TV: Gearhead show phenomenon

Guys,

Some may think this Lounge material but it goes to the root of what we are about. I am about to become a 40 year old gearhead. I feel I am in between generations if you know what I mean. To my point of posting. Without question, shows like American Chopper, Junkyard Wars, Rides, American HotRod, etc, etc. shows that TV viewership is interested in the craft of building stuff, fixing stuff, and generally cool rides. Why do you think people have a TV appetite for this? Are they wannabes or is this the sign of a ground swell of future gearheads? Do you think people are becoming more interested in rodding and other gearhead stuff, or is this just catering to couch potatoes who couldn't make a monkey wrench work? I ask, because at the same time I have concerns for who will be buying HotRods when the kids who are now 16-26 have disposable income. Who do you think is watching these shows?

It also begs the question: There are tons of great established businesses catering to US around where guys (for the most part) are in there upper 50s and who will they pass the torch to?

I think that these shows are kind of setting the foundation for the next generation of gearheads. I am 16 years old right now and I've been into cars for probaly about 2 years now and it was shows like these that really got me interested in the whole hot rodding phenomenon. I'm hoping to take my interest further and learn much more about custom fabrication and such. I know many other kids from 15- 19 that are also into these shows and these are the next generation hot rodders right here.

Well TC, I could write a whole article about this as I've been talking about it for several years now. There are an awful lot of factors, and variables, that go into a thorough answer to your question. My being at the front end of the Boomers, guys like you are my hope, but further down the age stream I suspect you've already got a good inkling of what could happen.

We'll be getting a micro picture of what will happen over the next few years. If you've ever been around Ford V8er's (the majority of whom are in their late '60's through '70's+ right now), the mostly stock flathead crowd, you'll be aware that they are approaching that point in their life where they (or their widows) need to start clearing out the garage. Motivated either by death or the need to move to a "retirement home", or maybe just general infirmity, they either can't, or no longer want to, play with cars. In the short run, that means that us older guys that can afford them will have a hey day buying up decent vintage tin, and stashes of parts. Depending on how much these guys have salted away, and how quickly their numbers choose (or are forced) to liquidate, will determine the supply and demand factors, thus pricing.

But the "street/hod rod" crowd, as you indicated, are largely in their 50's and 40's right now, and are in much larger numbers. It's hard to predict, but using the V8ers as a model, we're probably 15-20 years away from the "purge" begining. (barring some unforseen outside influence that could shorten that cycle) An early sign will be the gradual failure of the suppliers you noted. It probably won't happen so quickly to be easily perceived by most, but at some point people will begin to wonder "What happened?". Sure, we see some younger guys getting into the older cars, but no where near equal replacement numbers. Look around at the profiles on this site. Most of the guys under 35 have cars from the 70's and 80's, and since they're here, that's what they consider "hot rods". Some of them have been influenced by older relatives and may have an older car, but not much older than the '50's. Likely that's a matter of cost barriers. As they progress in their "careers" and discretionary dollars become more available, if they retain their interest in older cars, they may become candidates to buy what we older guys will eventually have to shed. But again, supply and demand will prevail. Those younger guys will think they're in hog heaven, and us older guys, at least the ones further down the age range, will be bitching about how the bottom has fallen out of the market. Certain "special" cars will probably hold up well, think of the well documented or especially unique cars that pull down the incredible numbers at deals like Barrett-Jackson, but again, that's a very small minority. The discerning collectors for those cars will have a wonderful time as they won't have as much competition forcing prices up. The more "mundane" cars will be in a sort of "free fall". They'll hold some value, but nothing like we see today. The real pieces of crap that seem to pull good money today just because of the demand, will be practically throw away pieces. Steel cars will be much more favored, and will thus command a better comparative price.

There's really much more to it, and the economics of funding an ever more dependant (and "entitlement" driven) societal attitude will be a significant wild card. But I don't believe there's any reason to expect today's younger generation to become excited about our generation's hot buttons in large enough numbers. If they did, it would be a first for human nature.

I think the shows you mentioned are popular for a few reasons...one is that guys like yourself,me and probaly many other on this site watch them becuase they all deal with the stuff that we do&enjoy building something with our hands,i even watch monster house it dosent have anything to do with cars but i like watchin guys build anything!even a extreme house:LOL:

Then you have a percentage of viewers that watch those shows not becuase they know anything about them but becuase the shows popular so they have to "fit in" by watching them.

Plus have you noticed that there isnt anything on regular prime time TV thats worth watching! so the discovery chan has the only things on that are worth watching right now.

