Thread: Proper roadster pilot etiquette

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Originally Posted by C9x

I've learned to ignore the hollering and horn honking for the most part, but do respond with a wave of the hand and a smile to people who are doing the same.

I darned near wrecked my roadster the 2nd day out cuz someone was yelling at me.
Ever since, I play deaf.

In the end, it's a balance between being friendly and staying safe.
Harder perhaps for a beautiful young woman, but you'll get a handle on it.

Oh don't you worry, us women have LOTS of practice PLAYING DEAF!!

I am a master of it when I walk by, guys can howler and whisle and make any kind of silly noise (included, but not limited to: psst psst, AOOOOOW, Yeah etc etc) to get my attention but I just keep walking and never blink. It's like they are not there - Talk to the hand - So cars honking, people yelling, thumbs up etc are not distracting to me, I only turn my head if I know it is really safe to do so (ex: stopped at a red light etc...).

I kind of got a taste of what you good looking women must go through when guys are yelling stuff and you and hitting on you. I would go with my ex-girlfriend to the old age home to visit her Mom, and I alway wear shorts ( Hey, I live in Florida). Anyway, all of these women in their 80's and 90's would stare and make comments as I walked past, and sometimes even give me a little pinch. I felt so used.

I told her when I get old I'm going to move into one of these places and become the local Cassanova. It's just like some of the nightclubs I used to go to, only it's full of old people.

Don

I always wave to fellow hot rodders and consider it proper etiquite for female hot hodders to flash back!

Originally Posted by Offy

I always wave to fellow hot rodders and consider it proper etiquite for female hot hodders to flash back!

Nice try.

Don

Damn, all this talk about roadsters makes me want to take the sawsall to my sedan. Maybe the plasma cutter would be faster and neater.

Hey OFFY when those female hotrodders flash you back is it with their high beams on or low beams? hehehehehehe

I like roadsters. I like my current ride, the roadster pickup, and I liked the 27T roadster that I built 10 years ago. That being said, I really like the fact that with the top on the RPU, ---I don't sunburn my old bald head.-- I don't have to wear a cap with a retarded looking chin strap on it to keep it from blowing off.----The larger bugs that used to come over the windshield of the 27T and whack the Bejesus outa my forehead now just slide up the top of the roadster pickup and dissapear behind me. If it does start to rain while I'm away from home, I don't get wet when I stop at a light. (on the 27T, with no roof, a light rain just blew up over the windshield and missed me, but when I had to stop at a light, then I got rained on). A roadster with no sidewindows and a top is certainly not like driving a closed cab pickup or coupe.
As far as etiquette goes, its probably somewhat different for an old fat, white bearded guy with a bald head than it is for a young lady, but I generally aknowledge the yells, waves, and thumbs up with a grin or a left hand wave. People are constantly pulling up beside me at red lights and yelling something---this means that I have to shut off the radio (can't hear sh#t with that thing on)---I always want to know, are they yelling 'hey mister, cool car" or are they yelling "hey mister---your cars on fire".

Faith I am getting such a kick out of your excitement and enthusiasm! I think it is great. You are having too much fun! Keep it up!

Pat

You are so right Pat. It's so refreshing to see anyone, especially a female, so involved with this hobby. And she really did well in picking that particular car. I envy her for owning it.

I was happy to see Faith move over to this forum because I surfed another forum when ours went down a couple weeks ago, and she was getting sort of beat up because she "didn't build her own car, and therefore couldn't really be a true hot rodder." She impressed me then with her replys to those punches by remaining a lady, and also coming across as a lot smarter than the guys taking the shots at her.

She seems like a nice person and I too enjoy the real excitement and enthusiasm she has. Reminds us of why we all do this crazy hobby.


Don

Originally Posted by Offy

I always wave to fellow hot rodders and consider it proper etiquite for female hot hodders to flash back!

Glad someone else beat me to it

Welcome aboard Henry. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? If I remember correctly, you have a Model A hot rod.


Don

Ironically, I am finding out that women go completely kookoo over the "chick driving a roadster" thing. I have had women catch up with me, roll down their window and yell stuff like (and I quote word for word) :

1- YOU ROCK !!!!!!!!!!! YOU SO COMPLETELY ROCK!!!!

2- FABULOUS! YOU ARE FABULOUS!!

3- WAY TO GO!!!

4- GREAT!!! THIS IS GREAT!

And they add all kinds of gestures, like rock on gestures etc... Etc etc etc... Guys usually will just look and then give a thumbs up of approval. But the girls get really excited, and animated about it, it's funny, almost like I just become their "Superwoman" hero or something. I keep telling myself "OK Faith, don't let your head swell now!" And then I remind myself that I still drive the roadster no faster than 55mph when I am on the freeway - cause I am afraid to die - and that keeps me humble.

PS: Good thing I do not speed, we found out yesterday my steering system was about to come undone and needs urgent fixing.

I've always liked the video camera thing. You'll be driving along and look over at the car next to you who seems to be riding there an inordinately long time, and you see a video camera recording you. Usually it it some foreign visitor looking folks, and I always wonder what countries my car is starring in.

Don

Fun to be a roadster owner.

My first was a T bucket which "moved" to a new owner - a lady in PA. Last time I saw her she was still terrified of it and wouldn't drive the car - she let her husband do that 'chore'. It seems that she, being only about 5'2" tall made a stab at the gas the first day home with it. Bad idea since it was a very well built 351W Ford. A 1400 pound car with 400+/- horsepower tends to lift the front wheels off the ground with a fairly tall set of gears and new 14" wide rubber.

Needless to say this car was BIG TIME fun.

I was stopped by the local police one night - all they wanted to do was to look at it.

I was in a Thanksgiving parade a few years ago - it started out fairly nice in the 40's, but by the time the bunch of us had something to eat, it was in the teens and my wife had only a medium coat on - she ran the hot water tank out of hot water trying to warm up after the 25 mile ride back home.

Going to work one day, some idiot in a ricer pulled out of a gas station, turned to look at the car and ran into the side of another car.

You will get wet, baked, blasted and bugged - but it's all well worth it.

Getting back to the etiquettte - if they give a thumbs up or wave, I try to somehow acknowledge them - they mean well and are interested. Most Harley riders will also give you a thumb up - and Faith, you will be getting lots of appreciative looks as well. Rice rocketeers generally try to ignore you - usually because they are too busy trying to counter your impression on others.

Back to my body work and priming so I can get back to the fun of getting wet, baked and blasted in the spring - my AVATAR car is totally apart and all over the house with either bare sheet metal or primered.

yep I think I got it down now (2 months worth of practice did help). depending on the situation I either:

Smile
Smile and nod
Smile and give a small salute with one finger
Smile and wave

Notice the common denominator here is SMILE
Come to think about it I have never smiled so much in my entire life...
(nor received as many compliments from perfect strangers). The other day I pulled up and parked in front of a restaurant and the owner himself came running out to check the car out . Now, when i drive my daily driver (A Toyota Tundra) I feel so... so.... "transparent" LOL