Can anybody explain the HOT ROD thing to me please

Outlaws

I'm not really into Porsches. I certainly wouldn't call them hot rods, even if they were a bit racey.
In my defence I did say "I believe" as in I thought I heard it somewhere.

In America everything is a Hot Rod

As I understand it a hotrod in simple terms is 'less weight, more power, wider wheels better handling'. Its probably easier to associate a classic (oval) hotrod with a vintage American hotrod, they've just evolved differently.

The other real reason why people over here can’t tell the difference between a hot rod, a muscle car, and a modified American car is because of organisations like the NHRA (uk version) failing to make any distinction between them for so long.
In the pre internet days any vaguely interesting car turning up to anything would be welcome. So you’d generally have a the largest portion being stock/near stock American cars, a few muscle cars, and the odd hot rod or two. It was hard for the real diehards who only wanted to see dictionary definition hotrods to network and meet up. With the interwebs it can now happen much more easily. The VHRA has 600ish members I think, all with proper authentic pre-49 cars.(in fat so many people own more than one it’s probably about 1000 cars). If you turn up in a muscle car you’ll get told to put in in the car park with the rest of the moderns.
The ‘hot rod scene’ in the uk is really about half a dozen or more subgroups who’ve always been lumped together for various reasons, and it’s only in recent years we’ve really seen some of those groups really come into their own because of the ability to organise and mobilise themselves differently to how things were done previously.

I know nothing of its build. But i would imagine it’s too street rod to be eligible. The tyres alone are enough to exclude it.

Which is where I think VHRA should be considered Trad Rods and something like an AMBR eligible '32 should be considered a Hot Rod, because that picture right there, is a picture of a Hot Rod. Whatever technicalities you want to throw at the term, you put that picture, a 32 Ford roadster, with a big V8, big and littles, some meaty rear tyres, you're looking at a Hot Rod. Now I know the owner probably doesn't have a check shirt and monster turn ups, but they are still a hot rodder*.

As penance for being an argumentative curse word, have this awesome Trad Rod (which is also a Hot Rod)

1934 Ford coupe by bballchico, on Flickr


*The owner of this is Joe Kugel from kugelkomponents.com/ and they might, I don't know them.

I think you'll find sir that this is post-ska second wave pop punk, not post-ska third wave punk.



Yeah I think Traditional Hot Rod is the best definition for them (and I love them very much, and would like to own one). If someone said "what is a hot rod" I'd probably pull up a picture of a 32 Ford High Boy and say "that". Which may or may not be a traditional hot rod, depending on what Google threw up first.

Language evolves, so terms and descriptions do too.

A friend of mine ( a hardcore trad car builder who has passed away ) had a radically modified 1940 Ford that ran at Bonneville and was drag raced.

A late '40s/ early '50s build that was period perfect in every way.

But according to him, it was not a Hot Rod because it was too new.

To him the cut off date was 1935, when the fenders got bigger.

A lot of Hot Rodders/ car builders of his generation used that cut off date.


The way I'd use it is a cut off date of about 1949, to include the fat fender Fords but exclude the Shoebox Ford ( when they stopped having seperate fenders and got smooth sides )

A traditional Hot Rod to me is pretty much how they are defined by the HAMB ( a forum specifically for Trad Hot Rods ).
A Hot Rod built in pre 1964 style, using only parts that were available pre 1964.

A Hot Rod using newer parts is a Street Rod ( although I think you could argue a Hot Rod built in a '70s style using period correct parts is a '70s Trad Hot Rod...)



So the way I see it, my '28 Roadster is a Hot Rod ( Traditional Hot Rod )

When I built it, I didnt use anything newer than what was available in 1960 ( although some newer parts have crept in since then )





And my '32 Coupe is more of a Streetrod ( right on the edge of Trad '70s Hot Rod and Streetrod, because of radial tires, Halibrand wheels, Weber carbs,  AC, seats out of a '70s Fiat, etc...)








Just one guy's take on it all...

Other people will call a fiberglass bodied billet laden Boydster a Hot Rod, and who am I to say they are wrong....


Edit:

To clarify, a Hot Rod doesnt need to be Trad.

It can be more modern, and still be a Hot Rod.

But when it gets niceties like AC, power windows and even things like a 3rd brakelight and a tilt column, its a Streetrod.

( broadly speaking, a Hot Rod is closer to being a racecar, a Streetrod leans more to being a comfortable cruiser)


Again, just the way I see it...