Thread: future of streetrodding

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Look, we've all seen those cars and laughed at them. But those are the cheap add-ons. There are some of those cars that are fast! When you can get a four-door Subaru that will run high 13's off the showroom floor, you have to be careful who you pick at a Stoplight Grand Prix.

Those coffee can mufflers are kind of the equal of all those traction bars and other crap that did nothing back in the '70's. The only reason we didn't have monster tachs on our cars back then is that they weren't available. We had those smaller Sun tachs and Stewart-Warner was state of the art. Hi-tech in stereo was a reverb.

We are what we are raised with. In the '60's, an economy car was a Valiant, a Falcon or a Chevy II. These cars all had V-8's available and were cheap. V-8 cars were plentiful and a fast car was an engine swap away.

Today, the cheapest V-8 car is $20,000 Mustang. V-8's are still resonable plentiful (from trucks), but what do you put them in? For the last 25 years, cheap cars are FWD and 4 and 6 cylinder. In 99% of the cases, V-8's won't fit.

Growing up I had a '75 Monte Carlo, a '67 Chrysler 300, and a '75 Ford Mustang II with a 302. My first new car was a '86 Escort GT, and my second new car was a '89 Taurus SHO. The SHO is probably the fastest car I've ever had (faster than my 440 CI Chrysler) had it had a top speed of 142 MPH (I saw 135 once before backing off).

I prefer RWD to FWD, but having had both, I don't look down on them (FWD). If you ran 12's or 13's in the '60's, '70's, or early '80's, you were fast. You can buy cars that tickle 12's right off the showroom floor right now (Viper, Corvette, Mustang Cobras) and others that will run 12's all day with bolt-on parts (Camaros, Firebirds, Neon SRT-4, supercharged Grand Prix's, Regals and Impalas, Dodge Ram SRT-10's, Ford Lightnings, GTO's, etc.). Some are FWD.

Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas are part of the landscape and have been for the last 25 years. Some are extremely fast (Z-cars, RX-7's, S2000's, NSX's, Sentra SE-R's, Celica Supras, etc.) and some are not. Some are RWD and most are not. Cheap and dependable? Absolutely. These are the cars this generation have been raised with. When the dad has a Maxima and mom is driving a Civic, what do you expect if this is what they are exposed to.

The snobbery can be ugly. Yes hot rods, in the old school ideal, are cool. Yes, musclecars from the '60's are cool. Cutting down someone who doesn't share what your ideal may be is not cool. They work hard to make their car something they can be proud of. What they build may not be ideal, and I'm not getting a Civic anytime soon, but I respect the effort that goes into the build.

ok so i'm a lil late comin in on this one.... but heres my 2c...

I meet a whole mix of ppl at shows..youngins to geezers and everything inbetween.. the big buck cars are nice, but most rodders dont aspire to own anything even close to some of these tricked out rich kids toys....i got no problem with the rich kids,unless they start raggin on the lower budgeted rats, and Kustoms, then its time to jus let the brute power of the cars speak fer 'emselves..in a good olde fashioned race...(legally of course
)
Although i dont personally appreciate the styling of the rice brigade, i do appreciate that they are learning to mod cars,stamping some sort of individuality on them, and hopping up the motors( i sometimes think this is what P's most rodders off the most, the fact that its easy to push BHP outta a ricer with minimal $$$)
i had a big talk with some local rice guys who said that insurance on rods was way Xpensive, and that it was easier n cheaper to build a fast ricer... they look at it as, they are later day rodders...remember, one day all those 30's to 70's cars are gonna be gone, either restored or already built..... theyre jus utilising whats available, and cheap.....isnt that what rodding was about, back in the day???
ok so not all rice owners feel that way, but SOME do...

i feel that its jus a shame that theres a lot of bad press created by a minority of ricers...but thats in every sector of motorsport...
and every other hobby/lifestyle i guess...

i wonder how many rice drivers sh*t talk rods??? they seem to appreciate whzat we do... and how many of those guys will/may go on to build rods or muscles?? maybe a few?!?!? but i know one thing, we arent doin a very good job of promoting our sport, if all we do is take the P*SS and rag on other ppls builds, ricer or whatever... the few potential rodders amongst the ricer community,could possibly get the impression we are a stuck up, close minded bunch.... which isnt true.

ok, have some fun, joke about the ricers, but theyre car-nuts too, dont be anti-social...if you feel like ya got something to prove, let the car do the talkin.instead of runnin ya mouth off.

the cars may all look like dayglo plastic cheese wedges, with more lights than a UFO, but it doesnt mean its bad....jus means it aint your thing...

ok i'll put the soap box away..


the reverend..

i wish i died in the 70's somtimes

at least i could of had some fun in the 60's-70's until i died of course

Originally posted by TRUCKGUY
i wish i died in the 70's somtimes

at least i could of had some fun in the 60's-70's until i died of course

This IS the golden age of hot rodding. Want a fast new car, go buy a new GTO or Mustang. Want an old car, aftermarket parts are available for just about anything. Want a '32 Ford. You can buy the frame you want and even new steel bodies. Most muscle cars have body panels available to repair the rust. You can even buy new body shells for '69 Camaros.

