Club member or lone wolf??
You are not currently logged in. Login to myAccount   Forgot Your Login?   SignUp For a Free Account
 
Sell Your StreetRod FAST!-Help-Contact Us
Quick Search:
Club member or lone wolf??
Posted: December 15 2007 07:25 PM
 
Brady McQueen (aka 1carguy) [ View ] [ bradymcqueen@comcast.net ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ]
Pleasanton, California
(925) 719-3200
 
Curious how many are active club members? I did the club thing for several years but got burned out with it. I still have a lot of friends from the club but it started becoming too structured and political for my liking. Maybe just me, but I like street rodding when it's "laid back" with no work...just play.
 
 
Comments
 
Posted by REBORN55  -  12/15/2007 08:15 PM
Spokesperson fot a club for a few years and we got out of it. Just travel with friends now. Been thinking about doing it again though.
Ken [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] De soto, Illinois
 
Posted by zinski3  -  12/15/2007 08:33 PM
Have a couple buddy's that we run together. No dues, no officers, no meetings, no rules. As close to a structued car club as I want to get to. More than willing to help out and donate for things. Just don't want to be told what I HAVE to do. Thay's why I retired.
zinski3 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Edwards, Missouri Charter Member since December 2000
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  12/15/2007 08:34 PM
not me. last time i was in a club all i did was fix stuff for free. theres about 12 in the crazyhorse crew. someone ask us at boerne if we were a club. fitzwell told them "naw we're a gang " .
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by DavyJ  -  12/15/2007 09:01 PM
We have a group here that hang together, call ourselves the Canadi-Un Club. We made shirts, and everyone says "President". That is the extent of club membership.I have seen so many clubs where a few show up to do the work, but many show up to reap the rewards.
Still driving the wife's car, cause I am slow. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Niagara Falls, Canada Charter Member since February 2005
 
Posted by 30 A pickup  -  12/15/2007 09:23 PM
I am a member of Confederate Classics Street Rod Association in Spartanburg S.C. Vice President now, will be President 1-1-08. We will put on our 26th annual show in September. Pretty good group to work with. Always have some who do no work & want rewards.


Lynn
30 A pickup [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Cowpens, South Carolina
 
Posted by whipsold39  -  12/15/2007 11:46 PM
Iam the lone wolf but respect the clubs and the club members. For about 5 years I would just go to the car shows alone and go and leave when ever I wanted. The last couple years there has been 4 or 5 of us go together and it is a lot of fun going down the interstate with a group of rods and friends. I have been involved with shows and swap meets with my son and it is alot of work and time but you always find people willing to help. Ron
whipsold39 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] 400 9th ave silvis 61282, Illinois Charter Member since January 2006
 
Posted by cruiser63  -  12/16/2007 12:00 AM
Belonged to one for a about a year, never did meet all the members, they would never show up for meetings,never go to cruises. No dues, to say it was pretty laid back would have been an understatement. Other members left also, and then they instituted rules ,dues and such. It seemed to me a couple of officers were using the club for their personal playground.
cruiser63 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Plain City, Ohio Charter Member since March 2005
 
Posted by 32Canuck  -  12/16/2007 02:39 AM
My old club has been disbanded for many years but some of the older participants still "Hot Rod". We just had our 50th anniversary for the club last Oct. amd we had an excellent turnout. Good to see old friends and see who is still on the green side of the lawn. Have been approached by another local club to join but like the laid back un-structured life better. We still attend all the shows and get togethers that are close by and some that are not.


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE FROM THE CANADIAN NORTH.
32Canuck [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Victoria BC, Canada Charter Member since December 2006
 
Posted by 27ratrod  -  12/16/2007 03:08 AM
I belonged to one club for years, got burned out and quit. Now I belong to three clubs. I know, that don't make much sense. Two I pay my dues and do the coming events, don't make too many meeting. The third club has no dues,no officers and has one party a year in September, it's Name- 'Dipsticks Rods & customs. I guess for me it keeps me going. Yes I go to the shows with anywhere from 3 to 10 buddies.
Papa John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Warrens, Wisconsin
 
