Thread: Last trip to nats?

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Just got back from Super Chevy in Indianapolis. Nothing "super" about it; the whole thing got rained out and cancelled Saturday morning. We watched a little of the time trials Friday night but some guy blew his engine and got oil all over the track. Thay said it would be a while so we figured we'd come back Saturday morning and watch the racing all day but it never stopped raining so they called off the whole weekend. 4 1/2 hour drive for nothing.

(QUOTE)Its not a "street rod"... Its a 50's custom.

I think hotrod57 means to say "street rod" where he is saying "hot rod". The NSRA is the National STREET ROD Association. By their own definition a street rod is a pre-49 modified vehicle. It says nothing about "hot rod".(quote)



I also had a set of terms that had been defined for decades. As I have talked to younger guys on the net, I find that those terms are no longer "chiseled in stone".

They were things like:
Hot Rod = prewar (WW2), ...and street rod ...and muscle car ...and custom ...and others.

Today things are changing. Fiberglass bodies are now frowned on by many, though, as a 40+ year bodywork guy, I prefer them (on very practical grounds). Putting a Chevy engine in a non-Chevy is frowned on,though it was the first choice for thousands of builders for many decades (and for good reasons). We never had primer as a first choice for paint, but now young builders think we all did. We were thrilled to go to better tires, get rid of those shakey wire wheels, put a nice interior in the car, would rather stay home than put an inline engine in a hot rod, and a few dozen other changes in the hobby, but now I am finding that things are being redefined, and they don't care if us veterans approve or not.

My only response to this is, I just want people to continue to enjoy modifying cars their own way, like we did.

Besides that, I am learning that NOTHING... EVER... stays the same!

Well, my opinion and your opinion don't really count for squat. The opinion of the NSRA is th only one that matters.....

Only 2 choices, go along with the decision of the NSRA and welcome the new members and their cars, or quit the organization..... A few dissenting opinions and a petition or two will never take the place of the revenue generated by welcoming more and unique cars to the NSRA.....

Goodgus have done very well with their organization, why won't NSRA proceed along the same course and have equal success?????

More cars involved means more people involved, bigger and better shows will be the result!!! Now if NSRA would incorporate a few other changes, maybe like the Super Chevy and Ford shows, and hold them at a drag strip so we can see who has the go and who has the show..... Plenty of room for both at an event, and I certainly don't see any reason not to welcome new Hot Rodders to the events....

Guess I'm still waiting for someone to tell me WHY the new rules instituted by the NSRA will be so bad?????

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Well, my opinion and your opinion don't really count for squat. The opinion of the NSRA is th only one that matters.....

Absolutely correct. However this decision may effect their bottom line it represents a major paradigm shift in the organization. It will undoubtedly bring in some new members but will alienate those members who joined the organization because of what it was... not what it will become.

Perhaps it would have gone down easier if the NSRA had actually polled its membership or sent out a survey, but they didn't. The never asked a single member and to cover their butts the leadership is lying about it. They lie in person when questioned and they lie in print... (Street Scene editorial last month). This alone makes me question why I would want to belong to an organization that treats its members this way and I have to ask why anyone would want to belong anymore.

GoodGuys at least has some common sense limiting their shows to the muscle car era, but 30 years and older makes no sense whatsoever.

Hey, I gotta ask a couple questions again:

1. Nobody wanted to address the issue of "pre-'49" being applied to a 2009 glass body on a 2009 frame with a 2009 drivetrain??????

2. Guess I'm still waiting for someone to tell me WHY the new rules instituted by the NSRA will be so bad?????

With all the outside pressures and do-gooders trying to get Hot Rods regulated out of existence, it's time for all of us to present a united front to preserve our sport and end all of these different factions working against each other!!!!! Wally Parks and his buds came along and saved Hot Rodding from extinction once.....doubt there's anyone around to do it again if all we are is a bunch of different little groups....... What could possibly be a POSITIVE outcome of one group trying to exclude the others????

