Thread: Do you know the differance between a Hot Rod and a Street Rod?

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I always kind of lumped them together. But, after last week end I really know the difference. Another thing I learned is, my heart is in Hot Rods.
Our car club gets invited to a annual get to gather called the Roadster Round Up. This is the 42 year of this get together and was sponsored by the San Jose Roadsters. It was held in Santa Maria this year, that's about 200 miles north of where I live. I drove my red roadster, it's a hot rod!
Our club members are spread out all over southern California so we usually have two meeting places for our 26 members. Usually about 10 of us meet at this restaurant right off the freeway.
We left last Thursday morning, had breakfast and we were off. There is one of our members who has gone over 300 mph at Bonneville and a hand full that belong to the 200 mph club, so when we travel we sometimes exceed the 70 mph speed limit.
About half way up we all meet for lunch, then caravan together the rest of the way. I don't think there is much cooler thing to do than look in your rear view mirror and see a string of roadsters behind you and a string of them out your windshield.
We all get there and get checked in, get cleaned up and gather for dinner at a pre determined restaurant. Santa Maria this time of year is rather cool in the evening, so I decided to ride with another member since I don't have a top on my car.
I rode in my friends '34 full fenderd roadster. It's really nice car, small block, 700r tranny, stereo, side wing wind deflectors, and real comfortable upholstering. We all had a real nice dinner and get back in the cars to head back to the Hotel, I say good night to every one and head to my room.
The next morning everyone is off to Morro Bay, I decide not to take my car again and ride with some one else. This time I hitch a ride in my friends '32 roadster. Pretty much the same as the '34, very comfortable quit nice riding car. We have lunch and head back.
My wife drove up after my grandson got out of school Friday in time for the clubs (6 of them, 110 roadsters are there) dinner party. We are sitting at this table of 8 people just talking, not me, I'm day dreaming and it hits me. Those two cars are so different than mine, there street rods, I have a hot rod. Mine is loud the 4 link is set up to hook up on the street the best it can, the shocks are firm to help it launch, it's a Richmond 5 speed with 4:11's, with over 600 hp.
This may not be earth shattering to any one else but I honestly never thought of it this way. When ever I thought of a different type of car, street rod , hot rod, rat rod, or a traditional car I really thought of all of them as being Hot Rods, it was just a descriptive difference.
Well what I learned from all this is I don't think I will ever build a Street Rod, my Passion is Hot Rods!
Here are a few photo's, The blown injected Hot Rod Is mine, and yes you can make your Hot Rod do everything a street Rod can do.....almost

Great looking car!---That is surrounded by a bunch of other great looking cars!!!!

Such a fine line between all of these types of cars that it is very hard to call them one thing or another sometimes. I have always called mine hot rods for the same reasons you outlined Ken........mine are always basic blood and guts boneshaking rods with few if any creature comforts. If I want velour I would take my daily driver.


Bunch of really sharp __________ (insert what you want ) rods in those pictures, and one blown, injected HOT ROD that I really like.


Don

I had never thought about it before.......but you're right.
Btw.......nice car. I like!

Street rod is pretty much anything pre 48. A hot rod is pretty much anything that has a 'cool' factor... At last thats how I distinguish..

First, Ken, your roadster is beautiful.

A friend of mine used to wear a T-shirt that was emblazoned with the slogan "Real hotrods don't have fenders!" and I have sort of adopted that as my "mantra" when I'm building cars. The majority of the cars I have built for myself have been fenderless. I think, though, that the difference goes deeper than that. It may actually have something to do with the attitude of the builder and/or owner. Regardless, the line between street rod and hotrod is rather blurred. Whether a car is a "real hotrod" is a feeling I get when I hear it run and see it in motion.

A street rod is just a hotrod displaying good manners----

They're spelled different??

At a street rod show the cars are painted. At a hot rod show the women are.

Originally Posted by Corvette64

At a street rod show the cars are painted. At a hot rod show the women are.

No Corvette64, at Fantasy Fest in Key West during Halloween, the women are REALLY painted. (everybody should go at least once in their life)


Don

[QUOTE=Ken Thurm]...........Santa Maria this time of year is rather cool in the evening, so I decided to ride with another member since I don't have a top on my car............The next morning everyone is off to Morro Bay, I decide not to take my car again and ride with some one else............


Well what I learned from all this is I don't think I will ever build a Street Rod, my Passion is Hot Rods!
[QUOTE]



I dont know, Seems to me you like the street rods quite a bit judging from all the rides you bummed!!......

I like Brian's description, but I would also say it could also be Billet, or lack there of.

So would the truck that we are building be a hotrod or a streetrod? It is a 51' Ford F1 with a 429, I "think" it has just over 400hp at the shaft. (I think we need to beef it up, a lot, but not my money or truck) leaf springs in back, but has disc brakes in front, is getting power brakes, power steering and probably aircon (Fresno in the summer you know). I always call it a hotrod, am I right?

Red

I go with hotrods being lightened and as many body parts off as possible. A street rod being in full factory form but modernized .