Hi, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. A lot has happened since the last update,
another cruisin’ season has passed for us in the Midwest and other colder
climates, a drought, two huge storms have hit the East coast and the worst
President since Jimmy Carter somehow got enough people to drink the Kool-Aid to
get himself 4 more years in office but that’s a discussion for another time and
place. Oh and my car club which since
1969 has been a pre-1949 street rod club has voted to raise the cut-off year to
1972. I’ve had mixed feelings about it,
especially since I jumped on the Not
Street Rods Anymore bandwagon
when our friends from Memphis went to the 30 year sliding rule. But I mellowed and realized that for the
hobby of hot rodding to survive these changes have to be made even though I
would have liked a lower cut-off year for my club like 1964 but majority rules
and I’ll abide by it. Unfortunately the
change caused a few of my club members to quit.
Hopefully they will reconsider and come back.
So you may be
asking how will this effect this blog site since it was developed to promote
the pre-’49 street rods of the world. Well
the effect should be minimal since I will still be promoting the true street
rod aspect of the hobby. I like and
admire newer cars but my goal will be to get the folks with the newer cars to
take a look at the pre-’49 rods with hopes they will build or buy one. How will I do this? I’m not exactly sure
right now but some thoughts are to get these folks to go to events like the
Frog Follies and events hosted by the ASRA and VSRA where their attention will not
be distracted by later model cars. If it
works fine, if not oh well, I tried. There
comes a point in one’s life where you gotta just say “screw it, I can’t change
what I can’t control” and move on.
A street rod will
always be a pre-1949 vehicle no matter what the pundits at the rod magazines
say. I guess technically any car regardless
of year that has been modified to increase its speed is a hot rod. So using that logic a street rod is also a
hot rod and a post-1948 modified vehicle is a hot rod but can’t be a street
rod.
There was an acquaintance of mine
at my house once and he drove his “traditional” hot rodded Model A that
night. One of my 5 year old (at the time)
twin granddaughters saw the car and squealed “oh a street rod!” (Poppy taught
her well!) This acquaintance jumped down her throat firmly telling her “IT’S A
HOT ROD NOT A STREET ROD!” Though I took
offense at his attitude towards a 5 year old, acting like one himself, I can
honestly say they were both right but he will never admit it. But since changing his opinion is not in my
control, screw it.
Life is too short
to worry about things like cut-off years. Just cruise and enjoy the show. Does it really matter if you’re parked next
to a ’40 Ford or ’65 Chevy? Nope, not
really.
www.msraofil.org
