I wonder if hot rodding is dead...

Nah, just have to invest and get that imaginative juice flowing....

Started off as a 37 Ford. Added a chopped top and nose, LSx, Ford GT transaxle, and some twin turbo boost. BTW, 1100hp@14psi on Cali 91 pump fuel...

And you thought old school street rods were cubic money

Dig the diamond/leather interior treatment!

That's good to see. Hot Rod magazine seems to have had an editorial shift. They went through a stage with a lot of cool scratch-builts and DIY stuff. Now it seems like they're back to the usual over-prepped show cars and "let's see how many HP this supercharger will get me!"

as cool as that stuff is, it's generally just someone with more money than talent throwing a checkbook at a car to build something radical. not always, but usually. real hotrods are built in 2 car garages with minimal cash outlay.

I think the term "hot rod" had been abused. That stuff up there to me aren't hot rods, they're vehicles that someone throws a checkbook at.

Like novaderrik said, real hot rods are built with a budget in mind, regardless if it was built in a 2 car garage or someones shop.

These to me, are hot rods:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: I think the term "hot rod" had been abused. That stuff up there to me aren't hot rods, they're vehicles that someone throws a checkbook at. Like novaderrik said, real hot rods are built with a budget in mind, regardless if it was built in a 2 car garage or someones shop. These to me, are hot rods:

Those were proper hot rods in the mid 60s.

The (I'm assuming coker) tires those cars are wearing cost more than most of us spend on entire cars. Try pricing out one of those tri power setups sometime. The big AL drums on the second car are unobtanium. You cant really build a proper hotrod anymore, as the stuff needed to do it hasn't existed in cheap junkyard form for half a century.

You could come close today using a Jeep CJ or wrangler body and frame for a start. I've only seen pictures of that done a few times, you would even be fairly original.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: You could come close today using a Jeep CJ or wrangler body and frame for a start. I've only seen pictures of that done a few times, you would even be fairly original.

This is actually a REALLY good idea. Someone suggested the same thing to me; I would STRONGLY consider that method if I did another 1930s car.....definitely easier than fabricating your own chassis.

I know this has probibly discussed but would an S10 frame be a good starting point?

In reply to Kenny_McCormic:

So what would be considered a hot rod for the 2000's?

I wasn't going to get into it, but I know those two I posted probably cost a lot of money to build or restore, but the two the OP posted are more rich people's custom cars.

Basically what's done here at GRM is the same as what those guys did back in the 50's and 60's, so I think a lot of the guys here could be considered hot rodders.

A S10 frame would work, its a somewhat common chassis to swap under a 50s 's car to gain better suspension. Though I don't think they look right without fenders and such, and the IFS doesn't look too pretty. Maybe a Ranger with it's front swing axles?

I suppose in terms of cheapest way to straight line speed, the modern hotrod would be a old G body of some sort with a smog 305 and a 200 shot or big turbo. I've thought of this as well, you should be into the 12s for challenge money, who cares if the engine blows, 305s are nearly free around here.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I suppose in terms of cheapest way to straight line speed, the modern hotrod would be a old G body of some sort with a smog 305 and a 200 shot or big turbo. I've thought of this as well, you should be into the 12s for challenge money, who cares if the engine blows, 305s are nearly free around here.

I was thinking more of 5.0 Fox bodies. dirt cheap, light, and lots of go fast mods. plus junkyard upgrades actually still exist.

Fox bodies, F Bodies, basically anything you can get a smallblock into. The REAL question is, why do all the domestic rodders hate imports so much. Pretty sure there's a large contingent of people doing performance and aesthetic on a budget, same way they did to deuces and stuff all those years ago.

That 32 looks amazing.

Any more pics?

Hot rodding is not dead, just modernized!

mndsm wrote: Fox bodies, F Bodies, basically anything you can get a smallblock into. The REAL question is, why do all the domestic rodders hate imports so much. Pretty sure there's a large contingent of people doing performance and aesthetic on a budget, same way they did to deuces and stuff all those years ago.

Simple, a newish $5000 V6 manual trans Honda Accord will outperform 90% of cars pre 1980 in every way, dead stock. The folks over at that message board with a name that sounds like a particular pork cut are scared E36 M3less of change and prefer to live in the 50s, no matter the cost.

Seems to me most of the more down to earth hot rodder types who just like restomodding old cars on a reasonable budget DD civics.

"Hot rodding is not dead, just modernized! "

Ooooowwwweeeee ! ! ! ! ! !

My eyes ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Is that the piece of plastic crap from Factory Five ? ! ? ! ?

Man does that ever look like dog do . . . .

mndsm wrote: The REAL question is, why do all the domestic rodders hate imports so much.

I've wondered this myself. The import guys are doing the exact same thing as the old-school hot rodders were, they just have a 50-year newer starting point. One thing I can say for the import guys, at least most of them actually DRIVE their damn cars.

ReverendDexter wrote:

mndsm wrote: The REAL question is, why do all the domestic rodders hate imports so much.

I've wondered this myself. The import guys are doing the exact same thing as the old-school hot rodders were, they just have a 50-year newer starting point. One thing I can say for the import guys, at least most of them actually DRIVE their damn cars.

True story. I DD my ms3, and it's exactly the same thing I would have done to it 50 years ago, no matter the car. Sure it probably woulda been a high rise an a bigger carb as opposed to intake/exhaust/boost control, but the concept is the same.

Hot rodding is alive and well.

Of course, there are always those who are more into fashion than function.

ReverendDexter wrote:

mndsm wrote: The REAL question is, why do all the domestic rodders hate imports so much.

I've wondered this myself. The import guys are doing the exact same thing as the old-school hot rodders were, they just have a 50-year newer starting point. One thing I can say for the import guys, at least most of them actually DRIVE their damn cars.

Just bare with me for this moment. I believe the hatred from the hot rod community is from a couple of different fronts. One is the obvious, "we" beat them and now they want to "own" us and these stupid lemmings don't help. Buy American to save America. Second is a psychological reverse thinking based on the first, as in "I won't buy a before because the domestics didn't keep up/got outplayed/or some other excuse..." Thirdly, the import is marketed as a reliable tin can from point A to point B. Why does someone desire to modify such a throwaway thing? "It doesn't make sense." Fourthly, based on the third, given the nature of how many blandmobiles out there, the outcome of seemingly hideous modifications for nothing but "style" and that style just being copied directly from Japan. Many of those copied styles are no thought, looks "good", slap it on and go kind of parts.

Take your pick of those and I believe you will find the answer. Plus, I also believe cost vs age is a big factor. Look back in the 40's, 50's, 60's and what cars cost vs income. Imports TEND to fit that same template today, even in this throwaway society.

Personally, I would love a modern interpretation of a car being the bare minimum of what is need to work.

Who says the import guys and the hot rodders can't live in harmony?

novaderrik wrote: as cool as that stuff is, it's generally just someone with more money than talent throwing a checkbook at a car to build something radical. not always, but usually. real hotrods are built in 2 car garages with minimal cash outlay.

Sorry I have to disagree. Some people don't have the skill to build a hot rod of their own. Some people have the skills but not the time. Some have the means to hire shops to build their dream ride.

Sometimes the guy in the two car garage gets to the point in a project where he can't complete the next step himself so he farms that job out to a pro. Not everybody can weld, paint, fabricate, etc.

And some people just want to enjoy their car but have no clue how to keep it running.

Yea I'm biased in my opinion since I have my own hot rod shop.

A "hot rod" is not a procedural definition, it is a car. The finished product is a hot rod, no matter how it gets there. It being self built makes it cooler, but a checkbook build is still a hot rod.