Also, like Iceburg said.... Want to keep going to events and visiting with all the vendors???? Tell ya what, they aren't going to show up for 1,000 prima donnas from any group!!!!! Ask some of the vendors what it costs to set up at an event, it'll scare you!!!!

Nothing wrong with exclusive little clubs as long as theirs somebody there to pay the bills!!!!!

[QUOTE=Dave Severson;357381]Hey, I gotta ask a couple questions again:

1. Nobody wanted to address the issue of "pre-'49" being applied to a 2009 glass body on a 2009 frame with a 2009 drivetrain??????

2. Guess I'm still waiting for someone to tell me WHY the new rules instituted by the NSRA will be so bad?????

We have a 2005 glass body on a 2005 frame with a 2006 dirve train. "ALL" the major componets for the 32 glass car were purchased at rod events like tha nats.

The NSRA would not have stirred up a hornets nest if they had 1. Actually asked the members or 2. Used some reasonable year cut off instead of floating year that keeps increasing each year. In 20 years my wife's Prius will be elidgble or 3. Changed the other events and left the nats alone.

I have been to the nats for the last 5 years. When you have 11,000 to 13,000 cars at this event there is not a lot of additional parking. I admit you could get maybe a couple more thousand cars parked but I am betting attendance will remain about the same.

I am going to follow your advice. I plan on letting my membership expire in 2010 and forget it. I think this is a great opportunity for club sponsored events like the back to the fiftes in MN.

Originally Posted by guilld

......I am going to follow your advice. I plan on letting my membership expire in 2010 and forget it. I think this is a great opportunity for club sponsored events like the back to the fiftes in MN.

Exactly!!!!

Originally Posted by guilld

I am going to follow your advice. I plan on letting my membership expire in 2010 and forget it. I think this is a great opportunity for club sponsored events like the back to the fiftes in MN.

If MSRA ever goes to later than 67 at BTT50's I am out, (club accepts anything newer,even NO car at all) We have attended all four days since '81. The BTT50's is WAY over crowded now. One big traffic jam inside AND out. NSRA was done for us when the St Paul Nats ended. (NOT their fault,city of St Paul got greedy). Its no good use for us as we never leave the state (health issues) and MSRA handles our legislature. NSRA does not. Everything good that pertains to us in MN has already been done by NSRA long ago.
Talking about cry babies For years newer car owners (post 49) have been whining about "Let US in". Well ,Join or start your own Street Machine/Muscle car associations and start your OWN nats then. Why do people always have to try to force in where they do not belong? Want to be a hotrodder/street rodder? (pre 48) BUILD one and stop telling us your 1981 Monte or 1967 4X4 Pu POS is a steet rod, its NOT!
Attend a Car Craft Nats and see what late models bring to the table besides money Over loud cars and booming thumping music, half naked young ladies, drunks, 4x4 trucks and assorted POS. Many people who are into the earlier pre49 cars including me are the 50's to early sixties crowd who do not want that atmosphere. I've been a member of MSRA since '81, rodding since 68' + played around before that. I like the later cars do not get me wrong (In fact I am looking for a 61-70 car right now. But I will attend where I fit in as I should. Will I demand to be let in to BTT50's? Not on your life. Will I still attend the 64 and earlier BTT50's? YOU BETCHA! JMO

Originally Posted by Dgas56

If MSRA ever goes to later than 67 at BTT50's I am out, (club accepts anything newer,even NO car at all) We have attended all four days since '81. The BTT50's is WAY over crowded now. One big traffic jam inside AND out. NSRA was done for us when the St Paul Nats ended. (NOT their fault,city of St Paul got greedy). Its no good use for us as we never leave the state (health issues) and MSRA handles our legislature. NSRA does not. Everything good that pertains to us in MN has already been done by NSRA long ago.
Talking about cry babies For years newer car owners (post 49) have been whining about "Let US in". Well ,Join or start your own Street Machine/Muscle car associations and start your OWN nats then. Why do people always have to try to force in where they do not belong? Want to be a hotrodder/street rodder? (pre 48) BUILD one and stop telling us your 1981 Monte or 1967 4X4 Pu POS is a steet rod, its NOT!

