Anyone else faced with this delimma?

[Monk]

'rub their new Corvette with a diaper'


Yep........when all is said.........we're all car guys.
One size doesn't fit all.

[Brian Lohnes]

In the really old days -

"That guy sucks because he can't weave his own buggy whip and he bought an automobile!"

In the old days -

"That guy sucks because he bought a '55 Chevy that's faster from the factory than my 'full house' flathead powered dragster!"

In the kinda old days -

"That guy sucks because he bought a 1964 GTO that can beat the ass off of my worked over '55 Chevy!"

In the 1980s -

"That guy sucks because he bolted a blower to his 5.0L Mustang and it kills my Chevelle!"

Today -

"That guy sucks because his new ZL1 Camaro can wipe the floor with my home built muscle car!"


I was at a cruise night yesterday and it is put on by the local Corvette club, so the deal is crawling with late model Corvettes. In my mind, I am Mr. Jaded Car Guy and am thinking, "ungh...look at this". Then my boys pipe up and get all excited because, "WOAH...DAD..LOOK AT ALL THE CORVETTES!" I then felt like a DB for my state of mind and had a nice night.

Bottom line is that this hobby needs every single freaking person we can have in it. From the import guys to the dudes who rub their new Corvette with a diaper. Our strength is in our numbers. Nobody has to love everything or everyone, but you have to have some basic respect for people who enjoy the same stuff as you do...cars!

If the dudes with the Corvettes would let in some weirdo with a junky old wrecker, they're not half bad...right?

The so-called "check book" hot rodders keep guys like my friends Dennis, John, Dana, Jon, Joe, Tom, and about 50 other guys I know really well in business. I am thankful that the great gearhead apocalypse that was predicted (by people like me) never came all the way to the fruition like we thought it would. Know why? Some guys still have cashola to buy stuff thankfully.

I could go on forever, but I am stopping now.

[1trickpony]

I am a self proclaimed hot rodder. And the village idiot.
I paid $1500 for my 1984 mustang and drove it for a year while tuning it up. The motor started to go terminal last fall so I decided to buy an efi motor from one of my dads friends. I have have spent virtually every weekend in the junkyard scrounging for parts and even some go fast parts. During this process I have asked a lot of dumb questions to my dad and his friends but I have too. How else am I going to answer them for my son.
As to the original question you said buy a gt500 or the likes. I really don't see a problem with it if it's what you wanna do. But I think you answered your own question. You said you want to build a bada$$ gnx and that you had 2 cars . If you cut one of those out to fund your new project you a.) won't be without a car and b.) will build your dream car.

Village idiot signing out

[pdub]

Neal Sabo, thank you for your words Sir. I'm basically insecure that way as you and everybody else here knows. Our conversation at the Party, and your post here, thank you Sir.

I'll keep getting out of tune again. Always need a bump, on that and only that one thing in my whole life. Thanks man.

[nesabo]

These thoughts come from walking around the parking lot at work today, where my 1990 cougar was the oldest car there by far, to many civics, suvs, and other soulless 4 wheel appliances . So I am not around "car guys" all day.

I have less then 10% of the talent/knowledge of most here. Not sure where I fit in the car guy/non car guy status. Don't really care. Nothing hold my interest outside my family more than cars. I try to work on my cars, drag race my cars when I can, hang out with others who enjoy their cars. Others can only talk about cars, some only work on other peoples cars, but I am fine with both, they have passed on knowledge I can only hope to absorb.

Peewee I think you are a good example of someone that has found the fun we have with our cars whether you have wrenched on it or not. You do not need a free pass in my book, you have earned your stripes.

[pdub]

What a great discussion! I'll go back to the point that you guys are going to turn wrenches on stuff because you love to do that. And a new ride pretty takes that part out of it.

And again and again and over and over....yes, I bought a ride ready to go because I sure enough in this world don't know how to build one. If that makes me enjoy driving it any less, I'm going to hotrod hell when I check out. It's just so much fun to drive it. Where does that play into the equation, really?

