What is a 'hotrodder'?

Hi as I read the post --whats a HOT RODDER?--like most I took a mental Trip to Yrs Ago! back whenn your first Wheels made You a KING!--No more need to use DADs Car?--working long hours & cruising w/ all your Buddies!--I assume? Hot Rodding started? when You Hit some thing? & destroyed a fender? & couldn*t afford to Buy another One? so you took E*M all OFF! & some? of your Buddies followed by removing theirs--& now you were all differant--& as the Owner & driver of a Fender less Car! & Patty the pretty girl next door that You finally got a date with! Her MOM & DAD thought You were a Crazy Kid? [driving a Jollopie] but Patty thought You were COOL! & that Romance lasted over 50 yrs & Patties MOM & DAD when they came to Visit--still thought You were Nuts? seeing you New Vehicle out side in the weather & that Ole Jollopie sitting in your heated Gararge! differant strokes for differant folks!--GOD Bless HOT Rodders! as their the SALT of the EARTH!--Ole JIM--

Maybe that's Dr Z speaking his native language to us...He did say he invented the car, so I guess he could have invented the hot rod too. LOL
Don't let weirdbeard see that it might send him over the edge again. (J/K weird )
Later, mikey


( reference lounge thread.." Dr Z must die")

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Cool thread, tough subject.

Personally I've always hated group definitions, each group will always further tighten the meaning and before you know it you become an elitist, putting each person into a slot to validate your own position.

Street rodder
Hot rodder
Car Enthusiast
What's the new one for cars... Resto-Mod? So a Resto-modder? Ugh!

Right now Muscle Car is the big one. And even that term is getting broken into an elitist category of it must be original to qualify, but that's another thread.
When I bought my 1968 Firebird in 1976, the Musclecar term was unheard of. After all the modifications I did to my car back then everyone called it a Hot Rod, I still do.

But I thought the original definition of a Hot Rod was pre war, modified. So by that definition a Hot Rodder would be one that modified (hot rodded) a pre war (WWII) car.
I've owned over 20 something cars, oldest being a 55 Chevy so by defnition I wouldn't qualify as a Hot Rodder?

But looks like the majority here calls it a state of mind and with that definition I'd have to agree.
What you drive, how you got it, or even if you own one shouldn't define your position as a Hotrodder.

Unless of course we're going to categorize each of us. I surely hope not. It's much to broad a, uh... Sport? Hobby? Interest?
Here we go again. What would be the definition of it?

In the end Hot rodding is just all about having fun and sharing your interest of modified cars with other like minded people. By that definition we all qualify.

Websters Dictionary defines the word Hotrod as a vehicle that has been modified for either speed or performance or both.

What year did Websters add this?

I agree every bodies RIGHT--its a state of MIND--any One desiring His Whells to be Personilized--Differant--w/Changes? of its Outer appearance--or Mechanicaly--to Improve its Preformance--all fall into the Category--I assuem? whats a HOT RODDER?--is as Indivigual as ALL our personallities are!--as WE Indivgually make our personal set of Wheels--Differant in some Respect to every One Elses!--as Fuel prices RISE & WE all Work to enjoy a Cruise--around the Block? or the Week End Trip?--just to Get Away from our every Day Problems?--in Our WHEELS!--what ever? they may Be?? the PRIDE of Owner ship is There!--No matter what? Your Driving!--I DONO? to ME its Cruising--just to get Away from the Every Day things WE all have to DO!--just the Jaunt to the local Coffee Shop & chatting w/ Freinds or attending a local Car Show-- its Getting Away from the Every DAY Normal Stuff! & even Then!--Your thinking of some thing that You have to Fix?--or that Modification You been Putting Off?--& NO Matter how You figure it? All Our WHEELS are an Important part of our LIVES!--as Were not Trapped Were FREE! just by the Turn of the KEY! ENJOY!--Ole JIM--

ummm....???

The answer is: Anyone who likes cars, likes to fiddle with them, likes to modify them, likes to buy and drive modified or muscle cars is a Hot Rodder. Anybody you are likely to see with their at a car venue, is a hotroder. There are no Hotrod purists. There are car restoration purists, but once a car is modified, it is not pure any longer.

There are million dollar hotrods because that is what their owner was willing to pay for them. It doesn't mean that it appeals to others. Snobs will always be snobs no matter what they are doing. If someone looks down their nose at a you at a show, they would have done it at the 7-11. There are people who think that their money or status in society makes them better than the rest of us. I feel sorry for them because the wall they have built between themselves and the Hot Rod characters that are around has caused them to miss the best part of Hot Rodding which is sharing space and ideas with people that you have something in common. Go to any drag strip and watch any guy give his last quart of oil to his toughest competitor so they can race. Or pull the iginition, or blower off his car and give it to him after he eliminited him just so he can make the next round.

I have been doing this for 45 years I continue to be amazed at the degree of help, friendship and money that perfect straingers are willing to give to fellow Hot Rodders. Sometimes the younger ones take a while to catch it, but it is really contegious and will change anyone after while.

Hotrodding is an attitude about and a love of cars. Anyone can be a Hotrodder if he/she wants.

I guess I'm one of the "snobs". If I had the $150,000 to hire it done, I'd spend some of it on getting some old, interesting relic in the weeds and some of it on some more tools and see where things went from there. At least half of it would go toward some scholarship foundation somewhere.

If I love music and buy CDs, does that make me a musician?



That tells it, IMO. You either get your hands in it or you're a fan, not a hotrodder. Writing a check or waving a credit card just is not enough to cover the price of entry.

I've been a fan for years, postponing building my own hotrod for family and obligations. The number of people I've ever trusted to do any work on my vehicles wouldn't use up all the digits of one hand. Maintaining, repairing and modifying (minorly) the vehicles for immediate family and friends over the years does not make me a hotrodder.

I've rebuilt engines for myself and friends and the only one that was ruined was the first I ever tried, a 1200 cc VW Beetle engine I pulled with a screwdriver, vise grips and adjustable wrench (all the tools I owned then). Dropping a 1500cc Karman Ghia engine into that Beetle didn't make me a hotrodder. Buying a beater truck with a 350 already adapted to it didn't make me a hotrodder. Rebuilding it and modifying a few things to work with what I had didn't make me a hotrodder. Reading and dreaming didn't make me a hotrodder.

It's my turn now. I'm building my car (well, actually I'm still doing disassembly). When I can drive it on the highway, I will feel comfortable calling myself a hotrodder. Until then, I'm a long-time fan and a wannabe.

Naw, you ain't a snob. You got too much heart.

Does this count? My baby girl (7) had to write a math question in class on Friday, no lie this is what she wrote. "There are 17 hotrods at the show, 4 left how many hotrods are at the show?" My wife had to call me at work to tell me I've warped her. Is she a hotrodder?

Sounds like she comes by it honestly! She is certainly on her way. The real test will be when she would rather work on her Hotrod that go to the dance with some pimple face jerk.


QUOTE=bigblock454camaro]Does this count? My baby girl (7) had to write a math question in class on Friday, no lie this is what she wrote. "There are 17 hotrods at the show, 4 left how many hotrods are at the show?" My wife had to call me at work to tell me I've warped her. Is she a hotrodder?[/QUOTE]

good thinking!!!

She is getting there but next time have her average the horsepower ratings