This should be put on the inside front page of every rodding mag, posted in every garage and put on the home page of every auto web site. As far as I am concerned EZ is right on the money.

On the debate beween building and not building the car. There are few things that tick me off more than seeing some guy who changed a few things on his car standing there with unwashed hands knocking some old guy who pulls in to the show with a turn key car. I am sorry, not everyone has the time, skills, tools, health to build their car. That old guy may have been told he has a year to live and went out and bought a car he always wanted, who are we to say that he "doesn't belong". Hell, that guy may have built hot rods back when people REALLY built then instead of buying everything out of a catalog.

He may also have BUILT that "turn key" trailer queen, we don't even know the guy. I met a guy with a 56 Vette at a show I judged who you would have never bet he did anything on that car. If you saw him driving in, what wasn't bald was gray, about 55-60 years old. He looked like daddy warbucks in that Vette. It was one of the nicest restorations I have ever seen in my life and I fought and fought with the other judges to give him the top overall award. It was a stunningly detailed car, flawless as you can get in reality. He built it in his garage, out of a basket case, it was a piece of junk when he started. He had piles of photos, he did EVERYTHING on the car. If he were to take this car on a long trip to a show in another state he would likely trailer it. There would be some guy knocking him as he pulled it off the trialer saying something about trailer queen and he "had" it built.

How about my brother who builds from scratch everything he has ever owned. He has built from the ground up turning every single bolt, vintage Harleys, 57 T-Bird, 65 Buick Gran Sport Conv., 63 Riv, 22 Buick, 39 Ford Coupe, 31 Model A (chopped and channeled), 55 Ford F-100, 65 Mustange Fastback, and more, including an old fiberglass speed boat. And these are just his, he has done many more for customers. Yet I would honestly call him a "car builder" more than a "Hotrodder"! To him, building the car is the "journey". Owning it, driving it, is actually secondary. He is glowing, he is in a state of eurphoria when building a car! He is NOT in that same state while driving it. Don't get me wrong, he DRIVES them, most are daily drivers. But he drives them because...well...it's his daily driver, it is his transportation. He isn't thrilled to drive it as you would think, at least that is not in his demeaner. It is TOTALLY different when he is building them. So is he NOT a hotrodder?

How about my buddy (God rest his soul) Danny who couldn't turn a wrench, I am not kidding, I am not joking one single bit, I do not believe he even owned a wrench! He was totally and utterly talentless or scared to death or something about wrenching. He just didn't do it, PERIOD. But he loved cars and kept them spotlessly clean and well maintained. ALL his cars right down to his company truck were like NEW after many years of service. He bought his brothers finished Model A Coupe and drove and drove and drove it! He and his wife where the first ones to show up at any event and the last to leave. He LOVED driving that car, he was on top of the world driving that car. When we put it in a big indoor show he rubbed a rag over it here and there and that was about it. I spent hours upon hours, days upon days getting it ready and he would come by and talk to me and do a little here and there and that was it. He just wasn't a wrencher or anything like it. When he won the first prize he was ECSTATIC calling all his friends. But he looked the same way driving that car! NO ONE can tell me he wasn't a "hotrodder". Dan died of lung cancer at 37 years old.

Nope, being a "Hotrodder" is more in the heart than anything you can see.

Brian

Danny and, his wife and their Model A "Vintage Rose".

Hi,lets see if im a hotrodder,my 1st car was a 41 lincoln with a ford v8 60,very ugly,ran great. next was a 49 chev 2 dr.i put a 55 chev v8 in it. next was my 29 A 4 dr sedan,nope,only drove it,ran great. next came my 46 ford 2 dr,fixed the steering,great driver,had tunnelled headlights,custom grille,great paint,nope,i didnt do the work.next came my 59 corvette (new) just loved the car,no work needed,then my 60 corvair with a do57 blower off of a t bird,yep,that one i did.Very quick,then while in Okinawa,my buddy Darrel Reed and i built a 23 T from the ground up,complete fg body(built by us) chassis(by us) front end(by us) ran great w/a 289 (built by me) then my 69 chevelle wagon w/a 427 4 speed,4 whl discs (all built and installed,by yours truly)all parts from a wrecked 69 chevelle coupe.now,48 ford coupe,built by another. bought and disasembled by me,new rockers,new floor,tunnelled 59 cad taillights new s/s trim,all new glass and rubber 350 sbc,700r4, b****in dash with autometer guages,,sherrod bucket seats,,has taken over 2 years of everyday work,but going to be nice when finished, almost forgot my 1966 king midget roadster,12 hp Kohler engine,55 mph,65 mpg,s/s floors. ,OH,forgot,today is my 70 th birthday. call me a hotrodder,or call me a streetrodder,i dont care,just call me in time for a cold brew,(or a hot blonde) im Bobby and there is a place for the million dollar rods/cars? built by Troy,Boyd and many others,i JUST DONT BELIEVE they should be in the running for the AMBR. very tough for the little guys to compete with..maybe 2 ambr????????self built,or pro built???? .im Bobby

I hope you and I take the time to write down some of the info in our heads in the wiki so the kids that come after can read and use it after they get old enough to figure out they don't know everything.

amen... i totally agree...