I didn't need that car to go along with our brand new grocery getter sedan and the plain white pickup truck. Didn't need it like a frog doesn't need being put into a microwave oven.

I bought it, and I'm enjoying it to no end. Is that so bad? That seems to be the flow and course of this dialogue.

No, daggumit, I did NOT build it! I would have, but ....no, I bought it. There it was at the end of the street. The street that led to all the fun I've had with it. And through that, meeting the people who do it the other way, the RIGHT way I guess. Build it and drive it.

What do I say....the airplane pilot in most cases in the world didn't build the airplane. But they fly it.

[Bucky67]

James, I agree with Bob, do what makes YOU happy!!! Me personally, there's no comparison.... I could sell Jade and wouldn't blink an eye. And I've owned her for 12 years, managed to keep her through FIVE deployments and the Big D. You just can't compete with today's technology. I could sell out tomorrow and could care less what people on here think of me. I've had new and old..... Love em all!!!

[Dan Barlow]

As for as selling out goes, remember hot rods didn't used to have windows, doors, fenders. Those guys back in the day would call peop;e buying factory muscle be it 60s,70s,80 ect sellouts. So , I'm probably a sell out with my25 year old T/A. I'd sell the least loved and hope into a 05 mustang,or a first year re-introduction camaro ss/challenger. I really like the LOOK of old muscle cars but I will not buy anything older than 96 from here on out. I've just gotten spoiled with how much better newer cars are put together fit and finish door gaps ect. and the suspensions ability to handle. It's not that you can't fix one to have all these atributes, it's just going to cost 4 times as much and take 4 times as long. You'll still be one of us which ever way you go Bishir.

[pdub]

Ya but I like you PeeWee........ You get the TC get out jail free card........

Thanks TC! That's good to know ahead of time, when I need to cash it in. No telling how or when I'll end up in the White Room with black curtains. Yeah, I appreciate that for sure. Got one in the wallet! Cool beans!

[TC]

Hey, I resemble that remark.

Ya but I like you PeeWee........ You get the TC get out jail free card........

[TC]

And wasn't it DF or someone in one of the mags say you have to have done at least 5 modifications to the car for it to be considered a hot rod??

[pdub]

I'm not arguing, actually agree with you, but in other words a guy that buys a hot rod and does not modify it to be faster is just a car guy??....... As in the checkbook hot rodder that just drives the car.........

Hey, I resemble that remark.

[TC]

I'd like to point out that there's a difference between "car guy" and "hotrodder". People often use the terms interchangeably, but are they really? Hotrodders hotrod things, not just cars. Pulling tractors/trucks are hotrodded. Racing mowers are hotrodded. A 2004 Jeep Wrangler with a blower is hotrodded. Just because it's new doesn't mean it can't be hotrodded.
A car guy has cars/trucks for more than just basic transportation. "checkbook hotrodders" and new "factory hotrod" buyers can be labeled car guys (unless they're buying it for an "investment"). Anyone making something faster or more powerful is "hotrodding" it, thus making them a "hotrodder". Not that either is better than the other, and the territory overlaps often, but they are not the same. Just how I see it.

I'm not arguing, actually agree with you, but in other words a guy that buys a hot rod and does not modify it to be faster is just a car guy??....... As in the checkbook hot rodder that just drives the car.........

[bnjny]

Just buy what you want and enjoy it. Don't worry about what other people think, values or any other go with the flow crap.

If you can afford it and you want it, go get it... Selling out is doing as others so you can be part of the crowd.

[TC]

You think a guy who starts with a shell and completes a car out of it and a guy who shells out $38000 is in the same category?
And I know everybody and their brother had their first car at age 10 and was doing side work at age 12 BLAH, BLAH, BLAH ETC, but its what became of the experience is what matters, you are a mechanic and I have owned 83 cars and trucks.

That's why I keep my '71 Camaro, I could have said F'it a long time ago and just sold it and dumped the money into my '99 Camaro and had a bad ass LS Motor installed........ Instead I keep it and will finish it and enjoy it....... There is a love and devotion that you get when you build a car and no amount of money can buy that..........