Anyone else faced with this delimma?

[Turbo Regal]

I'm currently building my Chevy II (327/M20) because after driving a bank vault-like Silverado for hours all week, I would like the feel, sounds and smells that an old car delivers.

Shifting a manual tranning into the gear you want, feeling the road, and reading the vital signs on gauge needles is what loving cars is all about.

[Matt Cramer]

I think he might be. He's guy who loves his car as much as you do and is out and about showing it off with some like minded folks at a cruise night. He chose a new performance car, you chose a mid-70's Vette. If you don't care about his car don't look at it and move on to the next one at the show. As for categories? No thanks.

He's probably not going to draw as much of a crowd, but Camaro Guy is still out to have fun with his car and do what he can. And not all the new Camaro owners are just show and shine - I've seen one guy show up at Atlanta Dragway with a new Camaro with dealer tags showing he bought it just a few weeks ago, and a centrifugal blower under the hood.

I've got a really long commute - my daily driver gets a couple hundred miles on it every week. And this cuts into my available wrenching time, too. So I've chosen a new-ish car that doesn't take too much maintenance for commuting duty... a 15 year old BMW with 182,000 miles on the clock so far. I can always take the C10 to work if I want something loud and spartan (I use that one often enough; it's a working truck.) There's some newer cars I wouldn't mind owning if I had the money. Enough interesting stuff out there that I try to keep something of everything in the fleet.

[JOES66FURY]

So what everybody is sayin is: If you can't be on the pro football team just buy the uniform and wear it and that will make you included as a team member?
What im sayin is: I melted an electric fan so I had to pull the $500 aluminum radiator, both fans and wiring, it will take almost 2 weeks to get the parts and and with no instructions piece it back together just in time for the big cruise, yet the guy with the new Camaro has been furiously clay bar and waxing it, and that special night on Main street he is going to stand next to me and feel he is in the same category as me? I think not!

This cracks me up, its opinionated asshats like this that make the shows and cruises here in Tucson shitty. I get snubbed in my beat Fury, I get snubbed in my Mustang, I got snubbed in my lifted 4X4...unless my car is pretty and I sit in a lawn chair with my panama hat I cant be cool

Yeah man, youre better than me...I wrench for a living, I have been wrenching since I was 12. I can build anything I put my mind to and if I dont know I figure it out by asking questions and learning...I've earned my stripes I just chose a different path.

Youre like the proverbial Harley rider...if it's not a Harley its not a motorcycle..

Whatever dude, keep on thinking youre a bad ass becasue you "built" your car and others did not...guys like you will be the downfall of our hobby.

[SuperBuickGuy]

So what everybody is sayin is: If you can't be on the pro football team just buy the uniform and wear it and that will make you included as a team member?
What im sayin is: I melted an electric fan so I had to pull the $500 aluminum radiator, both fans and wiring, it will take almost 2 weeks to get the parts and and with no instructions piece it back together just in time for the big cruise, yet the guy with the new Camaro has been furiously clay bar and waxing it, and that special night on Main street he is going to stand next to me and feel he is in the same category as me? I think not!

So you're comparing your fairground racer to a DD? that's funny

[Thumpin455]

So what everybody is sayin is: If you can't be on the pro football team just buy the uniform and wear it and that will make you included as a team member?
What im sayin is: I melted an electric fan so I had to pull the $500 aluminum radiator, both fans and wiring, it will take almost 2 weeks to get the parts and and with no instructions piece it back together just in time for the big cruise, yet the guy with the new Camaro has been furiously clay bar and waxing it, and that special night on Main street he is going to stand next to me and feel he is in the same category as me? I think not!

I used to feel that way, but then I realized there are very few people who can do what I can do. Then there are people who can do so much more than I can, and do it far better and faster than I can. So where does it stop? Is the guy who builds Riddler winners the car guy and we are all wannabes playing with our toys? Is Jerry Haas the real builder and we are all just goofing around? Was Mickey Thompson the only gearhead capable of really building something?

I built an 11 second car for $5k that weighed 3700lbs empty and ran the number on the motor. I thought that was impressive. Then a new friend of mine ran within 3/10 of my car with a 99 Z28 that had headers, Lid, under drive pulleys, a 4200 lock up stall, and 2.73 gears. His orange 4th gen also got 30mpg on the highway, had AC and was comfortable to drive. Sure he had $13k in it because he paid $10k for the car, but the thing moved and he did the work rather than taking it to a shop. Now it has a 383 and runs mid tens. I would surmise he is a car guy too, he just does it with a different car.