I think the shows like american hot rod,amer chopper,monster garage,etc.... will help to get the younger generation involved with the rods/muscle cars so the classics will survive another generation.

i have a problem with these shows because i know some of these builders . and they are trying to pull the OCC style out to make their shop intersting . i dont want to see a owner be a di#khead . i want to see builders . i dont want to see a camera hound . i want to see a true fabricator .
and what is it with jesse james , this guy i so anti big business , so rebel , bulls#$t , he is in walmart , autozone , sandra bullock .
( it was on the cover of enquirer ,my wife had that ) i am thinking SELLOUT !!!! now dont get me wrong , i dont blame him for taking the $$$$ , but dont act like a outlaw , i refer to this like a hells angel wearing ralph lauren .
and on the subject of where are the younger builder, owners , you dont have the time for me to get started on this !!!!

I agree with Kennyd for the most part, I, too, know some of the people involved with these shows, and what the shows project is not neccesarily the way the people are in real life. I think they are trying to copy the sucessful patern of OCC. I have to disagree with Streets. I have been streetroding since back in the 1960's, built my first streetrod in 1967, a blown T-Bucket, was in drag racing and had a lot of extra parts, etc. therefore I was running a blower on the street back at a time when there werent a lot of them seen on the dragstrip in this part of the country. But anyway getting back to Streets comment, back in those days there were no mfg of neat and safe street rod parts and components, therefore we were faced with adapting junkyard parts and/or doing our fabrication, altho I was as good as any at this, I have built many cars back then that I wouldnt want to drive 5 miles today, because they werent all that safe or well engineered as todays standards, back then we were concerned with making them go fast, first and foremost, today our first conerns are/should be safety. But, anyway, I welcomed the entrance of the big money people, because of them, overnight, there seemed to be companys starting up and spending money and time in research and development and making safer and better parts and components available to the little guys, like myself, as well as the rich guys. While I am here on this subject I will add my 2 cents on this age old subject of guys with big money buying their streetrod. Make no mistake I am for it because I realize not everyone has the talents or the equiptment, etc to build their own car, but if they have talents in other areas and are able to afford one I feel they have the right to be proud of and enjoy it as much as someone like myself, and further more its those people that I am able to sell cars that I build, therefore allowing me to have money to put into my cars. I say more power power to them and hope they continue to do so therefore securing the future, in part, of our sport by keeping mfg on the ball coming up with newer and better components, and making them readily availabe to the little guys like us. Boy I know I am gonna catch h__l over this one, but thats ok, I'm a big boy I can take the heat, bring it on! Jack

:HMMM EXcuse me- Just had to repond.
Interesting post and great threads guys. Old gear head in my late 60's, I totally agree with all. Attitudes and perceptions? TV promos. and banter, no way. Let me listen to a guy with ideas that are backed up with skinned knuckles and affirmative hands on experience, along with engineering skills. Hope the innovations of next generations are as meaningful to them as ours were to us.

Now if I could just get that d--- GameBoy out of my grandson's hands!! Ugh

very well put 32, i aslo agree on the part of checkwriters , i cannot build a nuclear submarine so i dont try , i know there are pepole who specialize in that !
i love checkwriters they allow me to afford to build more cars . if they were not there, there would not be 10% of the rods on the road today !
there are not many pepole who can build a car , when i say this i mean BUILD a car , NOT ASSEMBLE A CAR . i mean build it , safe , clean , looks , function .and do all the work themself . and not use a professional shop of some sort , paint , body , interrior, wiring, motor, trans .

Guys let me clarify myself on the new TV shows, I, personally dont like all the bitchin, gripeing and soap opera tactics etc, but I realise thats what appeals to the general public and the TV production companies go for large numbers, this is good in the respect that the shows will attract many people whom do not even own a streetrod or bike and in turn may get interested in and eventually buy one. I personally like them all, streetrods, classics, hotrods, bikes etc, if its got wheels and an engine and goes rummmmm rummmmm I like it. Of course Streetrods are my first and foremost love. But we too should be concerned with large numbers. When the government hits your state with Bills to make our sport illeagle, then you will appreciate the large numbers of people fighting the government with you. Many voices make more noise than a few. The younger generation is into to the ricers, it may be because they prefer them or it may because they cant afford a rod, whatever the reason they should not be shunned or alienated because of the type of car they drive, afterall they are no diffrent from us in their love for cars. If we welcome them in and treat them with respect now, perhaps some day they will be the ones to carry the torch when we are no longer here. I can remember when I was young, I too was an outcast because of my passion for hotrods, the oldtimers would say there comes a crazy kid in and old junk hot rod, gonna run over somebody with that thing, they outta put them off the road. Any of you oldtimers ever hear that one, betcha have. But anyway we survived it and too will the young kids of today survive. Jack

