Is Hotrodding dead?

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Yeah, times have changed.......only a bit though.
I remember my dad having the same conversation with my oldest brother back in '71.
My brother who was 19 wanted a nearly new '69 Coronet R/T 440 auto that was sitting on the used car lot. My dad wanted him to fix up a '30s car and put in a 392 hemi that he had. Dad couldn't understand why he wanted a newer car if he wanted a ''hot rod''. My brother did end up getting the R/T though because he wanted a ''sports car'' that had a warranty and was reliable not a ''hot rod'' that he would be working on all of the time and wasn't nearly as good to drive daily. When the R/T was off warranty, he ''hot rodded'' it with a B&M trans, appliance headers, tarantula intake, holley carb, a big purple shaft cam, electronic ignition, and E.T. aluminum slot mags with air shocks and shackles. He threw the original parts away. Not really a lot different than today's youth and the cars of today.

The only major things that are different these days is the environmentalists that are trying to kill the old car hobby, the internet, technology, etc. but really, not a lot else has changed in the people's attitudes toward the hobby.
Hell, i remember the days when you changed your oil and dumped the old oil in the weeds behind your house.
Try doing that these days!
 
Kegan, that car kicks ***! I'd love to see some more pics!

As far as whether hotrodding is dead - NO WAY!
 
its really not dead im 23 with a wife son house and two car payments so money is tight for now but i pulled a 72 swinger out of someones back yard for 500 bucks rust and all pulled a junkyard mag 360 for 250 never gona be a show car but fun when im done with it and i say alot of my age group are abunch of babys dont want to get dirty ,sweat, bloody knuckles ext but i have a group of freinds young and old that love hot roding from the classic mopars to the 80s turbo mopars and the new stuff
 
I think a lot of it is (some already mentioned) that #1, so many new cars (even the 6 cylinder mustang/camaro!) are just as quick or quicker than old cars, have reliability, mileage, creature comforts and face it.....driving an old car (to a lot of people) makes you look either old or like you're stuck in the old days. So, to a lot of people....spending $20K or more on a mint old car just doesn't make sense.

Also, how many guys nowadays strive to be mechanically inclined? I also know this too: when I let my sons drive my old cars, they say that it's difficult to steer, shift, brake and control, compared to a newer car. I guess I just don't notice b/c I grew up with them like that.

But yeah, with me it's gas prices. I agree that I feel sort of a "not-politically-correct" feeling about old cars sometimes, especially with this man-made greenhouse gas B.S. talk.
 
Great thread. I guess it really comes down to how bad you want it.
 
Waynes is on the money.Money is tight,everyone has something to sell.A backyard /homedone buildup doesn't get any press because the venders paying for ad space make no money.Have you noticed all the good tech article is magazines have disappeared? Websites like this one are few and far between.Uninterupted tech and sharing without a price tag.
 
i think its that a lot of youngins dont care about or know about older cars.. im 20 and easily know a lot more than my friends about old cars but i dont know that much about the new stuff... also if your gon spend money why would you buy somethin that idles rough, smells, brakes fade, catches everyone's eyes, and goes fast? who wants that? :p
 
Nope, it's not dead.

Here's one of my favorites...Jason's Granny 5

This is a real Hot Rod in my opinion.
 

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Wow, there are some grumpy old men on here. I can't believe the negativity towards the youth. I just turned 32 and I just finished my Hemi Dart, I have had multiple Mopars since I was about 13. I have tried to build each one a little better from the last one because of trail and error. I finish them and enjoy them for a while and then sell them hopefully at a profit so I can get my next project. I grew up in a family where cars were considered our life. My father has always restored Mopars, My uncle was a parts guy, and my Mom rides a Harley, we are not rich folks by any means but we all realize if your willing to work hard for something you want then you will have it. I've been a mechanic since I was 15. Started working in lube shops and I have worked my way up to running the garage I'm at now after 13 years.
I grew up on the east coast and my family and I always went to the Carlisle Shows. I'll never forget the summer they had all the SS/AA Hemi cars there and from that summer till now I have always wanted a 68 Dart w/ a Hemi in it. You could even ask my Dad, when I was 14 I use to tell him I would have a Hemi Dart some day.
It always pisses me off when some Old Man says the youth today is this and that. Sure, some of our youth is worthless but some of the old people out there are pretty worthless to, it goes both ways.
The youth of today might be building Jap **** but at least they are building and they are learning how their cars work and what it takes to make them go faster. Not to mention there's alot of little Rice Rockets out there that will blow the doors off of your Big Block 4-speed Roadrunner weather you like it or not. And that is Hotrodding.
I'm almost done rambling on but I have one more thing to share. I always try and make the Mopars at Thunder Mountain shows and the other summer I ran into the Rudest Old Fart I've ever meet in my life. My wife and I was walking around the show and there was a Beautiful Hemi Roadrunner setting there w/ two Old Men setting next to it. My wife and I was walking around it checking it out and when we got around to the corner of the car where the men were setting my wife said " Geez, that is one beatiful car" the old man turned and looked at us so I know he heard her and then he simply turned his nose up and looked the other way as if he was to COOL to say thanks. I really would have liked to shove my foot straight up his *** but I just told her to come on and we walked away. Would it had been that hard to say thanks Darling, I appreciate it. Hell me wife is 30 and a cute little school teacher, just because your 60 and can't get your dick hard doesn't mean you shouldn't be nice to cute little girls. This goes both ways, there have been some old men in my life who would help any kid trying to get in the hobby and their have been some old men in the hobby that only have their cars because their checkbook is fat. Some of you older folks say us youth only know how to buy aftermarket parts and bolt them on but the truth is alot you older folks only know how to open up your checkbooks and buy cars that someone else has put their blood, sweat, and tears in. It turns out the guy that was a dick to my wife has a collection of old rare mopars that he trailers everywhere and pays someone else to take care of them, he's pretty well known on the front range of Colorado but in my opinion he's just a OLD GRUMPY FART who's gonna die soon and I hope I can buy one of his cars when his kids put his **** up for Auction.

