What Happen to the Average Rodder?

You all hit it on the head, getting ideas from the high dollar guys and translating them into our low dollar budgets,about two issues back SR did a piece on Paul Wright out of pflugerville, tx., he made a one man ride that looks like an old late twenties/early thirties dirt tracker, that did it for me, I got a 258 six, a T-5, and a Dana 20 rearend, and a ford econoline straight axle, I'm almost there, should be light, fun, and eeeeeeasy on the gas, no chrome or billet, just paint and sweat, like it should be........Randy in Houston  

Man, that's the way to do it, would love to see it when it's finished Randy.

-Ed  

Guys
We go to great lengths to show cars from both ends of the budget spectrum. Pick an issue and go through it and then email me if you think it is biased one way or the other.
Ye ol' editor
B Brennan
brian.brennan@sourceinterlink.com  

I'm quite happy with the mix of rods in Street Rodder.  Most of us are probably doing the same thing... building our own sweat equity vs. paying someone else to work on our cars.  I've seen a ton of owner-built rods that were as good as the work of most professional shops, and it's inspired me to improve over the years, even to the point of tackling sheet metal work on a small scale.

This is fun stuff.  Some may resent the high-dollar guys, but I kind of feel sorry for them.  They are missing out on what I consider to be the best part of rodding... getting your hands dirty, figuring things out, and being able to say "I did that."  
Take my advice... don't take my advice.

I personally think that SRM has a good mix of hi/lo budget cars and technical articles that anyone can use for ideas or as guides.  Not all that many of us can afford a "Fontana assembly" but can make do with what we have an adapt some of the ideas to a stock Chevy 4 or an Ecotec. I also enjoy the humor side of watchibng a certain lady assembling a "King T" while the ohter household roadster is in suspension (The Riz?) and not many other magazines supply as much industry inside information.  That said,and as a self pronounced lo-budget builder, don't change a thing.  

The Hot Rod Girl series is quickly becoming a favorite of STREET RODDER readers.

Hot Rod Girl: Part 1

Hot Rod Girl: Part 2

We will be adding the whole set to the Website, so if you miss an issue you can find it here.  

I am a first time poster to the site. Hi to everyone. Relative to the "big boys" vs those of us who scrimp and save to get pieces for our cars, I have been a saver and buyer throughout my involvement in cars stuff. I am a teacher and, as so, don't have a bunch of disposable income. I have modified, created, traded, and saved for parts of fab work that I couldn't do to get my little ride where I have thought about wanting it for years.
I agree with those who express the feeling that there is a balance between the HIGH DOLLAR cars and those like mine. I think that the heavy hitters create art whereas we create genuine fun -- my vote is for fun. There is a tendency to be intimidated by the shear beauty and creativity of "that which is purchased" but I have gotten many ideas (to start with) from those beauties. Love the magazine and hope that the publishers will give more space to those home built cars - encouraging younguns who want to get started to take the plung and love the ride. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL OF YOU.  
HOW DO I POST MY AVATAR AND ADD A PICTURE?  

You'd have to define 'average rodder' to me for a real answer to your question.  My definition of the 'average rodder':  An individual who makes any vehicle exactly the way they want it.  

My father and I have gone to the Back to the 50's event every single year for the past 15 years.  It has grown from the large 100's to many, many thousands of cars (over 11,000 registered vehicles this year).   We have seen the same car, sold to many different people, every single year.   No matter what, we seem to run into that thing.  They haven't changed a THING on that car as long as I've known, and people still stop and look at it.  It was built by someone, high buck or low buck doesn't matter, that wanted it built their way.  It still clings onto the premise established many years ago that everyone is an indiviual and people build their cars to reflect what they see in the mirror.  

Rat Rod, High Buck Rods, DIY Rods, Customs, whatever.....we need them all in this industry.  The price of fuel is going to drive us insane soon and these cars will be weekend only vehicles because of it.  We need to grasp onto what is, not to what it should be in the future and surely not look into the past at what we think may have been done wrong.  

The availability of buildable cars is becoming more and more scarce with the invention of the car crusher.  If Street Rodding moves in a different direction, we will still stop and look at them no matter what direction they take.  

My father built a car that is in the Turtle Wax top 100 this year - a 1937 Chevy 3 window.  He sold it to the man who drives it now and got recognized in Denver.  He built every inch of that car in his garage over 3 years.  Is it a high buck car that misses the Street Rodder theme?   I don't think so, but I am biased.  You'd have to define high buck for me as well.  We drove it around 15K miles before he decided to start something else and it did great.  I would not consider it a high buck car.  

The average street rodder is everyone who builds what they see, what they want or what they can afford.  Dollars don't factor into the definition.

