Thread: Rat rod debate

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My final thought on the whole thing is the customer.... I've been lucky enough to build cars for any number of these "hated" people who buy their Hot Rods.. All of them I've dealt with are very successful in their own line of work and because of this don't have the time, facility, equipment, or experience to build their own car so they hire someone like me to do it. Now I'm old and semi-retired, but in the past I've employed up to 5 people in my old shop as builders, body men, fabricators, and all the other jobs it takes to build a car for a customer. I paid them quite well, always above the average wage for the area I live in, and expected nothing but quality work from honest, hard working employees... So anyway, these "rich dudes" because of their success in other forms of business had the money to buy the best parts available, go with all the options they wanted, and spend big $$$ on first rate bodywork and paint... and drive off or load their new toy in a trailer and take it home! Some even paid me quite well to deliver their new car to them!!! My point is, me and my guys had a blast and made a decent living building these Hot Rods and the customer got a first rate product for his money. Over the years these "rich guys" who don't know a ring gear from the pinion sent their friends around to the shop and we built cars for some of them, too. The majority were self made professional people who started their careers with nothing and eventually had the money to hire someone to build their car... Granted, they probably couldn't have built the car themselves, but then me and the guys in the shop couldn't do their job, either!!! I've built cars for doctor's, lawyers, a guy who owns 5 furniture stores, couple of airline pilots, a banker, and many other professions. Now I can't fly a jet, do brain surgery, or defend someone in court but what I do have is a lot of respect for the people who do that job and I certainly don't begrudge them the money they earn. It's called mutual respect.... Way I look at it, do good work, work hard, and excel at what you do and you can have a successful career, too.

Please somebody tell me why it's so terrible that some people who have the means because of their own success that they can afford to hire someone to build them a Hot Rod???? A lot of these guys worked 60 or 70 hours a week in thier chosen field when they were starting their careers, too. Is it really any different then you going to a doctor when you need medical attention? Maybe doctor's laugh and ridicule those of us who can't do our own surgery???? Do lawyer's call us names when we hire them to resolve legal issues??? Building cars for these "rich guys" allowed me and for a bunch of years the guys who worked for me to make a good living, raise our families, pay our bills and have a blast doing it!!!! So what if they guy can't change a transmission, he's probably very good at doing something the guy ridiculing him can't do!!!!! I'm not so sure that a lot of the folks who ridicule these "posers" aren't really just jealous because they don't have big bucks to spend on their own car???? Heck, work harder, get better, get more education and quit whining about your low paying job and do something about it!!!!!

There's plenty of room for all kinds of Hot Rodders and all kinds of cars whether you do it all yourself or hire it done. What's the difference, anyway??? Next time instead of bad mouthing the guy with the store bought car, why not figure out how he got in the position that he can afford it or maybe even talk to the guy and see what his profession is and how he became successful at it??? Just a bit of mutual respect is all that it takes.