[junkyardjeff]

Dont be too hard on those who modify as they can be a good source for parts to keep your restored cars on the road,I sold all my extra parts to restorers and they were very happy to get them. You would not belive what was scrapped when the scrap prices went up a couple years ago,we had a junkyard that was also a scrap yard and could not believe all the old stuff that was being hauled in. Most of it was stuff that was sitting behind the garage but there were a few restoration projects that never got finished,there also was a restored chassis from a 37/38 chevy 1 1/2 ton truck with what looked to be a freshly rebuilt 216 in it that I know someone on here could of used. If it was not for someone who put a late model drivetrain in a 38 chevy panel my 37 would of been down for alot longer then it was and then when I was done with those parts it helped someone else and they did not get turned in to cheap chinese junk. Just remember some one who modifies can be your best friend when you need parts as thsoe parts dont grow on trees any more.

[GrayCav56]

I am a dyed in the wool AACA type guy with regards to originality. While I perservere to return (or maintain) my vehicles in a condition as close to that as delivered by the factory, I do not harbor any ill will towards the street rod/modified crowd. Some of those vehicles would not be around today had they not been rescued by someone with a vision of how they COULD be.

I do wish that most of those modifications could be reversed in the future if another caretaker would like to bring it back to showroom new. I have no beef with most restomod projects if they keep the original parts and don't hack up the bodywork and frame to make them all fit. Just understand that those types of vehicles have their own venues to show, and an AACA meet just ain't it.

I suppose my only other beef with the street rod crowd is putting Chevy engines in everything. Darn it, if it's a Plymouth, put a MOPAR block in her! If it is a 30 Ford Coupe, what's the matter with a flathead or a 289? Yeah, I know it's easier....but is easy all we are going for here?

OK, I'm off my soapbox.

[junkyardjeff]

Whether you are a rodder or a restorer we all need to stick togather and help each other as much as we can,with the municipalities zoning laws,the cash for clunker deals and the crusher bills some in government want to push through and the EPA wanting to close the smaller junkyards that have older vehicles we dont need to be bickering like children because our hobby is under assult. I must be a minority on here as I like original vehicles along with all the versions of hotrods and can talk old car talk with anyone.

[Shop Rat]

Originally Posted by junkyardjeff

Dont be too hard on those who modify as they can be a good source for parts to keep your restored cars on the road.....Just remember some one who modifies can be your best friend when you need parts as thsoe parts dont grow on trees any more.

That is the truth for sure. We met a guy that lives south of us here in
W. Va. and he had fully restored a 1939 Dodge 2-door. Several years later he got bored with it and decided to modify it a bit to make it more cruise the highway and take on vacation friendly. We have many extra parts, including the restored engine he took out, for our 1939 Dodge Deluxe 4-door sedan.

We are not going to restore it back to orginal. It would cost too much to do that. So we will fix it up really nice, as close as we can to original, and enjoy it at open shows.

[Shop Rat]

Originally Posted by junkyardjeff

.....I must be a minority on here as I like original vehicles along with all the versions of hotrods and can talk old car talk with anyone.

You only feel like that because we don't openly talk about street rods etc. here. It is not permitted by the AACA.

But trust me, there are folks here that have street rods, modifieds etc. But you won't see them talk about them in any detail here or post photos of them here.

You can invite folks here that are also interested in those types of vehicles to send you a PM or an e-mail so that you can talk off of the forums about them.

[junkyardjeff]

If you guys think hotrodders are destroying good vehicles alot are still being destroyed in accidents,someone on the HAMB is posting pics of vintage vehicles in the salvage auctions titled warning these pictures will make a grown man cry and yes it will. They are still getting hit and trees falling on them and fires are destroying them and alot are still repairable.

[junkyardjeff]

Since I only own modified vehicles at this time maybe this is not the place for me,I do think we need to coexist togather as we can help each other and to keep the hobby from being destroyed by those in government who seem to have a hatred for old cars.

Originally Posted by Shop Rat

You only feel like that because we don't openly talk about street rods etc. here. It is not permitted by the AACA.

