Thread: The age old question!!!

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To Trailer or not to Trailer?...

>>>Disclaimer<<< This thread was not posted to get a flame war going, only to try and understand why people have formed their opinions... Let's please try to keep the conversation as good natured as possible...

What are your thoughts on the Trailer issue?... Why do folks care one way or the other if a vehicle was driven to an event?... Post your thoughts here whether they are pro or con, but please try to give some insight as to why you think this way!!!

To make this fun you can also use this as a venue to post your favorite trailer sayings!!! Ill start...

Sure I drove it here- The trailer don't drive itself!!!

Dave Brisco

Lets see how can I start this. I drive my car and trailer it both. It comes down to the fact that it is MY car and its no one elses business if its driven or trailered. I trailer my car depending on roads, distance, etc. Let me give you an example of roads. There is a show in the SoCal mountains that is coming up. The mountain roads always have large rocks from slides in it as it built into the mountain. There is no way I'm driving a lowered car with no front bumper up that road. I had a accident that required me to replace the metal fenders, hood, and front clip among other things. It took me a solid 7 months to find the metal calling over half the world. Its been a year since I've driven it and its getting trailered up there, and anywhere else I feel is in my best interest. Distance comes into the picture. I don't have a radio (hot rods don't have radios only mags), no air (wimps) or power steering ( sissie boys) . I drive it to local cruises, shows and on LA freeways ( think about that one). I didn't build the car to travel across country. Dan J asked me in your other thread why anti trailer people are so hostile. I don't think the majority of people at show care one way or the other. The ones the seem to bitch the most are the ones that are interested in an award, and not in meeting people, looking at cars, and enjoying themselves. They need to get a life. If a person chooses to drive or trailer their car, its their business. Like I said, its MY CAR and I get to choose. For thoes of you that hate trailered cars, heres what happens when you do trailer them .

Okay some cars are trailered some of the time. Makes sense. Not for me though. My rattyassed Fairlane has all the rock chips and little rusty places it has earned in all the years it has spent on the road. My preference is for drivers. I wouldn't be interested in a boat that wouldn't float any more than a plane that couldn't fly but looked really good.

My car is no “show car”… but it’s nice. The paint is a solid color instead of “candy”, because I knew that those rock chips would need to be touched up at some point. Now, just because my car is a “driver”, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to take it down an un-paved gravel road either!

FMJ stated that it's probably the folks trying to win an award that have the "attitude". I’m probably naive about the “competition” at car shows… that is, competing to win an award and not competing for the shaded parking spot. But I’m going to guess that someone who has gone to all of the trouble to chrome and polish everything UNDER their car is going to want someone who is “judging” cars to notice the finer points of their ride. I’m also going to guess that if an armadillo has managed to run up under this work of art while said work of art is traveling at 70 mph, some of the luster is going to be lost to armadillo innards' splatter! Therefore, it’s my guess that if someone has decided that preserving the “luster” of his or her car is more important than the ride… a trailer is a necessity!

So, am I ticked off when the trailered car passes me on the highway? Only if he throws the armadillo carcass onto the hood of my car as he pulls around me!!! Does it disturb me if folks look at the trailered car longer than they look at mine? Only if the fellow stole my wife and has her sitting in the front seat of his car!!! Does it upset me if the trailered car parks in front of me at the fairgrounds? Only if he has blocked me in and I can’t leave to go cruizin when I feel like it!!!

OK, would someone that’s really ticked off about the trailer guys speak up? What is it that rubs you the wrong way?

Dan J

Okay, this was a bit on the bizarre side to me. I think it was last summer at a Friday night cruise in and we were standing around smokin and jokin and this beautiful 49 or so Merc oozes into the lot and draws a lot of attention. Power everything, power tilt front, trunk, painted to perfection and air bags too. When the cars started drifting away for the evening the guy pulls the trailer into the lot and loads it up for the drag home. Most of the people were as amazed as myself.

I don't like to see trailering. but sometimes there is no choice. say you have a coupe or a 23 T and the family is going to the Nats with you. you got the wife and two kids and luggage. You can see where i'm coming from.

But on the other hand if you enjoy driving your ride then why not show it off going down the highway. I think it looks great to see 10 to 30 rides going down the highway all together. Sure can't see 10 to 30 trailers.

