I know many young rodders and most will never get a chance to do a frame up build, lets face it wether you like pre 48 cars or not you can take, and many do, muscle cars on up (tuners, mini trucks, 4x4's etc) and add horsepower changes and never touch the emtire car, something that you really don't have the privlidge of doing with a pre 48 car due to brakes, chassis upgrades paint & body and interior needs that are a must to actually put it on the road.
Maybe where you are located they are teaching these skills but here in locally finding that out of the mini truck or tuner crowd is indeed a rarity, maybe not impossible but its needed on early cars. We all have seen or owned the '69 camaro with stock body suspension etc with a larger motor in it, calling that a well rounded builder to me, well it isnt, desire doesn't make you have instant skills, many have the desire when young but only years of work translate to a skill set.
I just helped a young guy who graduated from the local automotive class at the vo-tech tune his carb, you know why? His teacher has only drove 1 car with a carb on it, all of he knows is efi, so its not getting taught here!
I agree the 600 hp honda is some form of a hotrodder, but to say he has a full skill set to actually restore or "build" cars in my book is questionable, there is more to rodding than making it only go fast only, thus the reason this site and everyother rod site has different sections other than "engine", my opinion only, just like buyng a new corvette and adding nitrous in my opinion doesn't make you a true rodder, faster than me, yeah maybe. Its not only old cars its just that old cars need more than engines, something the Honda probably never will need, I applaud some on this site who can take newer cars and rebuild the whole car, yeah your right those are rodders, not rodders who can write a check.