Insurance is relatively cheap (not like the early '70's where the companies wouldn't even insure some muscle cars). Technology has made getting every last HP out of your car is easier, and in a lot of ways, easier to diagnose and repair.

Retro kits are available so that 440's, 454's, and 460's can be retrofitted with EFI.

The cars are safer (newer ones) and with electronics, polute less. All this, and you might even get 20-25 MPG's.

The sixties are dead. Long live new technology!

i mean we shouldnt put them down all the time at least they have a passion for cars and are doing what the can with what they got

Swiftster, Subarus are not ricers, they are made for rally cars but in a road legal way. They are aussie built anyways and aren't too bad. Too bad kids fix them up like they do a Honda instead of rally cars. Also CSF, you are going to get bitched at man, I won't say to shut up or nothing because I agree with you now but heh... it's comming. lol People are going to tell you your an idiot, shut up, your off topic, etc but actually I have to agree with what you just said, and who cares, look at every thread, there is at LEAST 2 people that get off subject big time so noone can use that excuse against you. But that's all I am saying, I don't wan't nothing bruing (sp) up here. I am sure you guy's have more worse things to worry about here.

Swiftster, Subarus are not ricers, they are made for rally cars but in a road legal way. They are aussie built anyways and aren't too bad. Too bad kids fix them up like they do a Honda instead of rally cars. Also CSF, you are going to get bitched at man, I won't say to shut up or nothing because I agree with you now but heh... it's comming. lol People are going to tell you your an idiot, shut up, your off topic, etc but actually I have to agree with what you just said, and who cares, look at every thread, there is at LEAST 2 people that get off subject big time so noone can use that excuse against you. But that's all I am saying, I don't wan't nothing bruing (sp) up here. I am sure you guy's have more worse things to worry about here.

Originally posted by FMXhellraiser
Swiftster, Subarus are not ricers, they are made for rally cars but in a road legal way. They are aussie built anyways and aren't too bad. Too bad kids fix them up like they do a Honda instead of rally cars.

To most of the people on this board, anything built by a Japanese car company is rice. Civics and Accord are built in Ohio, but I don't think you'll convince too many here that these are American cars.

Fast cars come down to power-to-weight. Swap in a Acura RSX engine into a Civic and it's an easy 14 second car. This would make it faster than 90% of the muscle cars (stock) produced in the '60's. Isn't this what hot rodding is all about, making your car faster?

As for all the tacky wings, video monitors, kicker boxes, well, I could do without. Of course, I can also personally do without wishbones and white-wall slicks. It's a matter of personal taste and when you were born.

Yeah well the Subaru thing is just my own two cents. And thanks for the nice reply therer CSF, I appreciate it. But anyways, for the Subaru, all I hear from kids in rice is that they all wish they had one. A lot of the ricer kids though don't talk trash on hot rods like we do on their rice. There are a lot of kids I know with Honda's that love muscle cars and old cars and they say the reason they don't have them is because they say they are too much and they don't know much about them but like the style of them and they will even say how they know that muscle cars will smoke Honda's but they don't care.

So if someone happens to like the looks and style of a Honda Civic and it is afforadable to that person and they they decide to buy one that is in poor shape and repaint it and give it a new set of wheels and then goes on to re-build the engine and then he even decides to add a few tricks to get more horsepower out of the engine, it is still not a Hot Rod?...

You are saying that is not a Hot Rod?... In fact that is the original spirit that gave life to hot rods back in the 30's and 40's... People took old cars that were sitting around and did what they could afford to make them perform and look better...

It is very sad to me that more of us can't be a bit more open minded about the hobby... I guess there is just no room for people to want to try to do something different than what is considered traditional...

BTW: to most of the folks posting on this thread, the majority of the StreetRod crowd does not an will not consider your "Pride and Joy" a Street Rod or a Hot Rod either... Just because your ride is old does not mean you are included in the group as defined by some organizations...

Funny how that elitist attitude works...

