Don't Drive it, then Why Own it?

     I’m almost 61 years old and have had a fascination with cars since I was old enough to talk.  I can remember being able to identify a make of car from the hub cap logo before I could read.  Growing up I always wanted a job that involved driving.  Well the job I wound up with for 30+ years did involve driving, driving a black and white police car.  How cool it was too, I could drive fast and go through red lights legally!  Sure most of the time it was mundane and routine, driving at or below the speed limit patrolling side streets, but those times, and there was usually one or two a day, when I had to respond somewhere quickly, well it could be was quite a rush.  Always fun when my heart rate went from 60 to 140 in 2.9 seconds!

     Well my love of driving didn’t end when my shift did.  Nope that’s why I had a street rod.  Hitting the roads when I had weekends off going to long distance shows was my favorite thing to do and still is.  After all half the fun is getting there right?  Nothing like people giving you the thumbs up as they pass you and a group of your fellow rodders on the interstate or taking pictures or talking to you at a gas or rest stop.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

     I belong to a street rod club with approximately 70 members that live in the Chicago area.  All of those members have street rods with about 60 of them drivable.  Of those maybe 30 of us drive them on a regular basis to out-of-state events, the others are seen maybe once a year when they are driven to our annual show or maybe a local cruise night.  Where are they the rest of the year?  I try to organize cruises to local shows and cruise nights more than 5 miles away but the core of regular guys are the only ones that show up.  We have several members that have been in the club 30+ years that have never been to an out-of-state show like an NSRA or Goodguys event.  Again, maybe it’s just me but how could you own a street rod, claim to be a street rodder and not once attend an NSRA show, especially when the NSRA was still pre-’49 only?  I don’t get it. If you’re not going to drive it, then why own it?

      My fellow club members range in ages from their 30’s to late 70’s with the majority in the 55-70 year old range.  It’s not just my club but the street rodding hobby in general is aging and the number of years we have to enjoy our cars is growing smaller.  I try to instill interest in driving the street rods long distances by writing in our newsletter how much fun it is, the great venues and scenery we see, to organizing a one day 200 mile Route 66 cruise but it’s always the same core group of people that show up.  I don’t get it.  If you’re not going to drive it, then why own it?

     I’ve asked some of these guys why they don’t want to go to major events and the last 2-3 years their answer has been the cost of fuel.  But that’s BS because they didn’t go when gas was under a two bucks a gallon.  Another answer is “I go to cruise nights near my house”.  Great, driving a whole 5 miles, woo hoo!  That’ll get the Geritol flowing.  I go to cruise nights too, but honestly, they can be boring and sometimes lame.  Cars are meant to be driven and more than 5 miles at a time.

     Folks, I alluded to it earlier, the hobby is aging and there’s a big beautiful country to see, what better way to see it that through the windshield of a street rod.  See it while you can still enjoy it.  Dedicated street rodders in my opinion are cousins of dedicated bikers, both understand the fun of driving on the open road whether it’s the interstates or back roads just going somewhere just for the thrill and fun of driving there.  The bikers have “national events” in Sturgis and Daytona to name a couple and I’m sure there’s other destinations and street rodders have national events in Louisville (NSRA) and Columbus (Goodguys) and another 40 or so regional events to choose from put on by those two organizations.  Rodders that have never experienced a national event are missing a huge part of the hobby.  Like they said in the old Alka Seltzer commercial, “try it, you’ll like it”.

      Well I guess I’ve rambled on long enough.  Please leave your comments for any of my blogs whether you agree or not.  Thanks for reading.

The Death of a Car Club

     Picture if you can a group of young men in from their late teens through their early 30’s, all share a love of hot rods, customs and drag racing.  Some work part time jobs after school, some have new families and some are a living legend ala “John Milner”.  They are always together so they decide to form a car club to share their interest, maybe get a club garage and build a club car, maybe a radical custom, maybe a gasser. They are always helping each other build their cars, loaning tools or giving a fellow member an unwanted but useful part.  Everyone has a specialty, some are mechanics, some are body and paint guys, one guy builds hot motors and another is an “expert” at wiring cars.  Whatever kind of help a member needs with his ride the person with that specialty will be there to help and will not ask for anything in return other than help when he needs it.

