Thread: Last trip to nats?

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The fact that the new rules will be letting in cars built in 1980 or before means people can register them and bring 'em. But will they? The owners of rods and customs will most likely but the tuner generation probably won't unless they have an interest in other cars as well. Most of then that I know won't because they aren't going to lay down the money to join the NSRA and then pay to register their rides. They got other things they want to spend their money on, like go fast parts and young women. And their friends aren't going to want to pay spectator prices just to hang out when they can do it for free elsewhere.

You will see a number of '50's - 70's cars that were never allowed in before. But if they are tastefully done, I have no problem with that. Besides of all of the newer NSRA event where that is already allowed, there has not been a doubling of participants. More like maybe 25 - 30% more cars then when they were all pre-49.

Nearly all of our local shows are open events, so I am use to seeing things other than just pre-49. These are not small events. Average participation runs 500 - 800 cars at each event. Plenty to see and do, easy to avoid the ones you wish to avoid. But nearly all participants, regardless of age or vehicle type, act civilized and rarely cause any ugly situations, other than an occasional burnout. If the same crowd showed up for the next NSRA event, it wouldn't bother me in the least.

NSRA is a for-profit organization, not a democracy. We are members not shareholders, so we have no vote or say in the business. The only vote we have is to refuse to participate in the events or refuse to be a member.
And if that's your thing go for it. I will likely continue to attend events until I have a more justifiable reason to stop.

Well said Iceburgh and Bob... agree 100%.

I think I'm gonna finish my wife's 1974 Volkswagen so that she can have a street rod to take next year.

Have I mentioned that she wants to paint it like a lady bug?

Originally Posted by Flipper_1938

I think I'm gonna finish my wife's 1974 Volkswagen so that she can have a street rod to take next year.

Have I mentioned that she wants to paint it like a lady bug?

That should make things quite interesting.

Flipper 1938 posted:

I think I'm gonna finish my wife's 1974 Volkswagen so that she can have a street rod to take next year.

Have I mentioned that she wants to paint it like a lady bug?

Flipper - tell her to bring it to the York Nats, I'd like to see your lady in her lady bug. If nicely done, it will be a pretty popular car, might even get an award. Now that would be something.

I leave in the morning ( Tuesday )
for the last pure pre 49 NSRA Street Rod Nationals ...

I have heard a lot of folks say they changed their plans and are going this year ... and instead of going next year. It should be interesting ... to say the least.

There still will be a lot of junk there ( crap rods/rat rods/unsafe junk ) but there will be a LOT of nice stuff there also.

Well there are a lot of interesting takes on this subject. At this moment Louisville is flooded w/ more rain coming so this may be a bad year. But honestly I think next year may be worse. There are just a lot of unhappy street rodders over this 30 year slide criteria. And those who say just because a late model is eligible don't mean they will register may be right, but it's highly likely the street rodders will register in far far less numbers, with me likely being one that won't be there in 2010. Not because I don't like customs or muscle cars but I don't support the "30 year" slide. It just lends itself to the possibilities of cars that I care absolutely nothing about seeing at a "rodding" event. What happens in 10 short years when the 1990 models are eligible. I think it's a bad idea. But I don't think those of us who don't like it will change the mind of the NSRA, so we will just have to change the events we attend. Good luck in the flood!

It is a time thing, nostalgia. Even though I am working on a replica '29 Ford I keep telling my wife I don't get dirty working on it because so far everything is repo or new and the 'glass doesn't have the nostalgia effect even though I have wanted that roadster quarter panel shape for most of my life! However two weeka ago at a local Friday night gathering a nearby rodder brought his newly completeted '38 Ford coupe which is a redone-streetified Sportsman racer from days of old and I have to tell you just touching that old '38 steel really took me back in a way that the 'glass cannot do, so the age limit of the NSRA cars will slide forward as new rodders come and old rodders fade away. It is a nostalgia thing, although I would still say that roadsters are better than convertibles just because of the history of roadsters. There will be someone whose first car was from the '80s but then maybe when the hybrids get into full swing somebody will remember a Prius with a larger battery-bank? If you miss Louisville, there will be another in Richmond at the end of the month (August) I am hoping, or was last year the end of the five year cycle for RIR?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

We usually leave on Wed. morning for the Nats but had a couple things come up and just cancelled our rooms we had for a year. It is pretty sad to miss the last real Street Rod Nationals! Oh well things do happen. The NSRA needs to think about a new name as even the people driving them would not consider 30 year old cars street rods! To all who are on the way or going to Louisville we know how awesome it will be. We will be thinking about you all week. Celebrate the moment as this may well be the last of something very special. Next year the giveaway car could be a Citation!!! Be safe!