Posted by q1ap  -  12/16/2007 04:53 AM
Been there done that. I was in a club up north for 10 years, always the same people who do and the same that don't, got to political for me. Moved to Florida and any night is a cruise night, been asked to join a few clubs but I'll go to some of the local show's and support the clubs but I'd rather go to the cruise nights instead. When I go to a show I'll ask to pay the admission and just park my car and not be judged, I leave when I want and have a good time.
q1ap [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] St. Augustine, Florida
 
Posted by MUDMANDENNY  -  12/16/2007 02:16 PM
Spent 6 or 7 years keeping my distance from clubs. I didn`t like the structured nature of them and I didn`t think that my work schedule would allow me to a " working" member. I finally joined the Nostalgia Haulers Truck Club four years ago. I served this last year as President. We only put on one event a year, a TOYS FOR TOTS cruise each August. A really laid back group, more into cruising and socializing than anything structured. I also "hang" with a loose group of 6or 8 guys at weeknight cruise-ins. Both are equally as enjoyable.
MUDMANDENNY [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] MCDONALD, Ohio
 
Posted by chopshopcustoms  -  12/16/2007 02:53 PM
I started 3 clubs in my area over the years . Left two when they got too serious- people forgot they were supposed to be fun.

Currently a Prez of a third (Bearing Burners of MA) but the members are all so busy we really dont do 'formal' get togethers- sort of hang together if we go to a show.


The formal club thing lost its appeal a few years back.

Its the cars that brought us all together but the friendships that KEEP us together right?
Lenny Schaeffer / Chop-Shop Customs /Woburn MA [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Woburn, Massachusetts
 
Posted by volvo  -  12/16/2007 06:24 PM
.

I try to support all the local clubs and they don't mind some tag along help. I'm just unable to attend most of their functions of an every weekend busy club to become a full member...H
volvo [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] PNW, Washington
 
Posted by ol bear  -  12/16/2007 07:47 PM
LONEWOLF HERE,,,,,,,,,, OL BEAR
OL BEAR [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] crown point, Indiana
 
Posted by Alf  -  12/17/2007 12:17 AM
Well, I guess my experience must be a little different than most. I helped start a club called the ROAMIN ANGELS. We were just 3 old guys who remembered a club we had in 1962. At first we just met for coffee on Friday mornings at a local resturant. Soon we were joined by a few more old timers who liked to "talk cars" After about 6 months we had our first lady that wanted to join our breakfast group. Soon we over filled the resturant and had to find a place that could hold us all. We found a place and in no time our "group" grew to around 100 ! It was about then that one of our members who was a retired lawyer pointed out that whether we called ourselves a Group or not we were liable for things that could happen during a car show that we hosted or even helped out at. So, we incorporated, elected a president (I was the first) and a steering commitee, bylaws, etc. Today the club is over 200 strong. We are a major contributer to the local charities. We host the biggest car show in the area each September which brings in many,many dollars for our treasurey. Was something lost in our growth? Yes. But it has grown beyond anything we could have imagined back "in the day". There are so many talented people that have come to us because of our exposure. A lot of people ask me what I think of our little club and how it has grown up. I reply that for me, it was more comfortable as a small coffee group. But we have accomplished much more than I had ever imagined. And we have grown to the point that we can take what we want from the club and leave the rest. Something for everyone. So, I would call this club a success.
Lanny Netz [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Grass Valley, California
 
Posted by dixie  -  12/17/2007 12:27 AM
Yea we do have a club if u want to call it that NO nothing just a few guys that hang togeather an work on each others cars 4 guys most of the time its called D/A rod & custom you can probally guess what D/A stands for.Anyone is welcome in this one no rules are anything what so ever.
jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006
 
Posted by Rods & Customs by Leon  -  12/17/2007 01:14 PM
Structured Clubs do a lot of good things, Who knows, I might join one someday, Just havn't found the right one for me.

I like donating things for their benifits when their rasing money for good causes
Rods & Customs by Leon [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Highlands, Texas Charter Member since May 2004
 
Posted by TYCHOOCHOO  -  12/17/2007 02:58 PM
I just joined a club in the last couple of months. Went to 3 outings with them. Out of a club with well over 100 members only 20 show up at events. Not a good showing but then again it's the end of the year up north. Will try it for a year or so and see how it goes. We pay dues and it's structured with all the officers.
Tommy choo choo [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] MT. SINAI, New York Charter Member since June 2007
 
Posted by fitzwell   -  12/17/2007 03:18 PM
yep...the crazyhorse crew, buncha large folks running around in pink tshirts



Still remember the night we walked into an all you can eat seafood place just outside of tyler, in the crazyhorse colors. Several waitress' fainted



Some clubs do good things, some Way too structured, full of themselves, additional agenda, for me.


