Thread: My next move with hiboy's metamorphosis

Tweet

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

So, there's only two schools - kit cars and salvage build ups? Geez, I see more variations than that every day.

This thread is like a sponge, it just sucks you back in -

Firstly, I don't call the cars built from new parts "kit cars". You should know better also, that is often offensive to the people that own/build them. Taht is a hot-button term that upsets many people.

Secondly, the cars I was referring to that are built from used parts aren't "salvage" builds. I'm not talking about a Model A sedan with an Astro van tilt column, front seats out of a Buick Regal, and a set of wheels off a '01 S-10. I'm talking about a build using parts that are all era specific parts - "48 flathead, '37-50 3spd, closed drive, banjo rear, early Ford juice brakes, etc. New reproduction parts are fine, such as the '37-41 Lincoln brakes now being reproduced.

There are many genres of the car hobby - I never said only two, I said these two are rapidly separating - the period correct fans are moving away from the street rod scene pretty fast - we are taking these cars to Amelia Island and the Pebble Beach Concours shows - this is an entire other world from the NSRA Nats people -

This segment of the hobby(traditional, period correct hot-rodding) is sort of related to the restoration segment. They are like a restoration, but they are restoring a '30 model car to the state they may have been modified to in say '48.

AGAIN - I like them all. I own all types. I've built all types. I think a stone stock '70 SS Nova is awesome. I like a slightly lowered '59 Caddy, I like a '29 roadster with a flathead and a "39 gearbox, I like a new slick 'glass '32 with an injected aluminum small block, a six-speed and a quicke. They are all awesome - they all have a purpose and a certain "look" or appeal.

Originally Posted by SirSpeedy

8,000+ posts in 4 years - thats over 6 per day.

How do you have time to develop that many opinions? I'm envious.

If you're taling to me, it's because I sleep about 4 hours a day, spend an hour or so per day on the computer with this site, a few others, and eBay, then spend the other 15 working, plannning, or scheming.... That's 7 days a week, not 5. Left the house at 6 AM, just got home now 8PM.... spent the day at the other shop working on pickups...now I'm going to get a bite to eat and go out in the garage and work..... oh yeah, been that way for many years.....

I would have to guess that at least 75 percent of all the road racing in the US, (SCCA Nationals and Regionals) is done on bias ply tires when using slicks, that is all that is available in most classes. I have done it for 30 years on nothing but Bias ply, (goodyears). There is nothing wrong with that technology. I think radials are a better all around choice taking into consideration wet conditions, etc, but bias ply tires by design are not unsafe..

You use slicks for road racing????

Sure, we use them on all four corners, like indy cars or any other serious car that runs on asphalt. They are different than drag slicks which is probably what your thinking of. Grooves are what provides traction in the wet, places for the water to go, but the gooves take away valuable surface area for traction in the dry.

Okay---My Bad---I was thinking of drag slicks.---Brian

Ok, I think I have FIN-NA-LLY read this entire thread...

I call it "war of the tires" but could be renamed "war of the hotrodders"

I wonder why it is that my posts tend to trigger war of oppinions, I had that happend with hotrodders.com and it got so bad that finally I left the forum for good. When I posted there I could never post anything without everyone going into a huge battle over every little words I had posted - and even some I had not - a huge waste of time if you ask me.

At some point, I remember them all going on and on and on about what the definition of a hotrodder is. the thread became huge and turned nasty fairly quickly. Meanwhile I was wondering what it was about my post that had them started on the topic in the first place, since their war was completely off topic?

People were flaming each other left and right and I was ducking for flying bullets myself. I was called a "poser" a "wanna be" and some people even said I was a man with a bear belly posing as a woman. Looking back in restropect it seems all so funny. But let me just say that there were a lot of mean a holes on that forum.

So I came to this forum where people seem of a higher caliber. I like it here. but I don't like it when you guys start arguing needlessly.