This 30 year old thing reminded me.... About a month ago, my Daughter and I was out and saw a 75 Caddy. She looked at me and said " Hey, look at that Old Timey Car". Yep, that made me feel my age....

This is written from the perspective of outside looking in. While I am not a NSRA member, and some say I am building a "plastic car", I don't think that the orginization that "wrote the definition" of streetrod and then so underhandedly "re-defined" themselves should hold their heads to high! I also don't understand the 1980 ruling. Seems a bit harsh. To much like GG, If I wanted to be in GoodGuys, I would've joined GG!. Even the magazines have transitioned to newer and newer vehicles. Now I just flip past those articles and same with the tech features. I feel cheated for that, I bought streetrodder 'cause it was for streetrods! I really didn't want to own/read rod and custom! I know it's just MY OPINION. But there are alot out there that feel just like I do! I don't think it will stop me from going to a NSRA show, I just will walk past that 1980 Citation!

I was there for the last one!

The first number drawn for the giveaway car was 666! ! !

....a sign of things to come?

There were plenty of pissed off people wearing "Not Street Rods Anymore" T-shirts.

Originally Posted by Flipper_1938

I was there for the last one!

The first number drawn for the giveaway car was 666! ! !

....a sign of things to come?

There were plenty of pissed off people wearing "Not Street Rods Anymore" T-shirts.

I saw 1 shirt the entire weekend.
I am sure there were more but I would guess they were all in the same group.
Everyone I talked to except for 1 said the same thing. At least for the first few years " For everyone who stops coming, two more people will show"

Originally Posted by iceburgh

I saw 1 shirt the entire weekend.
I am sure there were more but I would guess they were all in the same group.
Everyone I talked to except for 1 said the same thing. At least for the first few years " For everyone who stops coming, two more people will show"

Are you sure you were at the street rod nats?

Where were you sitting during the car give away? I was on the second tier in front of the stage, there were lots of cranky old women fussing about the year change. They didn't shout their comments, but they sure b!tched about it in a normal volume.

During the rest of the show, I saw MANY (hundreds?) "Not Street Rods Anymore" shirts.

I only heard one person support the idea of allowing post 48 cars.

Originally Posted by iceburgh

I saw 1 shirt the entire weekend.
I am sure there were more but I would guess they were all in the same group.
Everyone I talked to except for 1 said the same thing. At least for the first few years " For everyone who stops coming, two more people will show"

You must have been NOT LOOKING ...
Thursday evening
There was a guy selling the Not Street Rods Anymore ... T-Shirt at the NSRA headquarters Hotel and he was selling them as fast as he could count the money.

I sat by my 32 3W ... for a good part of Thursday, Friday and Saturday





I saw LOTS of Not Street Rods Anymore shirts. Sometimes 5 or 6 at a time. I was parked right in front of the South Wing building and LOTS of folks were walking by and stopping ... After the Saturday give away ( at which folks BOOED ... repeatly ) probably 1/3 of the crowd walked by my location. The boos were so prevalent that the announcer said " go ahead and get it out of your system " so they booed again.

I only heard two folks ( young RAT ROD looking guys ) say they were in favor of the change ... and I saw at least 10 signs around the fairgrounds ( banners on the tents ) saying NO to 1980.

At registration ... Thursday
I saw no one in line to register for 2010 ... and usually there is a line.

They had 11,003 NSRA car registrations for 2009 ( according to the NSRA announcer at the give away on Saturday ). That is a increase from 2008 ... A lot of folks I know said they were going in 2009 ... because they were not going in 2010 or later. It will be interseting to see ... what the numbers are in 2010.

Someone else will have to report them ... because I do not plan on being there.