     When I say these guys are together all the time I mean they hang out at the local diner or drive-in every night and go on runs or to the drags on weekends.  This routine goes on for 20-25 years, 25-30 cars getting together to cruise to somewhere, a show in the next town or a large event hundreds of miles away, but they are together.  Over the years people leave the club because of life situations or losing interest in hot rods but more people join, new people that have just discovered hot rods or are finally able to afford one.  But slowly, going unnoticed, changes are happening.  New members that join are older, not the teens and twenty-somethings that started the club long ago. Their cars are cars that they bought from someone else which is cool because cars have to be sold to someone but they never experienced the camaraderie of scrounging used parts and helping other members build their cars.  All-nighters getting the car running hours or minutes before setting out on a run hundreds of miles away with no sleep.

     More years pass and the club is now 30 or 40 years old with a handful of founding members still active.  Many clubs started at around the same time have broken up but yours has survived.  The average age of the club has risen maybe to the mid-50’s or slightly older.  The older guys that have been in the club for many years lament the fact that unless the club gets some young blood in the club it and the hobby will be gone in several years.  Older members are passing away or no longer can drive long distances.  Sure new members are still joining but they’re in their 50’s or 60’s.  What does the club do to get their children and grandchildren, legacies if you will, to join the club and give it new life?  Members complain that nobody cruises in groups like they used to and when runs are being organized hardly anyone shows up.  Members that experienced a line of 25 or more hot rods cruising single file down the interstate, an awesome site, try to tell those that never experienced it what it’s like, yet they don’t show up.  There is still a core group of members that cruise to events near and far.  Nothing like it, getting there and back is half the fun.  A rolling car show, children and adults alike cooped up in carbon copy mini-vans and SUVs giving you the thumbs up as they pass or taking pictures of each hot rod as they pass it.  The driver and passengers of the hot rods acknowledging with a wave and a smile that won’t leave until you get home knowing they are driving a unique one of a kind vehicle.  But is getting those that haven’t been on a long distance run to do so enough to get new life into the club?  It’s a start but everyone is still getting older and eventually, well you know.

     How do you get younger people into the club?  Your club has a specific cut-off date of model years but the kids are into “traditional” hot rods and customs that they believe is carrying on the way hot rodders were in the ‘50’s or into  ‘60’s muscle cars.  Talk to someone in that age group about joining your club filled with people old enough to be their grandparents and they’ll say why would we want to be around a group of grumpy old men that do nothing but sit in lawn chairs all day?  They have a point whether club members want to admit it or not.  Without new blood, the car club started 40 or 50 years ago will eventually die.  But what to do?

     Club members bring up changing the cut-off date to include newer cars but some of the grumpy old men fight it and defeat that notion.  Now what?  Nobody has any ideas, so the status quo goes on.  Each day, the club like its aging members is one day closer to its demise. 

     Some members are trying to resurrect the idea of an increased cut-off date.  Sons and daughters of members want to join but want to keep their ‘50’s and ‘60’s cars and eventually get older cars.   Does the club start a later model division to let them get a foot in the door?  Does it just raise the year cut-off?  Or does it move slowly with ever tick of the clock (or change in the digital display) closer and closer to its death throes?  The members need to decide.  The club members have the fate of the club in their hands.  Somewhere the gnarled hands of a stone carver are chipping away at a tombstone, the words forming; Your Car Club 1969-20--.  When will it end?  Can the end be stopped?  That’s up to the members.

     But for now, the members can help instill interest in their older cars by driving them, not just a couple of miles to a cruise night, but driving them.  Driving them hundreds of miles to events.  Get the cars on the back roads and on the interstates but drive them hard and far so people can see them in all their glory, doing what a hot rod was meant to do.  Driving them, that’s what gets people interested and can also get the blood flowing again of a long time member who hasn’t been on the road in a while. 

© Tony Halachoulis 2011

Trailer Tales and Then Some

     Last time I talked about some compilations of my experiences regarding trailered cars.  This time I’d like to expound on some real life eyewitness happenings that includes trailered cars and others.

     Way back in the late ‘70’s I had the urge to buy a convertible as a daily driver.  I found a one-owner ’65 Olds Starfire, red with a white top and red leather interior.  It was a solid car and ran great so I bought it.  I drove it every day for a couple of years and I guess it was in 1981 or ’82 I decided to fix it up and use it for just cruising and car shows.  By this time the original top had split at the ends of the seam that went over the back window and there were a couple small rust holes in the floor and some dents that I had lived with from the original owner.  Plus the exhaust for the ’65 Starfire exited through the rear rocker panel through a heavy cast molding which caused the Starfire specific rear bumper ends to rust out. 

