Street rods? At Fall Hershey?

[B Jake Moran]

On 10/7/2023 at 12:22 PM, alsancle said:

There was maybe two dozen of them. They were all the way at the end of the line. Mild customs that you had to pay attention to to realize they were not stock.

Wonder why they would want to come?  Let's see - we can come but oh by the way we are going to be way far away and essentially ostracized.  Sure, let's go.  Doesn't make sense. 

[B Jake Moran]

I think I have read everything.  

 

It is time to charge money to attend Hershey.  May create long lines.  But why on earth would it be FREE?  I have been to Hershey once, in 2010.  I would GLADLY have paid $10.00 to enter.  Goodguys in Des Moines, Iowa has a well attended July 4 3 day event, it's $6 to $10 to enter for non attendees. 

 

My dad dropped me off in 2010 so no parking fees. He went to Valley Forge and came back and picked me up around 5:00pm.  

 

As for hot rodders, most people that have a hot rod are by nature rebels!  They don't want to conform.  Yes, broad brush I get it, but they are as a group wanting a unique representation of the old car hobby, not wanting to paint the engine bay the correct satin black and recreate assembly line marks.  

So if you allow them to be at an AACA event in the name of needing the revenue, the cost will be a changed environment.  

[Steve Moskowitz]

Sorry, but once again we are making a mountain our of a moehill.  I passed by the display and never counted more than 12 cars for sale.  As to the Mercury that drove in the morning of the show it was an error by owner thinking car qualified.  Registration Chairman was never told it was modified.  Sadly member had a car that did qualify but brought this one and was asked to leave showfield.  

[RichardR]

I was at Hershey all day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and didn't even SEE these alleged "hot rods". Where were they? Those of you complaining about the death of AACA standards are entitled to your opinions, but they are not based on facts. In my Region, I would guesstimate that the average member's age is between 75-80 (half a generation older than I am). MANY of these guys had hot rods as teenagers and young adults. I'm certain that they were sneered at by the adult generation of the time as "punks", "weirdos", and "hoodlums". But those hot rods were what they could afford, and it was what they wanted. As they grew up, matured, and gained some disposable income, they were able to obtain nicer and nicer cars. What 21-year-old, whether we're talking about 1953 or 2023, was/is able to afford an AACA-quality show car? The automotive 'bug' has to start somewhere.

 

I know plenty of young people today, in their 20s and 30s, who have as much passion for automobiles as I do. One young woman is a Subaru fanatic, and drives a modified Forester. Another young man whom I know well loves Fox-body Mustangs. He's married and has an infant daughter. His Mustang has a non-original motor, a torn convertible top, and rusty rear quarters. But he loves that car and works at improving it as time and money allow. They would LOVE to have a beautiful classic, but it's not within reach right now. Like it or not, they are the future of the hobby.

 

You all can gripe until the cows come home, but the question remains: how do we attract new blood into the hobby? A number of years ago, our Region began to allow modified cars and "new exotics" (think C8 Corvettes) into our annual car show. Doing so has not diluted our AACA standards or our outstanding field of AACA-show-winning cars one bit!

 

Don't be afraid to embrace change; it's inevitable.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

7 hours ago, B Jake Moran said:

I think I have read everything.  

 

It is time to charge money to attend Hershey.  May create long lines.  But why on earth would it be FREE?  I have been to Hershey once, in 2010.  I would GLADLY have paid $10.00 to enter.  Goodguys in Des Moines, Iowa has a well attended July 4 3 day event, it's $6 to $10 to enter for non attendees. 

 

My dad dropped me off in 2010 so no parking fees. He went to Valley Forge and came back and picked me up around 5:00pm.  

 

As for hot rodders, most people that have a hot rod are by nature rebels!  They don't want to conform.  Yes, broad brush I get it, but they are as a group wanting a unique representation of the old car hobby, not wanting to paint the engine bay the correct satin black and recreate assembly line marks.  

So if you allow them to be at an AACA event in the name of needing the revenue, the cost will be a changed environment.  

👎

[Gtjoey]

I love Mazda Miatas

they are bullet proof cars for track , street or anything else

its the modern MGA

my son changed a clutch in an hour paid 309!dollars for the car with 300,000 miles on it and drove it for almost a year!

Thats not a rice burner

a rice burner is a Honda civic listed with a funnel muffler and the wheels are slanted from the air bags

Having fun!

gtjoey1314

[CChinn]

8 hours ago, RichardR said:

I was at Hershey all day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and didn't even SEE these alleged "hot rods". Where were they? Those of you complaining about the death of AACA standards are entitled to your opinions, but they are not based on facts. In my Region, I would guesstimate that the average member's age is between 75-80 (half a generation older than I am). MANY of these guys had hot rods as teenagers and young adults. I'm certain that they were sneered at by the adult generation of the time as "punks", "weirdos", and "hoodlums". But those hot rods were what they could afford, and it was what they wanted. As they grew up, matured, and gained some disposable income, they were able to obtain nicer and nicer cars. What 21-year-old, whether we're talking about 1953 or 2023, was/is able to afford an AACA-quality show car? The automotive 'bug' has to start somewhere.