The only thing i have a hard time with trailers is they take up so much parking spaces at the hotels.
The you have the guys that say i drove it. and you know there lieing. because there trailer is parked in your hotel parking lot.

Lately, I have been amazed by how many trailers there have been in the hotel parking lots... With all the murmerings I hear at the shows, there are definately a few guys that aren't owning up to towing their cars...

I drove to The Midwest Nationals, but If I were to have someone ride with me I would have had to pack light... Those of you who have seen my available storage space know what I am talking about...

Dave Brisco

Dave i know what your talking about. i have about the same space as you in my 34. What was hard is telling my wife to pack light. I quess her light and my light mean two different things.

When I lowered my truck, I had to take the hitch off. So there went part of the equation. Then, not sure where I'd park a trailer anyway. And I don't have anything made out of unobtainium (though the '33 grille comes close). So, I guess I'll just keep drivin'.

As long as I've been doing this, there's been a trailer "contoversy". I'm not sure it's the trailering part itself. If all the guys that trailered had fmj's attitude it would likely be a non issue. But what happens is, human nature pops up again. It seems that most of the people with "attitude", you know, power parkers, boors, loud mouths, neurotic trophy hounds, etc. also seem to be trailer queens. That's not to say all trailer draggers are jerks, and certainly, not all jerks tow their cars, there just seems to be enough of a coincidence of behavior that the two are lumped together. Fair or not, that's just the way it is.

Subject for a whole new thread!!!

I am the King of Power Parkers, just ask Dan J... I was parked right on the corner of the paved area in Springfield... Power parking does not get any better than that!!!

Dave Brisco

All the cars and trucks I have built for myself have always been constructed with the intention of being driven cross country (and most have made at least one 3000+ mile trip). That being said, I also have a 31 year old Harley that has been to Sturgis twice on the back of a trailer (you think there a stigma trailering to a car show, try it at a bike rally).

There are some cars out there that realistically would be hard pressed to make some of the trips that I have due to compression ratios, inadaquate cooling systems, extreme gear ratios etc. Other cars with extremely expensive paint jobs/plating etc are also good trailer candidates.

Of course there are the people who would rather show up with a perfectly clean car and not have to go through the prep that is associated with having driven the car.

I tend to agree with Bob, in a lot of cases it not the fact the car is trailered, but the personality of a few of the people invloved. But then again it takes all kinds.

Here are a few more good reasons...

One of my best buddies here, builds 2 or 3 cars a year speciffically to sell... He is trying to build a reputation and aspires to start a buisness building Hot Rods... There are a couple of reasons that he trailers almost everywhere...

1st is the fact that he is building these cars to sell... It makes total sense that a person that is willing to lay down a pile of cash for a custom built rod would prefer that it is fresh as possible... You don't get any extra credit for rock chips and road wear!!!

2nd is that, often times he has magazine shoots scheduled at many of the major events throught the country... For those wanting to know how to get into a magazine, it is quite simple... Built some really nice cars and travel to the biggest venues in the country... Yep, you are right, it cost lots of money, but that seems to be what it takes to get the attention of the Magazines these days...

BTW, for anyone headed for Goodguys Indy he will be there with his latest rod a 33 Ford Roadster... Here is a photo for anyone interested... Ummmmm, powered by a stroked 409 for a total of 472 awesome cubic inchs... Unconfirmed HP rating at about 600!!! This car will only run on about 110 octaine fuel, kind of hard to get at the road-side filling station... Another reason for trailering to events!!!

Dave Brisco

It's just shi& load of fun to drive it, nuff said. Joker

I drive my hotrod everywhere, but I don't care if some one wants to trailer. I think the more the merrier no matter how you get there.

bumber sticker at the good guys NWN Pullayup.....
If you see this hotrod on a trailer, call 911 it's stolen!

To me, I don't mind trailered cars as long as they still get driven sometimes. I don't understand why some people build cars and never drive them. In my opinion a car is built to be driven, wheather its a few blocks to show it off, A spin around the field at a show or a few hundred miles to a show, it needs to be on the road.
I just don't understand the people that push the car on and off a trailer and into its spot. The car needs to be driven in its life. Its like a baby, you can't just let the baby lay there its whole life, sooner or latter the kids gonna run, you gotta let it run every now and then.
but this is my opinion, I just love to hear and see cars run.