     I had pulled the carpet out and a friend welded in some patches and when I got the car back I painted the floor black with POR 15 while awaiting the new carpeting.  I then found out that the Olds Club of America was having its annual national show in nearby Itasca, IL so I thought I would take the huge Starfire to the Olds show.

     It was a nice July day so I put the top down and cruised the 10 miles to the show.  Now mind you, the car had a rusty rear bumper and a crease in the passenger door and no carpet but it was a work in progress which was perfectly acceptable in the world of street rods that I was used to.  After I registered and was directed to park by the other ’65 Starfires I was cruising through the grounds and noticed that the car was attracting a lot of looks.  Now a ’65 Starfire is rare but come on.

     I found my designated spot and left the car to look around for a bit.  I came back to the car maybe 30 minutes later to find 5 “old” guys in their 50’s or 60’s.  (I can say that now because today I am that age.)  I thought it was cool that the old car was attracting attention.  One of the gents asked me if the Olds was mine and I said proudly that it was.  Another geezer then asked why is it here, it’s not finished?  Being taken a little aback I responded that it’s here because this is the Olds Nationals and it’s an Olds.  Each one took a turn picking apart the car.  The one that topped the cake was, “why is the top down?”  At that point the smart ass in me finally kicked in and I looked up into the cloudless July sky and said, “It’s sunny and it’s a convertible so I put the top down.”  “But it’s going to get wrinkled” came the reply.  I acted surprised and said “oh my God, I didn’t think of that” and proceeded to raise the top with the approving smiles from the group of old farts.  Those smiles changed to scowls as the group noticed the holes in the torn top partially covered with duct tape and as I latched the top in place I asked them, “is that better?” .  The group walked away with one muttering how they shouldn’t let unfinished cars into the event.  I spent the rest of the afternoon obviously pissing off a few more Olds purists.  Man that was a great day.  But from that day forward I look at any judged shows as being attended by nothing but a bunch of snobs with no sense of humor that want nothing but trophies.

     Fast forward to about 2000 and I was attending a small local show with my in primer ’46 Chevy. This show had judged classes but I went because they had a swap meet and some friends were going.  At least at this one nobody cared what your car looked like.  At the awards ceremony at the end of the day they got to the class of restored muscle car or some such nonsense.  One guy who had a restored ’70 Chevelle SS in the class started pacing.  If I recall they had four trophies for the category with the top one being “Best in Class”.  Starting with 4^th place the guy paced faster and faster each time his name was not called, getting his car closer to the coveted top prize.  When they got ready to announce the winner I thought this guy was going to faint.  They announced the winner and this guy let out a holler and started to walk to get his trophy when he suddenly realized they had called someone else’s name.  It was priceless, he almost cried and caused a scene complaining the winning car was a piece of crap and didn’t have the correct jack handle and the wrong valve stem caps all of which fell on deaf ears.  He stormed out vowing never to return.  Probably not a great loss if he didn't.

     In 2005 I went to the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus.  There was a guy that had a really nice yellow ’67 Camaro with many modifications, nice interior and a roll bar, it was a nice car and he brought it in an enclosed trailer and was trying to win one of the Pro’s Picks at the event.  He was staying at the same hotel as me and taking up several parking spaces with his truck and trailer.

     One afternoon after returning from the fairgrounds myself and some fellow club members were enjoying a cold beverage sitting in the parking lot when Mr. Camaro and his friend pulled up behind the trailer and the friend jumped out of the Camaro and into the tow vehicle pulling it up to make room to lower the ramp and to block not only parking spaces but now the aisle as well.   He then dropped the ramp and Mr. C. lined the Camaro up with the ramp.  His friend was standing in the trailer and I ascertained that his full time job must have been that of a signalman on an aircraft carrier or they guy at the airport that guides planes to the gate.  His arms were up down left right getting the Camaro properly lined up and into its cocoon.  After it was loaded and the ramp was raised, the trailer was backed up to its original place and the two went into the hotel.  About two beers later the dynamic duo came back out and repeated the process to get the Camaro out of the trailer for a nights’ cruising.  This was repeated each time they came and left with the car.

