VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Frowning on Hot Rods?

LOL! You forgot overheating! My dad is constantly threatening to put a small block in his 40' F*rd if the flatty starts cooking.

Those fenders are ugly.....they don't fit the wheels or the car.

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Put a 6-7 steel blade vintage air fan 16" and you will not believe the air draw at idle thru the radiator. You can put a cloth diaper on the other side of the radiator and at 700 rpm and it will stay there. I am not talking about those aluminum fans, they do not work !!!!!

mike

I beg to differ with you. To me that is an excuse or preference not justification. I saved a '31 Roadster from a gutted street rod project and am presently building several Chevrolets from parts. There is a '34 Coupe restoration from a pitiful hulk that the process has been posted on Chat. Most wouldn't have even tried to make a rod out of it but Pat S is restoring it. Just ask Pat and I am sure he will tell you that finding the needed parts to rod it would have been easier and quicker but the pride in bringing it back much more rewarding.

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Using my car as an example, common sense would have said to rod it. All it was was a shell, and an incomplete one at that. I'm restoring it because it was my dad's, so the financial aspect is moot. However I used up a restorable Sport Sedan in the process and the drive train of a rodded coach. So it took 3 cars to make one. Questionable? I don't know. However I support the general opinion in saying that it is better do do something with some hulks than letting them go to the crusher or sink in the ground like mine did. Cutting up a complete, intact car is someting else. However, the man who did the coach I got the drivetrain from had everything useable saved, labeled, oiled etc. He even had reassembled all the brake rods on the pivot shaft in their proper position.Most people have seen the photos below but I thought they'd help put things in perspective.

Gidday Fellas,

"BARNSTORATION"... I'll though that one up at you to think about.

Is not a "open cheque book" pristine shop resto.

Is not a "limited funds" patch n slap resto.

Is not a Hot Rod resto.

Is not a Rat Rod resto.

"Barnstoration" - To repair the soul but keep the patina appearance of an interesting life travelled.

From This



To This



Off Chassis resto, completely stripped, painted and rebuilt, but you wouldn't think so and that's how I love it... Used and reliable..

Hi Pat S,

I would gladly restore something like this to original specs if I had the chance, rather than turn it into a Rod.

Maybe its because the old originals and wrecks are a lot thinner on the ground here in OZ than Stateside.

But then its an individual choice.

Cheers

Ray

Ah Grant,

my new word for the day "Barnstoration"

Very good.

But just think if the old man had of said,

"pristine my boy, bring him back as good as new"

What a different direction you may have followed.

Cheers

Ray

Gidday Fellas,

So true Ray your on the money mate, and yes that would of been the case without doubt.

I've had hot rods, street rods, and originals. Do what feels good! You have to drive it!

The VCCA ad in Hemmings appears to invite folks with most any kind of Chevrolet. (Of course that understandably excludes Rat Rods.)

Gentlemen, can we all just say, "To each his own" and be at peace with one and all?

Found this applicable quote:

"A perfection of means and a confusion of aims seems to be our main problem."

-Albert Einstein

The photo reminded me of a very similar looking vehicle I saw at a "Good Guys" Car show...It had no apparent restoration...Until you looked inside at the fine leather upholstery (thru new glass) The car was waxed to the max...With good tires...But other than that I thought it was quite interesting...

what is going to happen to all our restored autos when all us old farts pass away? the younger generation doesn't seem to be that interested

I think some younger people will be interested in our old cars,the issue I see on the horizon is a lack of disposable income to afford them.I guess you could call me a younger person,just over 50 and I like most of the older cars,however,
my financial situation will not allow me to drop $50,000 on a nice 57 Bel air sport coupe or a 60 Corvette.I decided that if I wanted to "get in the game" I would have to settle for something less expensive as I have no facilities to restore a car.So instead of the 60 corvette or the Bel air, I am stuck with the 53 210 4 door and a ratty Impala convertible that will probably never get restored.Sometimes I regret getting involved with the cars because nothing is more frustrating than
having to settle for something that really doesn't do much for me.So in closing unless the price of classic cars starts to become reasonable,I think most younger people are going to pass on owning a vintage car.There are always some exceptions to the rule,but,in most cases I feel that most kids don't have the same connection with the old cars as we do.My 2 cents.

I think it will be like most things, its not till they are gone or very rare that people realize how appealing they were. There hopefully will always be a vintage following, they never go out of fashion, unlike some of the rods from the 60's and 70's.

Lets hope that future kids keep a balance of everything, not that we will know anyway.

my 2 cents worth, change please??

Cheers

Ray

They are going to take our cars and make hot rods out of them and low riders for the ones with independant front suspension.

