Classic Cars

[Fleetwin]

We have a local Car Show, in my neighborhood, about once a quarter. It is held at the local High School and is typically a fund raiser for the High School activities. All good.

The show is increasing in size and popularity, again-all good. Last week, there were about 200 cars on display.

I always go and have become friends with many of the exhibitors. The exhibits are primarily American Classics with a few Brit's thrown in. NOTHING Japanese. Telling. They are not disallowed, just nothing Japanese will ever be a classic. Except maybe a 240Z.

In talking with the regulars, they are saddened about a few new things popping up:

1. The High School Administration thinks that "old polluters" should not be dispalyed as glorious in their design and intent.
2. Student groups are not familiar with Clasiics and see no purpose in displaying them. Realize, this is always on a Saturday. NOT a school day.
3. Some enviro groups, in the school ,are ralleying to outlaw the show.

My issue is: Have we so, via public education, so taught our younger generations, that there is NO significance of the past?

Are our Public Schools preaching a new religion of environmentalism? I think so.

The other thing that bothers me is that there is no one under the age of 40, at these shows. I guess that is telling also.

I guess the sooner the younger folks can "off us" the better.? That's the vibe I get.

This is SO sad. The younger generation is attached to a cause without a purpose.

I'm not opposed to being environmentally responsible but we've gone too far.

A society that forgets its past is DOOMED to repeat it.

Hitler was nuts but not stupid. He engaged the young.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Classic Cars

yep, I was pretty proud when my youngest son picked out his first car. a 1974 Gran Torino. it was about 7 years ago. he was amazed at how many older guys at car shows were so willing to have him park his hoopty by their 50,000 (exageration) dollar rides. The ywere just happy to see a younger guy bringing a car in. They always noticed the little things he had done.
he worked on it all the time.

that said, have you ever tried to get a small group of younger guys into a hot rod project or anything.

unfortunately it began to cost too much and he wanted to move out on his own with girl and so on. car is gone now. HE does miss it though

 

[southkogs]

Re: Classic Cars

...Except maybe a 240Z.

... I dunno', the Datsun 280zx was pretty flippin' cool. We have a few classic shows in the area each year. It's almost exclusively domestic (which is fine with me as a Detroit kid) too.

My issue is: Have we so, via public education, so taught our younger generations, that there is NO significance of the past?

I've had the benefit of talking with some very interesting people in the field of design (both artistic and engineering) including some old Mopar gear heads from the glory days and one of the men who designed the moon rover. One thing that we all seem to agree on: schools - secondary and higher ed - seem to focus far too much on convention. The statistical safe route is trained and given as a mantra.

American automobiles historically were a series of trial and error stories that were built by folks who were somewhere between brilliant and maniacal about cars. We're losing that ability to think non-conventionally and explore new concepts - not all of us, there's still some exceptional innovation out there - but kids really struggle to get to that point.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Classic Cars

yep, I was pretty proud when my youngest son picked out his first car. a 1974 Gran Torino. it was about 7 years ago. he was amazed at how many older guys at car shows were so willing to have him park his hoopty by their 50,000 (exageration) dollar rides. The ywere just happy to see a younger guy bringing a car in. They always noticed the little things he had done.
he worked on it all the time.

that said, have you ever tried to get a small group of younger guys into a hot rod project or anything.

unfortunately it began to cost too much and he wanted to move out on his own with girl and so on. car is gone now. HE does miss it though

That's terrific. There are few. Unfortunately, too few.

He'll never forget and when he becomes succesful he will recall that dream. If it's not too late.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Classic Cars

Unfortunately, "gear heads" are a dying breed. I have 4 kids in school, between 7th and 12th grade. A couple of them and most of their friends have no interest whatsoever in even getting a driver's license, much less a car. They'd rather sit on their butts and play video games and tell their friends how cool they are because they did this that or the other in a game. :facepalm: All I wanted at their age was a license and a car. That equaled freedom. Many kids now don't want our "freedom" they want to be taken care of by mommy and daddy for as long as they are willing to do it.