     Well, Mr. C’s Camaro did not win the coveted Pro’s Pick or any other award.  I heard him complain to a Goodguys official to no avail that how could they pick the ’69 Camaro over his because the ’69 had a speckle painted truck with a rust stain in a seam and did not have a fully upholstered trunk like his and had some paint chips because it was driven.  On Sunday when the award winning cars were parked together Mr. C. made sure he parked just on the other side of the rope separating the award cars from the rest of us poor souls adjacent to the ’69 and made sure people saw the imagined flaws in the ’69.

     I guess my whole point is that life is too short and is it really worth the aggravation to make sure you have the correct date code hose clamps?  I don’t think so.  A restored car is not an original car it just looks like one.  It’s only original once so technically even if you put in a correct date code engine it’s still a modified car.  Reproducing chalk and grease pencil marks, nope not original, it’s modified so a person might as well make a hot rod out of it.  Remember, any can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up.  Anyway that’s how I see it while I’m stopped at 49^th street.

Chains Just Ain’t For Pullin’ Engines

     The following is a work of fiction (for the most part) and any resemblance between actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.  Chains can be used for hundreds of uses such as pulling stuck vehicles out of mud or snow or as tire chains or suspending chandeliers or lashing down that latest project or race car to the trailer or as decoration around the human neck, usually in gold and in the car hobby usually worn in multiple layers, two or more, by a male in the 45-65 year old range driving a dually quad-cab pick up pulling (with safety chains properly attached) a hermetically sealed trailer.  Maybe the trailer has a full size likeness of what is hidden inside said trailer or it might be pure white, red or black to add to the mystery of what marvels might be lurking inside, waiting  to be unleashed on the unsuspecting public.  Now there can be several scenarios on how, let’s call him Mr. Chains, will get his car to the event grounds. 

     In scenario #1 maybe Chains will drive his tow vehicle and trailer to a  designated trailer parking spot and unload the contents and drive it to registration, then to the event site, back to his hotel each night and the next time it sees the inside of its mobile sarcophagus is for the trip home.  I can live with this guy and in reality this guy doesn’t deserve the name of Mr. Chains.

     In scenario #2 is the Mr. Chains with an entourage, 4-5 friends piled in the quad-cab pull into registration taking up 6-8 parking spaces and the sunlight reflecting off all the genuine gold neckwear of the truck’s occupants is blinding not to mention they look like a pit crew for a top NASCAR team because they are all wearing matching shirts and pants with the name of the entombed vehicle embroidered on the shirt.  After checking in they all pile back into the dually and head off to the event site.  We’ll get back to these guys a little later.

     In scenario #3 we have our Mr. Chains with an entourage arriving at their hotel and dropping off the trailer and its contents and driving said dually/quad to registration and get their event credentials and head back to their hotel maybe stopping for breakfast or brunch on the way.  Once back at the hotel they unload the prize and after putting a towel on the driver’s seat and floor area (can’t have any dirt on the floor mat or sweat on the leather) the prized car is driven to the event site by Mr. Chains with the tow vehicle following.  Did I mention one of the crew put cones in front of the trailer to save spots for the tow vehicle and behind it so there is room for the ramp to load the car each night?  Once the car arrives at the event the car is parked on a corner in front of already parked cars and Chains and his roadies start a routine of placing descriptive signs around the car and maybe some mirrors underneath and the trophies from the past winter’s indoor car shows around the car.  The crew then begins polishing and cleaning the car from top to bottom and that takes the rest of the day and this routine is repeated each day.  After the day’s activities end, Chains drives the car back to the hotel and  places it back into storage until sometime the next day. 

     I said I’d get back to our Mr. Chains and friends in scenario #2 so here we go.  The chainers described so far are a compilation of chainers I’ve seen over the years.  What follows actually happened to me and involved people that closely resembled those in scenario #2.  I belong to a club that is a host club of a national event.  This particular event is held in the infield of a 1.5 mile tri-oval race track.  Cars already registered are driven down an access road to the tunnel to enter the infield.  Only vehicles registered for the event are to be driven down this road.  As I’m taking ticket stubs from the drivers and having a blast interacting with them, here comes our friends from scenario #2.  They pull up to me and Mr. Chains hands me the window sticker for the as yet revealed car and tickets for all in the tow vehicle without saying a word and a “hurry up they’re waiting for this car to arrive” attitude. I told Chains that he couldn’t take the trailer into the show area and that he would have to turn around and I directed him to the trailer parking area.  Chains replied that he just wanted to drop the car off and he’d pull the trailer right out at which time I repeated that he could not take the trailer in and that he would have to park the trailer in a designated area and drive his car into the infield.  He began to argue that he couldn’t drive it because he didn’t want to get his tires dirty or stones caught in the tread.  I think I said something like and with a chuckle of disbelief,  “you’ve gotta be kidding me”. 