 

I know plenty of young people today, in their 20s and 30s, who have as much passion for automobiles as I do. One young woman is a Subaru fanatic, and drives a modified Forester. Another young man whom I know well loves Fox-body Mustangs. He's married and has an infant daughter. His Mustang has a non-original motor, a torn convertible top, and rusty rear quarters. But he loves that car and works at improving it as time and money allow. They would LOVE to have a beautiful classic, but it's not within reach right now. Like it or not, they are the future of the hobby.

 

You all can gripe until the cows come home, but the question remains: how do we attract new blood into the hobby? A number of years ago, our Region began to allow modified cars and "new exotics" (think C8 Corvettes) into our annual car show. Doing so has not diluted our AACA standards or our outstanding field of AACA-show-winning cars one bit!

 

Don't be afraid to embrace change; it's inevitable.

I recently had the same thought you have articulated in your post.  I was wondering if those young teenagers in the 50s and 60s who modified or hot rodded their cars then, became AACA members when they aged and became staunch advocates for originality with no room for modification despite the actions of their youth. I found that ironic. Some of the NC AACA chapters are allowing modified cars in their shows. The groups seem to get along well with no animosity that I could detect. Everyone is there to enjoy looking at and talking about cars 

[TAKerry]

Richard R, I agree mostly with your statement, the one exception being that you have equated owning a hot rod to be an inferior part of old car ownership with a restored original the ultimate goal based upon ones finances. Back 'in the day', building a hot rod or gow job on a budget may have been what 'kids' were doing for a first car. Today, a modern hot rod, restomod ect. can easily exceed the build cost of a high point restoration. I dont think finances drives the decision over hot rod vs. original. Its all about personal taste and what people prefer. I think there is a large segment of collectors that can appreciate and even own both types of vehicles. To make it a Us against Them is entirely wrong. I dont think age is a factor either. I am 60 and at this point I prefer an original type car. Although I may modify my next build depending on what side of the bed I get out of that day. I have been to many local shows with hot rodded cars and typically the age of the owners exceeds mine, sometimes by a great deal. 

I type this more as a statement to the acceptance of hot rod ownership as opposed to the original post about Hershey. Although with the purpose of the AACA I still stand behind they should def. not be on the show field, behind the scenes at a big event? Im not really concerned as they did not bother me in the slightest.

[joe_padavano]

Look, this "hot rods at Hershey" ship sailed decades ago. Elsewhere in this forum are folks proudly displaying the period aftermarket hot rod parts they found for their Model T and A motors. There are always plenty of vintage hot rods and race cars at Hershey. That's a pretty slippery slope. Who is the omniscient one who defines what constitutes an acceptable modified car from one that is not acceptable? At 65 I'm unfortunately likely at the younger end of AACA membership. I enjoy modified cars as well as stone-stock vehicles, and frankly I'm one of the members who started out building modified cars and who has come to also enjoy fully stock ones and joined AACA as a result. I'm not suggesting a change to the AACA mission, but jeeze, if we put as much effort into welcoming younger folks with their slightly modified, newer cars as we do into complaining about it, we might not have an aging membership problem.

[Terry Wiegand]

I have read this thread from the very first posting to the last one just a while ago.  The thing that has me scratching my head and rubbing my backside is WHY the hot rod guys want to infiltrate an organization that was founded on and dedicated to the preservation of automobiles the way they left their factories.  The go fast guys already have an organization that caters to their exact liking - it's Called The American Hot Rod Association.  I am probably a lot older than a lot of the folks who frequent these forums and I will be the first person to tell anyone who will listen that I got that go fast business out of my system decades ago.  That happened when my Dad got the old Buick that now sets in my shop building.  The last performance car that I owned was a 1962 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport Two Door Sport Coupe.  It had the 300 Horse 327 with PowerPac Heads, 4-Barrel Carburetor, Dual Exhaust, Borg Warner T-10 4-Speed and only had about 16,000

miles on the clock in 1972.  It was pure showroom stock and I drove it carefully.  It would definitely fit into the AACA guidelines for the HPOF Class if I owned it today.  In response to RichardR's posting - he tells us to not be afraid of change and that it is inevitable and that we should embrace it.  Yeah Right.  A whole lot of the changes in this life that we know today are being forced upon people whether they like it or not.  There is no such thing as common sense anymore and we're supposed to embrace this?  Sounds to me like this fellow has been smoking too many of those funny cigarettes.  I have said what I wanted to say and I am going to shut up about it.  Before I sign off I have just one thing to say to the hot rod and modified guys - Go Home and leave us purists alone.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas  -  The ONLY Forum Member from Way Out In Doo Dah