If I wanted to be elitist then to earn my respect everyone would have to be capable of building everything on the car, doing all the body and paint, massive rust repair, scratch build chassis, engines, transmissions, electrical, glass, alignments, building carbs, tuning EFI, and even the machine work on the engines. I can do all of that, but its stupid and arrogant to expect everyone to do that to measure up.

[CaminoKid]

Bottom line is this.Dont matter what we think cause we are not in your shoes.Money always ends up being the most often deciding factor in what we do.You do what makes you happy and damn the rest of us.

[BBR]

If I bought a newer car for a hot rod, I'm afraid I would just get bored with it. Partly because new car go-fast parts are so expensive and partly because tearing into a new car just seems wrong unless it is broken! haha My DD is a 98 Durango and it does what it's supposed to 99.9999 percent of the time. It reliable, it's comfy and it's boring. The Mustang on the other hand, is what a hot rod is supposed to be to me. Noisy, rattly, brash, scary and a little on the unpredictable side. It is far from boring and is the total opposite of my DD. That's what makes it so fun and exciting.

[JOES66FURY]

If I bought a newer car for a hot rod, I'm afraid I would just get bored with it. Partly because new car go-fast parts are so expensive and partly because tearing into a new car just seems wrong unless it is broken! haha My DD is a 98 Durango and it does what it's supposed to 99.9999 percent of the time. It reliable, it's comfy and it's boring. The Mustang on the other hand, is what a hot rod is supposed to be to me. Noisy, rattly, brash, scary and a little on the unpredictable side. It is far from boring and is the total opposite of my DD. That's what makes it so fun and exciting.

Yeah, but it is newer, I wonder.... is it up to skullbuckets standards...whats his cut off for what can be considered cool...I mean, it is just a fox body with a just a big block...*pfffft* LMAO!!! (need a sarcasm font...really)

What about Ethyl the nasty blown GTO in the projects..is he a hot rodder? Not according to guru skullbucket...
And Warshreiks poncho...he isnt either...

LMAO...whatever.

[mrocketscience]

Interesting subject. Personally I like driving an old car. Something thats been around the block a few times, has some history behind it. My Mustang was my DD car for nearly 20 years with the original 6 banger under the hood. After my 1st wife and I separated in 1996, that and a pretty beat 65 Ranchero were my ONLY cars for about 6 years. Admittedly partially because I was broke after the divorce ;) But, I could have sold both and gotten a newer daily. I didn't because I loved those cars. Nowdays my current wife and I have a newer DD (Jeep Commander) that we rely on for getting to work and making trips in, and since we carpool we can get away with that. But I'll always have the old cars around for wrenching fun, and driving pleasure.

[TC]

IMO there are three different types of Car guys...... First there are the guys that buy a car and rebuild it, poring their sweat, blood and hard earned cash into building it the way they want, it is these guys that are the true HotRodders. Second are the guys that go and buy a car that is already done, whether that be a new car or a car that has been completely restored, these guys are the Checkbook HotRodders, that normally act standoffish because they really don't know anything about their car other than it looks nice....... And then there are the guys that don't own either, they have no desire to build or buy a HotRod, but what they do do, is work for companies that work on or build hotrods and even though they change the oil or tie rod ends or swapped the tires or rebuild the carb or tune the motor, they feel they are a HotRodder even though they have no clue in what it takes to actually build a car of their own....... But in the end the truth of the matter is they are all CAR GUYS.......

[chevy3100truck]

IMO there are three different types of Car guys...... First there are the guys that buy a car and rebuild it, poring their sweat, blood and hard earned cash into building it the way they want, it is these guys that are the true HotRodders. Second are the guys that go and buy a car that is already done, whether that be a new car or a car that has been completely restored, these guys are the Checkbook HotRodders, that normally act standoffish because they really don't know anything about their car other than it looks nice....... And then there are the guys that don't own either, they have no desire to build or buy a HotRod, but what they do do, is work for companies that work on or build hotrods and even though they change the oil or tie rod ends or swapped the tires or rebuild the carb or tune the motor, they feel they are a HotRodder even though they have no clue in what it takes to actually build a car of their own....... But in the end the truth of the matter is they are all CAR GUYS.......

so the car guy that never completes anything is a "true hot rodder" but someone who realizes they don't have the time to complete a full blown project and buys a completed car has no clue? I guess racers that have their cars built by a good chassis builder and the engine built by a good engine builder only know that their car looks nice right?

