Oldsmobile turned into a Chevelle

[R W Burgess]

Why are we talking about this? Agitating people over personal choices is just unkind, and has no place here.

Please, ALL of you, edit your inflamatory posts or I will delete them.:mad:

[Guest]

Well Wayne, the the hot rod community has had it's way on TV shows for a long time. It puts out a one way message about car people for the public to see. Even though I'm against the idea of Public Television, they run a popular show called This Old House, which has many spin off copies in home repair TV that I can't stand. But This Old House explains and does things the right way and shows respect for design and preservation. Yes they do modernize, but mainly with respect to code and current trade practices. What is needed is a TV car show that can take viewer through what it really takes to do restorations, and what it's like in the antique hobby. Expose people to the other side of car collecting like AACA shows and tours and make it easy and interesting enough for someone from the outside looking in.

It is possible that the American public has lost it's interest in honest TV and needs the sensationalism and drama instead. Like a drug addict needs the fix. Have we as a society lowered ourselves to that?

I used to hear from hot rodders all the time say they take cars that no restorer would attempt to reuse. This thread was created in part because the Cutlass was a perfect candidate for a correct restoration, It's body was very good and the aftermarket reproduction industry has got plenty of correct reproduction parts and material. Wouldn't it be great to show someone going through and Gen2 short deck Oldsmobile engine? BTW that engine is more advanced than the crate engine that replaced it and is a joy to work on. I later mentioned the Torino because that car was so mint any person buying it would need to do nothing but maintain a great representative of it's era. If ever there was a car for a Historical Preservation Class the Torino fit the bill. Altering that car in any way IMO would be a terrible thing to do.

Edited December 18, 2012 by helfen (see edit history)

[michel88]

Helfen I completely agree with your viewpoint and a show like you are describing would be a good idea. I believe it would present the side of the old car hobby that AACA represents. I remember there was a show on PBS that featured how to restore mechanically an old Packard, about a 1938. I don't remember the name of the show and it did not last very long. It seems like there is a real need for a restoration to stock condition TV show.

[smithbrother]

I am amazed that you all EVEN brought this subject up in the first place. There is no way ANYONE is ever going to come out a winner.

Why put yourself through so much stress, it isn't good for your health.

I stick with my comment. "It's none of OUR/YOUR business what others do with their money, time, and ideas.

Merry Christmas,

Dale in Indy

[The Continental]

The crate engine is basically an advertisement on the show. The whole 350 SBC thing is definitely overdone and unless you plan on replacing it every few years with the new FI motor then it does come off as bland. I'm sure Foose knows that the car would be better with a Rocket 350 or 455. Some people are still into Flatheads, so with the capabilities of SBC I'm sure they will remain common for a long time to come. I get the "go with what you have" thing when it comes to people using SBC, but that doesn't work with a true restoration. Reliability can be had staying within any big three make.

That's a shame on the Torino which looked to be museum quality before hand. Granted a 427 Torino would be lots of fun, another Torino should've been used.

[Dave@Moon]

I used to hear from hot rodders all the time say they take cars that no restorer would attempt to reuse. This thread was created in part because the Cutlass was a perfect candidate for a correct restoration, It's body was very good and the aftermarket reproduction industry has got plenty of correct reproduction parts and material. Wouldn't it be great to show someone going through and Gen2 short deck Oldsmobile engine? BTW that engine is more advanced than the crate engine that replaced it and is a joy to work on. I later mentioned the Torino because that car was so mint any person buying it would need to do nothing but maintain a great representative of it's era. If ever there was a car for a Historical Preservation Class the Torino fit the bill. Altering that car in any way IMO would be a terrible thing to do.

I started to notice people doing this around 1998, and by 2002 it was commonplace. A few insensitive hot rod enthusiasts discovered that it was much cheaper and quicker to buy a restored or HPOF-type car and rod it instead doing all the work of really building a rod. In 2002 my Buick was parked between a former 1937 Terraplane and a most of a former 1934 Lincoln KB sedan at a show, both obviously made from formerly restored cars, which angered me to the point that I eventually started the now long lost Lost Souls thread.

At some point it became profitable to do this, and a lot nice cars were lost. (Their remains still exist as used parts bought on eBay and body shells used for "unique" street rods.) My outside perception is that this MAY have declined somewhat as $4 gasoline rose it's ugly head and performance engined "drivers" lost some appeal. It's hard to say for sure.

It seems to me that this golden age of the hot rod, to the extent that it ended, is being kept alive by it's stalwarts and moguls via these TV shows. I do not wish them well.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Dave@Moon (see edit history)

[earl e rizer]

The shows are basically infomercials with some entertainment thrown in to get car guys to watch them. They are obviously not interested in "stock cars"

Start a email petition to try and persuade the TV network to dedicate a show to preservation of old cars.