Take a Kid to a Car Show and take the time to talk to Kids at Car Shows cause your old and gonna die soon and we're gonna buy your cars.
 
altered A-body said:
Wow, there are some grumpy old men on here. I can't believe the negativity towards the youth. I just turned 32 and I just finished my Hemi Dart, I have had multiple Mopars since I was about 13. I have tried to build each one a little better from the last one because of trail and error. I finish them and enjoy them for a while and then sell them hopefully at a profit so I can get my next project. I grew up in a family where cars were considered our life. My father has always restored Mopars, My uncle was a parts guy, and my Mom rides a Harley, we are not rich folks by any means but we all realize if your willing to work hard for something you want then you will have it. I've been a mechanic since I was 15. Started working in lube shops and I have work my way up to running the garage I'm at now after 13 years.
I grew up on the east coast and my family and I always went to the Carlisle Shows. I'll never forget the summer they had all the SS/AA Hemi cars there and from that summer till now I have always wanted a 68 Dart w/ a Hemi in it. You could even ask my Dad, when I was 14 I use to tell him I would have a Hemi Dart some day.
It always pisses me off when some Old Man says the youth today is this and that. Sure, some of our youth is worthless but some the old people out there are pretty worthless to, it goes both ways.
The youth of today might be building Jap **** but at least they are building and they are learning how their cars work and what it takes to make them go faster. Not to mention there's alot of little Rice Rockets out there that will blow the doors off of your Big Block 4-speed Roadrunner weather you like it or not. And that is Hotrodding.
I'm almost done rambling on but I have one more thing to share. I always try and make the Mopars at Thunder Mountains shows and the other summer I ran into the Rudiest Old Fart I've ever meet in my life. My wife and I was walking around the show and there was a Beautiful Hemi Roadrunner setting there w/ two Old Men setting next to it. My wife and I was walking around it checking it out and when we got around to the corner of the car where the men were setting my wife said " Geez, that is one beatiful car" the old man turned and looked at us so I know he heard her and then he simply turned his nose up and looked the other way as if he was to COOL to say thanks. I really would have like to shoved my foot straight up his *** but I just told her to come on and we walked away. Would it had been that hard to say thanks Darling, I appreciate it. Hell me wife is 30 and a cute little school teacher, just because your 60 and can't get your dick hard doesn't mean you shouldn't be nice to cute little girls. This goes both ways, there have been some old men in my life who would help any kid trying to get in the hobby and their have been some old men in the hobbie that only have their cars because their checkbook is fat. Some you older folks say us youth only know how to buy aftermarket parts and bolt them on but the truth is alot you older folks only know how to open up your checkbooks and buy cars that someone else has put their blood sweat and tears in. It turns out the guy that was a dick to my wife has a collection of old rare mopars that he trailers everywhere and pays someone else to take care of them, he's pretty well known on the front range of Colorado but in my opinion he's just a OLD GRUMPY FART who's gonna die soon I hope I can buy one of his cars when his kids put his **** up for Auction.

Take a Kid to a Car Show and take the time to talk to Kids at Car Shows cause your old and gonna die soon and we're gonna buy your cars.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%.

Very well said.
 
altered A-body said:
Take a Kid to a Car Show and take the time to talk to Kids at Car Shows cause your old and gonna die soon and we're gonna buy your cars.
Click to expand...