Street Rodder does an excellent job of informing us about both sides of the spectrum.  I like to look at Foose cars just as much as the DIY projects.  

the avearge rodder is still alive and well..just not as published as those big dollar boys..just look around at you local cruise nights. I agree money doesnt factor in. Average is wherever you are on the money tree.
 My ride (although not finished) is a 31 studebaker 5 window coupe on a 34 ford coupe frame,a 1969 460 Lincoln engine with a 4spd toploader behind it. The lincoln rear axle is in also.I have almost all i need to complete just need time an $$$ for the little things..my budget is $20 a week..and have a total of $3200 so far.
What i would like to see in the mag is a continuance of how to articles that are not only a shop doing a high dollar projects for the rich, but also anyone can do stuff..example...boxing a frame,"z"ing frame,putting in a floor,installing glass and their tracks from scratch(not a kit)or how about installing the metal tubing to replace the wood in a body,adding the interior after the metal tubing is in, articles that the budget guy can do without spending hundreds to do it...
 love the mag and thanks for publishing my "Cardboard Coupe" letters  and pics in 1998-99  

Ya know,its strange how this debate goes on and on,seems like forever. Back in the late fifties and early sixties the debate was sort of the same with one major difference; the "high dollar" cars in the publications and at the shows were being built by the likes of "Roth","Starbird","Barris" and others of similar standing in the hobby. I recall my dad and his buddies talking about what we called show cars back then and the big question at the time was: "is it strictly for show or can it actually be driven?". It was a given that these cars cost buckets of money to build but I don't remember anyone complaining about the exclusivity that this implied. There was none of the bitterness or sour grapes that seems to permeate the debate these days. There was, I believe, a deeper appreciation of the creativity involved in bringing these works of art to completion. I for one was not about to complain about any of it at the time as I was busy building the scale models of these very creations. Look back at the automotive art of those bygone days and try to imagine where we wood be had there not been an: "Ala Cart","Beatnik Bandit" or "Lil' Coffin". As a matter of fact, take a look at how many of these timeless hot rods are being re-created even now. It must be considered also that back in those days; trying to find sources for hot rod parts and accessories was very difficult and nothing like today's "click and pay" world. Many pieces had to be hand made because there was just no place to obtain them. Back in the sixties was when I first heard the term "unobtainium" used to describe to someone what a home-made and chromed part was made from. To say the least, building a car then was a project that most who would undertake to do so, did so with the understanding that it was a task requiring several years to complete. I'm sure that many of the "high end" cars that are being built today are coming from the imaginations of guys (and gals) who would have built them or would have had them built by a George Barris or an Ed Roth in the old days. The difference is only in the availability of the parts and services that are required. I for one see a great deal of creativity in the build styles being employed today which draw incidentally, on six decades-worth of trends in the hobby. I'm currently building a project that was an unrealised dream of my dad's; a 33 Ford 3/W coupe that he got from an old war buddy, and I'm doing most all the work myself just as he did with his other projects over the years. Now if I had the disposable funds that some folks do, I would probably have it built by one of the many reputable shops that exist these days and have it styled using my vision as the pallete. I know that ol'dad would approve either way because he knew that time is money and time invested in a project is in some ways the same thing as money invested. Hands-on is very rewarding in and of itself but remember that many hotrodders are getting up there and time is becoming more valuable. It would have been nice to see dad enjoying the coupe a little before he left us. Wouldn't have been able to put a price on that. As for the never ending debate, I say look for the creativity and imagination invested in a project and not just the dollar value. Sure there's always going to be that one in a hundred guy that writes out the checks to some esteemed hot rod shop for some flavor of the month project with all the latest brand-name do-dads, who expects a two page magazine spread (he can bragg about) as a reward for his depleted bank account; but these cars are easy to spot and are no threat to the trully creative among us. I'll be satisfied with what I've created when I drive it to a meet and that's all that really counts right? Did I say drive it...hmmmm... this could be another debate. Don't get me started.....see you all next cruise
                                         BigPaf  

Hi all,
 New member here. Just my 2 cents. I like the mix here at SR. I am strictly a do it yourself guy and have gotten some good ideas from SR. I am in the process of re-building a 34 ford 3 window that I first built 42 years ago and now have the time to do it better than the first attempt. I am staying with old school theme(except for the Unisteer rack & pinion) and find many neat ideas from both the low buck and high dollar cars featured in SR. Keep up the fine work.

Jack.  

I think there is room for both.  Yes, there are high dollar rods, but they don't see much active duty !!  You can see rods in Street Rodder that are driven regularly.  The two cars on the current issue are regular drivers, seen all over Northern Calif and being driven.  
We will modify and customize and are limited only by our abilities.  Then we need to have someone else who has the ability do it for us.  THEN, we are limited by our budget !!
I'll always build myself whenever I can and budget for those things I can't.  But the budget would never get so large that I would be afraid to drive what I worked and budgeted for !!

Val  
We're Here for a GOOD time,,, Not a LONG time.....

The average Rodder is still alive and kicking. We will never die. Recession just makes us better :-)

Question for most of you:

How many of you are on here for free and are not subscribers fo the paper version?

Just like anything else that we enjoy it costs money to produce.

Been to Vegas lately? How many real freebees did you get there without spending money first?

Buy the mag. enjoy the articles and tell the advertizers that you saw their ad in there when you buy something so that they continue to support our habit...

Mike

www.Customikes.com  
It's only metal, It does not know if it is on a 50 Merc, or on a Lambo. Make it do what you want.

Just read this and also just joined. I`m a low budget builder trying to build a 27 roadsteer. I`m planning on no more than $3500.00 in it. All used refurbished by me parts. I like the high dollar rods but, when a paint job cost over ten grand I feel thats crazy when a rod looks great in flat black.  

I respect what ya'll say about the magazine(s). But It is a fact that the ads pay the bills. We can afford a mag once in awhile. If enough diyers are building and bloging about there projects, then maybe a good site will develope on the internet. Maybe then we builders that do are own fabing and engineering will have a place to compare notes and give examples of, they said we couldn't do, and we already have done it, and it's working. an example, I put a '79 Ford, Ranger front end under a '31 Ford. and it's working. It appears to be a straight axel until close inspection.
Cheap is good, Free is better.