But trust me, there are folks here that have street rods, modifieds etc. But you won't see them talk about them in any detail here or post photos of them here.

You can invite folks here that are also interested in those types of vehicles to send you a PM or an e-mail so that you can talk off of the forums about them.

[Shop Rat]

Originally Posted by junkyardjeff

Since I only own modified vehicles at this time maybe this is not the place for me,I do think we need to coexist togather as we can help each other and to keep the hobby from being destroyed by those in government who seem to have a hatred for old cars.

We do co-exist nicely in the outside world for the most part. True, some don't like hot rods, street rods, period. That is their personal taste and right to do so.

But many of us have no problem with someone taking an antique vehicle and saving it from the crusher in any way someone sees fit and can afford.

But it is almost unheard of for a true, dyed-in-the-wool antique vehicle person to be okay with a nice vehicle being turned into a hot rod/street rod/modified. We just aren't wired that way, especially if the person does things that can't be undone later. It might be their right to do it. but people don't have to like what has been done.

The AACA is a great source of help and information about correct parts etc.

[quadfins]

I would also add another opinion, which I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with... I would say that any older car on the road, regardless of how modified or "rodded", is of greater service to our hobby than a perfectly restored example that never sees the road.

As a hobby, we need good public relations, and continuing (even growing) interest in what we do. When the public gets a chance to see an "old car", they might get interested, even inspired. Who knows, they might even decide to buy one themselves. When legislation is proposed that might be detrimental to the hobby, they probably don't really think about us. I don't believe that there is a vast conspiracy out there to exterminate collector cars. But even the best-intentioned legislators may not be thinking of how those laws affect us. If they see classic cars, they know we exist, and, I hope, have a positive impression. So the important thing for us is to get out and be seen.

On the other hand, one may have a perfectly restored, factory correct example of car X. But it is hidden in a garage, delivered to a given show in a trailer, displayed for a few short hours (in front of the already-converted choir), and then hauled back into the trailer until the next trophy-collecting opportunity. How does the general public get to see or appreciate such an marvel of perfection?

Yes, the owner gets another trophy, and an ego boost, but what good does it do for the classic car hobby as a whole? I would, therefore, contend that any collector car, regardless of modifications, that is driven in public to a show, cruise-in, or the shopping mall, does more good for all of us than the flawless trailer queens that we have such reverence for. I am not saying that it is practical to drive the Duisenberg every day, but, really, which one generates more smiles - the trailered artifact, or the modified driver? I am fortunate that neither of my older cars is so valuable that I dare not drive it or park in public. I ENJOY showing them off at every gas station and parking lot. I'll take the smiles, honks, and waves any time over another cheap trophy on the shelf. I plan to enter my 61 Cadillac in the AGNM at New Bern next May. I KNOW it will not place, when up against the museum-cars that will be trailered in, and with the 5-point rule. (remember the related thread, a couple of seasons ago???) But I plan to enjoy the drive there and back, and I think that I'll be doing the hobby some good, by generating positive public opinion with every car that passes me with a kids' face pressed against the window.

So regardless of what modifications you might have done to your car, as long as you drive it, I won't fuss. AACA is all about original appearance, which I also revere. It is not proper or correct for anyone else to come in and criticize the guidelines that THIS club is based upon. They don't have to like them, or follow them, but they should have enough respect to let us enjoy our cars the way we do.

So, the bottom line is, get that car on the road a d drive it, enjoy it, andshow the public that it is fun, informative, and historic to preserve these rolling works of art.

[junkyardjeff]

Even though I do slightly modify my vehicles I do not like seeing a nice original cut up,most of the ones I get are incomplete,rough or have blown motors or sat for many years and I use what I can find cheap to get them on the road again. I have left a couple alone and those were mainly the mid 50s olds I had since they would cruise all day at 80 so there was no sense in changing them,I can respect that the AACA is for completely original vehicles just like I believe the boys scouts should not have to accept girls and the girl scouts should not have to accept boys and stuff like that.