I'm sure many kids are taught that the generations before them have "destroyed" the environment. Sad. I guess conforming to other peoples ideals is their "freedom". There may be hope yet. When I went and picked up my boys and they saw our new Challenger, their eyes lit up and their jaws dropped. Both of them want that car BAD. LOL.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Classic Cars

Not everything can be political, and the HS should realize that, just do art for art's sake in the case of that car show. I used to have classic muscle cars from 60's and (very) early 70's, raced some and showed some (not all at once). Drove one usually as primary transpo, this was late 80's on into the 90's. Every once in a while I would get hit by the gross polluter flamers, and I would ask them how much pollution they thought one new car caused before it even hit the road. I sometimes said Hey, I am the ultimate recycler! I guess I do the same thing with boats now, although much fewer and farther between.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

Funny, cause i was always was (guess I still am..) a car guy, a gear head.. hot rodder.. just moved on to boats now.. :lol: and I had a 75 datsun 280z.. awesome car, took it to lots of car shows locally, and even then, 10-15 years ago, i was one of the few young guys.. and most of the 'old' guys though it was awesome a 'young guy like me' had the interest and urge to 'fix old cars'... Oh, and the whole 'polution' thing is bunk as as far as I'm concerned, as 99% of classic cars still on the road are taken BETTER care of (usually because of pride of build and/or ownership of such things) ,they are likely running in tip top shape, and not driven to far for the most part.. I to am bothered by that age group these days, no interest in anything it seams but 'social media' bs ahem... and video games.. My next door neighbor bought his 17 year old son a 1988 JAG xj6 for xmas last year.. kid has barely worked on it, doesn't even have his full license.. works part time at Mcdonalds.. :facepalm: Constantly glued to his Iphone, wants all the benefits from life at home, but has no urge to do anything for it.. (I'm guessing he may be booted out soon, 18 is coming.. heh) wonder what happens when all the tech starts failing, and no one knows how to DO anything or make things work anymore..

 

[dingbat]

Re: Classic Cars

And my great grandfather didn't understand why nobody was attending the annual horse and biggie show. All the kids where interested in where these new noisy machines called automobiles. ......lol

The good ole' days where not that long ago and not all that good either

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

And my great grandfather didn't understand why nobody was attending the annual horse and biggie show. All the kids where interested in where these new noisy machines called automobiles. ......lol

The good ole' days where not that long ago and not all that good either

:lol: but I think there was still something passed on there to the next generation... you know, things like the old saying 'take care of your horse, and it'll take care of you' can still be said of your car, your boat, your house, ect.. i learned this the hard way a few times in my life, but i know it now none the less... everything nowadays has shifted; if something stops working, toss it and get a new one, there seams to be a disturbing lack of any 'understanding' of things... 'meh, i'll just google it' (dont get me wrong, the internet is a powerfull tool.. but thats it, its a TOOL, not the bible, or the definitive 'everything'... IMO what you can do with some knowledge, and skills, is more important than the high score on guitar hero or what #people are following# and how many people 'like' this .... definitely noticing an ever growing gap with the younger generations... oh my god, I think I might be turning into an old guy.. :laugh:

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Classic Cars

I think it's somewhat generational. Cars for younger people are more of a burden/necessity than a source of nostalgia and freedom like the were in the "good ol' days", especially with $4 gas, emissions standards, congestion fees, speed cameras on every corner and sky high insurance premiums. The endless oil wars and geopolitics that go with them aren't worth the price either.
We now live in a digital age in which gizmos with moving parts, of any sort, are somewhat passe. After all, your ipad doesn't really have any moving bits and runs off of wizard tears or something like that. Many electronics manufacturers, including Apple, are actually making their products tamper-proof so you couldn't (legally) modify them even if you wanted to, so why bother learning how. Shoot, even trolling motors have GPS guided auto-pilots nowadays and "cars" are really just rolling computers with internal combustion engines it seems. For better or worse, the new/interesting technology will be in a recyclable electric vehicle with 1-2 moving parts, which is also a wifi hot spot, a mobile apartment, and a miniature espresso bar all in one. It will probably also look like a melted bar of soap and be utterly forgettable:/ On the other hand, maybe efficient electric motors and light weight, fancy composite materials will free manufacturers up to makes some beautiful designs again. Let's hope.