I remember a few years ago I had the Demon to it's first car show. It was the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton N.B., about 1800 cars. Anyway, this young couple came up to my car with their 2 boys, maybe 6 and 8 years old. They were very careful to tell the boys not to touch the car and don't run around them. One of the boys really liked my car so I said to the parents,"do you think he would like to sit in it?", they were very surprised that anybody would offer such a thing but took me up on it. I know it made the little guys day especially when I climbed in the passenger side an started it for him. They got pictures and couldn't thank me enough. I have never been a grump around the kids as long as they are not throwing things and such around the cars. I find the grownups are worse than the kids as far as respecting property.

Jack
 
relax Altered A...remember.. someday you will be one of us (over 60 anyways...not real sure about the other part of the rant)

plus...you'd be surprised what some of us old guys probably say about your "cute little school teacher" once you're out of earshot...after all...we USED to be young...........just say'n

Mopar to ya' lil buddy
Denny
 
+1 on the Grumpy old men comments. Just like in trucking, the old truckers bashing the "Rookies".

Letting the kids sit in the cars is a great idea. Let them into the lifestyle. I always felt like the older Hot Rodders didn't want anyone near their cars. Now they complain that the Hot rod is dieing.

Communication is the answer. Talk to Kids and Kids need to talk to older Dudes. Tell the kids what makes an engine run. Teach them all the basics like What spark plugs do and what exhaust is for. Someone on here used the "DUH" expression at another for not knowing how to wire a Tach. That's enough for some some young kid to say "Screw This" "I didn't come on here to get insulted"

People don't know something until they are taught it. I highly Commend the Fathers that involve their kids in a positive way with their Hot Rod projects.

Sorry for the rant but It's clear to me that a lot of Kids are going to rebel against their parents by driving the opposite of what their Dad's like.

BTW, I hate the word DUH. Always have ever since I moved to Jersey from New York and heard it for the first time. Nuthin against NJ but I'm pretty sure that's where the stupid word originated. It's an ignorant word passed down by ignorant parents.
 
Dartnut said:
Yeah, times have changed.......only a bit though.
I remember my dad having the same conversation with my oldest brother back in '71.
My brother who was 19 wanted a nearly new '69 Coronet R/T 440 auto that was sitting on the used car lot. My dad wanted him to fix up a '30s car and put in a 392 hemi that he had. Dad couldn't understand why he wanted a newer car if he wanted a ''hot rod''. My brother did end up getting the R/T though because he wanted a ''sports car'' that had a warranty and was reliable not a ''hot rod'' that he would be working on all of the time and wasn't nearly as good to drive daily. When the R/T was off warranty, he ''hot rodded'' it with a B&M trans, appliance headers, tarantula intake, holley carb, a big purple shaft cam, electronic ignition, and E.T. aluminum slot mags with air shocks and shackles. He threw the original parts away. Not really a lot different than today's youth and the cars of today.

The only major things that are different these days is the environmentalists that are trying to kill the old car hobby, the internet, technology, etc. but really, not a lot else has changed in the people's attitudes toward the hobby.
Hell, i remember the days when you changed your oil and dumped the old oil in the weeds behind your house.
Try doing that these days!
Click to expand...

As I was skimming (on my cell phone) through this thread, this statement above is almost exactly what I was thinking.

I am part of a car group in a part of the country not normally known for its hotrodding but I can tell you its not dead here. I'm an officer in a club that drag races street legal cars. Our mission is to take racing off of the street and onto the track. My definition of hotrodding is anyone that takes the time and effort to get their hands dirty to make their ride faster. My garage is a central location that is used to make these new Hemi's faster. It's a group effort, and we don't charge for our service. We do cam, heads, headers, torque converters, exhaust and intake type of mods for people (with their help) that otherwise might not have been able to afford it.

I can appreciative just about anyone's passion to modify whatever vehicle they like best. My only complaint is, I wish it was easier to get the import guys off the streets and onto the track in an organized way.

Slim.
 
When was the last time you went to a junk yard and bought anything? they are shutting them down here

when was the last time you got a buildable car for a reasonable amount of money?

I sold a car for a father son project, gave them a lot of my extra parts that i could have sold for more money and now I see it on CL for 2X what i sold it to them for.

I was hoping that father could show his son how to build a car. Take a kid to a car show is in a lot of magazines, but you have to get their damn heads out of their a**es or off their cell phones. If they have no interest then it is a waste of time.

There are still some kids out there, but most want a rice burner.

Watch the shows and see what they are driving, how many of us grew up with the Batmobile, munsters coach, black beauty (Barris creations) Rockford files (firebirds) Mannix (cool Mopars) even Mr. Brady driving a Barracuda convertible. American Graffitti (how many cool cars there) 2 lane blacktop, Bullitt (enough interest Ford came out with a Bullitt version a few years back) and who can forget the Black 68 Charger.

