GRM version for hot rods

So I don't know anything about hot rods except they look cool. I've always been a foreign car and Jeep guy. When I think of hot rods, I think of those old grainy pictures of old Fords and Chevys that some guy built in his garage. To me it was a time when guys made their own cars to go as fast and did it the best they could with what was available. At least that's what I am thinking of. I'm sure the definition of hot rods is different for everyone...I've picked up some of the car magazines and looked at the pics, but I'm looking for more info.

Do you guys have any recommendations of where I would go to find out more about those types of hot rods? I mean even a place to start? And a place where guys are doing it on their own, like GRM, and not just paying someone else to do it?

The H.A.M.B (Hokey Ass Message Board) aka Jalopy Journal. THE place to go to get traditional hot rod information and see builds and get parts.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/

http://www.jalopyjournal.com

Chris_V wrote: The H.A.M.B (Hokey Ass Message Board) aka Jalopy Journal. THE place to go to get traditional hot rod information and see builds and get parts. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/ http://www.jalopyjournal.com

Yup. End the thread right here. There's no other valid answer.

I'll give another vote for the HAMB but only if you want to know about traditional hot rodding. The guys on that forum seem to regard any technology more recent than the 60's as the work of the devil. But if you want to learn about olde time hot rodding, it's the place. You'll learn about the history of Ford wire wheels, how to drop an axle, how to install Buick aluminum drums on the front of your Ford, etc...

If you want a little bit more broad, I suggest hot rodders forum There are a few very cool builds on that site as well and the people seem more open minded. This site seems to bridge the gap between the HAMB and GRM.

With those two, you cover about 95% of hot rodding on the net.

There is also hotrodders.com if you don't fancy having your thread deleted without warning because heaven forbid something might be considered "non-traditional"

The HAMB has some of the best auto tech info on the web but is also full of some of the worst attitudes on the web. I am interested to see how the new forum split works out. At least 20 threads a week used to disappear because they weren't traditional enough.

edit:Fanfoy clicked send before I did with the same info

fanfoy wrote: I'll give another vote for the HAMB but only if you want to know about traditional hot rodding. The guys on that forum seem to regard any technology more recent than the 60's as the work of the devil. But if you want to learn about olde time hot rodding, it's the place. You'll learn about the history of Ford wire wheels, how to drop an axle, how to install Buick aluminum drums on the front of your Ford, etc...

I love the lowbuck, DIY vibe of the HAMB. I HATE that they look down on people doing low cost builds with more modern hardware.

ditchdigger wrote: The HAMB has some of the best auto tech info on the web but is also full of some of the worst attitudes on the web. I am interested to see how the new forum split works out.

Describe the forum split. I didn't know anything was happening.

ditchdigger wrote: At least 20 threads a week used to disappear because they weren't traditional enough.

Kirk rules with an iron fist.

sub forums

HAMB is cool if you believe everything about hot rodding stopped in the 50s. Strangely, I think the INTENT of traditional "hot rodding" is more alive here than there. Build something as fast as possible on little money with stuff you have available. By the HAMB concept, hot rodders in the 50s would have only built vehicles with parts and methods from the 1890s to 1900s.

I appreciate hot rods in the 50s for what they did then. I also appreciate hot rods on this forum as continuing that spirit.

Bryce

Isn't the GRM of hotrods just GRM?

ditchdigger wrote: sub forums

Wow, so there might be a place ("Traditionally Styled") for my car over there. I left because I wanted to start building my 1930s-styled car, and didn't want to spend five years at swap meets looking for parts.

I still love their tech archive, but obviously don't spend much time there anymore outside the archive.

I went to the Nostalgia Drags at Silver DOllar Speedway in Reynolds GA for my birthday last Saturday. Several of the Hamb guys were there and had some cool stuff on display and running the 1320. I didn't really stop and talk, but they seemed cool enough. The Southern Slingshots front-engine dragsters also had 6 or 8 guy running. Now THAT is something that is on my bucket list. To quote one of the inscriptions I saw chalked on a steering wheel, "Ho Ree Chit!" 8 seconds in the 1/4 with your nuts sitting on top of an unsprung diff and a blown small block directly in front of your face? Oh Hell yeah!

The H.A.M.B. is a pretty neat site. Certainly a Grassroots budget mentality as it is real people building real Hot Rods.

Been lurking there for many years and learned a lot of neat stuff about Hot Rods and fabrication. But be warned that according to the dogma of H.A.M.B, the universe ended in 1960 and only U.S.A made cars qualify for right to exist. They wont be shy or polite if you need to be reminded. And make sure you introduce yourself and behave for a while.

If you are into modifying tin and don't want to be restricted to an era or philosophy, I can recommend the Metal-meet forums. http://www.metalmeet.com Very broad minded people who just want to preserve the knowledge and pass on the skills. Enough Hot Rodders by default to keep you interested.

Pete

NOHOME wrote: If you are into modifying tin and don't want to be restricted to an era or philosophy, I can recommend the Metal-meet forums. http://www.metalmeet.com Very broad minded people who just want to preserve the knowledge and pass on the skills. Enough Hot Rodders by default to keep you interested.

metalshapers.org (allshops) is pretty good, too as a photo site. I'm not sure about the forum, though

I think Bryce hit it spot on. Maybe the term "hotrod" or "hot rod" is used and interpreted as something close to: body from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s with engines and/or drivetrains from the 50s and 60s. Suspensions seem to be an exception (think Mustang II fronts). I don't remember seeing a '32 Ford pickup with anything new-ish in it or -heaven forbid anything FI. I'm sure they're out there somewhere.