 

[bigdirty]

Re: Classic Cars

Oh, hey don't get me wrong, tech is cool and all, but i guess I look at it differently.. someone like me, and many others, still have to BUILD all the parts and machines that MAKE all this tech, miners have to get the raw metals/materials, etc etc.. Electric cars, ya, they can work and be made to look appealing too, but in some climates (like where I live) they just don't work well.. And I guess maybe 'my' generation was where the whole car=freedom really had its final death blow, as fuel is now 3 times the cost (and rising) compared to when I started driving, insurance is getting insane, and the laws have clamped down so much i'd be broke from fines and likely in jail for decades nowadays for some of the stunts I pulled back then... :facepalm:

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Classic Cars

at work there are some young guys early 20s that are car enthusiests(work in a garage), now they like their Hondas and Volkswagens with cold air intakes turbos and fart can mufflers, tuners they call them. they like my old mustangs too, but think they're slow, its not all about speed though. I tell them its a 50 year old car, when that Honda reaches 50 it will be a washing machine or stove

 

[avenger79]

Re: Classic Cars

I have to agree with KFA to some extent. most kids these days have never had an opportunity to ride in a "cool" car. they rode in mom's Honda or dad's Toyota because they were practical. no thrill there, nothing to dream about. when we were growing up our parents had chevys and fords with V8's and now and then the muffler would fall off........OMG what is that sound? oh yeah!!!!
Maybe that was why my son wound up being into cars. he was brought home from the hospital in a '66 GTO, next car he rode in was a '76 Camaro, than a '79 firebird, than a '68 Mustang. I don't think he rode in a "normal" car until he was 8 or 9 years old. LOL
I recently stopped at a dealer that had a '66 El Camino for sale. popped the hood and the young salesman said "looks like it's all there right?"
He didn't know how to start it. stick shift and a carb. LOL When we took it for a ride a couple girls stopped next to us on a light and yelled over "nice car" I told him he should get the car, go chase girls with it, he said he didn't think he would know how to drive it.

I have had a couple younger friends that liked their tuner cars. I may not like that style of car but, you have to respect the work they put in. one fella had a complete engine and ecu set up just for emissions testing. he would swap out everything go get tested then swap it back to power engine. that car could flat out run. it's not all about speed for some but, for others that is exactly what it's about. that's the fun of cars, it's just doing your thing to make your car your own.

found an ad for a 69 c10 last night...................ah might have to go look this weekend.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Classic Cars

A '69 C10? My first ride was a '70 C10. My parents had a '72 Charger. I wanted that car when I turned 16, but they couldn't afford to keep it. Had to trade it in to get something else. My daughter drives a Charger. Since the wife works from home she drives it to school everyday. She'll be heading off to college next fall and we're going to let her keep the car. Sure, it's not like the old Chargers and it's a 4 door, but it's still cool. And the kids at school think it's pretty cool too...

She'll never be a wrench, but she loves to look at older cars. She really likes my street rod and has a blast driving it. She loved the Goat and likes to go to car shows. Anytime she see's a Vette she makes sure I see it.

I guess if the parents are into older cars there's a better chance the kid might be. Just like fishing or hunting. If the parents aren't interested, usually the kid isn't either........

But yeah, it used to be a kid couldn't wait to get their license. Now it seems some aren't in a big hurry. Just a different world.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Classic Cars

so I better not tell you where it is huh? LOL

my dad had a 32 ford when I was 15. when they asked what I wanted for my 16th birthday, all I wanted was to take a girl for a ride in that car. unfortunately some guy offered him a trade for a '60 corvette. my dad loved vettes. I hated that car. to this day I hate vettes. LOL
the '32 was a hot rod. side pipes, big n littles, metal flake.................ohhh

the corvette was a POS in my mind, needed a lot of work. and than he wanted to take it back to original!!! no pipes, no flames, no notta. I did help him work on it but never asked to drive it. LOL

my cousin drove a 71 cuda to school, her dad figured that would scare off a lot of boys. LOL I had a '71 Camaro back than.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Classic Cars

It's not that some of the more refined sports cars aren't good in their own right, or even that the "tuners" don't have a few claims to stand on. Some of 'em are pretty slick.

But there something about a car like a '58 Eldorado that speaks to originality of thought. The elegant arrogance of a '71 Cuda, the incredible innovation of the '48 Tucker Torpedo or even the unconventional launch of the '83 Dodge Caravan are all points of innovation that seems a little lost in our world these days.