Not to worry Jack, you probably have more support here than you know. Here's an older thread where we delved into your ideas along with some others. http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...ighlight=snobs

kenny, finally got my GG yesterday, saw your latest ride in the Intro ad.:3dSMILE:

Thanks Bob for the support. Speaking of the Goodguys Mag check out page 30 they only got the back of my red 32. Whazz up GG the front looks better, oh well maybe next time. Jack

Some excellent point from both sides. Are the check writers good for hot rodding?? You bet they are, more involvement in our sport has got to be better. Why else would the so-so rods be bringing 20k, and the top of the line units netting 100k plus?? The trickle down effect kicks in here and all of us can maybe break even at least when we decide to sell today's toy and start on a new one. This does not mean that I have to like the guys in the cookie cutter billet rods, but I do respect the quality and innovation that the builder put into it.

Bob, as always, made some excellent points. Isn't the business of hot rodding subject to the same cycles as everything else. Be it a 7 or 10 year cycle, we've seen the corvette/exotics market do this for years and I would expect the hot rod market to follow the same pattern. "Buy low, sell high" is an influence, as well as the yuppies jumpin on the bandwagon and buying up cars for the sole purpose of following the trend. When these folks move on to some other expression of status, those of us who have been here will still be here and the price of done units will fall like a rock.

Are the TV shows an infomercial and a sell out?? You bet they are. But if somebody offered me that kind of money to "put on a show" I think I would probably cave too. Everyone has their price.

As Kenny said, there are not many of us left who can (or bother) to build our own from concept to completion. I do swap out work with a friend for the upholstery, just never could get the hang of the needle and thread stuff. It is very easy to just pick up the phone, order the parts, and assemble a car. I don't mind taking the big checks from people when I do it. But my own stuff has never been viewed as "trendy" or "cookie cutter". Usually more like "look what the over the hill hippy lookin' dude is buildin now". I am not an artist, so building a car for me is the closest I will ever get too artistic expression. I also have the standard sign in the shop,"I have two speeds, if you don't like this one, you certainly won't like my other one". Too me, the fun of the build is just as good as the cruizin when it's done.

Anyway, that's enough from me. I will get off the soapbox and leave it to someone who has a mind that still functions.

yes dave , i agree i have a price and its cheap .
bob and to anyone looking for wheels , intro is one hell of a wheel company , 3 weeks for wheels , good price and dave nace who is thier vendor is a great person .
they used my blue and silver car in last years ads , and the new one in this years ads .

Terrific responses so far, and Bob I will read the thread you linked in sometime today. I want to add a little color into why I ask this.

Although my hands and arms seem to constantly get skinned when I work, I am by no means a fabricator :D. That said, I recently finished "assembly" of an aluminum Cobra replica and when I first got it, I thought I would have a "pro" cut the holes in the fenders for the sidepipes, and weld up the exhaust. I thought, why the heck don't I just spend the money on the tools I need and do it myself. I both cut the exhaust holes out in some damn pricey aluminum, and I also welded up the exhaust. I can now stand back and be darn proud of both those things.

My real driver behind this thread is that I am very interested in becoming part of a business that specializes in building hi-po Ford motors and now starting to branch out in 50s era Hemis. My concern is, am I basically building my next career on something akin to the next "buggy whip" business. In my mind, there will always be a demand for engine rebuilds, and once you know how to machine a motor and assemble one. My thoughts are that should market driver dictate the need to switch to building another type (Ricer motors as a worst case :CRY: ), you have to learn the intricies of each one, but the root talent is the same and will always be needed.

I do have hope, even though people like Jesse may have "sold out" that these shows are the spark for the next generation to get into what we love and do.

Well TC there's probably good news/bad news. What you're contemplating is no different than any other prospective business person/entrepreneur. Projecting market need, number of current suppliers, availability of raw material, and what it takes to keep up with evolving market demands. That last point is the key to long term (whatever that means) survival, and is what normally "kills" a good number of businesses. I offer Polaroid as a classic example. At one point in time they represented a unique product that swept the marketplace. Eventually a different product came along to displace it (digital cameras) that offered many of the same benefits, plus many more. Polaroid is now nearly extinct because they didn't evolve sufficiently. BTW, for those that lament the turnover of jobs in various industries, this is a microcosm of what goes on in our economy all the time, it's just that in election years this dynamic is politicized to complete distortion. I digress.