...and I went to the Good Guys in Columbus and saw over 3,000 cars. Don't remember seeing any new ideas, but there were some beautiful cars.

I did have a GRM kinda idea while I was there though. An older 20s,30s, body stlye with suspension good enough to autox and a drivetrain to aid in said autox -regardless of the type of engine. I even started to look real hard at how some setups were done and got a lot of info on new frames and suspensions. After a few weeks of looking at various options and ideas I came to the conclusion it would take more effort and talent than I have to get something using those ideas. Hopefully octavious or someone can do it. I'd really like to see a car like that.

...and maybe we should come up with another term for it as not to upset the "real" hotrodders...

If you really want to get into the beginnings of it, try your library for Hot Rod Magazine on microfilm or microphish. If there is a university that would also be a good choice. I read at least the first five years for a paper I wrote on the beginning of the hot rod culture.

stan wrote: I did have a GRM kinda idea while I was there though. An older 20s,30s, body stlye with suspension good enough to autox and a drivetrain to aid in said autox -regardless of the type of engine. I even started to look real hard at how some setups were done and got a lot of info on new frames and suspensions. After a few weeks of looking at various options and ideas I came to the conclusion it would take more effort and talent than I have to get something using those ideas.

If you want to hit the 'easy' button, and have money to burn, Factory Five have basically already done that with their 1933

When i think about old-school hot rodding, what it really comes down to is how car enthusiasts modified cars before there was such a thing as an aftermarket.

By and large, that's still the kind of modification i do the most of. I hate buying aftermarket parts, especially at full retail price, other than wideband o2 sensors.

It's a pretty damn rare thing. Go to any given car forum for a modern platform and make it clear you dont buy pre-made mods and while some people may laud your intentions, there are very few people who will actually walk that walk with you. A lot of people are more about the destination than the journey. I, personally, have more fun working on my cars and figuring out weird parts combos and modifying stock parts, than i do bolting on even the nicest pre-made part.

I even have more fun working on my cars than driving cars, in a sense. When i first get a car, i may like it and enjoy it for what it is. But, over time as i've had my hands into every part of the vehicle either doing repairs or modifications, i build a connection based on familiarity with the mechanicals of the car. A car that just works is like an acquaintance. A car that does what it does because i MADE it do that, that only moves because of me and that i can see into and through like a cutaway model because ive been into it and done the work myself, is something closer to an offspring i've birthed and raised. There's a totally different level of connection.

So, im all about old-school hot rodding and junkyard engineering and driving a car for the first time after you MAKE it drivable, and i dont get a whole lot of joy out of pre-made mods, which is why i have such a hard time enjoying magazine builds. They're sponsored by companies who make pre-made mods, so they mostly bolt on pre-made mods. But i dont hold that against them. I just accept that in the world we live in nowadays, most enthusiasts can and do turn to other people and companies to build and ship them their mods.

In spirit, im pretty sure i would have fit in with the car guys from the pre-aftermarket era much better, but you guys havent run me out YET!

Thanks guys. I will check out some of the other sites mentioned. I spent some time on HAMB at lunch today just browsing around. There is a A LOT of info out there. And so much variance... It's a lot to take in.

I did find this pics, and it is what I had in my head when I tried to describe a hot rod earlier.

I want to build something classic, but again I don't know if I am 100% stuck in doing it exactly like they did back in the day. I think that I want to build something as bare bones as possible, no computer, no fancy paint. Just a car, a motor, a wheel, and a seat... What do I want to build? That's the big question isn't it.

this place... GRM is far superior to anyone "telling you" what to do....

REALLY... they delete threads.... what a waste of DNA

Why is GRM better.... you'll get the whole range here... there might even be a few HAMB heads in here who know better than to be obnoxious twits, but you also get innovation, and imagination from a extraordinarily diverse group of folks...

I say come here to get your help when building your hotrod

I like a lot of stuff I see on H.A.M.B. but I can not stand the attitude.

I would suggest just lurking and keeping your eye on the classifieds.

If you could find guys putting megasquirt and a huge turbo on a Model A four banger then I'd spend more time on the HAMB. Don't get me wrong, I like it there, but the lack of creativity is stifling. One of the great things about this forum is the ability to bounce ideas off each other. You can't really do that over there because all of the ideas are just recycled over and over. I love the picture threads, and I do lurk.

93EXCivic wrote: I like a lot of stuff I see on H.A.M.B. but I can not stand the attitude. I would suggest just lurking and keeping your eye on the classifieds.

Funny thing is, I often feel the same way about sports car guys here vs guys doing aesthetic builds (i.e custom cars). Look at the stance threads. The guys here can often be just as closed minded and insulting as anyone on the HAMB if someone builds a car in a style they don't like.

As far as fuel injection and modern stuff on old hot rods, those are called street rods and you will find them in different areas of the net.

If by hot rods you really mean American cars from the 50's-80's, then buy Car Craft. Their tech is hardcore awesome, especially on motors. About 90% drag racing, but they work in suspension stuff now and again. Great DIY paint & body articles, too.

The HAMB is straight up awesome for the classifieds section alone.

I mean a running driving wagon for $250? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=833115

Ryan (the guy who owns the HAMB) has another forum called Dogfight that is set up for modified and hot rodded cars that don't fit the HAMB's specific focus.

As for the attitudes over there, they mostly come from non-moderators - Ryan doesn't appear to have anything against more modern techniques or even foreign cars, it's just that the HAMB is specifically meant for traditional builds only. Considering the amount of traffic that board gets every day, it has to be tough to keep things under control as it is without allowing off topic cars and discussions.