Guys like Rutan with Scaled Composites and Elon Musk with Tesla are still keeping it alive, but back in the 50's, 60's and 70's there seems to have been much more of that innovation.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Classic Cars

Today's generation are only interested in cars/trucks that are represented on video games. I agree with the comments on freedom. My wife caters to her son and he has no desire to start driving. much less what he drives.

they dont get it. todays vehicles have no soul. Heck, 80% of the drivers today dont even open the hood until a light comes on telling them something is wrong. then they panic and call someone. My wife, daughters and stepson think Im nuts for wanting a 1936 business coupe or a 1962 Nova II or a 1957 VW beetle over something that is only 2 or 3 years old.

I had a wrench in my hand from the age of 3, helping dad rebuild jeeps, muscle cars, etc. I attempted to pass this knowledge and passion on to my two daughters, however that did not get anywhere.

regarding the glory of designs of old. Gone are the days where a model year change actually meant something. todays cars have life spans of 5-10 years without any changes. To call them "old polluters" is actually a joke. most cars with the check engine light on pollute more than my 60 year old truck did.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Classic Cars

I like the trend to take a classic musclecar and upgrade the underpinnings and engine/driveline. Like a V10 in a '70 Cuda, that kind of thing. Suspension upgrades, brakes, etc. When done right the results are awesome.

The last car I did was a '69 RoadRunner, earlier this century. I had forgot how non-ergo those interiors were. It is a cool car, no power steering or brakes, bucket seat interior though, 4speed trakpak with 4.11 suregrip, airgrabber, post not hardtop. Moved in a smiled on 440 under the hood as the original 383 was gone, just old school mods/upgrades for ignition and cooling and clutch (CenterForce), fluid dampener/balancer,etc.

Sold it to my son, he sold it to my brother recently and he is planning a full resto with some mods, a restification if you will.

Anyway, it was not very comfortable for me to drive. The seats had no side bolsters, steering wheel just kind of stuck out, shifter was Ok because it had the heavier tranny with shorter throw like a Hemi car for some reason. Back in the day I never even noticed any ergo related items and I had a car EXACTLY like this in the early 70's. But now after being in modern cars for a while the '69 interior was pretty sad ergo-wise!

 

[avenger79]

Re: Classic Cars

Today's generation are only interested in cars/trucks that are represented on video games. I agree with the comments on freedom. My wife caters to her son and he has no desire to start driving. much less what he drives.

they dont get it. todays vehicles have no soul. Heck, 80% of the drivers today dont even open the hood until a light comes on telling them something is wrong. then they panic and call someone. My wife, daughters and stepson think Im nuts for wanting a 1936 business coupe or a 1962 Nova II or a 1957 VW beetle over something that is only 2 or 3 years old.

I had a wrench in my hand from the age of 3, helping dad rebuild jeeps, muscle cars, etc. I attempted to pass this knowledge and passion on to my two daughters, however that did not get anywhere.

regarding the glory of designs of old. Gone are the days where a model year change actually meant something. todays cars have life spans of 5-10 years without any changes. To call them "old polluters" is actually a joke. most cars with the check engine light on pollute more than my 60 year old truck did.

get the Nova get the nova!!!!!
we have a '73 bug now. got rid of my '80 malibu a little while back

I like the trend to take a classic musclecar and upgrade the underpinnings and engine/driveline. Like a V10 in a '70 Cuda, that kind of thing. Suspension upgrades, brakes, etc. When done right the results are awesome.

The last car I did was a '69 RoadRunner, earlier this century. I had forgot how non-ergo those interiors were. It is a cool car, no power steering or brakes, bucket seat interior though, 4speed trakpak with 4.11 suregrip, airgrabber, post not hardtop. Moved in a smiled on 440 under the hood as the original 383 was gone, just old school mods/upgrades for ignition and cooling and clutch (CenterForce), fluid dampener/balancer,etc.

Sold it to my son, he sold it to my brother recently and he is planning a full resto with some mods, a restification if you will.

Anyway, it was not very comfortable for me to drive. The seats had no side bolsters, steering wheel just kind of stuck out, shifter was Ok because it had the heavier tranny with shorter throw like a Hemi car for some reason. Back in the day I never even noticed any ergo related items and I had a car EXACTLY like this in the early 70's. But now after being in modern cars for a while the '69 interior was pretty sad ergo-wise!

yeah we forget about the shortcomings of the oldies LOL

sounds like an awesome car.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Classic Cars

My sig on the MoPar chat site is "Cogito Ergo MoPar"

My son got the MoPar gene passed thru to him, he has no choice but to keep the flame going