Dave Brisco

Originally posted by TRUCKGUY
ok here is some more from me

now a ricer is a ricer not a HOTROD why do people get this confused it is very simple everyone is talking about (ricer's) being the new HOTROD'S they cant be a hotrod is an older car that somone has built engine etc. to get the most power out of it and a ricer is just a bunch of people putting 18in wheels on stuff with 2in tires and 7-10 mufflers...

Originally posted by Swifster
To most of the people on this board, anything built by a Japanese car company is rice. Civics and Accord are built in Ohio, but I don't think you'll convince too many here that these are American cars.

Fast cars come down to power-to-weight. Swap in a Acura RSX engine into a Civic and it's an easy 14 second car. This would make it faster than 90% of the muscle cars (stock) produced in the '60's. Isn't this what hot rodding is all about, making your car faster?

As for all the tacky wings, video monitors, kicker boxes, well, I could do without. Of course, I can also personally do without wishbones and white-wall slicks. It's a matter of personal taste and when you were born.

Sorry to burst your bubble their swifter but honda Is Assembled here there still jap crap made this means their parts are shipped here from japan and the car Is then assembled here not made

Well Don, you may be seeing a little bit of the future for “street rodding” in the posts above. I’m not sure that the label “street rodding” will endure. You know, the label “hot rod” doesn’t get a lot of use these days, but there are street rods that remind me of hot rods And by the way, you guys with the purist definitions of “street rod” and “hot rod” can ignore the last statement… sheeeesh!

As the number of older folks enter (or re-enter) the hobby, and as younger folks come into it for the first time, “current” trends will help to define what “rodding” is about. The desire to take an automobile and improve it with your own time, talent, and money is what makes people get “into” this stuff. Even the old timers will want to take advantage of some of the “latest” innovations. So, the hobby is dynamic and always changing.

The reality that some people can afford to pursue the finest through their talents and finances will tick off (in some cases) those that think a “real” rod has to be built from bone yard and hand crafted parts. Think about what happened when factory muscle cars were thrown into the “hot rodding” scene back in the ‘60s... I remember the rub between the “real” rodders and those guys with the checkbooks. Then, the next thing you saw were those muscle cars up on blocks with factory stuff coming out and new stuff going in... suddenly there were some new “hot rodders” in town!

Anyway, we’ve got the mix of checkbook rodders, and talented builders, and “real rodders”, and “ricers”, young, old, and whatever these days. It’s all a testament to the fact that motorized vehicles are still an interest to a lot of people. I’m not sure what the hobby will be called in the future, but I’ll bet there will be some people with a desire to make “modifications” to whatever motorized vehicle is parked in the driveway.

Dan J

P.S. Happy "Cyber Rodding"

Don you knew this was going to happen when you asked the question . We are a group of opinionated SOB's. But thats what has kept the hobby alive, and thats what will keep it alive in the future. Have a good Thanksgiving, I'll catch up on this when I get back. I'm going dirt riding on a Honda. Damn, I own a ricer .

Originally posted by john gemmer
Sorry to burst your bubble their swifter but honda Is Assembled here there still jap crap made this means their parts are shipped here from japan and the car Is then assembled here not made

Oh no John, sorry to burst your bubble. Since 1996, the US domestic content of the Honda Civic is over 75% and less than 20% Japanese content. Your federal government considers this car a domestic car.

The Ford Crown Victoria, used by 98% of the police department in the country, is actually an import. Built in Canada, the actual domestic content on these cars is less than 50% (many parts made in Canada and Mexico, as well as Ford of Europe).

Like it or not, it's a world market. Soooo, buy American, buy Honda!

Keep in mind, these "Ricers" are the extension of future hotrodding. You gotta admit, some are kinda sharp looking fior the boring rice boxes they are intended to be. Just think.... if there wasn't any interest in the Sport Compacts and no aftermarket parts to be sold for them, how do you think parts manufacturers are gonna offset the lost revenue of 'slow sales' for the slowing muscle car/street rod market?? Obviously the costs would go up for these parts because there would not be another market to offset them. The reason I say lost revenue is because how many old cars are actually driven to the point thay need constant parts replacements? There are a few guys like me that are hard headed and spend 3/4 of my free time wrenching just to keep these junkpiles on the road but the majority of us just have them as pleasure rigs. There you have it. Lack of demand creates less sales and takes profit out of aftermarket companies. Soooo be thankful that there is another craze out there ofsetting the cost of your street rod and musclecar parts, otherwise you'd probably be shelling out doubble for that next Edelbrock Air Gap intake.....
And if you ask me, once the aftermarket industry saw a slight spark of interest in the sport compact, I feel they are the ones that fueled that fire, obviously to help with revenues.