(BTW - I've done the full car build up thing, and I've done the "checkbook rodder" thing, I could care less how people get to the finished point)

[dieselgeek]

IMO there are three different types of Car guys...... First there are the guys that buy a car and rebuild it, poring their sweat, blood and hard earned cash into building it the way they want, it is these guys that are the true HotRodders. Second are the guys that go and buy a car that is already done, whether that be a new car or a car that has been completely restored, these guys are the Checkbook HotRodders, that normally act standoffish because they really don't know anything about their car other than it looks nice....... And then there are the guys that don't own either, they have no desire to build or buy a HotRod, but what they do do, is work for companies that work on or build hotrods and even though they change the oil or tie rod ends or swapped the tires or rebuild the carb or tune the motor, they feel they are a HotRodder even though they have no clue in what it takes to actually build a car of their own....... But in the end the truth of the matter is they are all CAR GUYS.......

Didn't you write a check to get your GMC done?


And which type of hotrodder are you? I don't see you listing a category for "Guy who buys a bunch of parts and never, ever EVER finishes a project"

Meanwhile, that non-finisher guy somehow thinks he's qualified to tell everyone else how to do their project, or what's smart, etc.

And I love how your third type is your best attempt to describe me. Newsflash Alex - in no way would i ever want to be some lame ass that works on projects that aren't ever finished, and that won't be impressive even if they are. I'd much rather work on cars that do something, and have real knowledge to share, then be "that guy" on the internet forums who feels he knows EVERYTHING about building a hotrod, even though he's never once completed anything, or built anything worth a crap.

[dieselgeek]

The HotRod world according to TC

John Force: not a hotrodder
Austin Coil: not a hotrodder
TubbedCamaro: HOTRODDER
dieselgeek: not a hotrodder


now that's hilarious

[Bucky67]

Well, here's my take:

I've built Jade from the ground up with the help of 3 other people. Every single thing, from the paint, prep, engine, final assembly, and break-in was done by either myself or one of the 3 gentleman that helped me. I made a LOT of mistakes, learned from them, and redid things that didn't work the first go round. The build took over 3 years to complete from top to bottom and I invested a TON of money in Jade. Hell, I even worked on her during both 2010 and 2011 Power Tours. She completed both Long Hauls, been to Canada, and driven to Missouri several times from Alabama. Is she perfect? Nope..... Will she ever be perfect?!? Ha, she's not even finished or completed yet.....

But, I don't regret one thing building her. With all that being said, it wouldn't bother me nor would I lose one ounce of sleep if I traded her for a brand new ZL1 Camaro. Why? Simple really..... Reliability, Durability, Maintainability, and the shear fact life is too short to spend every waking minute turning wrenches. I, personally, would rather spend that time with my kiddos at a cruise in or car show, spending time with my Loved One relaxing, having an ice cold beverage, hanging out at the Lake, or just driving.

I agree that if you take a new modern muscle car, whether it be a Camaro, Mustang, or Challenger and sit it next to its predecessor, there is no comparison. However, Jade will never get 25 MPG like the new ZL1 Camaro, nor will she ever turn a lap at the Nurburgring as fast as the ZL1, nor will she ever be as comfortable as a new ZL1 Camaro. For the 55K MSRP, you can't beat new modern muscle....

[Bucky67]

Last thing that I want to say is this; if someone goes out and purchases a brand new ZL1 Camaro and parks it right next to Jade at a car show, does that make them less of a "Hot Rodder" than myself?!?

Absolutely NOT!! Those of you that truly believe that and think like that are completely ignorant and bliss. If I were to purchase a brand new ZL1 Camaro, I would probably have to work harder, save more money, and sacrifice more than I did building Jade. Just because you choose to spend your money differently, doesn't make you more or less of an enthusiast. Hard earned money is hard earned money!!!