Thread: Looking to build an iconic 32 Hi Boy

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Re: "overdone", yeah, it's really hard not to be doing something that isn't "cookie cutter" to one degree or another. Just by starting with a '32 roadster you box yourself in. Not saying that's necessarily a bad thing...............it just is what it is. It would normally take some long cash, a lot of time, and some special design talent to create something that's genuinely "different", and not trashy at the same time.

Not wanting to pry or contribute to morbidity, if you need to build a legacy car for your children you should build something that reflects who you are in their eyes..................and in reality, anything you do that brings you and them joy will get that done. And if you're facing a relatively limited time line, you don't want to get too complex.

The answer to your flexibility question would still require you to get some familiarity with the "era" representations out there. But I'll give it a shot. What some people build today that they believe is representative of the '40's/'50's, often falling in the catagory of "rat rod", are cartoon characterizations of reality. Yeah, there were some poorly built junk mobiles in the day, but there were also some very well constructed cars. It all depended on the builder's talent, vision, and to a degree, wallet, as well as his commitment to a quality standard. Imagine that! Not really too different than today. There's a fine line between someone who replicates the "old" look, but with good build standards, and someone who thinks that taking a counter-culture, "rebellion" mentality, against "slick" rods, gives them a license to build a piece of junk.

A car that can move from era to era in appearance with pretty much a wheel/tire change, and maybe some other "cosmetics" is the kind of versatile car I'm referring to. As an example in the other way, 10-15 years ago folks were building to the end of a trend that entailed pastel paints and sometimes slashy graphics. As the "trends" shifted these folks were caught with a tightly defined style. Some tried to make a shift by putting on red wheels and wide whites, but they still had the sculpted tweed interior and the fucia paint. Looked too forced. Now, that versatility usually means the basic colors are your choice; black, red, maroon, darker shades of blue, that sort of thing. No wild graphics that are pretty '80's, no black fenders on tan bodies which are very '70's, just the "basics". On the flip of that is the argument that that style of car is "boring". My contention would be that tight workmanship will always be appreciated, and that standards of design become standards because they have the widest appeal. So you pick your audience, and you please yourself. This whole thing is about building something that is meaningful to you, something that fulfulls a dream, or stimulates pleasant recollections of real or imagined days gone by. Another example would be a car I "revised" a few years back. It had been built in the early '80's, but to the resto rod style of the '70's (another guy who caught the end of a trend). It had knock off wire wheels, sat too high (by recent standards) and was two tone. The upholstery was a nice leather in a semi stock pattern, the paint was still good, and the build quality overall was very good. I did some detailing on the engine, changed the look with some "period pieces. I lowered it, changed the wheels and tires, and painted the fenders and such to match the main body section. Viola! I had a ride that fit right in with the swing to "nostalgia".

As for my predicting the next "big thing", I'm not sure I have that crystal ball. In 1990 I started building a car with late '50's early '60's themes. It would be easy to say I was clarvoyant and anticipated where we've come to today, but in reality, though at the time it was off pace for then current themes, I just felt the need to do something like I would have liked to have built in 1962 if I'd had the experience and wallet I had gained, but with stuff that was available then. Turns out I wasn't very unique in that notion as there are probably 10,000 cars out there like that built in the last 15 years. A lot of us "boomers" were having the same "epiphany". What's next? Ain't got no clue! If history really does repeat itself the next recycle should be the restorod. Basically an old car with all the stock trim pieces, stock looking upholstery, and two tone paint in muted earth tones. After all, that's what followed in the '70's after the style of car that's "in" now cycled through. (Remember, you read it first here! ) The motivator would likely be guys who did rods in the '70's "reviving" the old car that got them going in the first place. But who really knows.

As for the steel body heavier, that's not really an issue. In fact, some glass bodies outweigh the steel ones. There's really no heavier build requirement for steel. If anything, glass would need a more rigid platform to avoid stress cracking (which is not really possible in a roadster).

As for the market shrinking..................don't bet against it. As an example, the recent Barrett-Jackson auction shows what happens. In it's early days they featured a lot of early (pre-WWII) cars, with the emphasis on luxury. Over time they have shifted to a heavy emphasis on muscle and rods. Why? Because that's where the money is. The "boomers" are in their financial prime, and the older guys who liked the stuff that was hot auction material 20 years ago are ancient or dead. Now, that's not to say that high quality pieces from that time aren't still of interest to some collectors. But their numbers have reduced significantly. Today, the million dollar Duesenberg is more likely to be bought by a museum for perpetuity, rather than the well-to-do hobbyist who remembers seeing that lovely, long, luxobarge cruising down his home town's main street when he was delivering his newspapers. Quality cars will probably always have some kind of enthusiast. But the ordinary ones (think stock Model T for instance) will have lost their audience. There's no reason to believe that what's hot in rodding today will defy the laws of supply and demand. What's hot today is what appeals to "boomers" because it recalls their youth. Sure, there will be a few younger folks who will be interested in what their dad liked and will seek out those cars, but because there will be far fewer of them they'll have the luxury of choice. They'll go for the best piece they can afford, and since there'll be an oversupply, the poorer quality stuff will have to be sold by the widow/estate at a serious discount. Today's young people will be nostalgic for what was current in their youth. I know it's hard to imagine that someone 20-30 years from now will be excited to find a Honda Accord packed away in a garage with only 25000 miles on the odo, but it will happen. Just like some old timers find it hard to imagine a Baracuda convertible selling for $3 million today. Hemi? What's a Hemi?

BTW, we're not talking in the next 5-10 years. It'll probably take a bit longer, more like 20 or so. Again, looking at history, we boomers will fade from the scene when we hit our 70's. As more of us pass, the "oversupply" of our kind of cars will gradually increase. With that, the support will gradually decrease. Not over night, gradually. But it will happen.