Hot Rod Magazine

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Dan the man

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Got another issue of hot rod the other day, talk about boring, what happened to the helpful tech tips? All they do is high dollar builds. Is any of the mopar Magazine's still around. Has The digital age ruined the printed magazines too? I don't want to set in front of a stupid computer all day
 
Seems to me like the high dollar builds are in every magazine these days. I have enough to live comfortably in my old age, but I can't afford the stuff they're pushing today. Not really interested in it either. So, I have a pretty huge collection of vintage mags, including every issue of Hot Rod from January 1950 to December 1980. But no subscriptions to any magazines at present.

The good old days:

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I haven't looked at a Hot Rod mag in over twenty years. and stopped getting any Mopar mags a few years ago, to many new car builds.
 
Jeff Seighman said:
I haven't looked at a Hot Rod mag in over twenty years. and stopped getting any Mopar mags a few years ago, to many new car builds.
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Same here, and like @65 Cuda 340 , I have saved the old mopar magazines and a few good Hot Rod from back in the day I like thumbing threw.
 
My Favorites were always Popular Hotrodding and also Super/Stock and Drag Ilustrated but they both bellied up and were heading in the same direction.
 
I have too many old magazines to even consider buying any new ones. Chrysler Power has been back a few years, but I haven't looked at one in a few years. There is no market for the old mags, but I can't bring myself to toss them...
 
Jim Lusk said:
I have too many old magazines to even consider buying any new ones. Chrysler Power has been back a few years, but I haven't looked at one in a few years. There is no market for the old mags, but I can't bring myself to toss them...
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I had a Washing Machine Box full of them but put em all in the dumpster when I retired and went full time RVing
 
I get MCG and Hemmings Muscle Machines. I like it, has variety of cars, a little tech, usually covers a car reno. Touches on the auctions so I can see what I can't afford . My two cents

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gtxdude said:
I get MCG and Hemmings Muscle Machines. I like it, has variety of cars, a little tech, usually covers a car reno. Touches on the auctions so I can see what I can't afford . My two cents

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That Dart is stunning.
One of the cruise ins that I frequent has a couple of folding tables and people can bring their old magazines to put on the table, and others can take the ones they want.
 
Jim Lusk said:
I have too many old magazines to even consider buying any new ones. Chrysler Power has been back a few years, but I haven't looked at one in a few years. There is no market for the old mags, but I can't bring myself to toss them...
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I buy vintage Hot Rod magazines occasionally from eBay. You could probably have some success selling online.
 
For a few years HR had pretty good Mopar context.
But, they changed editors and that rag has gone in the crapper.
All gm, all the time.
I kicked them to the curb, and recycled about 4 years of issues.
 
Years back, a cousin was working as a “magazine peddler” to stores. I remember him saying that Peterson Publishing was the grim reaper for non-GM car mags. Once Peterson acquired them, they tilted GM, usually Chevy. Some Ford, damn little Mopar.

And if the acquisition was a Mopar Mag, it would get thinner, less tech (unless it was a new car), and more high end engine builds that were just dyno queens to sell advertisers products - all the ultimate kiss of death. The Mopar mag would be cancelled.
 
Bobacuda said:
Years back, a cousin was working as a “magazine peddler” to stores. I remember him saying that Peterson Publishing was the grim reaper for non-GM car mags. Once Peterson acquired them, they tilted GM, usually Chevy. Some Ford, damn little Mopar.

And if the acquisition was a Mopar Mag, it would get thinner, less tech (unless it was a new car), and more high end engine builds that were just dyno queens to sell advertisers products - all the ultimate kiss of death. The Mopar mag would be cancelled.
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That sounds like what happened to Mopar Muscle. For the last several years before biting the dust, it seemed like their tech articles consisted taking pictures of advertisers aftermarket products being installed in some garage of the day. That and bodywork. :realcrazy:
 
I have often thought a winning theme for a Mopar mag would be they give a staff person $10k to find a car and make it at a minimum a safe driver/budget racer.

Don’t count the value of the writer’s time or skills. The car has to be purchased from a “for sale” ad, Craigslist, etc. Document where it came from and what it cost. The car has to be a purchase anyone could make - NOT from a friend or colleague.

Print business names, locations and prices. DON’T build it with donated parts, new or used. Instead, have them spend the remaining cash on the car - no more. Document it all on the mag over the next 12 months. Cover a different model each build.

Publish what was done, why, and what it cost. When completed, if you want a “Freiburger, Finnegan or Dulcich” to tune it, that could be an episode to itself.

Raffle it off when done. Find the next project.

I think that would be interesting, educational and sell mags.
 
It seems these magazine companies have learned NOTHING...& wonder why sales plummet.

Circle Track magazine is a great example. In the 90s, it used to be 140-170 pages every month. Great, in depth technical articles that would span many pages. Then it slowly shrank to 85-90 pages & you paid more for less!
 
I still get MCG and Hot Rod. I got the latest Hot Rod a week ago, and haven't read it yet. Yeah....that's about how enthused Hot Rod gets me anymore! :rolleyes:
 
Bobacuda said:
I have often thought a winning theme for a Mopar mag would be they give a staff person $10k to find a car and make it at a minimum a safe driver/budget racer.

Don’t count the value of the writer’s time or skills. The car has to be purchased from a “for sale” ad, Craigslist, etc. Document where it came from and what it cost. The car has to be a purchase anyone could make - NOT from a friend or colleague.

Print business names, locations and prices. DON’T build it with donated parts, new or used. Instead, have them spend the remaining cash on the car - no more. Document it all on the mag over the next 12 months. Cover a different model each build.

Publish what was done, why, and what it cost. When completed, if you want a “Freiburger, Finnegan or Dulcich” to tune it, that could be an episode to itself.

Raffle it off when done. Find the next project.

I think that would be interesting, educational and sell mags.
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10k to buy a car and do modifications would be hard pressed to do, but I agree with what you are saying.
 
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