I agree!!!!! I am out of the NSRA at the end of 2009 also!!!! streetrods are '49 & older!!!!

I find it interesting that most of those with 1949 UP vehicles are for the " change " and most of us with pre 49 vehicles are not.

The younger guys ( and older ones with the newer stuff ) WANT IN.
Some vendors like it ( ones who sell generic type stuff ... not year specific. )
This will most likely be my last trip to the Louisville NSRA Nationals. I am not driving 550 miles one way to see a bunch of late model stuff that I can see for free at a parking lot cruise-in night.

4 or 5 nights in the host motel, fuel up and back ... added to eating out 3 meals a day for my wife and I ... adds up to around $1500. Too much money ... to see a bunch of non street rods.

As far as the new fiberglass body/ reproduction vehicles with no parts over 3 or 4 years old ... At least they LOOK like a old car. Both of mine are Henry Ford steel ... but I have no real issue with the plastic replicas ( with the exception of Street Beasts ... because they DO NOT look like a old car to me ... )



I have been a NSRA member longer than a lot of the " posters " here have been alive. I am a lifetime member and my NSRA number is in the very, very low 2 thousand range ... so I have been there and done that ... for a long.

I do understand that NSRA might need to do something ... because a lot of the NSRA faithful are getting up in age ... dying off and some are just not driving a long distance in their street rods anymore. I could easily live with a 50 year sliding rule. Next year the 1960 models would be eligible. 1961 ... the next year and so on.

I believe NSRA has shot themselves in the foot. As a example ... The Shades of the Past run was a pre 1949 event. It drew 3,000 to 3,500 vehicles ... regularly. About 5 or 6 years ago they opened it up to 1964 vehicles. The count went DOWN. What do they do?? They open it up to 1972 ... and the count still goes down further.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out ... I have been told that GoodGuys car count has also been down ... due to over exposure ( too many GG events ) and the current economy. The late model owners are not as dedicated as the NSRA guys. A vendor friend told me that he sells about 60 to 70 percent dollar wise at a Good Guys event compared to a NSRA event with comparable car counts. He said the GG Columbus event sucked ... and they he lost money ... after figuring road travels expense, GG vendor expense and the 60/70 per cent buying

I can tell you what it cost as a large vendor at the Nats with a crew of 4, truck, trailer food,lodging , flights and extras. It will cost us about $18-20k
The smaller NSRA shows or anything that is 3-4 days with 3000 cars you are looking at about $12k. Not cheap so more customers we get our product n front of the better off we are

Iceburgh, you still with Meguiars? I haven't seen ya at any shows I've been to this year... (York, Carlisle, Columbus)

Hey, how 'bout those Pens?

Originally Posted by joeybsyc

Iceburgh, you still with Meguiars? I haven't seen ya at any shows I've been to this year... (York, Carlisle, Columbus)

Hey, how 'bout those Pens?

Still there... York and Columbus I was in Carlisle for other shows. Carlisle the guys said you were there but I must have been out walking around. Most of my shows have been at Carlisle in the summer this year. Also have done a few GG shows this year that I typically dont do. The schedule has been all new this year. It is nice to see different shows
I was at game 7....it was like being in heaven

Originally Posted by iceburgh

I can tell you what it cost as a large vendor at the Nats with a crew of 4, truck, trailer food,lodging , flights and extras. It will cost us about $18-20k
The smaller NSRA shows or anything that is 3-4 days with 3000 cars you are looking at about $12k. Not cheap so more customers we get our product n front of the better off we are

For generic parts maybe, for "street rod specific" parts maybe not.

69 Camaro guys aren't going to be buying early ford sheetmetal and chrome.

If anything, it may dilute the target audience for a particular product.