]

I was driving a 65 Fairlane Wagon my junior and senior years of high-school 1973 - 75. It was bone stock 289ci, auto, and I called it "the conventional family ride" also had my cheery popped in it. Raced it once against a 65 Chevy P/U 283 at the unofficial 1/4 MI and won.

[Croz]

Lets try and keep this thread on track with what it was originally about and not deteriorate into a debate of what is and isn't a hot rod. I have seen that conversation more times than I can count, and would like to remind you of the dictionary definition of hot rod.

Hot Rod - n. an automobile specially built or altered for fast acceleration and increased speed.

This is a varied culture, and it is my understanding that we don't discriminate at HotRodders.com. If you try and start telling people their cars don't count unless they are 40s or older, you alienate a TON of good and knowledgeable people, myself included. Everyone is free to their own opinion on what cars are the best, and honestly, I would love to see more of the current generation interested in cars in general. Actually interested in making them faster, produce more power, and handle better by doing something more involved than hooking up a computer or buying a performance chip.

Most people's first car is going to be determined by their budget first and foremost and their preference a distant second. Depending on where you grow up, you likely need a car that can actually get you to school and back and to work and back every day, which means buying a car in reasonably working condition. That gets tougher and tougher to do the older the car you look for. Not to mention insuring these things. Hell, I still have trouble finding an insurance company that will actually cover the GTO without asking for 6 months salary in return. And to be honest, all these cars are obsolete. They are still great fun and awesome looking, but technologically, you can't avoid the fact that they are obsolete. In my opinion, that is half the reason I like my car so much. I can work on my car without plugging in a laptop. Its a mechanical machine, with minor electronics in a supporting role and I love it.

It changes how you live your life when the only car you own is 40 years old. It takes away some of your control over your life, and you never know what is around the corner. It makes life an adventure, and for those of us that have chosen that path, we wouldn't change it for the world. Trying to explain that to someone that doesn't get it is futile. So, in my opinion, we should welcome any new members we get into the hot rod world with open minds regardless of our personal opinions about the car they call their hot rod.

[StreetKruzer]

By The Time I Finish My Plymouth Enough To Suit Me, It Will Practically Be A New Car. Drive Train, Body Mods, Etc. It Will Be More Like Having A 2012 Than A 1933! Besides, How Many Owners Of A 20xx Car Have People Staring At Them All The Way Down The Street Or Stopping Them Just To Get A Better Look Or Ask Some Questions. Just Part Of The Enjoyment Of Building & Owning An "oldie" In My Book.

[garrell.770]

Whoa, everyone put the antilock breaks on, pump the old drum breaks or drag their feet and let's slow down a bit. croz is correct we all seem to have a different idea as to what qualifies as a Hotrod. I think I did try to cover from Model A's to tri five chevys to later model fox Mustangs and late model Camaros are all Hotrods and we are all Gear heads for wanting to own cars with sleek classic lines or handle well in the turns, or stop on the spot, or shines and looks outstanding in a long rows of show or cruise cars or accelerate as fast as we can afford to make them go. Having the desire to mold our rides into one of the above but physically not being to able to do the work ourselves whether due to poor health or just age limitations and we have to pay others to do the work does not make us any less brother gearheads. Enough said and I am worn out from such long sentences so WHAT DUD WE DRIVE?

Garrell