The bottom line is: there are no rules. To each his own and each hotrodder should do whatever they want. Today I talked to a man who runs a four banger in an old old old fenderless roadster and the thing looks like a big pile of shit, when he runs it it backfires and makes all sort of funny noises - so he painted on the rear: ol' piece of shit. Not I am not being vulgar, just quoting. Personally I LOVE his roadster. It has such personality. So much so I asked him to be in the movie. Two months ago I was hanging out a a table with people that own roadsters that were competing at GNRS for most beautiful in america title $300,000 price tags and up... Some of these guys had MORE THAN ONE - yet all were so nice to me, and when they came to see my little hiboy they were kind and supportive. No attitude, no judgement and no egos.

Opinions are fine, but having too many opinions all the time, especially ones that come across as negative and judgementals, does not help a forum, nor our hotrod culture, a bit.

As for me, like everyone else, I have my taste and I know exactely what I want hiboy to look like. I don't care what tags one can stick to my car or to me. I like the old looking hotrods because they remind me of an era long gone. I happen to love that era. 40's and 50's were IT. If everyone keeps supping up all hotrods and cars to make them FAST, using new technology etc, then how will the old hotrods live on? It is therefore the calling of some people to try to bring back the old era, whether (if you have money) by buying and restoring real old hotrods or (if you have a lot less money - like many of us) by trying to build, or modify less old hotrods to make they look like the old ones - once upon a time - did. So there is a need for both, modernism on one hand and old school , with bias plys tires - on the other.

Any car that has been altered to go faster is a hotrod. That does not mean that it has to be altered to go AS FAST AS CURRENT TECHNOLOGY COULD MAKE IT GO, cause if that were the case, would we not all drive dragsters?

Me, I don't care for top speed, if that makes me less of a hotrodder (that is , providing I am one to begin with), than be it. I really don't care. I am not here to kill myself or others in a car crash. Having said that I do love the sound of my engine when I floor my hotrod and I floor it each day I drive it, but only for a few moments, just to feel it is alive and so am I.

Never have I been so happy in my life and in the end that is all that matters. I love my car more than anything I have ever owned and I am dedicated to it and learning how to work on it myself as much as possible. If that makes be a hotrodder great, if not, that's fine too.

BUT I AM PUTTING BIAS ON MY HOTROD and that's that. We'll see what happens and if it is too much for me, I can always go back to the good ol' radials once I am done filming my movie - in a year or two

Gal good post very true to heart. To me building a car is a personal look or sound. I have mentioned some ideas and you get the its not the standard build . Even my own brother didn't like my tail light idea but when i decide which one's i will use they will never have been in a car of this age for sure , wife said do what i want , i really love that woman . My car though not a duece is a build for me with my touches and what my experience will allow me to do. The great people on here have giving me some great help in making a safe car. There is quite a few ways to skin a cat and to build a car and i'm doing it like Elvis did my way. Thare are a lot of good knowledgeable people here and i will continue to seek there knowledge . I take the one's in there way with a grain of salt to spice it up and make it better.

Buy the way the vid when car rolled away had me in tears when you went chasing it . .

Originally Posted by bluestang67

Buy the way the vid when car rolled away had me in tears when you went chasing it . .

You don't know the half of it! In that scene, Jeff my boyfriend wa hidden inside, driving with his hands as I guided him to make sure he did not run into the sidewalk since he could not see a darn thing. he is the one who made the car move back and forth as well...

BUT, while I was filming other scenes for that short film, at some point I had my car parked in my driveway (which is on a hill) and I jumped out to stop the camera, forgetting that the car was left in neutral (as opposed to PARK). So then the hiboy started rolling away backwards down the driveway and I was LUCKY I was able to jump (on super high heel) back in from the passenger side and hit the brakes in time before it rolled onto the street and into the neighbor's stone mail box.



The funiest part is that the whole time the camera was still rolling, so I actually have caught the whole incident on tape! It is part of the outtakes of the short film.... Which I REALLY need to finish so I can finally send it to the Barris team to have them broadcast it on the net so all of you can see it (fi-na-lly). The whole thing is about one hour and pretty darn cool (if you ask me - but then again I might be BIASED - pun intended ). (get it? BIAS tires?)

