Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't deny anyone their right to spend their money however they please. I also applaude anyone who can snag a living building dream level cars, let alone just plain good drivers. And yes, wealthy patrons have funded the endevours of artists for centuries, which we can all be greatful for.

I still don't llike PT Cruisers at rod runs though!

Gman

I paint cars for a living the fact is that not having the ability to build a nice car doesn't make you a person who just owns a rod.I suck at football but I love it. I can argue plays for hours and how they should be done but i can't do it. Being a street rodder isn't about building it its about loving it. And why should someone spend the money and build it themselves to make a half-A** car because their not mechanically inclined when they can pay me or another builder like me to do it for them nice?

Fad toys. Fad accessories. Fad designer cars to go with all the other designer labels. And if that's not bad enough, a dozen PT Cruisers with chrome cartwheels and fuzzy dice (some with stick-on flames) pull in to a rod run - AAGGHHHHHH!

"Can I have $Xk worth of 'lifestyle' please?" "Would you like that gift wrapped?"

Ca-ching! Speedy Bill's worked that out.

Am I bitter?

hello everyone,

I've been visiting this site for a while and realy enjoy it. I am starting to wonder where I fit. I have a 1930 model A that I am building into a street rod, a 1961 Rambler Classic painted satin black with flames that I bought finished because I liked it. I am doing a frame off rebuild on a 1973 Corvette with upgrades. I bought a nice 1987 Corvette to drive and just got a 2000 Corvette convertable that is a real blast to drive. I have a 1977 Ford truck that has been lifted a total of 7". My wife and I have a problem getting rid of vehicles. We also have our daily drivers that we drive to work. I do all my own work including paint and mechanical and enjoy it very much. I go to rod runs as well as corvette shows and enjoy them equaly. Am I a part time wannebe?

Well guys,

We all just write checks for our cars, one way or another! Some of us spend huge ammounts of money for tools so that we can do it ourselves, and some guys just cut out the middleman. Not everybody has the skills to build their own car, and there are some whose time is more valuable doing other things than thrashing on a car. I am just a stupid old country boy whose time is well spent building my own cars, and this is what I truly enjoy. I don't think any less of a guy who can afford to buy a finished car and in my opinion he is just as much a rodder as we are! In regards to the age of the car, to me this has never been an issue. I do not think that hotrods stop at some magical year, much less 1948! The muscle car rods have just as much appeal as the early model stuff does to me, and the market clearly is moving in that direction. How many ways can you do a 32 ford before you run out of ideas? I think the upsurge in muscle car rods is to some degree, a result of this. A lot of the shift is because of the changing of demographics, and this will continue to change as the years go by. Guys identify with the car that was cool when they were young, and when they get the time or money, they will seek out those cars. If you do not believe this just look at the difference in average age of the owners of these cars. There will allways be younger guys interested in the older iron, but the growth is going to be in the later cars. I like all hot rods from all years, and think that if you seal yourself off in your own little time capsule, you really lose out on a lot of neat stuff! Some of the best known street rod builders are now doing muscle cars, and they all say that they would rather be building 32 roadsters, since they are a lot easier, but the market is demanding them and the demand is really off for early cars. Face it guys, there are a lot of baby boomers coming up on retirement age with huge ammounts of expendable income, and they will be buying cars and not building them for the most part. The days of the average street rodder being a guy who has tinkered with cars all his life, is being replaced to a large extent, with guys wo used to tinker with cars when they were young, and are now looking for something they have missed from their youth while they were out making a living. It takes a guy with a real love for cars to shell out over $100K for a car that he has wanted since he was young!

Regards, John McGraw

Moving on,

.......how about them there tricker treaters last night.....ha ha ha

Personaly,my two cents, wich aint worth bending down and picking them up,is this.....

every one here is right in their own perspective, with out builders there wold not be buyers,without buyers there would not be builders. there would be the guy in the garage or home shop building his car but he would not make a living at it. I am what you might call a very young builder. I am doing it all my self, if I dont have enuf knowlage or experance to get it right, (right being the key word...its only has to be right to me) then I will have to pay someone to doit. now this is AMERICA and we built this country like most want to build their car,with diversafication, not every one being alike,we are all diferent, and it should stay that way, I am a disabled vet and at the ripe old age of 28 ( yeah twenty eight) I have been to batle,scard,stabed,shot at, and temperarly paralized, but I was diferent. I am walking and working on my truck in my spare time. some of us soldiers wernt so lucky. but being diferent is not bad, just diferent. just rember that eveery one of us needs each other one way or another. might not have choped the top if i didnt see someone else doit, or paid to have it done. you might not have your car if someone didnt pay you to build thiers.

I love you all and value your friendship, and faught for your right to build your car the way you wanted ( even if you wanted to build it by pulling out your check book, because it was a realy nice car to see!!! )

thank you all for my money, and hope this gets erased soon, because it is not woth getting worked up over!

thank you,

my two cents (not required),kurt