     Because this little interaction was holding up the line and being a warm day and fearing some cars might start overheating, an official who we’ll call “Sharky” from the hosting organization came to see what the hold up was.  After hearing the problem he told the Chains to turn around and unload the car and drive it in or don’t participate.  Chains replied that he couldn’t drive the car because the car had no fluids in it!  That’s right, no gas, oil, ATF, coolant, nothing!  Whoopee, a real honest to goodness world of hot wheels show car!  Needless to say this particular car didn’t make it into the event.

      In my humble opinion if a car is to be trailered to an event then the only acceptable scenario is #1.  The trailer should be parked in a designated area and the hot rod driven all weekend as the main source of transportation.  I have no use for those that take up 8-10 parking spaces in hotels or have to drive the trailer to the event each day and load and unload in the parking lot.  It’s a car, cars are made to be driven on roads for long distances.  If a person is only interested obtaining trophies and false accolades then there are plenty of winter time shows you can tow the car to. 

     Every once in awhile everyone needs to hear “good job” or get a pat on the back.  That’s human nature.  Fortunately most people in the hot rodding hobby are involved in it for the fun of building and driving hot rods, not to see how many dust collecting trophies they can accumulate.  Driving to an event is half the fun and the other half is being with your old friends and making new ones and taking in the sights.  If they win an award that’s cool and can be fun but it’s not their main reason for going.  Maybe the unknowing public oohs and ahs at Mr. Chains’ mirrors and trophies and the hot rodders in attendance may respect the workmanship and detail of Chains’ car but nothing brings rodders closer than cruising down the interstate or back roads in a group.  And for my money the best award a hot rodder can win is a thumbs up from people passing you on the road or having someone take a picture of your ride while on a pit stop because you know you have made someone’s day a little happier.  And that my friends, in my opinion, is worth more than winning the Ridler award.

Here Comes the Sun

     Yep, here comes the sun.  All we need is 25 more degrees in the temperature and things will be great.  The cruise night season starts tonight after a long winter's hibernation but my best friend Carl in Florida seems to get an evil satisfaction by letting me know several times during the winter months that he's either sitting by his pool or cruising to a car show or cruise night.  If only I could afford the house across the street from his.  Curse you Wall Street!
     The purpose of this blog is to promote the hobby of street rodding and for those few that don't know what a real street rod is, it's a car or truck that was manufactured in 1948 or earlier and modified in some way.  Fiberglass replicas of those body styles are acceptable as well.     The purpose of the NSRA at one time was to promote the hobby as well but their President Vernon Walker has made the NSRA change course with the 30 year rule.  I think the change has backfired big time.  When originally questioned Mr. Walker said the change would get younger people into NSRA events with later model cars and they would see the pre-'49 rides and want to build one hence helping the hobby survive.  Uh huh, sure Vernon.  If any of you went to an NSRA event in 2010 you saw maybe 10-15% of the cars present were post-'49 and probably 90% of those were driven by gray beards that left their street rod at home and drove their '57 Chevy instead.  In fact if you look closely you'll see a bunch of younger rodders (under 40) building pre-'49 traditional rods in greater numbers than show up in late models.  Maybe some of the street rod parts suppliers should start selling newly manufactured replicas of worn and rusty parts.
     Looking forward to the 2011 cruising season I will be attending two Goodguys events in Des Moines and Joliet where my club, the Midwest Street Rod Association of Illinois (www.msraofil.org) is the host club and the NSRA Nat's North in Kalamazoo.  All great events but I need a fix of a large all street rod event.  So this year I will be attending the largest all street rod event in the country, the Frog Follies in Evansville, Indiana.  I went for the first time about 5-6 years ago and it was fantastic.  This is a must do event for all street rodders, 4,000 street rods and a swap meet bigger than the NSRA Nat's.  But I know not everyone has the desire or means to travel across the country for this event so what's a street rodder to do?
     After the NSRA instituted the Walker Rule three new organizations emerged to help us with our street rodding needs, the American Street Rod Association (http://www.americanstreetrodassociation.com/), THE American Street Rod Association (www.theasra.com) and the Vintage Street Rodders of America (www.vsra-usa.com).  All are about a year old and all have had street rod only events that drew a few hundred cars each.  Not bad for new organizations.  None of them have dreams of becoming as large as the NSRA was but they all offer alternatives for our street rodding habits.  Each lists street rod only local events so if you can't make a long road strip check out some of the local pre-'49 goings on.
     My club recently had rep's from the ASRA attend our last meeting and they gave a short talk on their organization.  One of the ASRA reps has attended every street rod nationals and said he will continue to do so.  I have attended Kalamazoo since the days when the Nat's North moved there from Detroit and I will continue to do so because I like the city and the venue.  I was one of those that jumped on the I'm quitting the NSRA and I'll show them band wagon but you know, why should I give up a trip that I enjoy because of some stupid rule change.  My heart is with street rodding, nothing beats the lines of a pre-1949 car but I like all cars.  But when a replica of the Griswold's 1983 Wagon Queen Family Truckster pulls into Louisville I might have to rethink that.
See Ya,
Tony