Originally Posted by HiboyGal

Ok, I think I have FIN-NA-LLY read this entire thread...

I call it "war of the tires" but could be renamed "war of the hotrodders"

I wonder why it is that my posts tend to trigger war of oppinions, I had that happend with hotrodders.com and it got so bad that finally I left the forum for good. When I posted there I could never post anything without everyone going into a huge battle over every little words I had posted - and even some I had not - a huge waste of time if you ask me.

At some point, I remember them all going on and on and on about what the definition of a hotrodder is. the thread became huge and turned nasty fairly quickly. Meanwhile I was wondering what it was about my post that had them started on the topic in the first place, since their war was completely off topic?

People were flaming each other left and right and I was ducking for flying bullets myself. I was called a "poser" a "wanna be" and some people even said I was a man with a bear belly posing as a woman. Looking back in restropect it seems all so funny. But let me just say that there were a lot of mean a holes on that forum.

So I came to this forum where people seem of a higher caliber. I like it here. but I don't like it when you guys start arguing needlessly.

The bottom line is: there are no rules. To each his own and each hotrodder should do whatever they want. Today I talked to a man who runs a four banger in an old old old fenderless roadster and the thing looks like a big pile of shit, when he runs it it backfires and makes all sort of funny noises - so he painted on the rear: ol' piece of shit. Not I am not being vulgar, just quoting. Personally I LOVE his roadster. It has such personality. So much so I asked him to be in the movie. Two months ago I was hanging out a a table with people that own roadsters that were competing at GNRS for most beautiful in america title $300,000 price tags and up... Some of these guys had MORE THAN ONE - yet all were so nice to me, and when they came to see my little hiboy they were kind and supportive. No attitude, no judgement and no egos.

Opinions are fine, but having too many opinions all the time, especially ones that come across as negative and judgementals, does not help a forum, nor our hotrod culture, a bit.

As for me, like everyone else, I have my taste and I know exactely what I want hiboy to look like. I don't care what tags one can stick to my car or to me. I like the old looking hotrods because they remind me of an era long gone. I happen to love that era. 40's and 50's were IT. If everyone keeps supping up all hotrods and cars to make them FAST, using new technology etc, then how will the old hotrods live on? It is therefore the calling of some people to try to bring back the old era, whether (if you have money) by buying and restoring real old hotrods or (if you have a lot less money - like many of us) by trying to build, or modify less old hotrods to make they look like the old ones - once upon a time - did. So there is a need for both, modernism on one hand and old school , with bias plys tires - on the other.

Any car that has been altered to go faster is a hotrod. That does not mean that it has to be altered to go AS FAST AS CURRENT TECHNOLOGY COULD MAKE IT GO, cause if that were the case, would we not all drive dragsters?

Me, I don't care for top speed, if that makes me less of a hotrodder (that is , providing I am one to begin with), than be it. I really don't care. I am not here to kill myself or others in a car crash. Having said that I do love the sound of my engine when I floor my hotrod and I floor it each day I drive it, but only for a few moments, just to feel it is alive and so am I.

Never have I been so happy in my life and in the end that is all that matters. I love my car more than anything I have ever owned and I am dedicated to it and learning how to work on it myself as much as possible. If that makes be a hotrodder great, if not, that's fine too.

BUT I AM PUTTING BIAS ON MY HOTROD and that's that. We'll see what happens and if it is too much for me, I can always go back to the good ol' radials once I am done filming my movie - in a year or two

From all this, can I surmise that if some folks choose to promote the fact that radial tires are superior to bias tires in handling and safety (because of the speed rating) that they are being negative???? It's merely a disagreement, the facts are the facts....