Same here.

I think hotrodding is a personality or as some have said an attitude. When I was younger I had my dad buy me this cheap big wheel trike and a soon as we got it home I had the spray paint and electrical tape out. It wasn't long before in my eyes it looked just like my dads 75 shovel head. It had a motor and everything...of course it didn't run I was only 8. Next was the family computer. To me its not the way I like it until I change it. As soon as I learned to read I discovered a news clipping stapled out in my old garage (barn I call it) about the previous boy who lived there was 14 when he raced his 68 camaro in the local drags. Built it from doing the paper route...Now i'm 14 too and still workin on old bowtie rust out there trying to match it to that one on the wall....

This is my first post here aside from the welcoming thread.
I believe a hot rodder is anybody who loves motor vehicles that were altered or restored in some way by themselves or even made by someone else, for speed or "The Look" and would actually drive it the way that vehicle was intended to be driven.
Parking stall Show Queens do not make a person a hot rodder if it is all they possess or had possessed and care about.

I have read this entire post today because I asked that same question my whole life, well since I was 10 and was able to work on cars anyway. I found my answer and want to add to this philosophical discussion. Hotrodding is defined by the asker. Meaning changes from person to person. And I would like to add that a hotrodder is someone who is acceptant of those that do not accept him/her. A lot of people do not understand/like us because we think outside the box. But I would advise to be careful if you meet someone who is confrontational, someone else may be listening who is watching your attitude. And if you become someone's hero(knowingly or not), you need to be a good example. I don't believe this has happened to me, but I have seen it at meets and car shows where a 12 yr old is listening intently to two guys talking about this same subject. He gets that gleam in his eyes. What if that kid will never be able to use one of his arms properly, wouldn't be able to build it himself. You just crushed him, and you didn't have to. I believe that to be a hotrodder, you should be as much involved as you can, if you don't know then learn, if you can't do then at least understand. I also believe that we are a very passionate bunch,hence all the different answers, but most of all I agree it is more in the soul that it comes out.

When the only people that really get what drives you are hottrodders, then you are.

Amen to that. We sure don't want to kill the spirit of any up and coming young rodders as they are getting harder to come by in my area. All most of the youth today wants to do is play video games. JMO.

There isn't much I can add that hasn't already been said. I feel hotrodders have deferent degrees within the world of Hotrodding. None is wrong or better or worse just different. For Me, I live hotrodding everyday and night and on weekends. IT IS MY LIFE... I build,paint etc. all my own stuff. I constantly talk about ,eat ,sleep cars. I always have a new project hatching before I get done with the one before it (somebody once told me i had a sickness). It is a life style that had put food on my table for many many years. It has always been that way will always be that way. Does that make me better than a guy who pays to build a rod? NO, just different versions of hot rodders.We all make up the wonderful and fun world of Hotrodders. We all do our part to keep this wonderful world of hotrodding alive. I guess what I am trying to say is there is room for every one. Tim

VIVA the HOTRODDER!!!!!

From the Shade Trees to the Trailer Queens







R

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"SlowRide66"

"Illegitimis non carborundum"
Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Crankshaft Coalition Master List of Hotrodding Forums

life has been good to me and allowed me to go out and buy a fully restored mustang, but my background includes breaking down and rebuilding motors etc, replacing clutches and or gear boxes and even a bit of lite panel work and painting cars.But i freely admit to guys i bought my ride fully restored, i would never take credit for someone elses work.
BUT, i consider myself a hotrodder
as someone else said,grow older, but, dont grow up lol

ps im looking at starting to build a t bucket next summer!
russ

I think my signature line just about says it all.

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Hotrodding is much more than just owning a hotrod...It is a state of mind!

I agree. Why did you not say this before Mr. Highrise? You could have saved all these folks 4000 posts...

To me, a Hotrodder is a person that can take something ragged & beat, and turn it into something they really want by all means necessary including, from, begging for parts on street corners, to paying someone to build just what is wanted, without deviation from the Hotrodders head, as is wanted----including mistakes, while still being happy with the results.

if you are not great mechanically inclined,but have a lot of cash,just finding the perfect car-send it out to be chopped - have the paint shop paint it just the way you want it-and have the car finished to your
special taste, you are at least on the right track!I would say yes! (at least over a checkbook hotrodder)