The auctions and investors are making it hard for those interested in getting into the hobby. Everyone thinks their stuff is GOLD.

Hot rodding will be around for some time to come, but it is changing, when you can go an buy a 12 sec Challenger, Camaro and who knows how fast the 650 HP Mustang will be in the 1/4 but they claim it will do 200 MPH

Look back thru the old hot rods mags and see how times have changed from the 50's to what we have today.

AND TAKE A KID TO A CAR SHOW
 
Just gonna give my 2 cents, i am a younger person and today younger people are in to foreign cars and flashy cars or they take vehicles and "black them out" but painting it black, window tint, the head and tail light covers that are black and black rims. I dont like it on say a Suburban which they will do it to a lot. If i had a black hot rod thats different. And the "rice burners" as i call them are popular in large out on the West coast cities. And the thing i hate most about new cars is the dam computers that run everything. From gas pedal to the running of the engine. I love hot rods and muscle cars and always have and always will.
 
It's not dead at 29 I've had 2 cars, but I will say in much of my experiance it's an old guys hobby, not because young guys don't like or think the cars are cool but because the hobby has mostly priced itself out of reachable limits. Hotrodding started because it was cheaper then buying a new car, now the new cars are cheaper.

I also know a good many older "car guys" who have amassed collections of parts that you couldn't pry a thing away from them even though they will never use it.
 
Well i guess im a 28yr old "grumpy old man" lol, in all honesty i did not start this thread to offend anyone and apologize if i did..
Mabe the things i listed are more promenent here in the Vancouver area..i mean do any of you follow hockey? our team lost the Stanley Cup in game 7 in June and the city rioted!...this is the 2nd time! in 1994 also.
If you go on Facebook there is a page where everyone who was there sent in the pictures of the kids doing the damage and they sure fit the description i listed..3rd world countries riot because of facist leaders slaughter and cut off thier own people, here in Vancouver Canada we riot because a bunch of spoilt kids lost a hockey game..its embarissing..but thats just my opinion.
I have had a few situations where ive been putting gas in one of my cars and some younger 20 year old with a brand new diesel truck asks me what year my car is what engine rah rah..then in a sarcastic tone says "must be nice" as he walks away... what must be nice!? your $60,000 doller truck that i could build 3 mabe 4 cars with the money you spent on your truck or the fact that us hotrodders bust our asses off grinding, welding, sanding, to all hours in the night and still have to get up at 7:00 in the morning for work buying parts paycheck after paycheck! There i go on a rant again lol.
I guess i just needed to vent to some fellow hotrodders that may understand what i mean buy this and again i apologize if anyone got offended i just have a tell it how it is personality. Long live Hotrodding and more important long live Mopars! Brad.
 
I have been playin with cars since the mid 70s and i will never stop till i'm unable to use my hands. The three things are money,space and mostly folks have become lazy now a days don't have an intrest in gettin dirty no more. I have built a few cars from this crappy little garage since 1989 with some help from friends, none of them have been high dollar cars but presentable drivers. [warning some non mopar photos sorry] 78 pontiac lemans wagon 305/auto father bought new,69 C10 fleetside 406 small block,400 auto,4:11 posi [compleated in 8 weeks],79 impala 355 small block 350 auto bought it from an estate [car resided in pinellas county its whole life],73 charger project car for my son 440/auto,66 cuda driver [some day project]
 

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Hot rODDIN' ain't Dea, but it's becoming a lost 'Art'. There is Way too much emphasis on 'gotta spend big bucks to keep up w/ the Joneses'. Hot Rodding is about improvising, swapping & know-how. Many people today believe that $$$ = a good result.

If OEM parts are getting expensive (or as another writer said 'scarce'), then make your own, or find a suitable substitute - Originality be Danged is my opinion w/ this caveat: Substitutions must be => than the original (RestoMod is a good term to study).

Hot Roddin' ain't Dead, but we all need to revisit why we do this stuf.
 
As for Clunker Laws & 'The Man' trying to kill our hobby, I say this: Move to the South. We don't give a damn about Saving the Planet or Respecting our Neighborhoods (this does not apply to 'Inside the Perimeter'). All joking aside, there is a lot to be said for an apathetic populace, especially when I've got about 7 cars camoflauged around my property.
 
No it is not dead but my have slowed down.All our good jobs are over seas now.Young people can barely make ends meet let alone build a car.It is hard for me and I am 41.I am a die hard and I am building a car, but I am sure it will be at least 4 more years before its on the road.
Jim
 
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