Personally, I wish you all the luck in the world with your movie. To be totally accurate in a portryal of the early hot rods, I believe you would also have to do away with the automatic tranny cars..... The only auto used back then was a B&M Hydro. Nobody would be caught dead with an automatic transmission in a hot rod, that was what Grandma drove!!! Hot Rods had 3 speeds, the rich kids and master scroungers had overdrive!!! Other then the show cars, there was very little chrome, and almost zero for headers other then on race cars... Up until the 60's, a small block Chevy, or any other overhead valve engine other then a Caddy or an Olds Rocket was the exception rather then the rule.... Most of the Hot Rods I remember all had flatties. Might want to line up a few of the cars that have the authentic equipment of the day!!! Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't really recall seeing any tube axles till the mid to late 60's, most all the hot rods had I-beams and Ford spindles with hydraulic brakes, the trick ones had the finned aluminum Buick drums..... I had one of the first tube straight axle cars around here in 1965, a genuine CAE straight axle, complete with International hubs and spindle mount wheels (and no front brakes!!!), they were Halibrands, on a '56 Ford 2 door sedan.... Oh yeah, and you GOTTA have a '49 or '50 Merc in the movie!!!! It would have to be driven by the guy with THE best duckbutt hairdo, or a flat top with fender skirts!!! Make sure he has a Car Club jacket, too....Cloth with leather sleeves!!!!

I agree Dave, if you're going to be period correct, I suggest you take a look at the NHRA museum at the Pomona fairgrounds.

Thanks for the input dave, I agree with all you said. The automatic tranny not a big problem because when you film you have option to show things or not, but it is hard to hide tires especially on fenderless car! So obvious and visible things need to be right, and other non prominent things can be "suggested" or plain ommited.

Luckily for me, Jim Miller, CA curator for the National Hotrod Foundation is working hand in hand with me on this movie. He is a wealth of knowledge. PLus we also have all the old timers from So CAL in the movie so they are helping as well, both with advice and real hotrod stories.

The flashback scenes are going to be most challenging especially since I do not have a budget to film with. we will have to be inventive and go about the smart way. I have access to many 50's style customized mercs and some stock ones as well, thanks to my contacts through Bill Hines. As far as the flashback hotrods go, I am only picking the ones that look very period correct, they look very plain for the most part. I beam of course. drum brakes of course. Mine is the only one around here with Buick fin drums and since I have a full hood, my current 350 will not be in the movie. Actually the hotrod is supposed to have a 48 merc flathead in it, and if I am lucky enough to locate on locally I'll film it and insert the footage in the film, so you will think you are looking under the hood of the Deuce of Spades, but it will be in fact the engine under the hood of another "doner" car - a trick that has been used in many hotrod movies.

Dan Fink made a great suggestion to me to also add some old vintage bikes to the movie and he has hooked me up with local clubs that want to contribute to the movie, so it looks like we are going to have a bike gang scene as well . Fun stuff.

In my movie I want to avoid stereotypes if possible, no need to rehash the same stuff over and over. You will not see a bunch of crazed teenagers running around beating each other up, like in "rebell without a clue" - (or was it 'without a cause'?) - i aim to portray real events in a true to life manner, and there is enough drama in life itself without having to overdo everything. This is a more "mature" kind of hotrod movie. But I promise we will have ONE good illegal race scene and my approach to filming it promises to be different from what has been done in the past... As far as I know that is...

but I guess you'll have to wait to see the movie hehehehe...

I'm not much on movies, last one I went to was "Vanishing Point" when it was at the Drive Inn.... I do have some of the old Hot Rod classics on VHS and watch them from time to time.... I got them as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Anyway, good luck with your movie, keep it accurate, and have fun.

Vanishing Point (1971) Kowalski, the hero of the story, works for a car delivery service. He takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to take from Colorado to Frisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. After a few run-ins with motorcycle cops and highway patrol they start a chase to bring him into custody. Along the way, Kowalski is guided by Supersoul - a blind DJ with a police radio scanner. Throw in lots of chase scenes, gay hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, lots of Mopar and you've got a great cult hit from the early 70's.

Anyone remember these folks and some of their "friends?"

[QUOTE=Henry Rifle]Anyone remember these folks and some of their "friends?"[/QUOTE

Yup, just not sure I should admit it publicly!!!!!!