Leon has a good point. Some of the clubs do great things as far as raising money for a cause, or a rodder down.
normal?? Normal is a cycle on a washing machine [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] benbrook, Texas
 
Posted by mcduff  -  12/17/2007 05:28 PM
I am just thankful that there are clubs that put on the shows and cruisins. I haven't joined a club for fear of structure and feeling guilty if I can't do my fair share. I love going to the shows for a good cause like Metro Burn, Make a Wish, Toys for Tots, Clothe a child and so forth. It's great to just go with friends and BS. I come when I can and leave when I want, but I really do appreciate all the hard work that the clubs do in organizing and volunteering their time. They can take all of the judging and trophies and all of the crap that goes with it and junk it as far as I am concerned. It's nice to just hear someone come up and tell you that you have a nice car and ask a few questions. I can't wait until May now!
mcduff [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Painesville, Ohio
 
Posted by orphans2  -  12/17/2007 06:09 PM
I have belonged to a club since 1999 and it was a great group that did a lot for kids charity ($1 million+ over 12 years). We did a lot of shows including one big indoor show annually. But then internal strife hit, shows were cancelled, people started quiting and then the final straw.. the big annual indoor show was turned over to a for profit business. Then more people left. As of right now I am still in, but come next year, I don't think so. Too many cliques to deal with, and not enough fun. I think I will be a lone wolf for awhile unitl I'm eligilbe to join the D/A Rod and Custom out of Dade City. ;-)
orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001
 
Posted by griff321  -  12/17/2007 07:03 PM
got out of clubs 20 years ago bounced around. joined a local cruiser club two years ago now we rent a local drag strep two times a year have a Lot of fun and we help our local boys and girls club its all good
griff321 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] chesterton, Indiana
 
Posted by 37ford502  -  12/17/2007 07:21 PM
I dropped out of teh "car club" scene after a couple of years after I saw that when our own club held their car shows and cruises, the only people who got trophies were strrangley enough club members. I raised the topic at a meeting and was told to piss-off, so I did. Far too much political BS for my taste in organized clubs. I was always a bit of a loner so put me with the rest of the lone wolves out there.....I don't need to be a part of a pack to feel good about myself or my ride!!!
37ford502 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Clinton, Illinois
 
Posted by fitzwell   -  12/17/2007 08:22 PM
37, you hit the nail on the head..... Couple of "clubs" around these parts did that quite a bit, or would show up at another event & all the members would basically stuff the ballot box for whomever wanted the win. Got those boys a real bad name a good while back. Even after a number of years, a lot of people remember that about them more than any possible good they might have done
normal?? Normal is a cycle on a washing machine [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] benbrook, Texas
 
Posted by tlp1968  -  12/17/2007 08:38 PM
I am a member of this elite group of hot rodders, street rodders and muscle car era folks...they call themselves members of some web site....I think it was StreetRodding.com. :-) oh and there is another club we use for those forms you fill out when you go to shows. My husband and his friends started the group so we could park together- The Flat Black Hoods. Kind of an inside joke only one member really has one. So for those of you who don't have a formal club and don't want the hassle of monthly meetings....you are always a member of The StreetRodding.com club! I am the token old motorhead chick, you pick your own title. LOL
StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003
 
Posted by dixie  -  12/17/2007 11:37 PM
Hey ORPHAN you already belong did u forget???????????
jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006
 
Posted by Rods & Customs by Leon  -  12/17/2007 11:52 PM
Thats funny about the awards, Theres a vett club down here that gives all awards to members only like that.
Rods & Customs by Leon [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Highlands, Texas Charter Member since May 2004
 
Posted by Alf  -  12/18/2007 02:03 AM
Well, I hope I don't sound like I am bragging too much about our club, but I have to give credit where it is due. We had the same problem concerning our members taking a lot of the awards at local car shows, not just our shows but others too. Although there may have been some "ballot stuffing", the fact was that because of our large numbers (in this area) a large number of the entries were our members.