AACA Life Member #947918  -  50+ Years

[TAKerry]

Terry (I really do hate to perpetuate this thread, LOL) but one simple comment. A lot of the so called Hot/Street rod guys may not know what the mission statement of AACA is. I have a good friend that has been wrenching on cars for 40+ years. Has restored cars from a 62 caddy convert, 77 trans am, 76 vette, and a really nice 57 resto mod. I told him about my trip to Gettysburg for the nationals in the spring and he asked me why I didnt tell him ahead of time so that he could have met me there? I explained it was an AACA event and he was bewildered. I am on a Trans Am site as regular as here and a lot of the guys there have no idea what the AACA is. Any exposure is good IMO.

[STEVE POLLARD]

33 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

I am on a Trans Am site as regular as here and a lot of the guys there have no idea what the AACA is. Any exposure is good IMO.

Kerry, I had no idea as well.....back in 2010, we went on a family trip to Hershey Park with our four kids. When we got off of Interstate 81 and was heading towards Hershey Park, we drove by the Auto Museum. We ended up visiting the museum a few days later and I joined the club..... a year or so later I got on the forum. 

 

Steve

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

10 hours ago, Terry Wiegand said:

 Before I sign off I have just one thing to say to the hot rod and modified guys - Go Home and leave us purists alone.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas  -  The ONLY Forum Member from Way Out In Doo Dah

AACA Life Member #947918  -  50+ Years

 

 LOL.   Terry, there is a WHOLE 'nother world out there besides "us purists".  Some are individualist.   

 

  Ben 

[John_S_in_Penna]

Here's a solution:

If the AACA really wanted to expand its coverage--without

adulterating its mission to preserve correct history--they

could invite other clubs with authentic cars.

 

For a small space in the car corral, the AACA could say to

the Buick Club, for instance:  "Come join us for the day!

Put your Buick here.  If you like the experience, you can

join AACA in October and get the extra months of 2023 

along with your 2024 membership."  Sort of a one-time

opportunity at a national meet as a trial run.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[oldford]

For those of you who say, "Can't we all just get along?"

 

In another thread about the goods and the bads of finding stuff in the flea market, I mentioned the overhead valve set-up I found for my Model A Ford. Over the winter, I plan to install this baby in my roadster with its new Burtz engine. What I DON'T PLAN TO DO is show the car at and AACA meet. I'm not against modifieds, BUT THEY DON'T BELONG IN THE AACA. There, I said it...

 

Frank

[Matt Harwood]

The analogy I always use is to ask if the modified car guy understands why the people at a Corvette show don't want his Mustang on the show field. It's just not the right venue.

 

Show your car where it's appropriate, but stop trying to go to ALL the shows. AACA guys get it and respect the boundaries set by other clubs. In my experience, modified car guys don't really get it and take it personally when their cars are excluded, often to the point where they'll lie to get their car onto the show field. There's a different mindset that's subtle and hard to explain, but there are a whole lot of car people out there who don't really know what "original" or "modified" actually means. If it still exists and still kind of looks like a 1957 Chevy and wasn't built from a new Dynacorn body, well, then they figure it's an original 1957 Chevy. It's a very difficult distinction to make, particularly to guys who aren't much interested in understanding why they can't participate.

[CChinn]

The AACA is very clear on its position on modified, customized and rodded cars and that position has been articulated very clearly by several posters in this and other threads on this topic. As an AACA member I fully support that position even though one of my 3 collector cars was modified before I bought it. I never even think of trying to bring it to an AACA event. What I have found astonishing is that the Packard Club has a judging category number 15. Special. For customized, modified or rodded, all years. Given Packard’s rich history of producing cars of the highest quality, I would have expected a policy on modified cars similar to the AACA. I have discovered that introducing this category was very contentious (and could still be) when this category was introduced by reading posts in the Packard forum from several years ago. To the moderators, I hope my post is not considered an attempt to hijack this post down a rabbit hole ( not my intent),but is viewed as a constructive contribution to the discussion in this thread. For those with Packards, let’s not go down the rabbit hole of arguing about Packard Judging Class 15. That’s discussion is already on the Packard forum

Edited October 12, 2023 by CChinn (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

2 hours ago, oldford said:

For those of you who say, "Can't we all just get along?"

 

In another thread about the goods and the bads of finding stuff in the flea market, I mentioned the overhead valve set-up I found for my Model A Ford. Over the winter, I plan to install this baby in my roadster with its new Burtz engine. What I DON'T PLAN TO DO is show the car at and AACA meet. I'm not against modifieds, BUT THEY DON'T BELONG IN THE AACA. There, I said it...

 

Frank

And yet you bought it at Hershey... 😉