How times have changed }}}}}

BILL WZOREK

BILL WZOREK

Well-known member
This is not CONDOING or CONDEMNING But How come
Back in the late 30's / 40's / early 50's if some one took one of our beloved Flatheads and chopped it up & went racing they were call a LEGEND or HEROS.
And when someone pulled the guts out and made it into a power unit of some sort, there were called CREATIVE / SMART / NESSESITY is the MOTHER of INVENTION.

BUT now if some kid was to do the same thing he would be thought of as the SON of the DEVIL :eek:
 
Kids in the 30's, 40's and 50's were doing that stuff to the cars of the era. Kids these days are doing essentially the same thing to Kia's, Honda's and Subaru's...the "flatheads" of the future!
 
For me, Adults are taking original 32,33 34, et al roadsters and 3 window coupes and cutting them up to make hotrods......Just to CLAIM "it's original Henry Steel"......then in the vein of being "Different"......"Small Block Chivee, turbo 400, ford 9!"......then spend ridiculous money on it, get it painted.......When in reality they could have called Brookville, Steve's et al and got a steel repro and been time ahead and saved a "Real" car for someone who would appreciate the "way thing were".
 
The thing is back in the 40's and 5o's, These were just old cars. Most of them would end in the Junk yard anyway. It is 60 or70 years later now. It take a vehicle that has made it this far and chop it up is a crying shame.
 
It all boils down to "Your car your money do what makes YOU happy" Back in the day the money & aftermarket pieces weren't as plentiful as they are today.
Don't you suppose that this internet thing has a lot to do with people building hotrods/streetrods/ratrods & customs. Back in the day all you had were a few rags(magazines) to give you inspiration & ideas. Today it is at the touch of your finger & credit card.
Back in the 50s I built & drove cars of the era & could care less about older antique vehicles other than for cheap transportation while I worked on my DD.
 
Worst thing to happen was the 80's and 90's, That brought in the speculators and people interested in a quick profit. The plus side today is the availability of original and repro parts. There is a plus and minus to everything.......
 
I agree with red, these vehicles are antiques now that are difficult to come by and not all of them have survived this far. I have no issues with someone hot rodding a modern vehicle nor would I have back then. The thing that bothers me is that there is only a limited number of them now and each time one is reduced to a hot rod it means there is one less that can ever be original. I don't see why they don't just purchase the sheet metal and chop it up rather than destroying an antique. The biggest problem i have with it is when they do this then put a 350, automatic, tilt column, felt captains chairs and other things from a chevy pickup of the 90's. I have intentions of doing things to my '93 f-350 but none of doing anything irreplaceable to my '34 that wasn't stock. As a side note I did see something similar to this and people do do it which I find to be even more of a shame, on gunbroker a fellow was trying to sell an old Husquvarna double hammer gun which he had chopped the barrels off of and done other things to make it suitable for cowboy action shooting for which I don't understand what was so bad about the long barrels anyways.
 
I think a "period correct" hot rod is a thing of beauty. eg. a 29 roadster on a 32 frame. 21 stud with 3 97's (or a 303 olds). No fenders, '35 wire wheels, etc. ZOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
 
I'm kinda lost in the 50s, I like the traditional Hot Rods, but agree with the not cutting up a nice original car. Several of my cars are ex-dirt track bodies and parts. I look at it as bringing them back to life. They were far beyond anything anyone would consider restoring!
 
One of my best and cheapest forms of entertainment is going to model A meets with my 2 door and listening to the purist's comments about my car that looks pretty much stock on the outside.
Gun purist's go absolutely crazy when they see what I made my cowboy shotgun out of also.
Grown men whining about stuff like this is a laugh.
 
I also hate to see a nice original car cut up. but that being said I bought a rusty 29 roadster stored in a conex next to the ocean for 35 years that had been butchered up and made into a "pick-up". this thing had no deck lid, no panel above or below the deck lid, rotten subframe rails, lower cowel panel rust and the entire lower 1-2 " of the body rusted. I replaced all of this and am making a flathead powered hot rod. ( if I live long enough ). all of the metal work on the body is now done. most people would have passed this over and it would have ended up as scrap. so I guess it depends on what you are willing to start with, and how much money you have. I do believe that the 80'-90's with the money guys speculating on prices , not just on the old fords, but also the muscle, cars have driven the price of them out of the reach of a lot of people who really appreciate them, and would actually drive them, not let them sit in a garage somewhere and only used as bragging rights. so I say don't condemn all hot -rodders , because you do not know what they may have started with. It may have been something restorers would have scrapped.
 
I've had my share of originals but lost interest in them quickly. I still have two that are original and have fun with them but what makes me tingle are my traditional hot rods, The sound, smell, bumpy ride and just looking at them makes me remember the days when I was a kid. Damn good times. I do respect a survivor as it should be, but each person has a different vision and dream so I say just chase it.
 
I often wondered why there are any 30's fords left to restore. I think every small town in America had a stock car track of some kind. Mostly 37's, ours was a 34, my first a 36. Kinda makes ya wonder where they all came from
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top