So, the odds were stacked in our favor. We as a club made the decision that the bad impression this presented was not worth it. So we do not except trophys for our cars. We use an entry numbering system that indentifies our members cars and the judges know that we are not part of the program to win trophys. To be sure, some people were upset with this decision, some dropped out so they could qualify for trophys. But by and large everyone agrees that the small sacrifice is well worth it.

If anyone is interested, our club website is: roaminangelsinc.com Take a look, some clubs do work.
Lanny Netz [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Grass Valley, California
 
Posted by cruiser63  -  12/18/2007 02:16 AM
Leon,what you said reminded me of a show/cruise in a friend and i attended here in Columbus hosted by a local club.They were raffling off a nice color tv set. My friend bought a arms lenght of tickets, the seller walked away about 15 feet and no one else came around him or spoke to him, my friend yelled at him and said give me another arms lenght.which he did. SOOO the winner turned out to be one members wife. Well that can happen, right? Except the winning number they so-called drew was the missing number between my friends two sets of numbers..Looked fishy to me. He thought he had won a tv, he was a little upset. I would say it got donated back to the club. Man if you can't trust on your fellow car guys something is wrong. Crossed that cruise off my list, won't support people without principles.
cruiser63 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Plain City, Ohio Charter Member since March 2005
 
Posted by DaveHughes  -  12/18/2007 03:20 AM
I am a proud second generation member of a small car club called The Ramblin Relics of Southern Ohio. They have done some great things for a club so small- One of the biggest ( when I was just a kid) ) was starting a chapter of the dream factory- granting wishes to termially ill children- and helping to finance the begining of the chapter. It is completly seperate from the club now and a Huge success due to some of the original Club members and spouses. We have a Rod Run every year in west union ohio and this year marks the 35th year for it. All proceeds go to charities and we have given away a scholarship for the last few years. It is a great bunch of people with a wide variety of cars that I am happy to be a part of.
DaveHughes [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] seaman, Ohio
 
Posted by cruiser63  -  12/18/2007 04:25 AM
I think we can all agree a club is great if you have the right bunch of guys, I would be proud to associate with the guys and girls on street rod. com. Don't let that statement go to any ones head..lol
cruiser63 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Plain City, Ohio Charter Member since March 2005
 
Posted by 1carguy  -  12/18/2007 06:51 AM
I wasn't suggesting that there was anything bad about being in a club. Just wondered how many were active members. I had a great time being associated with a club. We had a lot of fun, especially when we went on runs or traveled as a group to an out of town show. We were also involved in a lot of very worthwhile charity activities. Clubs are good when the group stays focused on the fun stuff.
1carguy [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Pleasanton, California
 
Posted by orphans2  -  12/19/2007 04:01 PM
The club I'm in never had a problem with awards. From the beginning the rule has been "no member's vehicle is eligible for any award."
Our cars had special cards that told the judges not to judge the vehicle. Some members did not like it but few quit. Those who quit found that they had to be out of the club for two years before their cars could be judged. This policy was well accepted by the registered participants, some of whom had brought their cars hundreds of miles to enter the three day show in winter.

However one of the big problems that hurt the club other than the cliques, was the limited amount of members who would volunteer to work the shows. Same people week in and week out, got old pretty quick. Many members wanted to play, but not pay by shareing the work load. Such is the problem of many clubs where you got your workers and your partiers, and the lines rarely crossed.
orphans2 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Stewartstown, Pennsylvannia Charter Member since November 2001
 
Posted by lost34  -  12/18/2007 05:00 PM
I work 6 & 7 days a week, rotating shifts. it`s difficult to make meetings or club functions. I have not found a club in this area that would be ok with my work schedule. I miss a lot of shows & cruise nites so....... I am a Lone Wolf..........I want to have a good time when I do get out. if someone needs a hand with their car to make it home,I will help as much as possible.
lost34 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Reading, Pennsylvannia
 
Posted by LarryBgone  -  12/20/2007 05:12 AM
I have been in a club for almost 18 years and it isn't the fun it use to be. we started with 11-12 guys and now have over 85. I think the small clubs are best, too much poli-ticking when you get large, everyone loses site of the fact it is suppose to be fun!!!!
LarryBgone [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Cedar Hill, Missouri
 
Back To Top
Please Login or Register to Comment
Existing Member? Sign In.
New Visitor? Click Here to Get Started!
 
Existing Member but forgot your Login Information? Click Here.