The gearhead shows are an interesting phenomenon. We have a wealth of choices now. Speed Channel has just released at least four more shows that have a similar format. Not all aim at rods, but do target enthusiasts of various stripes. This is one of the benefits of cable TV. As many have pointed out in other threads we've had on this, these shows are a better choice for us than a lot of the pap the networks offer up. But I think that our thoughts on it building a large base of new enthusiasts is ill founded. It's similar to the mistake of most advertising. Ad firms sell their advertising content, and marketing media (radio, TV, print ads, etc.) based on view count..............not on actual sales. It's assumed that the more views the more sales. A real shotgun approach. Sure, some extra sales will be made if there is a major blast, even a dead fish will go downstream, but will it be cost effective while stimulating additional consumers. Likewise in measuring the growth of vehicle modification based on total viewership for these shows. I would suggest that the viewership is a lot like the crowds at a local car show, especially an outdoor, no entry fee, venue. A lot of those people have a passing interest in the cars. They admire the glitze, or the style, or perhaps the promise of outrageous performance. It may tickle some of their fantasies, but it's pretty unlikely that they will be stimulated to acting on those fantasies. Yes, some small percentage of them will be moved to participate, but not a number near as large as the attendance whole.

Now, I'm not trying to be totally negative here. Your stated objective could "easily" succeed, especially within a 10-15 year horizon. Particularly if you pay attention to electronic management systems. But it will take your marketing whatever you're doing effectively. Potential customers will need to be aware of you and what you do. You'll need to convince them you do it better than your competitors. And, if you want to be profitable, you'll need to convince the customers of the VALUE of your product, not just price competiveness (again, a point missed by most businesses). If you choose to bridge the market, i.e. Ford V8s, and rice shooters, that will take two distinct marketing streams (Edelbrock for instance is doing just this). The logistics of what your product/service is/are is the easy part. Marketing it effectively is the challenge.

This is a great post. I'm one of those in there 60's group and all my rides have been built from junk yard parts. I'm not condemiing those who buy rods if they have the money, or they don't have the know how. I'm like alot of older and younger generation who has skinned many knuckles trying to unscrew something that doesn't want to be unscrewed. I personelly like the shows, but they go into to much detail on every little thing. You can build a nice rod without spending many,many thousands of dollars. I don't particularly like the newer 80's and 90's so call rods, but if I was brought up in todays world, thats probably what I would be driving.

WOOOOOOOOOO NELLLLY. i think someone hit a nerve , streets i dont think he was implying you build crap , i think it came out in a different way than said.

Thanks Kenny. Kenny is right I didnt mean that you or anyone else built junk, the point I was trying to get across is the fact I welcome all the new technology that has been introduced into the sport since the early years, I, personally, feel that it has greatly helped our sport in many ways, it has made it a lot easier for the novice builder to build a car that is much safer and reliable than was possible in the old days. I, myself, take advantage of the new technology that is available to me, and I am able to build a much better car now, than in the old days, and I can do it in less than half the time than in the old days. Streets, that is one of the unique things about our sport that I so much enjoy, everyone has has diffrent likes and dislikes, and everyone is encouraged to build or buy a car of their likeing, there are no carved in stone rules that say say everyone has to do the same thing. Indivualaity, thats what makes it great. In saying that the early cars which I built were not safe is not exactly correct, wherein I logged many many miles on those cars and have never , to this date, had an accident of any kind in any of them, but compared to todays standards and technology they rate way down toward the bottom of the scale. And I will be the first to admit that. Now Streets are you gonna tell me that the cars built back in the 50s and 60s and even into the 70s had the same degree of safety and technology built into them as the cars being built today, no way. Again, I apologise to anyone whom thought I said they built junk. Boy, I knew this was coming, but thats one of the few great things we have left, to a degree, freedom of speach. Jack

Streets, in going back a looking at you last post, there are a couple of things which I failed to comment on. As far as going to the junkyard and buying a mustang II front end and installing it, there is nothing at all wrong with that, but that technology was not made available to us until some of the early streetrod mfg brought it to our attention, therefore confirming one of statements from earlier. And as for Rat Rods, I happen to like Rat Rods, and they can be built using todays technology and engineering also, because they dont look new and shinny, dont mean they have to unsafe and unreliable, wouldnt you agree. Jack

When I was a kid, I built my own out of nessesity. I didn't have the money to buy. I went to the junk yard and spent many Saturday mornings just walkin' around lookin' fer stuff that would work. Junk yard owner (Rolly Perkins) always got a kick out of my exploits. I would pick up maybe 2 er 3 things, set 'em in front of the shop and he'd say' sumpthin' like "au, jus' give me 5 bux' fer' all of it", He'd kinda' laugh at me and I would be on my way back to the shop to see if I could make the stuff work.
Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I can still work the better part of a Saturday on a part that (If you could find it) could be "bought" a lot easier and probly' cheaper.
I don't watch a lot of TV, I'd rather be doin' sumpthin'. I do think tho that any show that keeps cars and car building in the public eye "is a good thing" if I may quote Martha.:LOL: :LOL: **)