Hey, Where'd I Go?

     Last night I attended a Super Bowl party with some friends I've know for around 35 years as we at one time all belonged to the same street rod club back in the mid-'70's.  Some of us still belong.  After the big game one of my friends gave me a DVD he had made from his Super 8mm sound movies from several events in 1976-78.  These events included rod runs Wisconsin Dells in '76, Peoria in '77 and '78, the '77 NSRA Nat's in St. Paul and the '78 NSRA Nat's in Columbus.  Man there were a lot of resto-rods running around back then and the bigger the gap between the top of the rear tire and fender the better.
     Aside from the difference in cars the difference in the people was even more shocking.  I don't know if it was the beverages I was consuming or the fact that I'm a ham when a microphone is placed in my hand (probably both) but in most of the movies I was the MC, asking questions and making comments that were funny at the time but hold little relevance today.  When the first movie started I heard a familiar voice and the person talking looked vaguely familiar.  Who was the tall, young mustachioed man speaking to me? Then I realized that hell, it was me! Oh heck, I knew it was me all along but something inside of me refused to admit that that was what I once looked like.  I still have all the hair but it's much lighter today.  Hey, gray is lighter than brown.  The eyes are still blue but have a few crows feet, I'm still tall but I hear I should begin shrinking in a few years, but damn, was I skinny!  Everyone else in the movies that have been lucky enough to make it this long and that I still see all suffered the same issues.  Then there are the friends of old that I have lost track of wondering what they might look like today.  I heard voices and saw people that had come in and out of my life in the blink of an eye but in the movies they were still there and still fun.
     These movies consisted of endless processions of street rods coming and going to the events that were covered in the films, but luckily a lot of the hotel partying and antics were preserved, times only those present can truly relate to and appreciate.  There were the poolside interviews of obviously sobriety challenged individuals, people doing belly flops just cuz and how great our girlfriends/wives looked in two piece bathing suits back then.  Of course even back then in our mid to late 20's us men thought we looked good in a Speedo but really, we didn't.  I couldn't get that damn thing around one leg today let alone my waist.
     What really shocked me watching my friends and I from a generation ago was how hard we partied, night after night until 1, 2 or 3 in the morning, opening another "Old Style" while sucking the previous one dry and still getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning to get to the show the next day.  And what a blast we had, always laughing, always having a great time.  Today, we sit in the parking lot after dinner, have a couple drinks and by 9:30 everyone is turning in.  Don't get me wrong, we still have a great time and laugh and I wouldn't change my life today for anything but sometimes I miss those days so long ago.
     Where'd they go?  Where'd I go?  Many of the friends in those movies have moved away, changed hobbies, disappeared and sadly passed away.  I am fortunate that I still have contact with some of them.  But where are those young pranksters that were drinking, carrying on, laughing and playing practical jokes on each other, so vividly coming to life in those ancient flickering movies?  Well, mostly we're still here, just a lot older, a little quieter, but still up for a great fun filled hot rod weekend.  OK, so maybe we can't or common sense tells us it's not wise to stay up until 2 or 3 AM but we still have a blast, making new memories and reliving old times with friends passed.
    I plan on showing this DVD to our members at our next meeting to show some of the new/younger guys how it was back in the old days and how we had fun.  I urge everyone to dig out the old slides, movies and photo's and show them to the younger rodders.  Tell our story so that it will be perputuated for future generations.