Air bag them down to the ground and do all that 50's custom stuff with dingle balls , flipper hub caps, outside sunvisors, put split exhaust manifolds on the sixes and triple carbs intakes, just gook the heck out them. Throw mexican multi colour blankets over the seats to hide the nice upholstery job you paid $5000.00 for or more.

Some others for the 40--50's cars will buy chevy V8 crate motors and stick giant 572 cube chevy V8's 720 HP with 6 speed transmissions and call them pro touring, with 20 inch aluminum wheels and tires that look like rubber bands. Have a sound system with multiple speakers & tweeters + amplifiers and six sub woofers that can make you deaf, so people can hear them coming 2 blocks away.

The ones who want the pre ww2 cars will rat rod a perfectly restored car , destroy its beautiful paint and make it look like an old worn out finish by expertly patina-ing it.

Nothing will be spared,even the rarer roadsters , tourings, convertable sedans, convertables , woodies , all will be butchered by the new car culture.

Or just maybe they will continue to only play with their honda civics and other jap stuff , leaving our passed down cars to sit in garages with nobody to care about them anymore.

mike

Oh, I've got that one all figured out already...Just bury me in the darn thing...Who says you can take it with you...?

Since, nobody else wants the the old heap, anyway...

The big thing is that most of us were here when those old cars were the NEW cars. We can relate to them in person.

Unless the young people find something they can relate to in person, it is just an old car.

Sometimes the younger folks will relate to a car that has been in the family for years and have a desire to maintain and drive.

In my own club I don't see many replacements getting interested in either driving or owning an antique car. As time goes on and us elderly folks pass on there will be an excess of cars available and no one interested. Watch the prices then.

My first car was a 38 chevrolet coupe, I was 14 yrs old. The car was 23 yrs old. The only reason I wanted to get ANOTHER 38 was that I never had enough money to do much of anything to the orginal car. I hand sanded the entire black car down to bare metal and had a neighbor paint it 1962 Roman Red with a cheap sprayer.The car got traded for another car because of lack of funds..grin
I think alot of guys fell in love with some old car during their childhood and want to have it again. This will never happen with a new generation of kids coming along. Antique cars are slowly going to the museum.
Can you imagine ,forty yrs from now,some guy wanting to have his Toyota Camry as a rebuild project..grin

did you ever think what our autos could tell us, the history every car has, the good times, the bad times, and the ugly times.

I think most of the guys on here are probably my dad's age. In 57', his uncle gave him a 38' Chevy Master 2dr sedan for his first car at 11 years old. He never kept the car but learned a lot on it. When I was born in 1972, my dad was restoring a 30' Model A two door sedan, had a 31' also and a few tri-five Chevys. I literally have been around old cars my entire life and developed a love for them. It will be the guys like me that keep the hobby going and to pass the torch down. The only thing is that just as the older collectors are dwindling in numbers, so are the younger enthusiasts... Unfortunately, someday these cars will only beseen in museums and private collections. :'(

I am not sure i would want to hear what my car could say to me, because i would argue with its view just to be obstinate ...lmao

mike

I am not sure i would want to hear what my car could say to me, because i would argue with its view just to be obstinate

I am sure mine would say, Yep keep the oil coming, Love those 3077 plugs. Get that V8 engine out of my garage, and the 9 inch diff while your at it.

Well this topic took a turn into concern for what the future holds for our beloved old classics.

I am probably younger than most on this forum and I found my love of antique cars many years ago due to only one event. I have always been a car guy but although I admired the antiques when I saw them I never really developed an interest until a hot day visiting my grandparents down in Yuma AZ.

One afternoon my grandfather took off in my car, it was parked in front of the garage door, to go golfing. A little later my grandmother asked me to go to the store for her. Ok, no problem, I opened garage door and there were two cars to choose from, a 1914 Model T and a ( I think)1934 four-door phaeton. Well after taking a long look at the Model T, I decided that I had no idea how to get it started and how to work the pedal system so I took the 34 and had the best time I had ever had driving a car. I was hooked.

When I got home the first think I did was start looking for an antique of my own. My dad was a Chevy guy and I followed his lead. I found my 25 roadster and have been having a blast ever since.

My point is that even though I had an appreciation for vintage cars I never had a thought of owning one until I actually experienced the joy of driving one.

You autobahnracing28 are the life and hope of the vintage and classic car movement. You drive one and you catch the disease. I hope there is a car in your future, and I am sure your Grandfather would be proud that he got you into the hobby. Hec! even a F### would be better than no vintage car.

Good Luck

Regards

Ray Dean